Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-02-27
ExILEs AT WORSHIP.
The Ancient Hebrew Rites Ob-
served.
A Solemn Invocation for Their Adopted
Couaty--Scenes at the Old Depot
How the Babies Were
Bathed.
HOW THE MEN AND WOMEN DRESSED

HOW IHt MIN ANU WUMeN UhCSSIU'
PHILADELPHIA, February 26.-Strange
sights were witnessed yesterday IN the OLD
West Philadelphia depot where the Israeli
ite refugees from Russia, through the gen.
erosity Of the citizens, are afforded tenn
norary home and shelter. With sundown
the Sabbath commenced-their first Sab
bath i'm what they have been led to regard
the free and promised land, where they
would be permitted to worship God IN
peace according to their consciences. AS
evening approached certain AR
OF formality and an Indication
of the near approach OF an
important occasion became precepuoie'
every man, woman and child had rested,
after the irving fatigue of over six weeks
constant travel. They had bathed, the men
and children's hair had been cut, boards
had been trimmed, and every person was
attired in clean clothes from head 70 loot.
There was an unmistakable SUNDAY ap,,
pearance about everybody who emerged
from the separate dressing rooms set apart
AO- " Deyotions at the Bedside.
A little before six o'clock, according to
old orthodox Jewish rites, all the mothers
of children present took candle, and after
making circle with il, stood by the bed
side and blessed it with prayer. Ihese
candles were then lighted by young girls
and placed on an altar improyised along
the shelf of what was formerly the ticket
window and still bearing the sign. lac
immense space in which passengers USED
10 wait for the trains has been divided into
two parts and the part nearest Market
street, including the ticket window, is
filled with cot beds, where the women and
children sleep. When the candles were
lighted, looking very strange as they stood
t0gttber secured to the fiat surface and
without any other object whatever on the
altar. all the women and children IN the
room stood silent and engaged in their de-
votions. facing east, where the saCrihclal
| table, with the candles, was erected. The
women's PRAYERS. different from the men s,
| il seems, are never audible. This service on
| the part of the women is always prelimary
| to the service in which the men engage. IL
| had no sooner finished than small Seri'
| Gus. dark bearded man emerged from the
| mems room and going into what was form
| erly the restaurant and now used as the
| dining room for both men and women,
! nlaced the ''tallith' or fringed mantle over
| his head and shoulders, opened his book,
| printed in large Hebrew characters turned
| his face close to the wall looking eastward,
| and began the special Sabbath service Of
| Thanksgiving.
The Men at worship.
Very quickly and very quietly all the
| men gathered in rows, one rank behind
| another and all facing the East. Every
| man wore his hat through the service.
| Small as had been their baggage, every man
| had his well-worn and thinly-thumbed
PRAYER book in his hands. After repeat
| ing in low, solemn voice, with that rapid
| ity OF short syllables, which is popularity
| of the Hebrew tongue, number of selec-
tions about David, the simple shepherd,
and Goliah, the proud posseSsor OF power,
the canter sang in more joyful strains
| David's victory and the giants fall, at
| which all present in chorus intoned an
tiphonally some of David's own songs,
such as: "Thc Lord is nigh unto all them
that call upon Him. He deliyereth His
people. Sing unto the Lord with thanks
| giving; sing praise upon the harp unto our
God. The nrd unholdeth all that fall and
| raiseth up all those that he bowed down.
| He preserveth the strangers, lie relieyeth
the fatherless and widows; but the way OF
the wicked He turneth upside down" A
| bymn from Samuel was then intoned fol-
lowed by the repetition Of the Command
ment respecting "fhe Sabbath day
TO keep it holy" AS sort Of climax
the most impressive part of the service
was then reached, when the canter proceed
| ed to recite the usual prayer for rulers.
| With who knows what reluctance, it has
been their custom in the past, according
! to the rictual, to pray for the Car. For
For the first time in their lives they sent
up with one voice their prayer that the
| President of these United States, in
! whose lands we now rest, and all
other in authority, may be given
wisdom and spared to usefulness and
prosperity" During this invocation all
| stood with their faces upward, and some
raised their hands. In the special prayer
for deliverance from bondage, which closed
the service. eXclamatiOnS of JOY went up
| from every throat. Following this the
women and children filed out and after a
solemn blessing all sat down to their even
ing meal.
| Bathing the Babies.
| 1t was very late on Thursday nigh: be-
| fore the ablutionS of the party, inSis ted
| upon by the committee, were finished, and
| the washing of the babies was a scene
| such as has never been witnessed here be-
fore. Owing to limited accommodations
| and the hurry the four large tubs, each
| about ten feet square. had TO be filled at
once. There were forty or fifty screaming
| infants and children in the tubs at once,
| splashing and kicking and fighting the
! ladies who were experimenting the diff
| cult operation. When they came out there
was not time to dress them, and they were
! put in bed Just as they were. The trans
! formation Of the men and women in their
| new clothes was remarkable and made
them look anything but Russian. Blue
| polka-dot wrappers, dresses with tiounces,
! tight-fitting basqueS and variety OF other
| garments which people of wealth had worn
! a little and laid aside made marked
| change in the appearance of the women.
! They all insisted, however, on tying the
red handkerchiefs given ont around their
heads and could not be persuaded to take
| them off. The men were rigged out in high
| hats and slightly worn suits, many of them
of late fashionable cut. Mr. Samson, an in
terpreter of the courts, who was pres
ent, talked considerably with the refugees
and found that they were all happy and
full of protestations of thanks for the kind
reception they encountered. The women
on meeting the ladies OF the committee
usually curtsy and kiss their hands with
| great politeness. The more they are seen
the more favorable the impression made
by the strangers, and scores Of
offers of situations are coming in;
but the committee is in q
| quandary about the difficulty of
| having to break up families, a thing they
do not want to do If they can avoid it. A
meeting TO determine what dispcsi-
| ton shall be made Of the of the
refugees will be held on Sunday,
and a meeting of citizens will be held in
the Academy of Music March 4th to express
sympathy for the strangers in their dis
treSs Up to last night the contributions
were 1888. IA. .... .