, 1873-10-12

jewish congregation In this city, has recently
written for tho Jeotsh Times the following ro-
Elections upon somo OF tho oyentn rclated n tho
Old Tostamout:
Tho Holy Doolsa glyo us, with few strokes Of
tho crayon, lfo-1ko pictures Of things which aro
beautiful good, md deserving Of Imitation, as
Of those which aro hatoful, wicked, and repul-
Bivo. It is as profitable for our instruction, to
mako ourselves acquainted with the first as with
tho aBt,-to learn to know the dark aa we'll as
the bright side Of antiquity. It may console us,
and raiBe us In our own eyes, to recognize TINT
our sins aro not original with us. but arc Inherit
Cd from our parents, and that the children arc
rather in q fair way to bo better than tholr
parents wore
Arc NO materialista7 Our ancestors wore
moro 30 than we. Do wo play tho hypocrito?
NOT to such IN e1coss as our ancestors.
In tho 23d chapter Of Gonoals no sre given an
illustration Of tho way In which business mat
tor was bottled in tho higher social circles in tho
times OF Abraham.
Abraham wished to buy tho cave Of Machpe.
Ihereupon numbor Of compliments .and flno
| speeches were exchanged between purchaser and
seller. They complimonted and bowed, bowed
and complimentod. Ephron wantcd to give tho
caye, for friendships sake alone, not for money.
Abraham would not take It on those ter1ns.
Finally Ephron allowed the truth to appoar
among his protentious words: "Four hundred
shokela Of silyor." Thereupon Abraham took
the scales which ho had In readiness and weighed
out to grain the sum indicated,
Ephron mover dreamed Of giving Abraham
suoh valuable piece Of property; from tho bo-
ginning be Ind thought Of tho shokolB. But ho
could venture to offer It aB present, in tho cor
tain presumption that Abraham would tale tho
oncr Tor what 1t TaH worth, for mere courte-
sy. This ia tho manner in which business iB still
conducted among tho cultivated natives Of tho
East. AS general thing, tho aollor asks
nothing; tho purchaser must mako an offer.
Ordinary prudence and propriety teach us to
/ be courteous aud considerate, even whou tho
perceptib]o momontary advantage does not do
mand it; to be obliging, evon when you have
tho money in your hand to bo courteous, ovon
when there is q demand for your comnlodisios,
oven II you stand above and others look up to
| you to bo modest, evon If you have the pdyan-
tage.
But what tho Holy Writings rolnto to us llere,
goes far beyond our idcaa Of polite deport-
! mcnt.
| Here aro two men Of high position shown to
| ua as they, III the presence Of their fellow
ctizons, with the most earnest faces in tho
! world, In phrases OF magnani1nity and tho most
unaolgll friendship. pass back md forth tho
thing they aro bargaining about and ret every
| one kuowa in his heart that they moan
"shekcls;" and that silver, not acknowledgement
the affection of the heart, but the weighed-out
netal--will decide the mnttur.
1t is true TINT tloro ia room for Improvement
IN tho bl1Bnces-world Of our day but these af-
fectca circumlocutione and paIayors about frontl-
ship in businesa would disgust every cultivated
man ut this time. Tho fact is not coilcealcd that
money, not friendship, is what it is sought to
gain i'll trade.
We hayo gotten rid Of hypocrisy In business
transactions. But, in other social mattora, VIC
| stand, far more than is desirable, where
Ephron did: Our mouths arc full OF magnnnlm-
! ity, love and friLsdHhip, reverence md virtue,
idealsm and the bottern.ent OF tho world but =
practical eur dacerns, through oil these fine
sounding Or gravely-utsered words, a soft, low
accent which whispers !" -Four hundred ahokels
Of si1vcr." Thoso attractive phrases arc tho
smiling, seductivo fruit but tho ooro is silver.
II,
Eliezer asked Rebekah in marriage for tho son
| Of Ills master.
Abraham requested Eliezer to go to his fam
! ily, In Harau, and thoro find wife for Isaao.
find the girl, and shc will not follow me, nhat
| thcn?' Abraham replied: God, who up tu
this time has 80 kindly aud maryolously guided
mo, will aid mo in this matter alBo."
r,i;as on Ho1 bnt Il n.r IN ~ lawn ~ - naa1er
fa;th IN no1 wora ~ taIo az frtor -, gpsluos ns
morc annroyod asa;stancn aA' 40 'No' ''' ''1i'
The Roly Scriptures sav: "Tho eorvant too,z
ton canals and ioao, sn viii, .1o ,;ao soon -
his an wont om liz '' iarna1 so Ta & Ha
hr'n Whnn ho Ind rnnchn7 h;a S9a,;na ioa tn, tu'
md holovo ho lad found t,c r;n3,t 5 rnr,a ~
mt nnon 11or tha cnn,na gh;cf ,n6onu ,U,ra ~ nn
hrnoao;u efn ~ n,,ra a,d All la TI;aSse,
atasod liz orranJ n the naronta /" booa r.
pemorfa 1vt1, tho vor5a = NJ ,nnotor ;s a., ar
onIinat1 ;a1 ~. -, aoo - ~ "a
a;1vor men'aorrnufa md Mia fo'" "a
and "a,nn1a A~d ba hao tIaclerad tt,ot asooe dseo
anal ho ill., so1o ho;r f III thesa rcbes I'll s.'n' 1s"a'
Noth;n@ ia SAID ahout M 1saonsa ni,rso,t and
montai nnni;tinn Hnmav he M 1nt 1en. nri,,r1o ra
rnn~o, n,nnatnr Ioonn ;.s ~ -. HI, st,
,rna nnoo Tor tho ,'arorts rho,, sa;1 tas @
tn@ nrosaaoth M Fra1a tho nn H., no
snnsbtar dS E ani' nn VIA ''' -'0A"' ~ 'AAo o's
Ies,t n,nnashs.. I1;o1,n,a ,,,,,,;.4, ,,