The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-09-29

cation, of which there are several hun
dred in the Jewish quarter, at least
as many temporary ones spring into
existence for the great holidays. TO
accommodate these, every dancing nall
and assembly room, and many sweat
shop is transformed into a synagogue,
and every tailor or teacher of Hebrew
who lays any claim to musical gifts
enters the lists in competition for the
place of cantor or chorister The two
large Jewish theaters of this city, the
Windsor and the Thalia, are announced
as houses of worship for the coming
festivals, with some of the leading jew
ish actors for chasans.
Some celebrities are paid for the four
principal services of the Days of Awe
as much as $1,000, but such virtuosos
apart, 5000 would be fair average OF
the cantor's fee, although the humber
congregations cannot afford to pay
more than $50 for the season. The
weather. nagogues engage their cha
sans by contract ON a. snug monthly
salary, and often import them from
some large city in Russia or Galicia:
so that the Hebrew communities of
1880
drained of their best religious singers
by their brethren Of the New York
Ghetto, who are by far the highest bid
ders in the worlds cantor market
Sometimes a man who shaves his
beard, and does not exclude pork from
his bill of fare, and is otherwise I'M
mindful Of the laws Of Moses, takes 1T
into his head to earn a few dollars by
officiating in some synagogue during
the Days of Awe. To do this, If other
wise qualified, he must, however, as
sumo an orthodox appearance. growing
a full beard and sidelocks, and DOMINIC
a high hat and long frock coat-tle
insignia Of sacerdotal dignity-into the
bargain. The number of applicants ex-
ceeds by far that Of vacancies, and as
consequence, competition is extreme
ly bitter. But the probationary service
to which the many rivals have veen
subjected is over, selections have been
made, and those who have been lucky
enough to procure an engagement con-
tribute the harmonies Of their rehears-
ing choirs to the general hubbub of the
quarter. Scacely a large tenement
house in that region but shelters some
proud chasan, and is in the evening
filled with the plaintfve strains of PEN
ance days music. If you pass through
the Ghetto these days, you will be like
ly now and then to come across some
pious-looking individual fumming an
air as, curling his sidelocks. he pro-
ceeds on his way or stands gazing at
the window display Of Hebrew book
cfnro This ic oh Spn. and II Ia nhf
hard to tell from his manner and from
the spirit of his tune whether he has
procured job or not
The cantors and their choirs are not
the only ones, however, to be busy
rehearsing for the holidays. There is
kind of instrumental music which re-
sounds in the syna gogue on both New
Years days-tl1e only kind allowed be-
tween the walls of an orthodox house
of prayer, outside of the unimportant
Feast Of Dedication, when a full
f1edged orchestra may be feature OF
the service. 1t is performed on the
scholar, rams horn, and is sugges-
tive of the clarinet, or, more frequently.
of the bleating of goat, The blowing
of the horn is, perhaps the most i'm
L
for each sound is believed to carry an
angel to heaven, to plead for
the whole congregations; and even the
housemaid, who stays home mindtng
the babies, cannot taste her breakfast
before she has attended the perform
ance, If only through her window. Ac-
cording1y. the horn blower bestows
great care upon his task, and he will
spend some time before the holidays
practising the prescribed notes which
he is expected to sound under the die
tation of some venerable old man.
The Days of Penance are followed,
after an interval of four days, by the
Feast of Tabernacles, when in the
course of week the faithful take their
meals in booths covered with fir trees,
which are constructed for the purpose
on the courtyards Of the Jewish quar-
ter Palm branches and citrons are
then used by the worshippers as an
accessory of the morning prayer.
The Rejoicing of the Law is the last
of the great holidays. 1t is SO called
! because on that day the reading of the
scrolls of the Five Books of Moses,
which are divided into weekly sections,
! to be read on Saturdays, is concluded
and commenced over again. and 1t is
considered a good deed to make it an
| occasion for great merriment. This ac-
| counts for the frequency with which
people are under the influence of liquor
on that day in the Jewish neghbor-
i hood, where such a spectacle is gen.
orally a rare occurrence.
This is the season also of the Hebrew
! book trade, for thousands .of orthodox
people who are forgetful Of their prayer
! books during the year, and let them get
| lost, now find thenls elves in need of
! new ones. Then many of those who
can afford it will want to appear in the
syna gogue in a new praying shawl
! The book dealers, as a rule, sell these
! things and palm branches and citrons
as we'll as all sorts of religious publica-
| lions. Nor are the clothier, the halter
/ the shoe dealer, and the jeweller left
| out of consideration, for who that is
1 not out of work will fail to invest in a
/ new suit, or a hat. or a pair of shoes.
/ or a watch and chain for the greatest
| of holidays? The butcher and the gro
/ GER too, await the advent of the holi-
day season with impatience. However
/ poor ones fare may be during the year,
on New Years, and particularly during
! the Feast of the Tabernacles (when
/ ones dinner is exposed to the view of