Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-06-18
lanes K.

t1.-.ol ~
Then, Rabbi Gutheim rest in peace.
james K. Cutheim.
New Orleans Tines Democrat.
There was witnessed in New Or
leans yesterday a spectacle as rare as
it was beautiful, as mournful as it was
touching and instructive.
The body Of the late Rabbi, James
X. Gutheim, lay in state in the spacious
Temple Sinai, and thither as by a com
mon impulse, moved by a common
grief, aocked thousands of his own
people and thousands of others, repre-
senting every creed and every ma
tionality-people of every class of
society-the high and the low, the
aged and the young-sll that was best
of New Orleans society gathered there
to mingle their tears wei the silent
form Of the great teacher, the profound
scholar, the good man, whose noble
and f~ar-reaching charities were not
confined to any class or condition of
men, but embraced suffering humanity.
Within the chancel and grouped
around the dead were assembled not
only dignitaries of the federal, State
and city governments, but well known
clergymen of all the Christian denomi-
nations were there to render homage to
the noble and beloved gentleman, the
high priest, the model citizen, whose
whole life was a record of good deeds,
performed in all meekness and gentle
ness-like a true minister of God as he
was-regardful ever of the good of
others, thoughtful never of himself.
Every available foot OF space in the
Temple, which may be said to have
risen under his hands, was filled with
a multitude such as perhaps never
before assembled within the walls
OF a Synagogue--a multitude rep
resenting all religious creeds, and
grteying as if each individual had lost
his OF her own pastor. Out in the
streets there were vast crowds of pee
pie who could not hope to gain admis-
sion, and upon the countenances of all
was plailly discerned the sorrow which
perVaded the entire communication
all felt that in the death of Rabbi
Gutheim they had lost a friend who
never shrank from any test however
crucial, from any duty however hard,
or from any personal sacrifice.
AS the Rabbi Leucht and the rabbits
from Mobile, Montgomery and Mem
phis spoke to the people with elo
quence and feeling of the virtues and
shining characteristics of the dead
there were few dry eyes in the Temple,
while the children, and especially the
orphans who had known his tender
and fatherly care, wept unrestrainedly:
and no more precious tribute to the
worth Of the departed was paid him
yesterday than the tears they rained
upon his bier-tears that welled up
from hearts that had learned to love
him and to lean upon him.
When the Rev. DR.. B. M. Palmer.
the beloved and eminent PRESBYTERIAN
divine, arose to speak over the dead
body of his Hebrew friend a solemn
hush fell over the immense ~concourse.
and unusual as was the spectacle-un-
precedented as we believe it to have
been every one felt that 1t was a
beautiful and appropriate thing for
him to be standing there in the syna-
gogue testifying to the r~esplendent
virtues and all-pervading goodness Of
the IMAM whom he had known for
many years in intimate friendship, and
under circumstances which made him
acquainted with the simple majesty
and unfailing sweetness of his charac-
ter.
Briefly, but with lofty eloquence and
beauty, he smoke of his lost friend,
and these three lines in his grafton
make an epitaph of which but few
men, living or dead, are worthy
"a nan of his convictions. with
principles definitely settled, he was
ever ready for action; a mar always to
be found when wanted, and always to
be trusted when found"
What nobler tribute could he paid
tnan is conveyed in those pregnant
words?
"Let me" said he, in closing, ''lay a
Christian flower upon the dead lie.
brew's bier and drop a Christian tear
over lsrael's loss and ours"
The life of James K. Gutheim was
illustrated by high ~endeavor. brilliant
achievements and charitable deeds.
and ne leaves as a heritage to all the
people a name of which Jews and Gen
tiles alike may be proud-an example
which men OF every creed may well
emulate.