The Savannah morning news., 1900-11-04

before or rather. around the synaEogie
proper. was a series Of courts. extending
from east to west In the center 81 the
irSt court was a large and beautiful arch
OF white alahastsr. inscribed with golden
letters dcdicating the place 90 tho Crea-
tor and Preserver q all things
Tn the Holy o. HOLES beyond. which on
~ tho moilah could enter az time 81
PRAYER. stood twelve tables. each bearing
= roll OF the law-one for each tribe in
IsrNsl In tho center stood anothcr Ca
BE for Moses Each table was enelos-
- IN silken draperies on the extreme
western wall were two tablets containing
the Ten Commandments iu golden letters
on the other side % them was = closet
for hooks and before each. a table. urn
and candslbra
At service the men and women sat
apart and all look on their shoes The
men wore blue hats when reading from
their biblical scrolls. the rahbls wore
veil over their faces for Moses covered
bis face when descending the mountain
after receiving the Ten Commandments
A red siiken scarf was suspended from
the riEht shoulder 81 tho rabbi ans tied
In knot under the ieft arm An pres
ent faced the west-towart Jerusalem Tho
name % jehovah was never pronounced.
Btunai tAdonan being substituted. or the
Chinese word. Thesn (heavenl
Their Rise aid Fall.
A. stated the Chinese Jews gradually
rose in power. unti 1893 began their gohien
era In that wear committee was APP
pointed 20 look after the. temple and tho
Emperor conferrcd many favors upcn the
sect For forty nine wears prosperity was
theirs In i&i7 chou Foo Thing. Jew.
WAS msdc chief raotoi or magistrate 81
-. -
downward career o. the chinese Jews
The younger generation intermarsied
with the Chinese the precepts OF their
religion we're forrctten and gradually the
Chinese jews wandered away from tho
teachings 81 their prophets Gradually
too. prosperity left them and ui-luck be-
gan Their temple was DESTROYED again
and when ruRds we're needed 20 rebuild.
none were forthcoming for many years
At last enough was obtained. but tho ory
Of their Holy OF Holies had Departed
never TO return Matters went from had
to worse. until In 1000 some or the Young
Jews went into tho world In an EFFORT
to better their condition one ~ these
souTht n mandnrin's degree In Pokiu ana
while there met Matthew Ricct tho fesned
Jesuit missionary. According 20 Father
Ricci. tho stranger called upon him ono
day and said that AZ both were ~ ono
religion. he. the stranger desired 20 pay
his respects. Father Ricci made inquiry
as TO the stnugers religion. and learned
that no was Jew. Thinking - con
vert him 20 Christianity. he took him
into the mission chapel where tho strarg-
or bowed before a likeness Of tho virgin
and child
Why did you bow" asked Father Ricci
IN astonishmont
Because that Is picture ~ the prophet
In childhood" (me1ninR Moses. probably.
replied tho stranger Then Father RECT
told him OF the coming OF tho long-prom-
Used King Of tho Jews. but the stranger
laughed and declared that He was not due
for 10000 years. Three years later Father
hicci dispatched three native Christiana
70 kai-fung IA. but could get nothing
definite about tho Jewish settlement
In 1912. Julius Aicni. who. because OF
hts great learning. was dubbed the
European Conflcius. by the Chinese. Wis
itcd kai-fung-fu. hut was not permitted
To $50 the Pentateuch. the fame OF which
had reached his ears
This Peutateuch 80 report had II. was
handed down from father to son. from
the earliest days of Judea- or course. the
devout Jesuit fathers were most anxious
20 obtain possession Of this religious treas
Cre and nearly every year. ambassadors
went 20 Kai-fung-fu with offers Of money
and influence. but IN vain II was not IN
til 1913 that Father Gazani succeeded BY
that time. the jews had been declmatcd
In number their wealth was matter OF
history and their spirit was broken Fa-
ther Gazani was permitted 20 see the Pen
tateurh and soon discovered that ~ was
only fragmeniary. Upon his return 10 Eu-
rope, he published q pamphlet detailing
HIS experience and giving a translator of
he tablets and scrolls he had seen. This
pamphlet caused no end Of discussion and
iunumerahle tracts and tones were writ
ten 10 prove that the Chinese Jews were
descended from the lost tribes and more
especially from Ahnsuerus. the Wandering
Jew The stories grew aud grew. until
they assumed fantastic proportions and
the widest ooniectures prevailed.
All sorts Of propositions were made 10
solve tho mystery but nothing Of impor-
lance was done until 100 when a Jesuit
expedition started from Hong Kong. ac-
cotupanied by two Christian natives. AZ
ter being absent for some months. they
returned with the news that tho settle
ment at Kai-fuug IA was IN deplorable
state. The few remaining Jews lived ia
the ruins Of the synagogue. half-starved
and broken In spirit They had no rabbi
had forgotten their language almost en-
trely and had sold the synagogue BIT by
bit. IN order 10 sustain lie
Now the Chinese Jews number less than
one hundred-Jews only IN name. wretch
ed. poor. despised Pariahs. mere echoes Of
the forgotten race.