The evening times., 1899-09-05

OIlOWluS lu0 lIduIitOuS Oi tuelT duCcS-
tors the orthodox Jews of Adas Israel Con-
gregation. Sixth and G Streets northwest.
assembled at the synagogue at o'clock
this morning at the sounding of the rams
horn to observe Rosh Hashana or New
Years Day. The service was conducted by
Rabbi A. Mendal, assisted by L. Thorn and
j. Jennfsky. readers, also by various MEM
bers Of the Congregation who read pas
sages from the books of Moses.
The services lasted from a. m. until
after noon and the synagogue was crowd
ed by devout worshipers. The men wore
their hats and also had thrown across their
shoulders large white scarfs with the edges
embroidered in blue or back. some of the
scarfs being of finest satin with silver en-
broidery. The women of the Congregation
occupied the balconies, the auditorium be-
ing given over to the men, Many children
also attended the services and maintained
the strictest decorum. The services con-
sisted of prayer and reading from the books
OF Moses, all in Hebrew with a sermon in
English by Rabbi Mendal. The rams horn
was blown at intervals. The horn was
brought from Jerusalem and has been in
| the Congregation for quarter of century
and is one of the most reyered treasures
of the Congregation.
Rabbi Mendal came to his present charge
about a year ago from New York He
is a graduate of Columbia College a schOI-
| ar!y young man of about twenty-five and
thoroughly versed in his priestly duties,
| having studied for several years in an
ecclesiastical school to perfect himself as
rabbi After the reading of the morning
| service the abb offered an eloquent prayer
4 for the blessings OF the past year and in
voked peace and prosperity on his congre-
/ cation for the New Year. He then delivered
the annual discourse, He spoke on the sub
! ject OF the sounding of the rams horn
| and the lessons ii was intended to teach
! Beginning with the scene of the delivery to
Moses Of the Ten Commandments he told of
how the ancestors Of his congregation had
lived in idolatry in Egypt, until with the
exception of Moses, Joshua. and one or two
other of their leaders they had departed
from the ways Of God. He said that the
thunder and the lightning on Mount Horeb
and the subsequent hardships of forty years
| wandering in the wilderness were neees-
sary TO make the people obey God and
! bring them back TO the paths of righteous
ness. The sounding of the trumpet today
| is but a reminder of. the scene on Mount
Horeb.' he said, "and is to awaken in us
the consciousness of God and to remind US
of His teachings and that We should not de-
part from them. We need the trumpet to-
day because satan is still at work, and
unless we are aroused by the trumpet, that
consciousness of God instilled in man at his
birth will die out and we will be like the
/ man on the ship. who in his terror at the
storm promised five pounds of candles dur
ing the raging of the storm, but as the
storm grew less he promised only three
pounds of candles and when he found him
self safe in port he forgot his promise en-
tirely, and SO the sounding of the ram 5
horn is needed to spur us on to do ouT
duty.
"Ingersoll'' he said, has been denounc-
ed as an aetheist but his own act ons, his
deeds of kindness and charity, belied the
words be spoke against the Bible. and
should We who are continually repeating
prayers and attending worship be less &C
tive in good deeds than the agnostic who
doubts the existence of God? We should
/ not only express OFT belief in Gof In
words, but should have God in our hearts
and by our actions prove that We are the
believers in the Lord that we profess our
selves to be- The infdel has nothing tC
make him good to his fellow man. but We
believing that we have God with us, by
self-sacrifce and deeds of charity should
proclaim the fact to all the word.
He drew q beautiful lesson from the
story of Hannah, the mother OF Samuel
! how after years of prayer her wish wa;
, granted and son was porn 10 her, anc
, how she fulfilled her promise TO God tC
devote her son to his worship, and how
she sacrificed her mothers love for hel
child and took him TO the temple anc
dedicated him to the Lord. He closei
with an earnest plea TO his auditors to pu
away all unkindness; to keep promise:
made; to be charitable; not to slander tht
good name of Others. not to extort usury
and not to take a brbe even for the SAKE
of doing good for others.
Services will be held in the synagogu
this evening at O'Clock and tomorrow
from 6 a. m. until afternoon, the ortho
dox Jews observing two days at New
Year Similar services were held toda,
by Rabbi ]. Crosby, of the Avas Shobe!
Congregation, in National Rifles Hal
: on G, between Ninth and Tenth Streets.
{ Rabbi Stern preached at 10 a m. to
large audience in the Temple on Eight
:, Street, where the reformed Jews worship