The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-15
nl,e Feast of PUriln.

TEe Feast of Purim.
| During the past two days, or from night
fall of saturday till about the same timc
of yesterday. the jewish people Of this
| city. who's. number is estimated ut a
quarter Of million. have been cole
brating with rrvcrv and prayer that
| famous episode of ancient Jewish history
which is recorded in the Scrptural Book of
| Esther. That book tells how the Jewish
maiden ESTHER became the Queen of
AnAsrERUs. the great King of Pcr-
sa. who rcign"u over l27 provinces.
| from India even unto Ethiopia: how
| the Kings fuvol,to minister. HAMAN. who
sat above the princes. got up II scheme for
| killing of all the Jews in Persia; how
ESTHER and her uncle. MORDECM. got
into the Kings grnccs SO that they
were able to thwart the design of
| HAMAS; how MoaDECAI became great
when HAMAN fell from favor: how HAMAN
| was hanged upon galowS fifty cubits
| high upon which he had expected to
hang MoRDECAI: how HAMAN'S ten sons
were hanged upon the same gailows: how
the Jews. under the authority of the King.
then fell upon their foes and smote them
with the sword. Strengthening 1000 of them:
! and how MoRDECAI in order to commence
rate these various Incidents. established the
festival Of Purim by the aid of Queen
ESTHER. and issued decree that it should
be celebrated by the Jews forever.
| The story oil AHAsrERUs and HAMAN.
MoNDEcAI and ESTHER, is highly dramatic.
| very Oriental, and full Of incidents that ure
| trasi"al and snnguinary.
Tic feast of Purim has been celebrated
| by the Jews ever since it was instituted.
| five centuries before the Christian era. UNI
| der the reign Of AHASUERUS Of Persia
| monarch about whose identity historians
have never been able to come to any
| agreement. 1t was celebrated in Ju-
dea after the return from the Baby
| lnnian captivity. and in the time
! of tho Maccabccs. and when Palestine
was under the Roman yoke. and along all
through the middle ages, and down to tho
| present time. In this nineteenth century.
twcnty-four centuries after MORDECAI
| issued his decree, Purin is cclcbatcd by the
Jews in every country OF the world.
| I, has been celebrated in this city during
| the past two days tMoHDEcAI said it should
! last two days with unusual fcrvor. There
| have been rejoicing and feasting: there
| has been giving Of aims to the poor
| there have been balls and mnsquer-
ado balls: there have been syna-
| goguc ceremonies and services there
| have been family reunions and social re-
| coptinnS: there have been many prayers
| and chants: there has been much reading OF
| the Book of Esther 1t is the time of Lent
| for Christians. the time of fcasting for Jews.
The ioysome days Of Purm will doubt
| less DO celebrated rs long as Judaism exists.
| 1t was II great event for the Jews that is
recorded in the Book of Esther. Tho
personngcs and incidents described in
the book arc of remarkable character.
Tho great Persian King AHAsUEHUs was a
weak minded. putty-hcadcdO Oriental despOt.
IIAMAN was II bnsc and cruel rapscallion.
deserving of tho maicdictons that have
been poured upon him by seventy genera
tions OF Jews. MORDECAL was an ustute
man. who knew how to pull the ropes and
to work things so as to obtain power and
gain his ends: he was easily the master of
| HANNAH. ESTHER must have been a charm
ing damsel To be chosen by the King from
among all the damsels brought before
| him as applicants for the place that had
been held by Queen NAsHTI. who was
wrongcd and discarded because she had Il
| mind of her own. 1t must be said also that
| the maiden who became Queen under the
| name OF ESTHER. possessed number of
| traits OF character that were not at
| all admirable. one of which was illus
trated by hcr cntrapping of HAMAN, and
another by her demand for tho hanging OF
| his ten sons. She may have had !, face and
| form that wcro tempting 10 the effete
monarch, hnt she certainly made lIsc OF
| him In ways that were not crcditnblr to
| her womanhood. These are tho lead
| ing p"Isonages in the book which
| contains the decree for the establish
| ment Of the feast Of Plrim As for
| the incidents narrated in the book. many
| OF them arc not pleasing: and surely the
vengeance that WIS taken by MoRDEcAI's
order when the King had authorized tho
killing of all the people. including little
onesand women" who were accused of being
in completely with HAMAN. was terrific.
| Firstly. five hundred persons. next three
hundred. were slain in the palace: and in
| the general massacre in the provinces, sew
| enty-iivo thousand were slain. IL does not
| appear from the narrative that the fallen
men made any attempt ut sclf-dciencc.
Tho Jewish people OF the whole world are
| proud OF the salvation which their anc"s-
| tors OF ancient times won under MoRprCAI
! and ESTHER. and II Is not surprising that