The Portland daily press., 1874-10-01
DAYS of AtOnement,

Our Jewish brethren began, about fort
night ago, their new year $685., as they have
for 1000 years dated their year from the au-
tumnal equinox. From that time until the
day of Atonement (the 21st inst.) trumpet
was blown daily in the synagogues as a warn
ing to prepare for the approaching great fast.
1t seems to secular observers as if our
Christian teachers tomorrow night might find
hints for the help of their people in some of
these ancient observances dictated to the
Jews by God himself. Just now there is
malIy an amia5le, weak-kneed Christian who
is stunned and dismayed at the sudden ap-
parent necessity for defense of both his faith
and practice. He hears vague reports OF war
declared between science and religion; and
how shall he take part in il? He Is more IA
miliar with Tracts than with Tyndall, and
understands the markets better than mole.
cules. The danger is doubly appalling be-
cause he knows nothing about it. On all
sides, too, he hears doubts and SCOTS at the
practice of the church. This time last year
it was Christian financier who was on trial
before the public; now it is an eminent
preacher. He feels very much as the apostles
did, doubtless, when Judas betrayed his Mas
ter and Peter turned his back upon Him.
The average Christian does not know which
foundation of his temple Will first crumble
and fall, or at which side the attack will be
made. He has been used to the old pious
routine of church-going pastoral visits, mis-
sionary collections-a calm jog-trot progress
by which he expected some day the whole
earth TO be christianized. Now, he is told on
one side by scoffers that missions arc fail
ure, and on the other by eminent ministers
that the depravity of the female members OF
the fiocks is snare TO the feet of the clergy
man. Whether he looks at home or abroad,
the ancient landmarks of faith, purity and
virtue are removed.
Suppose he should turn to more ancient
landmarks still, and note how his neighbor
Moses or Rosenbaum was taught to fit him
self for the duties ard devotion of new year.
Instead of inquiriDg into or bemoaning the
opinions or shortcomings of this man or that,
he was summoned TO a rigorous self examln-
alton. He was sent out of the city TO live
close to Nature, to thank God for the har-
vest, the early rain, and the sunshine, and to
know as they shone or fell on his own head
by deeper reasoning than that OF science that
it was God who sent them. When the day
of Atonement came, he repaired to the syna-
gogue in his shroud, that the days of death
as well as the days OF his past life might be
before him to help him amend the future.
Our modern Jews have altered all these man
ners with their skies; they have given over
the wholesome and beautiful custom of wor-
Shipping in the woods to the Methodsts, who
borrowed it from them. They do not so to
the synaGogues in their cerecloths, nor turn
loose the goat to wander in the wilderness,
burdened with the sins of the people.
But there was an immortal germ of com
mon sense in these abandoned rites, to use
no higher meaning. What if every man Of
us tomorrow should leave the belief of the
sins Of Beecher and Tyndall ard even the
Kellogg government alone for one day and
concern ourselves with our own? A "vigor-
Gus determination" would have a rare zest
ofnOvety as mental discipline to the shrewd-
est lawyer or keenest bull or bear. If we
even metaphorically put on our shrouds 70. an
hour or two as we walk Broadway, it will do
us no harm. We have spent all our lives very
likely so far in preparing for the half dozen
years at the end when we can retire from
business:' what if we give few minutes TO
thinking how we shall fare when the street IS
busy and crowded as it is now, and the men
we know in office and club go up and down,
bargaining and joking as now, aud nobody
misses us, though we lie somewhere out of
sight with still cold feet that wilisnever tread
the old way again? What will the theory Of
Huxley or Beecher's guilt matter to us then
How we have dealt to our customers or clerks
in shop or office; whether we showed our
selves liars or honest men to them; how we
bore ourselves during these commonplace
days to wives, servants, children,-these are
the questions that will face us then with all
the distance between death and life to make
them terrible and inexorable.
1t was the custom OF the Jews after thus
looking their past lives and coming death in
the face to scouIge each other. We might
amend the custom, having been too fond Of
scourging each other, and try q little sharp
self-discipline and reform.-Neec York Til
b1tne,