Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-01
ATONEMENT DAY.

Yesterday was 'Atonement Day" as laid
down in the Jewish Book of Faith, and the
stores Of our religious Hebrews were closed
during business hours or until after dark
Service. were held at the syt tgogue- the old
Office of the ''Caro City Prol rty CO.. corner
of Seventh street and Conf ercial Avenue.
Besides the obligation incum' 1t upon them to
attend religious services, the4 sws are also re-
qured to fast from Friday Night until ''they
could see stars on last night, and it was
amusing to see some Of them watching the
heavens last evening. Our genial friend, I. r.
Adler, had a vacuum in the stomach which
his nature abhorred, and he with others,
might have been seen about supper time at the
St. Charles, gazing with all the interest of an
infatuated astronomer toward the heavenly
bodies We casllot, though, all seriousness,
help admlring the religious .strictness with
which this much-abused people observe the
traditions upon which their faith is built.
Those who scoH them could advantageousy
copy from them III this particular at least.
We subjoin relation Of tic principal ccre-
monies Of the ancient people, as performed on
Y,
Church:
This day is the most solemn and sacred holy
conyocation mentioned in the Laws of Moses
it is day when the people are to ''afflict their
sous;'' and it is now a. day when the Jews af-
fict both their souls and bodies: the former,
by repentance Of past sins and suplications
for pardon, the latter, by fasting from ''even
to even'' i'll place Of the sacrifices that were
offered in the Holy Temple. y recent Jewish
writer, after describing the form of worship on
this day during the existence OF the Holy Tenn
pie thus concludes: 'sAlas at present we are
deprived Of all this glory, for we cannot oh.r
sacrifices while our Holy Temple Is destroyed
we, therefore, remain the whole of the day Of
Yom Kippur in our synagoges, praying and
| fasting, and imploring Gods mercy to favor us
| with pardon for all our past sins, and to be
kind to us forever. Amen!'
| In the Mishna, it is commanded that in or
! der to appear a suppliant before the Al
mighty on the Day Of Atonement, one should
| be in unity and concord with his brethren, that
| therefore, if any one had fallen ont with his
| neighbor and not yet become reconciled, he
: should not omit to do so on the day previous to
this fast dag. Indeed it would be exceedingly
| beneficial if the Mshna were filed with such
moral prccepts instead of those innumerable
| frivolous particulars relative TO the Jewish
! rites; moreover, what a noble trait of charac
| ter would it exhibit in the Jew, who should
| practice the precepts which hold so prominent
u place, instead of being so anxious to attend
! to all those outward ceremonies which are of
| SO little significance.
| The celebration of this da7 commences on
| the evening Of the ninth of T1shre; this even
ing is generally called ''Coll Nidray Night, y
from prayer which commences with these
| two words, containing the nullification Of all
! ,,,,fl Ic6 II iG for N
to wear the white cap and toga already noticed
| in the description Of the New Year. and over
this the scarf with fringes. The appearance
Of men dressed in this manner makes the scene
| III the synagogue one OF awe to many, and
! especially to those who wear the white dress
themselves, since it reminds them of the close
OF life, when such will be their funeral shroud
therefore the Rabbis, having the conception
of this awe-inspiring scene in view instituted
this custom.
On the tenth day Of Tishre the services be-
gin at sunrise and continue until sundown II
is needless to give u description of all the
prayers Of this day Suffice it to say that
they consist generally OF Confessions, (at each
Of which they beat their breasts as a mark OF
humility,) prayers for pardon, hymns describ
ing the Glory Of God and the history of all the
rites and ceremonies that took place while the
Holy Temple stood.
Lie pfdJ GFS are ulNlGcu INTO 1Our ulVlSlOllS,
called the Morning, Additional, Afternoon anC
Concluding prayers. Among the Jews thcsl
are distinguished by four Hebrew words.
Alter the morning prayers the sixteenth
chapter of Leyticus, and tie 57th and 5Stl
chapter Of Isaiah are read, during which the
ceremonies usually observed in reading the
Law on the Sabbath, tax place.
In the course Of the prayers following they
knecl and plostrate themselves four times
and when this part of the Services is finished
another portion Of the Pclt,teuch is read, to
gether with the book of the Prophet Jonah
who furnishes a remarkable in9tance Of a sin
ner who by repentance was received again int
the favor Of God. The concluding prayers are
said while the day is declining, when the,
most earnestly pray to be seried in the book o
; life, as the time Of sundow is considered to b.
the time whea every mans destiny is decided
AT the close Of the services one long note
sounded to commemorate jle blowing OF tn
trumpet which formerly took place on thi
, dav, in the land Of Jldea ii case that the yea
wa. a year Of jubilee.
Mr. Hutchinson the cdu0r OF the Repudltc0
c that is to be, was in town Yesterday. 1t is
nice time to start q Republican paper nov
Q that the party has been Written dead and tn
+ al tion'i pronOunraJ pOtfin