Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-09
| N The CHI u r c H E S

N h E 4 h U X L h E .
The hottest day in the year in the Jewish
| calendar is Tuesday next, the Day of
Atonement. It's observance will begin at
sunset the day before. The day is DEVOTED
! entirely to meditation and prayer and to
the assimilation of such truths may
lead to an upright life.
A fast is generally kept on this day, in
order to emphasize the spiritual communion
with God and the withdrawal from the
world Of selfshness to life of self-abne-
| CATION and sacrifice.
| 1t is interesting to trace the history Of
the New Year day of the Hebrews which
occurred the present week, and the Day OF
Atonement. New Year day not known
by that name when the law for its OBJ
servanee given out by the biblical
scribe. This law is referred to twice in the
Pentateuch, but in neither place is it called
| New Year day. 1t is simply the first day
! in the month of Tshre. Now that month
IS Nissan, but Nissan is therefore the be-
ginning of the Jewish year. 1t was only
during the captivity that the first of Tishre
/ assumed the character of New Year day.
Jewish patriots in Babylon desired to re-
| vive the national spirit of the people while
living IN the land of the conqueror. They
| sought to keep alive the hope that they
| would regain their independence and re-eS-
| tablish their identity. To this end they
| fixed upon the first day of the seventh
| month as the beginning of their civil year
| the first day of Nissan remaining the first
| day of their religious year. This, it is
| derstood explains the fact that the first
of Tishre is not called New Year day in
any portion of the biblical literature ante
dating the exile
The Day of Atonement may likewise be
| shown to have had no great significance
previous to the captivity. Whatever refer
ence is made to this day in the Pentateuch
&c hot &c
a document that had its origin during the
exile, and had for its chief advocate the
| Revivalist Ezra after the return
But whatever their origin these two days
| are now of the greatest religious impor-
| lance to Jews all over the world. Unlike
| the other holidays, the Feast of Taber-
| nacles, Passover and the Feast of Weeks,
| which derive their significance from various
| moments in Jewish history, New Year day
| and the Day of Atonement rest solely on
| the religious consciousness of the Jew.
| There was never any other motive in their
| celebration than the feeling that there is a
| Supreme Being, with whom man enters into
| an eternal and continuous relation.
| In point of sacredness these two days,
| and especially the Day of Atonement are
| not equaled, certainly not surpassed, by any
| day in the religious calendar of any de-
| nomination. They are wholly given over
| to earnest communion with God, to re-
! solves for the betterment of conduct, to
| a renewal of a life of good works in charity
|
| known as the Ten Days of Penitence'' is
a season of reconciliation, when differences
| are adjusted, grievances are forgotten and
| forgiveness asked and given. The Day of
| Atonement thus ends not only season of
| prayer, but seals that most sacred of COM
| pacts-of living in peace and in good will
| with ones fellows.
| What has been stated above will give
some idea of the Importance of New Year
| day and the Day of Atonement in Jewish
| ritual and in Jewish practice. Few Jews
remain untouched by the solemnity of the
| season. On the approach of these days
Jewish families will return to their homes,
| far away as they may have been during
| the heated term, if to answer to some
| heavenly call. They will hurry from noun
| tain and seashore, and even from across
| the sea, in order to join in public worship
| and to discharge their other religious obli-
| cations on these holy days.
| 1t is the opinion of some Methodist lead
| ers that there is need for IA moral clear
| ing house for religious denominations"
In the seven great Protestant denomina-
! tons. in the United States" said of
| these men, there are 1O5 461 ministers
| The number of ministerial crimes is in
| creasing rapidly. l hesitate to say it, be-
cause of the use made of it by malignant
| opponents of religion: but it is undeniable,
| and the rate of progress is rapid. When a
| minister Is tried unless he is personally
| unpopular, his friends rally to his support;
communities are greatly excited the daily
|
| preJudlces or prepossessions of the manage
| ment, may help the guilty to escape or
| greatly embarrass the defense of the in
| nocent. Sometimes the press materially
| aids in the conviction of the guilty The
| churches hate scandal much that if they
can induce the accused to take his depart
| ure5 they thank fortune that they have es-
! capped the responsibilities of a trial
| defendants willing to take such a
| method are presumptively guilty. The de-
| nominations seem to be well satisfied if
| how al ri nf
| ishing what fiimsy defenses will sometimes
| turn the heads of a religious body. SYM
pathy for the obviously guilty is occasion
| ally so marked as to develop suspicion of
| the morale of those who seem so. devoid
1 of the hatred of evil, which is a concom-
| liant of the law of God.
| IF expelled, or allowed to retire under
| fire, the minister temporarily sinks into
| merited oblivion. He may not be heard of
| for several years, when it is discovered
| that he has entered another denomination,
| or another conference, diocese, association
| or presbytery of his own body, and there
! seems no way to prevent it.
| "A good plan to prevent these receptions
| would be for each denomination to have a
! general secretary, to whom shall be COM
municated every act of expulsion from it's
| own ministerial ranks, and the grounds of
! it; and this secretary, in turn, to COM
| municate it to the others, that all may
| be informed and on their guard
Rev. Drs w Bishop johnson, Walter H.
Brooks, George w. Lee, A. w. Willbanks,
| j. Anderson Taylor, C. r. Champ, ]. R.
| Loving and |. Toliver will leave the city
Monday for Nashville, Tenn, to attend the
nineteenth annual meeting of the national
Baptist convention One result of the meet
! ing of the body is expected to be the es-
| Establishment in washington of branch of
the publishing house of the denomination
Since the founding of the Publishing
Home. about four years ago, it is claimed,
a wonderful. work has been accomplished
through that agency. AT the close of the
second year 100000 copies of the various
periodicals had been handled by the mis-
sion board, and $1,000 worth of business