Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-08-25
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
The AstOrs-A New CaIhedral-The
-POlItieal-The Trades' Un-
Ionss

The AstOrs-A New CaIhedral-The
s-POlItieal-The Trades' Un-
IOnss
THE ASTORs.
John Jacob Astor, the son Of William B,
is arranging for monument to his father,
or rather the deceased Astors, which wiz
have no parallel in this country. 1t IS moth
ing less than an altar in old Trinity Church,
the designs for which are now being made
in Munich, and which is toeost over 500,
600. The Episcopalians have held to Trim
ity for reasons other than that Of reverence
for the old church and its beauty. The old
New Workers went up town to live very re-
luctantly, and with reason, for the area be-
low the pOst-ofiice is thousand times more
pleasant than that above. They believe that
in the course ola few years the lower wards
will be again filed with dense population,
and that consequently old Trinity will
again be a center of wealth and fashion.
Consequently they are spending money Law
ishly upon her, and that is why Mr.. Astor
selected it as the church for his memorial
altar, in place of one up town.
A GRAND cATHEDPs Al.
Speaking Of churches, the EplseoPaiiahS
whose interests lie up town have deternlih-
al +o build a cathedral that viii eclipse IN
size and style anything in the United
States. They have selected a tract OF ground
ND among the fashionables, (those who go
to heaven in purple and fine linen II they
don't break up before they can get their
nroDerty in the name of their wives,) and
propose to raise S2,OOO,OOO and erect there
on such a cathedral as will put the Catho-
lies even to utter shame and make the jew
ish Synagogue look small. 1t viii cover an
entire block, and will have everything
known to ecclesiastical architecture that
money can buy. The sum necessary to in
sure its erection is now almost raised, and
it is expected to commence it next spring.
THE JEWS.
Speaking Of religious denominations, the
Catholics, who are by all odds the poorest
of the denominations, can build the big
gest churches and raise money the easiest
The vast body of laborers, and servant girls,
the poorest paid and closest living Of all the
labor Of the country, contribute money tc
build vast cathedrals and churches most ex'
pensiYely fitted and furnished. With these
giving is made a religious duty, and when
the priesthood calls, the money IS paid
without murmur. The Jews, without be-
ing under the control of the priesthood, mol
subject to any influence aside from belief
in their religion and devotion to it, build
the most gorgeous church edifices OF all
Their new synagogue on 9th Avenue is the
most honor to them as people, and it will
be long time before it will be eclipSed
They are more wealthy, per capita, thar
any race on the continent, and the ortho-
dox Jew believes in his religion with all the
fervor of a Catholic, with the differences
that his belief is one almost of intelligent
conviction. But The glory is departing
from Israel. The young Isrselites are ming
ling and mixing with the Gentiles; they
are adopting their habits and customs, and
little by little Judaism is losing its hold up
on them. They neglect the observanees oi
the Church, they modify its doctrines, and
doubt as to whether its usages have bind
ing force. In short, the ''hickory Jews
a. in the majority, and the orthodox ar'
groaning in spirit. The Nathan murder il
almost forgotten. The murdered man wa
an Israelite Of the strictest style. He KEPT
Saturday, and in all the observances Of the
Church was as strict as Rabbi. 1t was
the great grief Of his life that his son;
were, every one of them, liberal. They In
termarried with the Gentiles, they assOcia
ted with them, and in every way refused tC
have any of that exclusiveness which is nee
essary to the perpetuation of suchasystem
The young Israelites of the city are mostly
young Nathans, and one or two generation'
will not destroy Judaism in this country,
but it will modify it so that the difference
between it and Unitarianism will be very
slight.