The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-05
CITY INTELLIG ENCE.
.sPESACH."

The Jewish Feast Of the Passover
Tonight.
Tonight the Jewish people of this city will
assemble In their synagogues to perform the
fret pnblic service connected with the annual
celebration of the Feast of the Passover. This
day corresponds with the "Fourteenth day oil
the MONTH" Nissan, upon which, by Exodus
xii, 6, the people were commanded tnroug9
the festival by the slaughter of the Paschal
Lamb Succeeding the slaughter follows the in
junction of his blood, sprinklng on the door
posts, and the preparation of his flesh, and the
method of partaking of it with unleavened bread
and bitter herbs. The special command is also
given that it shall be eaten 'in haste, for it Is
the Lords Passover" and the explanation fol-
lows that on that night the Angel of God
would pass over the land of Egypt, and slay the
first born of the Egyptians, but spare the houses
OF the Israelites.
AT the conclusion of the Synagogical ritual
service, the congregation retire TO their homes,
where the whole family assemble at the table,
together with man servant and maid servant,
provided he or she be Jewish; the master of the
house chants the Biblical description of the de-
livery of the "Children of Israel out of the land
of Egypt and out of the House of Bondage"
Together with this there is also chanted various
rabbinical comments on the history of the de-
liverance which is incorporated in the text Of
the service.
At this ceremony there still appears on Jewish
tables the remnants of q Paschal Lamb, and the
bitter herbs enjoined in Exodus. So far our
here they generally leave it, and instead OF eat
ing the lamb roast with q fire, his head with his
legs, and with the purtenance thereof, land
with their lons girded, their shoes on their feet,
their slaves in their hands, and IN haste il has
become the custom for the partakers of the
Paschal meal to ungird the lOins, robe them
selves easily and comfortably in dressing gown
and slippers and velvet skul-cap and without
any haste at all pass through the no very diff
cult ordeal of partalting of a well-prepared
meal Prayer by the master of the house fol-
lows, and the whole family and domestics sit at
the table, singing and chanting Hebrew psalms
and by ymns till late hour
The Jew on this night endeavors as much as
possible to 90 back mentally $500 years. and
picture to his minds eye that he himself walked
dryshod across the Red Sea. To this, among
other things, may be attributed the presence of
the domestic on an equality with himself at his
table. The night which he commentaries, they
were all escaped bondmen and bondwomen
alike, and the night on which he commentaries
i, they are all free alike. and although the
same services are repeated the succeeding nights
and day, it may be stated that the Passover ends
at sundOwn on the first day. The institution of
the festival was for the purpose of reminding
the Jews perpetually of the passing over" the
houses of the Egyptians, aud the Staying of the
frst-born. The Hebrew word "Pesach" comes
from a root meaning ''to pass over and spare, y
''Lo spare Besides, the angel of God passed
over during the night of one day, and did not
occupy seven days in its passage.
THE COAL TONNAGE of the Philadelphia aud
Reading Railroad and branches for the week
ending Saturday, April l, 1871, was as