The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-04-15

dices.
Copyright. 1885, by James Redpsth
Alth Ough New York is the largest city in
America, it is the least American Of any large
city In America. Native New Yorkers-lhe
coekEeys OF Anerica-delight to call it "a
cosmopolitan ety." Ehileits detractOrs some.
times desclibe il sc "a dumping ground for
the race refuse Of Europe" and so netimes as
Amodern Macbsth's witches canldron. AL
these de6nitions are correct. New York is
the city Of many nations. Here only, in
big crude Jumps, can be seen the race ele.
ments from which the coming American is
TO be moulded. Not London even, nor Paris
has more diversified population.
"a few nights ago. said John Swinton
who is the champion Of the foreign or the
unfused New York, 81 addressed a meeting
Of Cubans, swsrthy and flashing eyed. in
Clarendon Hall il this city. After leaving
The hall, thought of the variety of audi
tIces one may find in New York, and Of
those 1 have met with in ten years OF plat
form experience. Half q dozen times have
addressed French audiences hSre; five times
as often | have spoken to German audiences;
once addressed an Italian meeting; often
have addressed audiences of South and Cen
tral Americans; once, after Michael Dav tt
had 81 oxen, / addressed, from platform in
Uni.n Square, an Irish audience of twenty
thousand; have spoken to a Russian adj
ence; bsve addressed negro audieDcs;
have addressed an audience of Austrian
jews; I have addressed Bohemian audi
eDce; have often addressed audiences OF
Americans of the soil; and haye have ad-
dressed many cosmopolitan" audiences.
Yes yes; it is very much mixed city, this
city OF New York"
Sunday before last il happened that I was
called on in the forenoon By Catholic Paul
ist Father and 0y Jewish Christian mystic.
spd then by Virginisn black and famous
IIish journalist. In the evening l attended
the celebration Of the Commune-a large
audience Of French Communists German
Socialists and Russian Nihilists, and there
heard speeches made 10 three Languages and
saw beer drank in seven or eight l heard
Eost and talked to Sch vab.
IN one group there / saw four persons OF
the Hebrew race-an American, a LAWYER
whose ancestors had lived here 70. two CEN
tuIies; German. also q lawyer, who had
been long resident in this country, but who
was boarn abroad; Bohemian maiden, with
black bright eyes, who had been driven from
Prague by the recent Jew batting MODS and
young Russian, also of the Hebrew stock,
who had been one Of the nihilists propagan.
da and had escaped long sentence in Siberia
by evading the police and securing false
passports. They were al highly educated
persons.
The topic of the day in Jewish circ'es, was
the bycotting Of two Jewish candidates for
admission TO the HussaTs. This led to Ia <
with one OF the Jewish lawyers about the
Hebrews in New York. / took doWn his
krsweTs verbatim in shorthand.
To begin with" l said, will you tell me
the difference, if there is any difference, be-
tween the terms Hebrew, Isrselite, and Jew,
ard whether the term Jew Is offensive to
man of the Hebrew rsce?'
The terms Hebrew, Israelite and Jew"
be replied, are not synonymous, but repre-.
sent distinct historical periods of our race.
Hebrew represents the early AbTahamic or
nomad,c period. Israelite wss the tile of
the theocracy founded after the Exodus and
in the land Of Canaan: while Jew was the
name Of the remnant left in Palestine after
the separation of Judah from Israel and the
loss Of the Ten tribes. The word Jaw is not
offensive unless used IN an offensive way;
Just as ths word Yankee may be used as the
name or people or as an insulting epithet.
We Jews call ourselves jews among our
selves. The two great divisions OF the Jews
re the 6ephardic and the Ashkenssim."
What do they mean?"
The Sephardic are the descendants of the
Spanish or Portuguese Jews. The Ashkena-
sim are all the rest OF US The Sephsrdic,
until late years have always ac4uired great.
er distinction than the Ashkenasiu. The
Sephardic have tradition that their higher
rank and general freedom from persecution
are due to the fact that their ancestors were
residents OF Spain during the period of
ChIist's life on earth, and therefore
not having been responsible 10 any way for
the cfucihxion, were spared the curse that
fell SO heavily on their brethren elsew here.
OF late years, the German Jews have acquired
greater opportunities by emigration for ad-
vancement, both materially aud mentally.
tleY6fnT6 raDl0lv a
higher rank than was possible for them in
former times"
do these divisions designate their relig-
ious Emergencies also?'
NO; the Jews to day are divided, relig-
iously, into Orthodox, Liberal and Radical.
Yet these divisions are not so stron ely en-
pbasized as the same words would denote in
talking OF Christian sects. The Hebrew Rit-
uRl is sometimes c0nglomerate or all three
forms of religious thought Even in Bi6li-
cal times the Jews were divided into Rsbbln-
ical and Biblical. The Rabbinical party was
the party of forms and ceremonies and OBJ
servances and traditions. The Biblical party
placed the spirit above the letter of the law.
This division, therefore, as il ia founded in
the nature OF things. win probably be per-
retusl. Modern Jews are fond Of contend.
Ing that the work OF Christ IN his life was
largely that of Jewish Reformer, bent on
warning against the Journalism of Rabbini-
cal Judaism, and that nothing was further
from his intention than the founding of a
new religion"
(which of these two old divisions, then, is
the stronger to day."
well, the influence Of Rabblnism is
greater among those who follow the Polish
Ritual, and is weakest among the descend
ants of the Spanish Jews. Just in proper
tion to the inh1ence OF Rabbinism is the rev.
eIence-or considerstion-peid to the Talmud
and other similar books of Commentaries.
One wanes as the other wanes. In those
quarters OF New York where the Orthodox
Polish and Russian Jews are most numerous,
you will find Talmu deal schools attached to
fbe synsgogues. Yeu will see in them Jew
jso boys studying the sacred books with an
esrnestness born of the devoutest faith-in a
spirit totally unlike the spirit With which
Western students pursue their theological
studies. Contemplation Tin its austerest
Oriental Significance is the basis OF the sys-
tenn. These absorbed students take note,
with mystical significance, of the thoughts
that arise in their minds from fxedly re-
gsrding the printed word OF some long dead
and gone Hebrew sage"
"ADd the women"
THE women are never taught this liters.
ture."
ttWhat organization dses the Jewish Pa III.