Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1883-10-18
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THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.
.fttftaR
The Main Jewish Fast.

of last week with exercises at their
hall and by closing their places, Of
business.
Among the ancient Jews this festi-
val was celebrated on the tenth day
Of their first civil month, which was
also their seventh. ecclesiastical month.
It was probably the most important
OF their fasts, q time Of affection, a
day for the remembrance of sin, and
an appointment for special humiIia-
ton. The High Priest otficiated per-
sonally at the Temple and entered
with blood into the Holiest Of HOLES,
where the Glory Of the sanctuary re-
sided, and there offered sacrifice for
himself and family, and for the whole
House Of Israel.
Since the destruction of the Tenn
pie, it has not been possible to offer
the sacrifices appointed by Moses for
the Day of Atonement, hnt it has
ever since been religiously observed
with great ceremony wherever there
are synagogues, and by exercises
similar to those held here, where
there are none.
Tie services Of Wednesday evening
were conducted by Mr.. I. Frank who
read the prayers and scriptures and
gave expression to modern and re-
formed judaism in an address of
which the following is a synopsis.
The address was based upon the sth
Psalm which declares the power and
love Of God.
After pointing out tue character of
the day, the audience was beginning
to celebrate, the speaker showed it
was proper to make it clear there was
indeed a God, and understand the
relation sustained to him by man and
the mode Of being reconciled to him
according to Judaism. And first,
it should be understood that Judaism
did not require blind belief. The Poet
King in our text endeavors to estab-
lish the existence of God by reference
to his power and wisdom, as manifes-
ted in his arrangement Of the heavenly
bodies. After that, he sets forth
mans lnsignifcance; but he don't
PROSTATE himself in the dust and de-
clare that man Is miserable sinner
and can't redeem himself. On the
contrary, he appreciates mans privi-
lege Of being set over creation, and
of being permitted to make all Great
ures and forces tributary to his serv-
ice, and taking these privileges as the
highest evidence of Gods goodness,
he reiterates his eternity and excel.
lence. 1t is often said that credence
should not be given to such assertions
in the nineteenth century; but in my
way Of thinking, we should receive
them just because We are living in the
nineteenth century, with all its
achievements and improvements, and
its institutions for the ameiioration Of
man. The higher we rise, the more
our vision ought to expand. The deep
er we penetrate into nature, and the
more we make its forces do our bid
ding-the more God-like do we be-
come-and the more are we, ourselves,
an evidence Of God. Only contem-
plate an engine of any sort, loco
motive for instance. What ingenuity,
calculation and wisdom we're required
to construct and harmonic its various
parts. Now If man is capable Of
such work, it ought not to be difficult
to conceive Of still higher wisdom,
and thus gain an idea Of an allwise
God. Consider how powerful cleo
tricity and steam have made man.
Look at the gigantic scheme of Eads,
who proposes to raise ship and cargo,
transport them over an isthmus, and
re-deposit them in the ocean, and re-
member how fash conveys informa.
ton from all parts of q girdled globe,
and then 60 little further and think
Of an omnipotent and omnicient God.
But man has not only advanced in
science ! he has achieved progress
also in goodness, in benevolence, in
mercy, and we are thereby led to 6
being, that is all goodness, all benev.
olence, all mercy. Having thus de-
monstrated God, the next thing is to
show the relation man sustains to hin
and the mode Of reconciliation. VIZ
are said to be children of God. These
are grand words; they excel al
1 creeds. We are all children blessed
with the same privileges, enjoy th,
same love, the same protection and
the same blessings. Judaism. you
thus see, acknowledges no special,
favored son of God. Neither does i
degrade man by calling him a nisera.
Bile sinner. 1t rather seeks to elevate
him. Our text does not treat man a
needing Q mediator. Being children
of God, by his aid, We can redeem
ourselves. Suppose one Of as had g
chiid, thst was wsyward and disobe
dient, and that child came and 40
knowIedged his faults and asked for
Iglveness ana We should say, stan.
aside, 1 will not receive you back un
til some one else intercedes for you
would net the world cry shame, an
what a human being ought to be in
capable Of doing, shall that be attrib
. uted 70 q God, whom We can spproaa
every day. and Of whose forgitefses