River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-12-29
THE CHINESE JEWS.
Mystery Surrounding the Origin OF
the PeOpIe-A Synagogue I'm
kue-Fuug-FoO.

Among the most remote colonies are
the Jews of China, who have arouse
interesting inquiry and been the
theme OF many French writer's. Early
il the seventeenth century, and short
ly after the Italian missionaries had
come 10 Picking, one of them. Matthew
Ricci, received a morning call HIS
visitor wore the gorgeous Chinese
dress, including the queue, but the
figure and face were not Monaghan,
and the smiling countenance was not
in keeping with the dignitied solemnity
Of a Chinaman. The gentleman name
was Ngai, and he had heard of the ar
rival of some foreigners who wor-
SHIPPED one Lord of Heaven and earth
and who yet were not Mahometans; he
belonged to the same religion. he eN-
planned, and had called to make their
| acquaintance. Now, Master Ngai
made it clear that he was an Israelte,
a native OF Kae-fung-foo, the capital
of Honan. He had come to Picking to
pass an examination for mandarin
degree, and had been led by curiosity
and brotherly feeling to call at the
mission house.
In his native city he said there were
ten or twelve families of Israelites, and
| a synagogue which they had recently
restored at the expense of 10000
crowns, and they had roll of the law
400 or 500 years old. The missionary 5
letters described this synagogue. 1t
occupied a space between 300 and 400
feet in length by about $50 in breadth.
and was divided into four courts 1t
had borrowed some decorative splendor
| from China. The inscription in lie
brew: Hear. o Israel; the Lord our
| God is one Lord, blessed be the name
of the glory of His kingdom for ever
and ever" and the Ten Commandments
were embazoned in gold. Silken cur
| tains inclosed the Bethel" which en-
shrined the sacred books, and which
only the rabbi might enter during the
1 time Of prayer Every detail of this
| place, with its incense, its furniture
and all its types OF good things yet to
/ come, is interesting. There in the last
century the children of Israel at Kae-
/ fung-foo worshiped the God of their
/ IdIDeIS WIN the TlltS iudl pOlIlCu ~
| the Messiah, Of whose advent. as far as
it can be ascertained, they never heard
until the arrival of the Italian mission
aries.
Learned men have entered into dis
cussions as to whether these people
were Jews or Israelites, whether they
came to China from the Assyriau cap
tiVity or the Roman dispersion. They
| themselves say that their forefathers
came from the west; and it is probable
that the settlers arrived by way of
Khorassan and Samarcand. They must
have been numerous in the ninth cen
fury, for two Mahometan travellers Of
that period describe rebel, named
Bae-choo taking Canton by storm in
A. ID. ST. and Strengthening 10000 Jews,
MahometaDs, Christians and Parsees.
More than one jew of Kae-fungfoo is
known to have gained the right to wear
! the little round button on the top Of
his cap so dear to the ambition of a
Chinaman. The TAPPING rebellion dis
! persed the settlement, and the remnant
who remain faithful to the memory of
old traditions are chiefly poor and dis
| ressed-London Culver.