The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-04-13
THE PASSOVER AND THE JEWS.

4nh hSoONhh AMI 4nn hWo
This evening com nences the Jewish Pass
over, which Is feast commemorative Of the
incidents and great event of tAe liberation OF
the Israeli.es, more particularly of the spar
ing of these when the first born OF the
Egyptians persisted, and of their escape from
that land of bondage. 1t was the d ct and
greatest Of the three annual feasls instituted
by Noses, aud in his time j! was incumbent
upon every one of his male people to make
a pilgrimage to the house Of the Lord-this
at arst being the tabernacle and subsequently,
King Solomon's temple. 1t was celebrated
on the first full moon ofthe spring, from the
l4th to the 2lst Of the month. 1t was called
the 'fesst of the unleavened bread" The
offerings were of the frstlings Of the flock
and of first fruits. Often lamb one year
old, and free from all blemish, designated
the "l'sschsl lamb" along with bitter berbs
and certsin number Of cups Of red wine,
we're consumed, the reserving of any part of
the came until the next day, being expressly
forbidden. The feast of tho "unleavened
bread" belonged rather to the remaining
days of the week whereon no animal food
was allowed. This, in brief expression,
is the nature and occasion of the feast.
Here, perhaps, newspaper article might
justiaably close, for TO write the most sue
c!nct history of this great people Is to pre-
sent the history Of civilization itself from its
incipient d avn to the present hour. To
relate the story Of their experiences and &C.
tivities, of their grandeur and of their suffer
ings from the period of the Babylohish cap.
tivity; to review the peculisrities of their
early governments, their persistent religion,
their literature and their commerce, their
enterprises and achievements in the sciences,
the professions and tho arts, would be to
offer miniature exhibition of all the
strength and all the frailties of humanity.
But probably the most remarkable feature
in their history, one looming up like Il pillar
OF cloud above all the rest, is the prophesied
dispersion throughout ali the sections of the
globe. And the yet other one that from
their first struggles for national existence
against the Egyptians, Assyrians, Bsbylo-
mans and Romans, down to later oppres-
sions and prosecutions by empires,
Kingdoms, republics, thcocracies and individ.
uals, that ought to have known and done bet.
ter, though broken into atoms and in the very
logged denial of political equality, religious
federation and social exclusion, they have
preserved the integrity of the characteristics
of those who were designated at the begin.
ming as "the chosen peeple" Fer neither
has the Swallowed livery of the FURNISHED sun
Of lropic zone or the bleaching qualities of
arctic cline changed their features, altered
their habits or transformed their religion
with its faith, its hopes, its ceremonies, its
legends If you please, from wha. the dim
twilight Oft time discloses, when by the willow.
fringed rivers of Babylon, ".hey sat down
and wept" To day. thsnbs to the advanced
march of real enlightenment under the
Christian regime, tho jaw, raised from the
ranks ola once enforced political ysgabond.
ism and religious and social oslracism, is
become a recognized factor in governmental
policy, may preside at the helm of state,
make nations echo with applause at the
power of his eloquence in legislative councils,
or bend obeisance to his judicial DEGREES. So
too in tho social structure and the business
organization, he Is REGARDED as essential u
component as was the straw or hair for the
brick and the mortar. Ca the dramatic
stage or in the concert halls or the art gal.
leries, we praise the Israeltlsh voice and do
homage to his paintings and his sculpture.
Indeed the whole history of his people is
frnged with irradia,ions of ligh', and there
is no department of human knowledge from
which he ha, not extracted glory,
no art that his geniu, ha, not
adorned. Nor is there any
danger Of his stepping back into a nsh. of
relrogresson through this intellectual day.
In healthy civilization there is no going back:
the man will never return to tho frivolous
amusements ard useless occupations of boy
hood, and the boy has lid long farewell TO
the credulities of tho nursery, that told of a
some three hundred pound Of gentleman il.
white coming down, on Christmas eve, an
eight by twelve inch chimney; or of tho ami
mate proliacness Of somc water melon patch,
flower garden, hollow stump, or a country
doctors ssddle'bsgs, with its crying "present
for mama" The prisons Of the misty past,
that confined thought aud were locked nigh,
and day, have fallen into disgrace, while the
temples Of tolOration, with golden gates on
golden hinges swinging" are kept open for
every pilgrim to her shrine. Surely thi.
Passion week Is fitting era for tho con,eru.
plasion of these happy circumstances, which
every true, sincere Christian, from tho Iudu,
to tho farther pole, must ej1ico to know
prevail.
- -
AFTER USSlAN.-A LONG TIME AFTER.
lndite We n few lines of tho times of Ed.
More than fyrly-ivo years, 0 Texas have
been gathered to their graves, groer
graves with flowers above Them and grass,