Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-05-28
The both of May in Wiimingt on

So many of our citizens had gone
to Charlotte and SO general was the
suspension. of business i'll honor of
Centennial Day that Thursday fore
noon was remarkable here chiefly for
it's quiet, heholiday keepers, who re-
manned at home seeming generally at
loss how best to spend away the
leizure lazy hours of the day. Either
the greater part of our people were
out of town or they made themselves
exceedingly scarce to the eye of those
who were strolling around seeing the
manner in which the day was OBJ
served here. During the early hours
of the morning we noticed a goodly
number of the young folks in carriages
and buggies on their way to the Sound;
and no doubt in the refreshing breezes
that are said to be ever blowing about
that region they felt deeply for the
absent ones in Charlotte who were
tramping the dusty streets, scarcely
breathing in the almost palpable cloud
of pulverized mud that lowered ever
around and about them.
In town, about II o. clock, the Jew
ish- citizens came in a quiet procession
to their lot on the corner of Fourth
and Market streets to initiate the
work on their Synagogue by breaking
ground; a ceremony which included
speeches, prayers and the digging of a
few shovels full of earth by the pre-
siding officer.
According to the programme an
nornced in the JOURNAL of Thursday,
Mr.. Sol. Bear delivered q handsome
lated his brethren upon the beginning
of work that was destined to be,
when finished, temple for the wor-
ship of the God of their forefathers,
and school for their children. He
said that his brethren had chosen this
particular day on which to start the
work on their temple, to show how
earnest was their affection for the
State of their adoption and how sin
cere their pride in all her great deeds
and glorious records, and he felt how
decided was the honor which his
brethren had conferred on him in
calling upon him to preside over their
deliberations as Society and especially
as the chief spokesman on this impor-
tant occasion. He spoke with pride
Of the increasing Importance of his
nation among the peoples of the earth,
and it was source of qualification to
him now to know that here IN Will
mington, the city of the State, the
Jews were to erect their first house OF
worship in North Carolina.
Mr.. Bear, upon concluding his re-
marks, formally commenced the work
of the building by throwing up several
shovels fall of earth from the lines of
the foundation. He then introduced
Mr.. A. WE'LL, the Chairman of the
Building Committee, who read very
impressive prayer from a Hebrew
form OF worship, and at it's close took
occasion to repeat the congratulations
of the President, Mr.. Bear, to his
brothers upon the step, the initial
one, which was to make this already
celebrated day day in their calendars
always worthy to be marked with a
white stone. He alluded to the gen.
erous aid that had been extended to
his people by the Christians, and
hoped that the day might come when
they could all be united under one
faith. Mr.. M. M. Katz then came
forward and said that it was the GUS
tom for the Priest to pronounce the
blessing upon the beginning of such
works. bnt that as no Priest of their
faith was here. his people had chosen
him, a ineal descendant from the great
priestly line of Levi, to pronounce the
benediction, which he did in Hebrew
and then translated it into English.
After the ceremonies, Mr.. Bear in