Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-05-10
rnn Re.,nrntIon Of the Hebrew.,


The Society for the melioration Of the
Jews held an anniversary at New York last
week. After long interval Of neglect the
Society again shows symptoms of renewing
the effort, and has collected about thirteen
thousand dollars during the past year of
which about ten thousand are in the treasury,
showing an excellent financial condition.
The labors of the Society are based on the
restoration of the Jews to the favor Of God,
and TO their own country, where they will
rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple in more
than their original splendor, and viii renew
the glories which they enjoyed when they
were the chosen people Of God. This resto-
ration they hold to be clearly prophesied in
Scripture, and the labors of the Society are to
prepare the way and hasten the fulflment of
these predictions.
A similar society exists in England, called
the Society for Converting the Jews, their
conversion to Christianity being regarded as
n condition precedent to their restoration;
and beside fulfilling the Scriptures, the Chris
tisn world has had an additional motive for
its interest in the conversion of these people,
in the universal impression that their resto-
ration must precede the millennium. The
event is one which has always had deep
hold on the sympathies and imagination of
the Christian world. 1t is the romance of
religion-if with due reverence, we may be
allowed to use the term. There is moth
ing in history that makes so deep an inn
preston on the youthful mind as the
story of the Jews; their wonderful de-
liverance from Egyptian slavery, their pro-
tracted journeyings in the wilderness, fed
and watered, guided and governed directly
from Heaven, their singular perversity in
making gods for themselves in the face of
all these exhibitions of divine power, their
courage and success in battle, often in the
face of tremendous odds, and often, as in the
siege of Jericho, with weapons, which, but
for their sacred associations, would almost
excite a smile when compared with a siege
trair of modern artillery; the glories of Je-
rusalem and of the Temple, the destruction
of these, and the downfall and exile of the
people, all deeply impress the youthful i'm
agination, and there are few who have enjoyed
the inestimable advantage of religious
training, who, however Indifferent to other
matters in the vast circuit of the world, which
New England family prayers often make
have not responded mentally to the habitua
petition that God would hasten the time when
his own covenant people should be restored
to favor, and Jerusalem and the Temple
should again display His glory and power.
But the progress in preparing the way for
this fulfllment of the Scripture has been
almost inappreciable. In England, after a
vast expenditure of money in the cause, o
calculation was made, based on the average
cost of conversions showing that it was q
financial impossibility, even if the end would
Justify such an outlay. If that is the case in
England where millions of pounds sterling
have been expended, the prospect certainly
seems discouraging in this country, where
collections for this work amount TO only
thirteen thousand dollars, of which ten
thousand are in the treasury of the Society.
1t is supposed by those who have interested
themselves in this subject, to be twenty
FIVE hundred years since the prophesies
were made which foretold the total disper-
sion for a season, and the eventual restoration
of the Hebrews; and although during that
time there have frequently been indications
which convinced many devout people that
the end of the world was at hand, and elabor-
ate preparations have in some cases been
made for that event. yet there have been no
e H. II a. III.
promised land. On the contrary, some thing
which were supposed to indicate an instnc
tive desire on their part TO return, hav,
proved to be mere theories of those who wer
impatient for the fulfillment of the Scriptures
It used to be believed that the Hebrews neve
settled on farms, and that they refused Il
make investments in real estate or in an!
permanent way, and it was argued that the,
held their funds constantly in convertibl
securities, so as to be always ready to trans
fer them to the rebuilding Of their ancien
city. But their increasing acquisitions @
houses and lands have been rather too mucl
for this theory. 1t is also periodically re
ported that the Rothchilds are about with
drawing their great wealth from business an
investing it in rebuilding Jerusalem, bu
hitherto the per cent. seems to have been re
garded as more desirable to those eminen
bankers than fulfilling the Scriptures.
In the meantime, the Hebrews themselve
have demurred to this determination to r,
store Jerusalem at the cost of exiling thel
from their native land, A year or tw
ago a convention of Jews was hel
in Europe, which declared that the
did not look to any restoration, br
regarded the land of their birth as niue
native to them as TO any European, and exil
from it as much to be deprecated. II is no
of course, to be admitted that the wishes {
these people are to stand in the way Of tn
fulfllment of the Scriptures; but they
seriously stand in the way of the humal
means by which it is sought to assist tina
end. Proposed exile will hardly make tn
Hebrew more susceptible to conversion.
Under these discouraging prospects it ma,
be well to review the interpretations O.
which the belief in this restoration is founded
Since the prophesies which are chiefly relie
upon were made, a destruction Of Jeru
salem and of the Temple, and a carryin
of the whole people into Babylonish car
tivity, have occurred; also retnr
and rebuilding ofthe city and Temple. Som
circumstantial specifications of the prophesie