Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-04-14
THE CITY OF MANY NATIONS.
Foreign New York-Talk About the
' Jews-Their Religious Divisions To-
day-The Sephardic and Ashken-
asm Their Numbers - Social
Traits and Jewish Prejudices.
To the Editor ofthe Eagle.

Traits and Jewish Prejudices
To the Editor ofthe Eagle.
Although New York Is the arges; city in
America, Il IS the least American CT any
large city in America Native New Workers
the cocl-neYs Of America-dehght TO call
it "a cosmopolitan city. while the detractors
sometimes describe It as "a dumping ground
for the race-refuse Of Europe"-and some
times as u modern Macbe,h's witches caul-
dron. Al these definitions are correct.
New York is the city Of many nations
Here only, in big crude Jumps, can be seen
the race elements from which the coming
American Is 10 be moulded. Not Lon
don even, nor Paris, has more diversified
population.
"A few nights ago." said John Swinton,
who is champion Of the foreign or the un-
fused New York, q addressed meeting of
Cubans, swarthy and flashing eyed, in Clar-
endon hall, in this city. After leaving the
hall, | thought Of the variety of audiences
one may find in New York, and of those /
nav .asNN Iii -AA ANal ftdlc Va Biat2paliA
perience. Half dozen times | have ad-
dressed French audiences here; FIVE times as
often | have spoken TO German audiences;
once | addressed an Italian meeting; often l
have addressed audiences of South and Cen
tral Americans; once, after Michael Dayitt
had spoken, addressed from platform in
Union Square, an Irish audience of twenty
thousand; | nave spoken to Russian au
dience; have addressed negro audience;
/ have addressed an audience of AUSTRIAN
Jews; I have addressed "a Bohemian audience;
| have often addressed audiences Of Ameri-
cans Of the soil, and | have addressed many
cosmopolitan audiences. Yes, yes; it Is
"A very much mixed city, this city OF New
York"
Sunday before last, it happened that |
was called on in the forenoon by 4 Catholic
Paulist Father, and by Jewish Christian
mystic, and then by Virginian blacl, and
a famous Irish journalist la the evening /
attended the celebration Of the Commune
a large audience OF French communists,
German socialists and Russian nihilists, and
there heard speeches made in three langus-
ges and saw beer drunk in seven or eight. /
heard Most and talked to Schwab
In one group there | saw four persons of
the Hebrew race-an American, lawyer
whose ancestors had lived here for two CEN
turtles; German, also a LAWYER, who had
been long resident in this country. but who
was born abroad; a Bohemian maiden, with
black, bright eyes, who had been driven
from Prague by the recent Jew batting
mobs, and young Russian, also Of the He
brew stock. vino had been one Of the nihilist
propaganda and had escaped long SEN
tence to Siberia by evading the police and
securing false passports. They were all
highly educated persons
The topic Of the day, in Jewish circles,
was the boycotting oftwo Jewish candidates
for admission to the Hussars. This led to a
talk with one of the Jewish lawyers about
the Hebrews in New York | took down
his answers verbatim in shorthand.
"To begin with said, will you tell me
the difference. + there Is any difference, be-
tween the terms Hebrew, Israe!ite aud Jew,
and whether the term Jew is offensive to a
man Of the Hebrew race %
The terms Hebrew, Israelite and jew"
he replied, ''are not synonymous. but repre-
sent distinct historical periods of our raca.
Hebrew represents the early Abrahamic or
nomadic period. Israeltc was the title of
the theoeracy founded after the Exodus and |
IN the hand Of Canaan; while jew was the |
name Of the remnant left in Palestine after |
the separation Of Judah from Isrsel and the |
loss of the ten tribes. The word jew is not |
offensive unless used in an offensive way; |
inst as the word Yankee NAV be used rs the |
name Of people or as an insulting epithet. |
We Jews call ourselves Jews among our
selves The two great divisions of the Jews |
are the Sephardic and the Ashlsenasim.'
what do they mean"
"The Separates are the descen dan;. of
the Spanish and Portuguese jews. The
Ashkenasim are NIL the rest of Us. The |
Sephardic, until late years, have always ac-
CURED greater distinction than the Ashken- |
asim. The Sephardic have a tradition that
their higher rank and general freedom from
persecution are due to the fact that their an
cesters were residents of Spain during the
period Of Christ's life on earth, and there
fore not having been responsible in any way
for the crucifixion, were spared the curse
10. &, II h,.,--1,- .-f,-..., af=,-
where OF late years the German Jews have
acquired greater opportunities by emigra-
ton for advancement, both materially and |
mentally, and therefore they are rapidly
them in former times"
do these divisions designate their relig-
ious Emergencies also?'
NO; the Jews to-day are divided, relig
iouslv. into Orthodox. Liberal and Radical.
Yet these divisions are not SO strongly en-
phasized as the same words would denote |
in talking ot Christian sects. The Hebrew
Ritual is sometimes conglomerate Of all |
three forms Of religious thought. Even in
Biblical times the Jews were divided into
Rabbinical and Biblical. The Rabbinicsl
party WAS the party Of forms and cere-
monies and obseryance> and traditions. The
Biblical party placed the spirit above the
letter Of the law This division, therefore,
as il is founded in the nature of things viii
probably be perpetual, Modern jews are
fond OF con;ending that the work Of Christ
in his life Wa largely that Of Jewish Re
former, bent on warning against the formal
ism of Rsbbinical Judaism, and that moth
ing was further from his intention than the
founding of a new religion.
(Which ofthese two old divisions. then,
is the Strorgefro-day
'.Nyen, the influence Of Rahbini,n is great
er among those who follow the Polish Rit-
nal. and Is weakest among the descendants
Of the Spanish jews. Just IN proportion 70
The influence Of Rabhinisn j. the reverence
or considcration-paid TO the Talnud and
other similar hooks Of Commentaries. One
wares as the other wanes. In those quarters
of New York where the Orthodox Polish
and Russian Jews are most numerous, You
viii find Talmudical schools attached to the
synarocues. You VIII see in them Jewish
bows STUDYING the sacred books with an
born of the devoutest faith-in s.
.,irit totally unlike the spirit with which