The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-27
BRookLrN,s nEBRsw CoLoNr.
squnId BrowusvIn-, vita Ets Peculiar
People, Beiier., and Cu.toms.

Fe0utFs HrutN~s WV "N'0W~s
In order TO study Jewish habits. customs. and
modes Of life It 10 not necessary TO 90 to Pales-
tine For few cents the New Yorker can
make the trip 10 Brownsville. a suburb OF
Brooklyn. which contains larger population
and one more purely Hebrew than jerusalem.
Brownsville has no recognized boundary. but
II lies between Rockawav and Snediker ave-
nues on the one hand and between Liberty
avenue and Canarsle Woods on the other.
Within Its limits are about $1,000 souls. but
were It not for the recently imposed restric.
tlons on i'm mi grafton and the hard times there
would by this time be Mt least 10000
The people. as regards occupation, may.
speaking very roughly. bc divided into two
classes those employed In making clothes for
the New York wholesale houses and those en-
gagged specializing In real estate. The real
estate dealers are very hard up Just now. and
among the two or three hundred who every
morning crowd round the relief rooms opened
by the Hebrew Benevolent Association Of
Brooklyn are to DO seen many OF the
guild with basket in hand. waiting for the dis.
tributon OF food and clothing. As for the poor
people OF the sweat shops. now out OF
work. there are none 40 miserable. so pa
tient or so accomplishing In the world. MS
during the good times none were SO cheerful
and industrious. The condition OF the streets
walks there Is little drainage. no Alderman or
politician with null lives in the section. and
consequently 1t is utterly ignored by the Pub
lie Works and Street Cleaning departments.
In fact tho town would not be unlike Jerusa-
lem save for tho absence OF donkeys Hebrew
Is spoken everywhere. or rather iargon
nall German and hal; Syrian called
stands and Hebrew lettering on the sign
posts There are three synagogues In Browns
while as Tor saloons they are everywhere. On
belmont avenue. for instance. between the
three blocks running from Sackman street to
watkins avenue are six houses. four OF which
are saloons and so-raled music halls, When
man wants to open saloon he does not
annoy the Excise Department with his cnmors
fort license; I've simply consultg the Police
CAPTAIN Of the precinct. and what that func-
Before election the voters. as a rule. consult
the police Ms to what ticket they shall support.
and. having been instructed march faithfully
many Socialists in the district and not a few
Anarchists. but the majority vote the straight
her last the Republicans obtained majority.
but that was because Police Capt French
ADAMS and the Dem ocracy for removing him
from the Seventeenth precinct. whore he owns
S0S6 dsHi Of IN MN 10
reported that Capt French will be put back
next month and II so the Democrats will have
their old majority In Brownsville. as that OIL
GERS influence with the Hebrews is unbounded.
When the settlement was young he protected
the people from the hoodlums ofCrow Hill and
other places adjacent. and arrested the touEhs
who used to nmuse them selves on Sundnya by
pulling the, boards OF the ra6bis and spelling
OF women. many of the Hebrew maidcns are
very beautiful. fair PERCENTAGE Of them hay.
pass and repsss through the streets
molested or insuited. and II he loses his way
there VIII be no lack OF boys. or even pretty
Verse II in 't tRs Old Testament Which says An
eye for an eye and tooth for u tooth"
oa ns s sna PSSnd' H the BsoDG
ARiers. distant siberia. India Abyssinia and
who are for the most part vigorously ortho;
dox. They have number OF feasts and
even H IN these hes W hard times. vii scare
penny ,s to P HIN, G 90 tb S1
mandment of the Mosaic law. The strict OBJ
seryance Of this law however. often leads to
a rabbi, That seems right enough. But the
and marrics another wife in the most cheerful
manner possible. altogether ignorant OF the
the rs uos sSer ranS
named solomon Neighan is said TO have mar
TrG and Of f. pC%Ee in TSSost
or ,Irkhptsk where he had the power
under the law. From snndOwn on Friday
to shutdown on Saturday is the Jewish Sab
bath. dur ng which time although long
hour. haId-wprkiug race, they will absolutely
do nothing servile. not even receive regis
tered letter from the hands OF the mail car
rier The homes Of this people are wrstchedlY
furnished. and though man may own
dozen lots and have two or three thousand
dollars In hank, he dispenses with carpets.
This lack OF taste for comfort arises partly
from habits contracted in Russia and partly
from the fact that the mud OF brownsville
would spoil "A rug or carpet In q onth.
In brownsville. as elsewhere. the Hebrew
race is noted for iIs charity and Its disposition
toward the best kind Of socialism. The settle
mrnt is full of benevolent and benett soci-
orphan. burying pauper dead. taking care OF
poor women about 10 become mothers, and in
preventing poverty and suffering generally.
A respects the morality OF the people II is an
omen question though 1t Is safe to say that IN
tho smart ones from New lork's east side
open az many saloons or so many music halls
among them-they would he able TO render
good account OF themselves That they are
anxious to educate their children and have
them learn English IL attestet by the very
large attendance at both the day ana night
schools. They do not, however. neglect the
Hebrew or German Hebrew dialect for mum
hers OF teachers visit the we'll to do in
their houses to teach their children what
they fondly imagine IL the language
spoken by David and solomon In tho days
when Israel was great and powerful, long be-
fore the daughters OF Judca sat and wept by
the waters % Babylon, and before Nespasian's
ON the whole, Brownsville is well worth tho
attention OF the historian the ethn ologist, and.
above all. OF the Hebrew phiianthl opist who
takes an interest in such AL Interesting sec