The New York herald., 1878-09-29

There are II, 900 Friends IN Great Britain. Two
hundred and eigny join"d the society last year In ad
hundred and fifty diedmost OF these bong over hty
OF age. This lact speaks well Tor their temper
ance qu !et, orderly ways OF ving The II huence
oi the Society," nowevor is altogether disproportion
ate 10 it's numerical strength.
NEW YEAR IN IHE GHETTO.
INTERESTING CEREMONIES THREE THOUSAND
YEARS OLD, AS PERFORMED ON FIFTH AVE-
NUE. AND LUDLOW STREET.
II was New Years. Day yesterday among the Jews
according to The Hebrew calendar, the first day OF
Tishr 56Sa 1t Is celebrated annually by feast of
Rosn Hashana as IT. is Called one OF the chief observ
anccs the synagogue, and a the jewish places OF
worship in the city crowded to their tall
capacity. Tho fashionable temples OF the Reformed
Jews up town, ou Fifth avenue and Lexington ave-
nue., were filled by the leading Jewish bankers and
merchants OF the city In their pews in the Te mple
Emmanuel sat the Seigmans. tho Bernheimers, tho
Rosenfelds. In the Temple Beth FL wero the stern
bergers, the Schasfers, the Loebs and other we'll
known German Israelites. Alderman Lewis sat de
vouty with covered head in Thirty-iourth Street
Synagogue, and, listening 10 the Rev. Dr.. Mendes in
the Forty fourth Street Synagogue, sat Alderman
Phillips, Is. l.. Solomon and ex-A -Assempymcn
Hsss and Blumentha. What Judge Hilton calls
..Tho Hendricks and Nathan Jsws' were in orce
In their white silken scarfs with blue Irngos, were
tho Nathans Abecasis, Hendricks, HeEriques, Gomez
anc other old blue blood families OF Spanish aud Por
tuguese stock. In these synagogues and temples
up town wsre found the representatives OF mill
ions oil dollars invested in all the branches
OF industry that flourish in New York.
Bankers, importers manufacturers, politicians,
awyers sat side by aide with modern men
and amid modern surroundings, taking part in the
Observance Of Toast ordained by Moses 900 years
ago, ana joining in liturgy which. with some minor
mod,ncations Is Identical with that which has been
in use IN the synagogue nearly one thousand years
The services In these places decorous I'm
pressive, accompanied in the temples by vocal aud
orchestral music OF a very high class The ritual,
read for tho most part in Hebrew, abounds songs
and rejoicing full OF poetry, aboundIng in the
travagxnt metaphor OF the East and highly valued by
the Jews. no less Tor their antiquity than for their
lerSey worth. In the tom ples the music Is for tho
part, modern and dramatic. In the synsgogues
there still In tho ancient Hebrew airs, which
ins xprcssiby plaintiye and word, expressive
OF tho and lamentations which have
played 80 large part IN the history OF the
rams horn, AN ancient essential feature Of the
"Rosh Hashana" service, which heralds the incom-
ing year aud Is considered OF warning 10 pre-.
omitted 10 the synagogues, where music Is not per-
mtted on the sabbath, but II was heard MS usual 10
temples. the syuogogues Will perform the |
''Shophar" ceremony to-day, which Is Kept by the
ortnodox Jews as second day OF the festival. Tho
second day ieasts mad their origin Ia oiden times,
when the system Of calculating time was imper- |
that IL necessary Tor the people TO keep
days IN order 10 be sure oil keeping the rght one.
The od-stye Jews keep up this custom respect
TO the practices OF Their ancestors, whilc the re-
formers have abolished II.
HOLIDAY.
The effect OF Rosh hasbana WAS noticeable yestsr- |
day 10 inc closing o nearly one-'hird OF me whole
sale houses on Broadway, OF many OF tho Offices
Wall ana Broad streets ana III tho partial suspension
OF business ION Change" The streets, 100, NY town
were throngcd during the morning by crowds oi wcIl-
dressed ladies' aud gcntlenen hurryin2 to anu from
the temples, with ther velvet and gut prayer books
In their hands Otners drove up 10 the very doors In
stylish carriages with coachman and lootmen 10 shin
ing hvery aud swept 10 all tneir splendor TO their
spacious and com IOrtable pews
But these people tnesc scenes representa-.
tative oi only SIN all proporio OF the 80 900 Jews
VINO constitute the jewish population OF New YORK.
These maic up oniy one side of The picture The
Other and BY tar the more interesting SIDE was sup
pied by tho denizsns II wnat Is known as the New
York Ghetto Tho Ghet0 Is quarter oil the city IN
haoted almost exclusively by Russo-Poiish jews and
resembling In many respects the OLE 'Judsogasse" OF
FraLkiort The Pettcoat lane OF London. II lies
the lower part Of town, east OF the Bowery, aud
takes III paris Of Alien, Ludlow, baxter Chrystic,
Henry and Clinton Streets East Broaaway and Cnat
ham street. In the six-story houses which
abound IN this neighbornood, there live over iorv
are ugllives IRON the offensive military and land laws
OF Russia ana Poland; some OF tnom from the
the class known ultra ori hodox or RsDbnIca
Jews. They nave brought IRON Europe The tradi-
TONS supersttions aud odd customs OF Dygone Dges
and observe them with unwavering consist ency.
They i've among themselves govern themselves ac-
cordIng to the raboinical laws-settllng tneir re
gous aud civil dificultcs before their own rabbnica
tribunals ana constituting little CO opy separate and
distinct from all their neigh0ors. some OF them
rich, many 0f them are poor all OF them
be thought So They are ciotners jewelers. pcdiers,
hucksteis, gazefs little storckecpcrs, Heurew copy
students OF the ralmud, to all OF them Hebrew
rs the tnother tongue. rncir raDbies most Poos
or Russians who attend TO tnsIr business all the wrek
"A ItIl " n a A.nt eSl
Tbs piey oi these people Is not 10 be doubted 1t Is
visible and audible.
rEAK TnE GHETTO
reporter VI the HERALD passed Rosh Hasbans |
amonl them and visied ther synagogucs. shoois,
sides the regular houses OF worship on Hoory, |
Chryste Clinton and Rvinson streets thcre are over
vices are heid by independents congregations. There
are also two synsgogucs attached 10 tue Bcin Hame
drasb--at No. rs Allen street aud at No. 80 Ludlow
street Beth hsmedrasa means House OF Learnin
IL Is AN institution which has existed among Tho |
Jews since ,no time OF Err. II nourisnes now only
among tue ultra hodox Polish Jews. It's a SORT or
scnool ior the study anu expounding Of the IaImuu,
and u has also a Judiciai and ecclesiastical |
character IL holds meetings nightly Tor the |
reading and exposition Of the wrngs oil tne rabbins.
These writings aic read aloud and commontsd upon |
In tree and easy style. The Beth Hamedrssh, when
u exercises It's judlcia funcons, resolves itself into
comm nittec oil tho whole and calls use u Beth Din
or House OF judgment. TINS Beth Din decides all |
aud Bsxter street jews aud by deciding ali petty
disputes ,hat arise among It's supporters spare our
civi courts mucn pctty and uresons li,igaton ana
our civil judges tue necessity sddiLg TO their
otnsr many accomplishments knowledge Of the |
ancient Hebrew tongue.
The HksALD reporter loud his way easily enough
TO tue synagogue IN the basement Of this Institution
lie had himpy 10 10 low the crowds VINO, early
seven III tue morning were vending their way there
To begin the days devotious. There old Polss
WITH Their long white bcards which they shave,
their howing curs (pryuttml which they never Cut,
hidden ny greasy skuI caps anu tner sharp faces,
when, judging by appearances tbey seldom wash.
There we're biack eyed sharp featured women with
silken WIGS which they wear TO bde their badness
ior among these people when q woman marries her
HUSBAND ooeys literally the comm nd In Deutoroa.
omy. XXI, l2-"ihOu shalt bring her home 10 NY
house ana shave her head and pare nair." There
were ttie boys carrying their parents huge prayer
buoks aud raUDinicai works anu its bIsckeyed girls