Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-05-31
CHINESE JEWS
Z splendid Tabernacle In the Flowery
Kingdom.

eplendid Tabernacle In the FloWery
Kingdom.
The Biblical prophecy that che Jews
should be scattered abroad over the
lace Of the earth Is certainly true
one. for there Is no country In the world
which does not contain its portion Of
these thrifty people. Even in China
they have long been known. Early In
the seventeenth century, and shortly
after the Italian missionaries had come
10 Peking. enc of them, Matthew Ricci,
received . morning call His visitor
wore the gorgeous Chinese dress, in
eluding the queue. but the figure and
face were not Mongolian. and the smil-
ing ceuntenance was Not In keeping
with the dignified solemnity OF Chi
naman. The gentleman's name was
Ngai, and he had heard of the arrival
Of some foreigners who worshiped one
Lord Of heaven and earth, and yet who
were not Mohammedans; he belonged
to the same religion. he explained. and
bad called to make their acquaintance.
Now, Master Ngai made 1t clear that
he was an Israelite. a native Of Kae.
Fung-Foo, the capital Of Honan. He
,ad come to Peking to pass an examina-
ton for a mandarin degree. and had
been led by curiosity and brOtherly
feeling to call Mt the mission house.
In his native city, he said. there were
ten or twelve families Of Israeiit.s. and
q synagogue. which they had recently
restored at the expense Of 10000
crewns. and they had roll Of the law
400 or 500 years old. The missionary's
tetetrs described this synagogue. 1t
occupied . space between 300 and 400
feet in length by about $50 feet in
breadth, and was divided into four
courts. 1t had borrowed some decora-
tive splendor from China. The in
scription In Hebrew. Hear. o Israel;
the Lord our God ia one Lord. blessed
be the name Of the glory Of His king
dom for ever and ever" and the Ten
Commandments were emblazoncd in
gold. Silken curtains incloscd the
Bethel" which enshrined the sacred
books, and which only the rabbi might
enter during the time of prayer. Ev-
cry detail Of this place. with its in
cense, 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 fathers with the rites
that polluted to the Messiah, Of whose
advent, as far as 1t can be ascertained,
they never heard until the arrival of
The Italian missionaries
Learned men have entered into dis
cussiOn as to whether these people
were Jews or Israelites. whether they
come to China from the Assyrian cap.
uvity or the Roman dispersion. They
themselves say that their forefathers
came from the West. and 1t is prob
able that the settlers arrived by way OF
KhOrassan ard Samarcand. They
must have been numerous In the ninth
century, for two Mohammedan trav-
elers Of that period describe a rebel
named Bae- -Choo. taxing Canton by
storm In A. D. SIT and slaughtering
10000 Jews, Mohammedans. Chris.
ians and Parsees. More than one Jew
Of Kae-Fung- Foo Is known to Lave
gained the right to wear the little
round button on the top of his cap SO
dear to the ambition Of a Chinallan
The TAPPING rebellion dispersed the
settlement, and the remnant who re-
main faithful to the memory Of old
traditions are chiefly poor and dis
tressed.