The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-07-13
AFRICAN JEWS.
HEREBY HOMES IN TLEICEN- MOORISH LITE AND CUSTOMS
An Arab Wedding, With the Bride
 Eleven Years Old.

Especial Correspondence of the Jour
 nal and Courier)
 Tlemc9n, Africa, June 3.-As in AL giers, SO everywhere in northern Afri- ca, we find the Arab or native popula- tion crowded together in the smallest and meanest novels, in the narrowest darkest and dirtiest alleys of a town yet clinging with sullen tenacity to the ways of the wealthy and educated ancestors, greatly degenerated The foreign element-French English. Italian, Spanish numerically in the or der named-irfvariably pre-empt the pest portions, which they have builded tor themselves, their modern villas set in wide. clean, well paved streets or shaded suburbs, and their manner of living a more or less correct imitation of the Parisian; while the Hebrews, Who generally out-numher either and are lncalculably richer, occupy a dis erect middle ground between soualor and luxury. That is, so far as outside appearances go. Some of their man. sions of Dlainest exteriors are very sumptuously furnished, but as for dirt, they out-do even the Arabs No mat ter in what corner of the world fate may strand him, the Jew preserves in tact his social characteristics, his pas slon for gorgeous coloring and his love of music. Though sometimes an ob- 5ectionable citizen to Anglo Saxon taste, he is never bad one. Quiet, law-abiding religious according to his lights, generous in clannish way, and
 
 that can be attributed to him concern his notorious lack of personal cleanli- ness, his odoriferous food which per fumes the air for squares around, and his peculiar gift of money-getting which enables him to wax ever richer and richer at the expense of his Gen. tile neighbors. The one motto of his life appears to be ''The Law and the Profits"-the law of Moses and the pro- fits of awn-broker, the money-c chan ger and the clothing merchant
 There are many wealthy Israelites in Tlemcen, who live quite to themselves in their own commodious quarter, hav- ing socially nothing to do with the Flu ropean residents. But that they have extensive-though generally sub. rosa deannBS With them Tn the line or trade, many tottering commercial houses, and titled individuals addicted to games of chance, and impecunious "younger sons" of noble families who have looked too long upon the wine when it is red, might all testify-if they would Thanks to letters of introduction from a well-known New York Rabbi, our small party has been favored by closer with this Jewish commu- nifty than is often attained by stran- gers. Surrey, it is no breach of good faith to describe for my friends of the Journal and Courier some of the charming entertainments to which we have been bidden. Happily, we are not hampered by unconquerable preju- 1 1ices in favor of American institutions. | the right of all peoples to | their own peculiar customs, differ they | never so widely from those we were born to-we can not only adapt our selves comfortably to whatever comes | along, but find much to admire in the | new and strange.
 The first Jewish dinner-party to which we were invited brought us to !! the door of large, plain fronted | house In the Hebrew quarter of lTle-