Evening star., 1899-09-14
DAY OF AToNEMENT
Observance of Holiest Day in Jewish
Calendar. s.
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY SIMON WOLF
He Discusses 1.-The Orphaned Jew
and the Jewish Orphan"
SERVICES ELSEW ERE

SERVICES ELS E W H E r E
| The exercises incident to the observance
| of the Day of Atonement the holiest day
of the Jewish year, which began last even
| ing at sunset were continued today. AT
| the synagogue of the Washington Hebrew
| Congregation, on Sth street near l street
| northwest of which Rev. DR.. L. Stern is
| rabbi, there was at 10 o'clock this morn
| ing, when the services commenced for the
| day, a congregation which not only filled
| all the pews and the galleries., put over
flowed into the commodious Vestbule. Dr.
| Stern read that part of the ritual pre-
| scribed for the solemn occasion, the read
| ing being interspersed with singing In He
brew and English
| The music was rendered by choir COM
| posed of Mrs Nellie Wilson Shirr-Cliff,
| soprano; Mrs. Marquette Nolan-Martin,
| alto: John H Nolan, bass, and William D.
Mcfarland, tenor, with DR.. George w.
| Walter as organist Messrs l. L. Blouu,
! president. and Philip Eiseman vice presi-
| dent, respectively, of the congregation, oc-
cupied seats on the platform with Dr.
Stern.
Shortly after IL o'clock noon Mr.. Simon
Wolf began the delivery of his address
| His theme was, 1.-The Orphaned Jew and
| the Jewish Orphan" and his remarks were
as follows:
Mr. VOLTS Address.
cat the close Of the nineteenth century it
| is proper that we should review the past,
| so that we can derive instruction therefrom
and gather new hope and courage for the
| future One of the wisest of lsraels s sages
| said: There is nothing new under the sun
and however strange this observation may
| SCUM. in the light of modern inventions ana
discoveries | should not be surprised that
all these things which we now prize so
highly have heretofore existed. One thing
| is sure, the spirit of persecution and the
animus of prejudice and fanaticism have
always shown their vindicuVeness, and is
as dominant today In many ways as In the
darkest days of feudalism, and 1t requires
master mind to prevent the masses from
becoming mere tools in the hands of schem-
ers ana agitators 1t may in crest you TO
know that in the early days OF the present
century the conditions in france We're al
most Identical with those of today, with
this difference 1t was then military gov
ernment dominated and controlled by the
man of all time, Napoleon. The influence
of the priest had been destroyed by the
revolution, and under the new empire was
beginning to show its hydra-headed fanat-
icism. 1t was at this time that Napoleon
wrote a letter to his minister, Portals,
which it is worth while to read again, 10
get an idea not only of the wonderful
genius of Napoleon, but also to know what
influences were at work then against the
Jew, and when we comprehend the full i'm
port of this letter, we need not, after all,
be very much surprised at the condition of
The Napoleon Letter.
Mr.. Wolf quoted the Napoleon letter en-
tire. 1t was dated at Ostend,( December 25,
1907. In it the author, among other things,
said:
the Jews from working on Sundays, in or
der to gain his bread; the Jew has his
necessities on Sunday as well as, on the
Wee days. The government could pass
such a law only ii 1t were to give bread to
those who have none; police and govern
ment have, therefore, no business to inter-
fere.
1--WE had better be careful before we
create a condition of affairs where we
would be compelled to send policemen to
the Jews, who must work for their living,
in order to stop their Sunday labor
1.-The power of the clergy must be con-
fined to the sermon; 1t is time that the sore
ly prosecuted Jews were left in peace. As
long I live. however, police and dun
geon shall never be resorted to in France to
tyrannize the citizens of another faith. An
attempt to curtail still more the rights of
Jews, which curtailed enough, is priest
ly malice, and there is an end of that in
France.
An Orphaned jew.
1.-The spirit which made itself manifest
In France in 1907 continued Mr.. Wolf,
has been gathering force in all parts of
the word save and except in the United
States, until today, notwithstanding all that
the Jew has done on the broad lines of cit
iZenship in the various countries of his
birth and residence, he has still to fight for
his home for his life and for his happi-
ness He is still to all intents and purposes
an orphaned Jew. His parents, In the
shape of recognition, protection and equal
ity, have been denied him, and he is
castaway on the highway of life, who has
to struggle not only for the chance of max
ing life possible, but for life itsef
II admit much has been done in Germany
in Italy, in England and in France up to
1894 which showed a betterment and an
Improvement for the condition of the Jews,
| and yet even this betterment had to be
wrested from the hands of our enemies
who never accorded 1t as a right or privi-
lege, but rather as a measure of policy.
l confess that even l. optimistic as / have
ever been, battling, l have, for more
than half a century on and in behalf of
the rights of all men and especially my
ccrelslonists, am near the brink when |
observe the conditions at the close of the
century from which so much had been ex-
pected and from which we were to receive
| new inspiration for the battle of the fu-
ture.
II am well aware that the subject of
Dfeyfus and France has been spoken of
| time and again until 1t is almost nauseat-
ing, and yet nothing in history is so
dreadful and so full of dire import as the
action of France and the military cabaI II
| is not the victim of their hel,ish hate but
II Is the Jews throughout the world who
are affected, for If such things are possible
~ ~ france, Wnere the Jews have had since
NapoieonS time more or less equal stand
| ing, then what can you expect from Rus
S1a, Roumania, Austria and Germany?
However oft 1t has been stated that one
Jew stands Tor all and all stand for one.
| it yet remains fact that the sufferinKs
OF one as well as the misdeeds of one re-
meet upon the whole Jewish community
throughout the world. And this answers
| the question propounded by Mark Twain
| In MS splendid article in the September
NUMBER OF Harpers that the Jews are
united put not as he would like them to be-
| in the spirit of threat or onnosition to in
augurate a universal boycott, but rather in
| IN .ne spirit or right, of mercy, of justice and
| ol humanity. whose heart goes out beating
| responsive 10 every cause and ready to
I'VE or die IN defense of those eternal prin-
eiples t which underlie not only every faith,
out paftlcuiariy that of Judaism,
| IT the Jews dealings are honorable in
! business relations, and there is no preiu
| dice against his religion. then what is it
mat mas produced this agony and misery