The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-20
LOOKING BACKWARD ON YEAR
RABBI MENDEs REVIEWS THE LIFE
OF THE YEAR 1855.

Impressive Services in Celebration
of the Advent of the Hebrew New
Year-Business Suspended Among
the Jewish People and the Day
Given Up to the FestIvaI-The
Meaning of ROsh HOshannah and
the Spirit of It's Observance.
Rosh Hoshannah, or the New Year. was
strictly observed by the Hebrew people
yesterday. The number of closed places
in the business section was especially
marked.
Services were held at the Temple Mick
va-Israel on Bull street in the morning
from $50 TO u o'clock and were
largely attended. The greater portion of
the service was ritualistic, consisting of
invocations and responses. Mr.. J. o. De-
Castro led the congregation in this portion
Of the services. The special service of
music by the choir, under the direction of
Mr.. T. E. Rebarer, was very fine. The
services closed with an excellent sermon
by the pastor Rev. 1. 2. Mendes from the
text, Go in peace and may the God of
Israel grant thy petition which thou hast
asked Of him."
The sermon was entitled Looking Back
wards" and, as its name indicates. was
review of the past, with a looking forward
to the future. 1t was as follows:
Carlyle, the immortal, in his Memoirs
of the Life of Scott, has most beauti-
fully and truthfully advanced the asser
ton that There Is no life of a man faith
fully recorded, but is a heroic poem of
its sort, rhymed or unrhymed" II must
have surely been for this laudable pur-
pose that the writers. both sacred and
protane, have taken such exceed
ing great pains to place before
occurrences culled from the lives
hope that these would exercise a benet-
cial influence over them and would urge
them to initiate the good, whilst they
could reject unhesitatingly the bad.
The words of holy writ just brought to
your notice afford most striking illus
tration of this truth, to say nothing Of
their appropriate significance upon great
and solemn day like this. They embody in
their terse way the concentrated essence
of New Years object and of a New
Years hope. Making each Individual
leading character in the reproduction Of
most touching and a most natural in
cident, they show us the weeping sup
plant on the one side and the conscien-
tious well-wisher on the other. The for
mer Offering up in silence the prayer and
the longing of burdened heart, the lat
ter touched by pity and sympathy, giving
strength and hope to that troubled spirit
by the solemn and heartfelt invocation:
MAY the God of Israel grant thy petit
ton which thou hast asked of him."
He troubles not himself to find out what
that request may be, he does not even
evince the slightest curiosity as to the
subject matter of the petition offered up
by the distressed supplant he is only
anxious that the burdened heart should
be lightened by the granting of the peu-
ton which promises to bring SO much sun
shine into a now gloomy life. Just the
same did we last evening, at the conclu-
one to the other of our friends and ac-
quatntances, and without taking lsDtice
of smiles or of tears, we extended to
each other in all sincerity of heart our
best wishes for happy New Year, our
assurances that in our prayers we would
remember each other for good and would
like the high priest of old, venture to
ask God Almighty to register our words
and deem them worthy of His approval
and acceptance; that indeed, THE God
OF Israel may grant thy. petition which
And now. that that New Year wish
mas been spoken and has been
| passed from mouth to mouth, might it not
| be advisable to analyze it and to endeavor
| to weigh its fun import in the scales of
our own thoughts? To do this success
| fully, we must perforce touch the strings
| of memory's harp. and as each sound goes
| forth and forms in its waves and undu-
/ lations the chords of major or of minor,
/ we must supply to these the appropriate
! words, which shall best convey the right
/ meaning.
First, the Introductory question comes
! rolling on toward us, What of the past
| year, whose dying hours you have so late
/ " witnessed? Has its mission been per
/ formed in manner creditabie to our
| selves? Have its requirements been met
! with the staunch and faithful determine
! ton they have merlted? Has its voice
| been needed in all of its pathetic appeals
/ to us? Have it's DEGREES been received
/ with the humility and submission which
! should mark and characterize the true
and faithful servant of a kind and merci-
| ful Father, who knows what is best for
| u.s. Have we in times like these declared,
That's best which God sends. Twas
His will; it is mine?" When doubt and I'm
! certainty as to the future made everything
| dark and dreary before US did it lead us
/ to the footstool of a great and a good
| God, the aim of whose simple religion can
/ be summed up and defined in the one
/ beautiful thought, Prayers are heard in
| heaven very much in proportion to our
1alth. Little talth VIII get very great mer-
when there were difficulties to over
come, dangers to be averted, sorrows to
be lightened pains to be eased, stern real
tiles to be faced, did the old year place
/ us among the sYanquished or among the
| Yictors? Did 1t fill Us with the fear of the
| coward, or did it bid US,
Dare to look up to God and say. deal
! with me in the future as Thou wilt?''
But most particularly does it ask of all
Of us, Has It, in taking the aggregate of
] the good and the i'll, left us in Gods debt
! for many more blessings than we have de-
| served or is there yet anything which we
| can still claim as our right from Him who
rules the affairs and destinies of the
! world?
IN answering these questions and
! in taking kaleidescODic
! survey of all that has gone before we Ire
/ not presumptuous think, when we assert
| that we have undoubtedly taken a sten
/ forward in both our religious and social
| advancement Unlike many of our other
| years long since past and forgotten this
| one just presented to the great father of
/ all time, can, as a whole, show better re-
| suits and need not by any means. be
| chronicled as an absolute failure
Looking backward behold what we
| have discovered through study and oh
servation. There has been a decided in
! clination to restore some of the old Dris-
| tine glory of our heaven born religion. bv
! returning to the acknowledged wisdom Of
! centuries past and by recognizing the All
| solute necessity of building Judaism uDon
/ a foundation which winds cannot move
nor tides affect. There have been prornllI.
gated the first lessons in the universal re-
! ligion of a common brotherhood of man
| when dogma and doctrine shall no Longer
separate the world. but when love and
| peace and concord, shall unite all ma nJSind
before the throne of the one great and
/ common Father of All. There has been a
growing desire upon the part of every req
sonable and intelligent mind, to ENCOURAGES
a general commingling for the great mr.
pose of advancing the best interests Of
all and for the strengthening of orr nm
ion and of our much beloved and respect