The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-10-24
NUMBER 33.

speaking, after the manner of ordina-
ry meetings in Christian denOmina-
tiOnS. There was no great amount of
revival fervOr, though some of the
wOrshippers showed great deal of
earnestness. These were Jews by
birth, but they told of their religious
experience in the manner and largely
in the familiar phrases common to
piOus persons in general, so that
there was nothiug distinctive about
them and their doings. One bore
none of the facial characteristics of
Jew,an he felt ltcOnstrained to declare
that he was one, despite his lacks of
his looks. HE lies" muttered
man at my side. Hes no Israelite.
He's a fraud"
There could be no such incredulity
regarding the next convert no stood
up to speak, This was the Rachael
TotJen tfSsscae.I Z we other things that
!iii'a5n iii@'a&5,n 4 7Sds IN quest. M ST. She
was a Jewess beyond all possible
question. Her hair was a crows
black, her complexion was nearly as
c0ppery as a sqaw's, her nose was
aquiIine, and the pOut of her lips and
drOOp of her nostrils were peculiar to
her race. She was rather a pretty
girl, and she bore indications that
she could easily be fervid in any di-
rectIOn which her sentiments imDel-
led ner. Her eyes were troubled and
her color flushed as she said, simp Y,
that she desired the prayers of Chris
tianS to sustain her in a special trial.
Her sacrifice to her new religion was
greviOuS in some respects, she inti-
mated, but she was we'll content TO
suffer them. / talked with her after
the services and found that she was a
Pole. Now, to what L wrote about
the infideity of New York Jews,
should be added the statement that
the Polish Israelites are very rarely
apOstates. On the east side of town,
in those square miles of densely con-
gregated foreigners, dwell thousands
of Poles who have not been in the
slightest degree permeated By Amer
iCanism, or anything else that mOdi-
ties their race peculiarities. They
are indeed separate people-igno-
rant. poor, Industrious, filthy and
quiet. They are ruled by their rab-
bis, to whom they take their quarrels
instead of to the law courts, and by
whom, it is said, serious crimes are
considered and punished. The syna-
gogues among this class of Jews are
usually room in tenement house,
with a Hebrew inscription on the
door post as the only outward indi-
cation Of a sacred interior. There is
one at 80 FOrsythe street. | went
there because Miss KOhlen told me
that her funeral services were to be
held.
"When a member of an orthodox
Jewish family of Poles renounces
their religion" she said, "she be-
comes dead to them. They have just
the same kind of ceremony that they
do when a person actually dies, and
they will never see the unfaithful
oneagain if they can help it. l was
driven from home the instant my
folks found out had become Chris
tian. l knew it would happen, and
it was a dreadful thing to cut myself
off entirely from the relatives and
friends | loved, but / was sure that
salvation depended on it. So they
are going to bury me-"
"And therefore you would attend
your own funeral services, if you
cared to-" | remarked.
mo-" she replied, II would be
shut out if | went there"
The ceremony was in Hebrew, and
/ was informed that it differed in no
respect from what it would have been
if the corpse of Rachel Kohlen had
been in the coffin which stood before
the altar. The mouners were as tear
ful, and doubtless felt their sorrow
quite as KeenIy as though the scene
had not been a mockery. They will
now speak and think of the girl as
dead. What will become of her ?
Well, it is to be hoped that she will
get some worldly consolation from
those who have converted her away
from home and kindred, aside from
that spiritual comfort which she pro-
fesses to have already received in
abundance.