Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-07-11
JEWS OF MIXED BLOOD.

CnanSes OF the original tock-IriDes CT
Pseudo jews.
Since NJ. Renan, some three or four
years ago, expressed his doubts as to the
purity of the Jewish race, the hitherto
received opinion on that subject has been
somewhat shaken. The question, though
unscientifcaIly raised, can only he scien-
tifcally settled; but we may point out,
rs a matter of popular interest, that even
II the main body of the Hebrew people
has preserved an untainted lineage, which
Is very likely, it has at any rate acquired
a considerable fringe of individually
spurious elements. This fringe is com
posed partly of pseudo Jews and partly
Of cryptic Jews, the former being mainly
descendants of Gentle p~roselytes openly
protesting Judaism, and the latter con-
sisting of more or less sophisticated de-
scendants of Jews outwardly conforming
TO the dominant religions of the countries
In which they live, but secretly observing
their ancestral faith. These two divisions
of what may be termed the borderland
between the Jewish and the Gentle
worlds have again smaller borderlands
or fringes Of their own through which
they merge into one another.
As throwing light on the spasms Of
proselytism with which, in opposition to
their traditional practice, the Hebrews
have occasionally been seized, these
pseudo Jews are Of considerable Interest
TO the student Of religious history. The
largest community of them are the Fal-
ashas Of Abyssinia, numbering. it is
said, between 200, 900 and a quarter Of a
million souls. Although they pretend to
be descended from King Solomon and
the Queen OF Sheba, ethnolo5Ists have
failed 10 discover among them any traces
Of a Hebrew type. That originally they
were strangers in the land is, however,
shown by their name, which means ''im-
migrants
Besides the Falashas, there are several
tribes in Africa protesting judaism. or
claiming descent from Jews, who. in SO
far as their chronological type is a matter
Of doubt, must also be regarded Gs be-
longing &c the fringe Of Jewry. Among
the Beni-Mzab, on the frontiers Of Al
geria and Tunis, are several pseudo jew
ish clans, and all over the Sahara the
Daggatoun boast Of a Hebrew ancestry
while protesting Mohammedanism. A
Moorish jew, who wrote an account Of
the latter people, explains their name to
mean Jews who have changed their
faith" a doubtful piece OF p~hilology
which has. however, its historical value.
In Madagascar and on the Loango
coast are TIVE further small contingenus
of pseudo Jews, the "Zafy Ibrahim' or
progeny of Abraham" and the .'Ma-
yamba," or "Judeos." The former do
not differ in their physical type from
their n~eighbors, and their Hebrew tradi-
tons and ~observances are, perhaps, only
a remote vibration of the Judeo- Arabic
influence. The Loango 'Judeos'' are a
superior kind Of negroes, alleged TO be
descended from survivors Of the 1000
Jewish children who, in 1893, were torn
from their parents by Don Joao II, Of
Portugal. and transported to ST. Thomas.
Asia is full of varying degrees Of the
fringe of Jowry, il the traditions Of some
scores Of peoples and tribes are TO DO
trusted. The whole continent has proved
a happy hunting ground for the amiable
enthusiasts whose game Is the Lost
Tribes. OF actual pseudo Jews, as We
have defined them, there are, however,
only q couple Of specimens-the black
Jews Of Cochin and MalabaT and the
Jews of the interior Of China. Both pro-
fess fairly orthodox forms of Judaism,
and both assert that they are Of pure
Jewish descent; but the Investigations Of
competent observers have shown the for
mel 10 be of Hindoo race, While the
little we know Of the latter seems TO in
dictate that they are Mongols, with a
slight admixture Of Hebrew blood.
OF the Chinese Jews we have no very
precise or reliable accounts. They are
said TO be Of a very strong Monaghan
type. On the other hand, the records
prove them 10 have been at least In con-
tact with pure Jews; and IL is probable
that they are n cross between these Jews
and native proselytes. Crosseso 1 this de-
scription are usually infertile-a fact
that goes far 10 prove the purity Of the
main body Of the Hebrew ace-and the
so called Chinese Jews present all the un.
fruitful characteristics Of hybrids. In
this respect they resemble the two great
bodies Of pseudo Jews which are 10 be
found in Europe, the Karaites Of South
Russia and tie sephardim Of England
and Holland
Historically the Karaites are even
more interesting than tho Falashns.
They are n remnant 81 the Finnish king.
dom of the Khoznrs, which was con-
verted 4 Judaism in the Eighth century,
and which for a time disputed the sover.
eighty Of the east with the emperors OF
u, -antium.
That the sephardim Of England and