The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-06
JEWISH HISTORY.
Paper Read Before the Abbeville Lit
.erary Club by DR.. F. L. Harrison,
at the Home OF Judge Gary, FRI
day Night, November 10, 1899.

erary Club by DR.. F. +. Harrison
at the Home OF Judge Gary, Fri
day Night, November 10, 1899.
Scattered throughout the length am
is a race whose history and characteristics ar
30 remarkab and peculiar as to be worth.
OF our attention for a little while this eve
ming. allude TO the Jews, that ancient pee
pie 10 whom for two thousand years wer
committed the oracles Of God-that rae
which has existed, unchanged and unchange
, able for nearly four thousand years, ant
which in all human probability will continue
as they are until the end OF time.
The legendary sentence, imposed upon th'
Wandering Jew, "walk thou on till come
again." would seem 70 be applicable to almos
: every one Of his brethren, for the Jew moves
on with undisturbed inteutness OF purpose
through all the vIcissitudes OF every ages
stranger In every land though native In Ill
Since the days OF the Roman ,rE Pd be .oa ba'
been despised and prosecuted In every quar-
Cot OF thus from many of the ordinary
pursuits and aspirations OF man, the Jew mas
. seen that knowledge gives power. and wealth
: opportunity-and these be has sought TOT
with unwavering zeal and consummate suo'
cess. The result Is one OF tne most sttiRihe M
proofs OF the theory of evolution With the
associated doctrine OF the heredity OF 40
ouIred characteristics. The Jewish brain has
been developed to q startling degree while
ed as in an adamantine mold. What he de-
sfres to learn he. masters with an ease and ra.
pidity that is marvellous, while In trade and
Z the pursuit OF wealth his sagacity Is unsur-
Features the same as those of his forefatherp
who perished at the destruction Of Jerusalem,
. or who fed at midnight out OF Egypt; while
!. ages and Of the alert up-to-dste keenness OF
the end OF the century. In his dark eyes you
see ali the sorrows Of Israel, while back OF
those eyes Is an intelligence which Is little
too much for the average GENTLE.
NV respected friend, DR.. ]. B. Adger. once
/, said TO me, "Wheuever meet q Jew, feel
my heart warm towards him. for recognize
! in him blood-kinsrnan OF our Lord Jesus
: Christ" Indeed the Jew has good reason to
be proud OF his lineage. An eminent lawyer
OF Charleston, on being taunted with being =
dew, replied. II am Jew. My ancestors were
princes while yours were eedng tsv me
by passing In review some OF the salient
q points in the history Of this peculiar peo,
Z PIE"
: about 1000 years ago. a shepherd was tending
This hocks on the plains OF Ur OF the Chaldees
He was member Of large and powerful
family, and was no doubt possessed OF a com.
happened something which has changed the
Z. present and the future for mtflions Of human
beings He had q call from God, Get thet
ont of thy coantry and from thy slndTed re-
will shew thee, and will make OF thee q
families sai et OF the earth be blessed" Our shep
came into the land OF Canaan, where his see"
became great multitude-and TO this day his
: name is revered BY more people than that OF
any other man, for Jew, Christian and Mos
memory Of Abraham, the Father OF the
Faithful, the Friend OF God. E-..,
The rite Of circumcision was given as sea-
Of the covenant afterwards made between
God and Abraham, to be applied to each male
on the eighth day after his birth: A curious
fact, mentioned by Josephus is that the
Arapj8ns clrcumcIZed as we'll as the Jews, but
s year, for Isbmael. their ancestor was clrcuul.
cized by mis- father Abraham at that age.
An interesting point In Jewish history Is the
repeated entrance OF the ana OF EsyPs 1aro
fees into Egypt 70 escape famine. Joseph Is
q sold Into Egypt. His brethren came TO Egypt
to buy corn. His father and brethren remove
70 Egypt. Solomon, King Of Israel, sends 70
Egypt for HIS bride. The remnant OF Judah
escape to Egy pt after the wars. Our Lord il
) carried 10 Egypt to escape Hsrod g massacre
Esyptologists who deivs Into That ancien'
sented as with many valuable discoveries
and who knows Vaht they may unearth some
day near the shadow OF the Sphinx or under
The history of the Hebrews on leaving
Egypt sets forth the blending OF Church and
4 State-the difficulties, dangers and trials en-
p tcuuntered-the Iapses Into nbellef. sin and
= idoiatry-tbe frequent miraculous interposl'
tons OF the Divine Hand-the preservation
OF the true faith by few through sll vicissi
tudes-and ut last. the triumphant entrance
intoth Promised Land.
This reads like q beautiful allegory Of the
souls progress through world Of sin; sorrow
aud temptation from the cradle to the grave
: and many lesson Of wisdom, over which We
may we'll ponder, Is contained In this ancient
- narrafige So. =, "...s.
8 From the days OF Abraham to the en- trance
Into Canaan, the appearance OF Jehovah 1n
Epar Of couS by dsy and OF Fire
by night-the Shekinah glory which abode
between the Cherubim-the Book OF the Law
delivered unto Moses amid the thunders o.
z Sinai-alI witnessed TO the abiding presence
and projecting care Of the Almighty.
From this Time. !. g., the entrance into Ca
naan, we observe the struggles Of the twelve
tribes with their Ganaanitish neighbors and
especially with their hereditary foes the Phil
issines. Success rested now with the He
brews, now with their enemies. On the &C
c0ssion TO the throne OF the dynasty OF Da
yid, the twelve tribes were united for the mrs
time under q central govern ment. and during
. the reign Of Solomon, Israel reached the ze
NTH Of It's glory, spiritually and temporarily
Solomon's Temple. erected and dedicated u
the Most High God, was the wonder OF trav
oilers from every land, and at this time Is
rael's borders were enlarged to an extent nev
Z ar touched before or since.
- Th0 DIVISION OF LlS RlOSOOm lutO JuudL
and Israel followed Solomon's death. Aftel
I $50 years Of strife and sin the ten tribes (o
Kingdom Of Israe) were taken captive anC
deported from their country BY the Assyr
ians, and TO this day their fate Ia mystery.
Some Of the wise men OF our time have en-
deayored to recognize In the American In
dians, the children OF the Lost Tribes. 9th
ers maintain that the Anglo'Saxon race arr
q their descendants and 80 are children OF tb'
ancient covenants and heirs Of the premises
leave you TO settle this question.
During this period the bulk OF the aucien
Hebrew prophecies were uttered; These con
sisted In denunciations Of wickedness, Wis
ions Of the woes that should follow, and Mes
sianic promises held out to the hope OF thos
who should persevere In the faith OF their fa
These Hebrew prophets were most wonder
fui persons. They alternately warned, en-
treated, denounced. lamented. Their mission
was 70 "cry aloud and spare not" and tn
character OF their utterances compels belle
In their inspiration.
y They were entirely out OF touch with tn
spirit and trend Of their times and common
adherence to duty as they saw IT.. They wer
men Of whom the world was not worthy.
The Kingdom OF Judah, composed OF th
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, had fey
faithful Kings, but after the lapse Of 1873 year,
Jerusalem was captured and sacked, tn
= Temple burned. All the holy vessels stoler
and the people taken to Babylon: The dept
Jews In their captivity is beautifully set fort
in the 18th Psalm: "By the rivers Of Baby
Ion, there we sat down: Yea we wept whe
we remembered Zion." The Babylonian cal
idolatry OF the Jews, and 80 effectual was !
that never afterwards do we hear OF Je'
worshipping any other than the One livin
4 and True God. They were cured of ldolatr
for all time
After 50 years. the Proclamation OF Cyru
was Issued, authorizing all who desired, 10 r.
turn to Jerusalem and rebuild the Tempt
A number OF the survivors or tne captlVit
nov came 70 the ruins OF the ancient cit
and SET mn again the standard of the MOI