Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-31


coded ouly 10 peers Of the realm and 70
knights OF the various orders" At
the same time magnificent memorial,
sculptured by Bailie in 200 ounces OF
solid silver, was presented to him by
population Of citizens--IIebrew and
Christian--who joined in the testimo-
NAL to his worth and work.
SEVEN VISITS TO PALESTINE.
Seven times Moses Montefore visited
the sacred soil Of Palestine, where his
brethren crowded round him, kissing
tie hem Of his garment, and whole cities
went out to meet him for miles along
the way. Hebrew odes were composed
in his honor, and special sermons
preached. These greetings continued
on the way to and from the Holy
Land. In Palestine Sir Moses
endowed hospitals and almshouses,
set on foot agricultural enter
priscs, planted gardens, dug wells, con-
structed aqueducts, built synagogues
and tombs. The last Of these pilgrim
ages was in 1875. when he had reached
the age Of ninety-one. His earlier
visits we're made in company with his
wife, and under travelling conditions
very different from those which now
render trip TO the Holy Land a jour
ney easily accomplished. He had to
charter vessels at an exorbitant rate,
ard to seek the convoy Of an English
sloop to protect him from the pirates
Of the Levant. On one occasion earth
qu-ke, on others plague, devastated the
country, and made the benefactions of the
| travellers more than ever welcome.
The first journey was doubtless prompt
ed by the ordinary motives of tourists,
both Lady Montefore and her husband
being very active and fond Of travel.
But their religion took them to syna-
| gogues and houses in the Jewish quar-
tiers of the towns they visited, and here
they often found a state of things so
deplorable that henceforth they de-
voted the talents, the means, and the
leisure with which Providence had
blessed them TO the elevation OF their
less fortunate cO-religionists.
The years which followed 1910 were
the most debatable Of Sir Moses's pub
lie life. Holding deeply-rooted ortho-
dox opinions. he opposed the reform
party who, led by the Goldsmids and
some members of his own family,
formed the congregation of British
Jews, and now have a synagogue in
Berkeley street. While he always pro-
fessed himself a conservative, Sir Moses
promoted progress among backward
communities Of Jews, as in Palestine
and Poland. lie always, however,
urged gradual progress and respect to
constituted authorities sudden changes
he feared and deprecated. The Eng
lish schism of lS4I seemed to him the
result Of desiring too great and sudden
a change in public worship. In this he
differed from many good men.
After the Sultan, Sir Moses Monte
fore visited his hereditary rival, the
Car. The conquest or Lithuania and
Poland had brought 100000 of Jews
beneath the Muscoyite dominion. In
his haste to rule over a homogeneous
people, the Gar, neglecting the effect
ual solvents of tolerance and equality,
attempted to aSsimilate the Jews to the
Russians by carrying off their sons in
great numbers to serve in the army and
navy. The regular CONSUMPTION was
enforced with severity. and those who
lived near the frontier sought to escape
into Austria, Prussia, or the Danu-
bian principalities. In lS45 the Empe-
ror issued ukass in which he ordered
all Jewish families living within fifty
versts of the frontier TO be removed into
the interior. In the wintry weather Of
February and March, 1876, Sir Moses
AMI Lady Montefore travelled to St.
Petersburg, occupying more than
month on the journey. On the road
they heard the bowling Of hungry
packs of wolves, and had to keep a
gong sounding to brighten them away.
The commercial stagnation which the
decree would have brought about had
by now been foreseen. The ukase was
first abrogated and then suspended.
FRUITS OF Ills LABOR.
The next few years were spent in
peaceful labors at home in superintend-
ing Jewish education, in securing the
insertion of proper clauses protecting
Jewish marriages in the marriage act,
etc. A remarkable instance Of the
trust reposed in Sir Moses by his
brethren was afforded in the will of
Judah Touro, a wealthy Israelite of New
Orleans, who, while leaving large sums
10 the poor OF that city, bequeathed
$4,000 TO Montefore to be applied as
Sir Moses thought fit for the benefit Of
the Jews in the Holy Land.
The outbreak of the Russian war in
1853 brought about a famine in Jeru-
salem. In the early part of 1854 snow
lay deep ON the hills and filled the
streets the slippery mountain tracks
could not be traversed by camels
neither food nor fuel found its way into
the city. The Jews had to make their
customarily heavy presents to the local
authorities, and failed. in consequence
of the war, to receive the usual contri-
buttons from their brethren abroad.
Many persisted of want. The chief rabbi
Of Jerusalem himself started for Europe
TO obtain relief for his starving flock,
but died at Alexandria. In England
DIR. Adler and Sir Moses Montefore is
sued an appeal, and collected about
100000. After satisfying pressing
needs by remittances in advance. Sir
Moses and Lady MonteGore made a
journey to Palestine in 1855. They
passed through Constantinople, where a
firman enabling Sir Moses to purchase
lane in Palestine was procured from
the Sultan by the aid OF Lord STRAIT
ford dc Radcliffe. On the territory
thus acquired Sir Moses built the Touro
almshouses and windmill. lie opened
girls school and an industrial school.
and had the public slaughtering place
removed from the Jewish quarter.
where oflal had been suffered to accu-
mulate from the days of Caliph Omar,
to a place without the cisy. Agricul-
trral colonies we're established at Safed