The Jewish advance. (Chicago, Ill.) 1878-1881, 1881-08-12

these words, they fattered his power
and independence.
No, my brother, he said, am not an
angel, nor have [ wings to fly into
heaven; but I have two hands and with
these shall fight as long as [ live. IF
such hand could with one blow strike
down two of those priests, would hang
up my own hand in the church and
kneel down before it as before a crucifix
We must have priests, Joseph replied
with an earnest face, not every one is
able to enter the pulpit and explain to
the people how they shall act, nor can
every one learn Latin and Greek. Is it
otherwise with us? Among ten thousand
people you hardly find one man con-
versant with our holy scriptures.
| Do not speak to me of your holy
scriptures. cried Parzik with anger, else
think you are no Jew and have become
disciple of our priests For such are
always their words, when they want to
prove that the people is stupid. Were
the holy scriptures written for the sole
purpose that the priests should make
their living Of them, drink the best beer
and have every day roast of deer on
their table? Does our Lord and Savior
sit to the right of God, the Father, and
does the holy dove hover above him,
that the priests be clad in silver and
gold, that his housekeeper be dressed
like queen and fiji the kitchen Of her
indolent master with the fat Of the land,
for which the peasant has worked in the
sweat of his brow? We need no priests,
and you would speak quite differently,
if your devils had left YOU alone.
Ny devils? I dol va kpew of any
devils, said Joseph, h6 0ggan "a Eeei
uneasy, for the talAs sRath the wild
peasant filed his sosA again with the
usual aversion.
You do not know who are your devils?
cried Parzik with h1pst of loud laugh
ter.
No, replied Joseph!
Then [ will tell you who they are.
The rabbis with the long boards, these
are your devils, and ten thousand priests
art not powerful enough to shake my
opinion.
Joseph tried to smile at these words.
His faith was strong enough to resist
such an attack, but he lacked the power
and eloquence to defend it against the
jeers and SCOTS of freethinker.
How can you compare our rabbis with
your priests? asked he and smiled, sure
of his victory.
They are all the same, cried the
peasant with vehememe IF you show
me in the whole world one single priest
(and you can travel far until you will
find one) who could not just as we'll be
a Jewish rabbi, I am willing to be also
thrown down from the bridge into the
Moldau, and people will then perhaps
likewise make saint Of me. At present
they consider me already as devil.
Who knows whatwe must do in order to
become after our death an angel and
saint in the eyes of men. That fellow
yonder on the bridge also wore cowl
and he understood d we'll how to be turned
into saint!
Every word Which the peasant uttered
with such vehememe increased Joseph's
horror and aversion, He had to suffer
this man to cut IN his own flesh and was
not strong enough to snatch the sharp
knife out of his hand. He merely said:
When we are good and honest, our
heavenly father and our fellow men love
us.
Parzik burst out into loud laughter.
Never mind brother, said he confdenti-
ally and laid his heavy hand upon
Joseph's shoulder, never mind, brother;
without the o9usent Of the priests no
man is admitted among the saints, evenif
he is on the best terms with God and his
angels They wouldn't allow it.
(7obs Coatinued.)