Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-27

Special Music by the Choir Text
ofthe Sermon Preached by Rabbi
Harry Levi Of the Congregation
LOshem Shomaim.
At sunset last evening the Hebrew
New Year, or Rosh-ha-Shana, COM
menced, and it was celebrated with SER
vices of very interesting character
in the Synagogue on Eoff street.s A
pleasing feature was the music render
ed by the choir, composed of Charles
Zulauf, Misses Loretta McGranahan,
Kate Laue and Emma Connolly, and
Prof. Hartman. The music was of an
exceptionally high order. The congre-
cation was very large. The sermon
was preached by Rabbi Harry Levi, the
new minister of Loshem Shomaim con-
gregation. It was eloquent and in
structive, and was heard throughout
with marked attention. Rabbi Levi
said:
My friends, upon the passing piano.
rama of time the dying year is in
scribing it's death message. After
experience an old friend lies outstretch-
ed upon his deathbed. He feels that
death is nigh and yet longs to have
pass in review before his closing eyes
the life incidents of the past period of
time. No, all has not been we'll dur
ing that time. There have been crimes
and iniquities, wrongdoing and sin.
There has been continuous clashing
of arms, and wars and battles have
been despOiling men and land. There
have been plaques and famineS in diff
ferent parts of the world, and the dy-
ing year sees that there is at present
not the least abatement of their in
tensity. 1t knows that there have been
thousands upon thousands of cases of
restitution on all sides. Father Times
eye may be dim and his mind may be
losing it's relentive power of memory,
but it realizes that the past year has
Ibeheld strikes and contentious, that it
has experienced disasters and misfor-
tunes, accidents and happenings, too
many and too awful for tongue or pen
to portray. The world has seemingly
been wrapped in a mantle of sorrow, it
has been bedecked with sack-cloth and
on its head has been streWn the ashes
of mourning of grief.
All this does the dying year behold,
and far from rejoicing thereat, with a
convulsive shudder it covers with it's
pale thin hands almost closed in death
and tears of anguish stream down its
care-worn cheeks. 1t is prepared now
to yield to the inevitable, but stop!
True it has experienced sorrows and
death is welcome, but what of the chill
dren? What of the twelve coming
months? Shall they enter life's arena
untaught and inexperienced? Shall
they be allowed to wander on the road
of existence, learning naught from
their parent past, and thus stumble
over the same obstacles as opposed the
dying ones progress? The parental
instinct cannot be stif1ed, and the dy-
ing year with a prayer for temporary
strength, gathers to its bosom its
twelve young children, the coming
months, and with tear dimmed eyes,
blanched cheeks and palpitating heart.
recounts to them its experiences, in
fers therefrom lessons of life, urges
close attention thereto, impresses upon
them the philosophic truths of exist
ence, and then with a last loving fare
we'll the last breath leaves it's lips and
the aged year is gone forever.
Yes, my friends, the year is about
gone. The opportunities which it pre-
sented to us of doing and of undoing
are no more. And yet as impossible
as it was for Joseph and his brethren
TO forget the least incident that had
occurred during the lifetime of their
father, equally as impossible is it for
us to blot out of our minds the impress
sing occurrences or to ship the scenes
of the departed year. At times it were
a boon from heaven to be enabled to
forget; all we possess would we fire.
quently give with gladstone heart and
open hand to possess the power of rel
egating to the tombs of oblivion some
OF our past experiences, and no matter
how pleasant in general may have been
the past year to some, 1 feel convinced
that to each and every one has come
during the past twelve months some
moment of sorrow, some time of dis
appointment, some occasion of grief.
We in the vigor of health and life.
which l trust may be maintained for
years to come, stand at the coffin of the
departed annum, but as we wrap it in
its shroud we involuntarily perhaps
glance back as Gid Jacob over the per-
lod that has passed between the time
of its birth and that of it's demise. and
as we glance back, of varied hue are
the scenes presented to our view. To
some of us there arise like dim spec
tiers, actions which since their per-
torrance have caused us no end of sor-
row and remorse, deeds which have
left seemingly indelible impress upon
cur hearts, upon our minds. Vainly
we endeavor to obliterate the impress
sion, but it seems too deep, and we
groan in anguish. To others of us
scenes portraying sins rather of omis-
sion than of commission are pictured
in vivid colors. Opportunities that we
have had of assuaging grief, of miti-
eating sorrow, of lending a helping
hand where aid was needed, all such
opportunities may have failed to be
taken advantage of by us and as we
revert to such failures and observe that
due to our inactivity much harm has
been done, if that our Indifference to
existing needs has produced untold
sufferlngs, what keen pangs of regret