Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-03-22
NEW YoRK's POLISH JEWS.
People whose Rules of Life are Those
OF bible Times.

IeODIe whose hulcS Oh Lie uTS nose
OF bible Times.
On Sunday is the best time to see this
colony, because then it offers the strong
est and strangest contrast with the life
that surrounds it. East Broadway is
the main thoroughfare in this colony
the once grand avenue of the rich
Quakers of 40 years ago-the street
that led to the houses of the progeni-
tors of Henry Bergh and Berry Wall
and the now nristocratic Roosevelts.
The solid big houses are there yet with
their high stoops and broad fronts and
mansion-like appearance. but how
sadly changed.
Pillows and carpets hang from thier
upper windows, what were once the
dining rooms and parlors are packed
thick with workmen and workwomen
making clothing. and the windows and
wall are lined with bales of the cheapest
coats and trousers imaginable: Queer,
blousy women in greasy wigs and very
odd-looling men III long boards are
running hithcr and thither. The road
ways and cutters arc full of refuse and
waste, the air is heavy with bad odors.
the breath on all the window panes is
the breath of spualor. neglect and in
difference to appearances and comfort
Very strange signs are over the doors.
Tho characters are Hebrew. The only
words we can read are the proper
names ending in the letters 'shy" or
"ski. Sunday to those folks, rs TO all
but liberal Hebrews. is as Monday is to
us, There is only one way in which
they observe our Sabbath. That is by
closing their theatres. They do this
because our laws forbid their being
opened.
BY mounting any one of II dozen
flights of steps we can step from New
York to n modern Asia Minor. almost
to ancient Judea. 1t is in the syna-
gogues that this change confronts us.
They are bare forlorn places-mere
rooms full of benches-but they are
highly important to this strange COM
munty Here the rabbs preside, and
the rabbi is. us he used to be- the chief
source of authority and wisdom. He
breaches here OH Saturdays, and teach
es school all week. holds court pcrpet-
ually. as a Judge before whom alI dis %
sensions and disputes are brought,
marres. christens, confirms. blesses,
advises, eXhorts. chastiSeS and in a
word, guides and controls his flock.
Like nearly all the men he wares Il vel
vet cap and Ike all he refrans from
shaving h beard.
His language is sometimes Hebrew.
but i'm most cases he uses the tongue OF
his people, n singular mixture OF He
brew and Polish. or Hebrew and the
tongue of whatever other Slav race hO
belongs to. All about the ncighborhood
are bookstores, and the books are all
printed in one polyglOt or another
corresponding with the talk of the peo-
pie.
The young girls are more or less ia +
aud pleasing TO the eye. The majority
are swart. but some are very fair
blends with golden tresses. All the
married women look alike, however.
for all have shaved their heads and
wear wigs-of black hair, proceeding
| in their locks from little stems of cord
or horsehar 1t is said that this mech
anism of wig does not show when they
are new. but l never saw one that d ii
ever saw a Chinaman's queue that was
not leghthened with black thread or
| horsehair.
These married women are made to
look still less attractive by their fashion
of wearing their Wristbands almost
under their armpits. The strongest
prediction is for red dresses, and their
next strongest is for wearing them
lengths of time exceeding human be-
lief. Their wigs serve instead of other
head covering so that one is next to
never seen in hat or bonnet, no matter
where or how she goes Even on rail
road journeys they 90 bare headed.
They are not allowed to cover while in
church. where they sit apart from men.
and | have heard that among the strict
est of the orthodox the women may not
cover in the presence of their husbands.
However. a perusal of Deuteronomy
and Levitcus (Which | beg leave tc
state are books in uIc Bible) will show
exactly what the slrictcst rules of the
race were, and in the main, remain to
| dow