The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-05-27
HYGlENlc LAWS OF THE JEWS

HYGIENE Avs OF THE JEWS
One Of the Most Important Coming Into
Popular Favor.
From the San Francisco Examiner:
Strange, is it not, how the whirligig
of time brings about results that often
appear impossible and which are en-.
tirely unexpected.
These were the words with which
Rabbi Jacob Voorsanger, of the Tenn.
tple Emanu Ell, answered when his at.
ton was called to the introduction of q
bill il the Idaho legislature providing
that the Jewish method of slaughter.
ing cattle be substituted for the one
prevailing.
Asked for IN explanation OF his
words, which We're uttered with eyi.
dent satisfaction, he said:
a'Much controversy has been had of
late years regarding the Jewish method
of killing cattle. 1t has been pre-.
sumed to be productive of cruelty, and
the representative have sought TO in
%.erferc with it by invoking the pro.
hibitive power of legislation.
I'm England, in America, but more
particularly in Switzerland, there has
been continual and bitter controversy
o the subject.
"One professional opinion, however,
may serve to settle the question SO far
as the merits of the Judaic method ara
concerned; it is that of Professor Ger
ZACH, of the royal veterinary school OF
Hanover. He wrote in reply to n re-
quest for a professional opinion on the
subject that his observations have
strengthened inhim the conviction that
the killing of cattle according to jew
ish custom is not productive of cruelty,
but, on the contrary, is most humane
and deserving of being universally
adopted"
'Do not the Hebrew race in great
part attribute their general good health
and longevity to the observance of this
and other Mosaic hygenic laws?'
They certainly do. And that they
are justified in doing so must be gener-
ally admitted when the most important
features of these rules for the procura-
ton of clean and healthful food are
known and properly considered. Allow
me first TO explain q little more fully
the advantages of method of killing
food animals before entering upon the
general subject.
Tile rabbis, to insure the healthful
character of the meat provided for
their congregations, require the vital or
gans of the animal to be examined
while yet connected with the carcass,
and when the least defect or least eyi.
dence OF disease exists the beast is pro
nounced unfit and is rejected. The
Jewish killer ofanilnals is an officer Of
the church, holding a diploma of eff
cheney from an ecclesiastical tribunal
and is required to know u good deal
moro than how to deity and quickly
kill his animal. He must have IA practi-
teal knowledge of animal anatomy
and physiology, and particularly in the
composition of the vital organs and of
the diseases to which the animal is
subjected.
"ln this connection it seems proper
to touch on tile Mosaiclaw of forbidden
food. Much speculation has been in
aulgcd in on this subject. The attempt
TO- identify the Mosaic law with pre-
existing elements in the religions of
Egypt, Persia and India is founded
upon the fact that the Mosaic legisln-
ton in no instance seeks to account for
Its prohibitive measures in any other
way than that the prescribed object is
an abomination, objectionable to the
taste, hnrtfnl to the constitution and
degrading in its use and Indulgence.
ut is a fact that the use of animals
held sacred in Egypt was forbidden; it
IS a further fact nat the Indian dietary
avs forbid the Use of the same quad
cupcds enumerated in scripture: nota-
bly, those whose hoofs are not cloven
and which do not chew the cud. Going
A little further it is within the region
of possibility that tho almost universe,
abstention from eating certain animals
may date from that very remote period
when totem worship was prevalent in
primitive society, and every tribe held
sacred the beast, bird or insect from
which the family traditions recorded it
to have sprung
"Arc not the prescribed and per-
mitted animals specified for greater
certainty of observing the Mosaic regu-
%lations?' asked the reporter.
Not only are they classified and
clearly defined, but in many cases they
are named.
"All qu%adrnpeds are permitted for
use as food which have. the divided
hoof and chew the cud. AS the pro-
hibitive list of such is much the shorter
| give that. The camel, cony and hare
are declared not fit for food because.
while they chew the cud. they do not
divide the hoof, the swine because.
while it divides the hoof, does not chew
the cud.
1.-The Mosaic writer specifies no kind
Of fish, but prohibits from use all that
I,, ,~ $40 .-.r L. ..-,- H. -
living thing in the water that is not
Gsh.
.The following birds are forbidden
without any reason for the discrimina-
ton: The eagle. ossifrage, osprey, vul-
trich. night hawk, cuckoo, hawk, little
owl, great owl, cormorant. swan peli.
a gier-eag1e, storll. lupwing and bat,
Among the flying insects permitted
are the locust, bald locust, beetle and.
g~rasshopper.
Among what are designated as
creeping things the following are pro-
bounced unclean: The weasel, mouse,
tortoise, hedgehog, chameleon, lizard,
snail and mole.
IAN important injunction in the Mo-
sale dietary code is that any of the an
imals described and forbidden as I'M
clean, when dead, render anthing I'M
clean that comes in contact with them.
In such cases ;rblutions for puriGcation
are prescribed and specified"
Are these restrictions generally OBJ
served today by those for whose benefit
they We're made?o"
| regret to say that, though modern
science has fully attcsted the wisdom
of abstaining from such food as tho
Mosaic rules forbid, particularly the
flesh Of swine, the Hebrews have bro.
ken away from 4 strict adherence to
them. under the impression that the
dietary legislationo of old does not apply
to their name and generation. Bit It
is only q small minority OF the scat
tered Of Isra,l who permit themselves
a total relaxation from these injunc-
tions.
''These delinquents would probably
also regret their departure from tho
customs of their progeritors did they
fully realize their Importance to their
wcll-being.
at is, perhaps, not the least charm
of the Mosaic laws, SO called, shat they
have sought to involve the beautiful
ideal of the harmonious blending of the