The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-04-12

THr PassoyER.-Our Hebrew friends in
Keokuk, Is everywhere, are celebrating the
Passover-that wonderful feast, OF wcnder-
full people, commemorating wonderful evert
that binds that people and all the present to
q remote past. That reaches back Of oil the
events that are integers of our modern civil
ization that reaches to the life of Sesostris,
and to the graves Of the Pharcahs, and to
the building of the Pyramids. The Feast
commenced last Thursday and ends next
Tuesday evening 1t sunset. An exchange
has been searching the Bible and Enclycope-
dias, and il gives the result Of its records
thus, which we avail ourself of:
It's the most important feast in the Isra-
e,;te faith. and commemorates the providen-
t;al escape of the Hebrews Ia Egypt, when
God. smiling the 6rst-born of the Egyptians,
SHARED the Israelites whose homes we're mark
ed BY the blood of the paschal lamb. Wher-
ever the children of Israel, who are scattered
throughout the world, find q resting place,
this great feast is celebrated with the most
impressive ceremonies, and all over the
world this devoted people are this week in
their synagogues and temples misunderstanding
this great event with the solemn services of
their faith, The feast of the Passover is from
pascIa, by which it was known among the
Greeks and Romans, and is from the Hebrew
word pesach, signifying passage What God
ordained concerning the Passover Of the
Jews is contained 10 Exodus. The month OF
the departure from Egypt was looked upon
from this time as the sacred or ecclesiastical
wear; and on the fourteenth day of this month,
u kkats hate fho
suus decline and his setting. or rather, ae-
cordine to our manner of reckoning, between
two O. clock in the afternoon and si1 O'Clock
in the evening, Ut the equinox-they were re
auired TO kill the paschal lamb, and 70 abstain
from leayened bread.
The day following, being the fifteenth.
reckoning from 6 O'Clock OF the foregoing
evening, which concluded the fourteenth day,
was the grand least Of the passover, which
continued seven days. But it was only the
frst and seventh days that we're solemn. The
lamb killed was TO be without any defect, q
male, and weaned that year. If no lamb
could be found, they might take kid.
They killed . lamb or kid in every family,
and if the number of those who lived in the
house was not sufficient to eat lamb, two
houses might Join together. With the blood
of the paschal lamb they sprinkle the door
poSl9 ana lSnteiS VI every uouscs euof sue ~
stroying angel. at the sight OF the blood,
might pass over them, and thus spare the
Hebrew children. They were required tc
eat the lamb the same night that followed the
sacrifice. They ate 1t roasted, With unleav-
ened bread and salad of wild lettuce the
Hebrew says, literally, with bitter things, as
mustard, or anything Of that natures to give
1t relish.
II was forbidden to eat any part Of 1t raw,
or boiled in water nor we're they to break
bone Of the victim, and if anything remained
until the day following, It vas thrown into
the FIRE. During the whole eight days Of the
passover no leavened bread was to be used,
and whoever should eat any was threatened
with being cut of from his people.
The modern Hebrews observe in general
the same ceremonies which were pFacticed
by their ancestors in the celebration Of the
passover.