The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-07

men, and honorable for women On Ne
other hand, the tradtionallst librarian
reported on the part Of tho Prophet that
circumcision was an observance which nao
no religious character There 10 no DOUBT
however. that circumcision has become
in Islam religious obligation TO wn,cn
every one Is required to submit. lnsre l"
also q difference Of opinion among ms
torans and trsditonalists as TO the age o.
which oircum cision had 10 be pe1oTneo
in Arabia. According to Josephus. VINO
wrote nearly six hundred yeAn before
Moha,nmed, the Arabs cfrcumcised aiter
the age u ls. because 'lshmasl. the founaeI
OF their nation, was oircumcised At thst
age" Other Arabian authorities assign
different ages. Mr.. Broyda thinks II prob
able that no regulation existed - TO age.
hut that each locality followed ito own
custom. Thus, in Yemen, where Jews
exercised great influence. the Arabs ciF-
cuncised their children on tho eighth day
after birth. The MohammedAn law rsco,r-
mends circumcision between the ages OF
7 and IL years, but 1t 10 lawful 70 circsiN,-
else child seven days after Its birth. Tho
circumcision Of females b also allowed,
and is commonly practised in Arabia.
".
Mr. Joseph Jacobs who contributes the
article on Commerce, reminds us that.
during a large part OF the Biblical period.
the Hebrews in Palestine had what Is known
as a self-suflcing economy. that % to say
each household grew or made all the food.
tools and clothing it needed A few articles
of luxury or necessity, such az gold, silver.
IL - -
on the Israelite farms, were supplied by
travelling merchants These wore almost
exclusively Csnaanitea. probably Philis-
tines, As the Israeite tribes were mainly
settled on the uplands OF Palestine. they
were not touched by the streams OF COM
MERGE which flowed by the two great cara
van routes along the coast. through Tyre.
Acco and GAIA to Egypt, or from south
Arabia through Petra on the east side OF
the Jordan 10 Damascus. The Pales-
tinian Highlands in Bible timss do not
seem to have supplied much material FOR
Foreign commerce. Honey. balsam. wheat
and oil, however, we're forwarded to Pho
nicia, while spices. balm, myrrh. honey
pistachio nuts, almonds and oil were sent
to Egypt
After the return from the Exile. the small
and impo verished Jewish community had
little business to transact except at Jeru-
salem, and even there It was conducted
mainly BY PhoniCians. With the spread Of
Hellenisrn in the East, however. Greek NOR
camille settlements were founded In Ptole-
mais, and these had connections with tho
coast OF Palestine, along the GAIA. Ashke-
lon and Dor route. II was with the inten-
ton OF developing the foreign trade OF
Judes that Simon Maccabeus took Joppa.
and for a like reason Herod built CRsAres
for a port. On the whole. however. II
cannot be said that, even in the hrst GEN.
fury of our era, the Jews were much given
to commerce Josaphus says: We do not
dwell in q land by the sea. and do not.
therefore, indulge in commeroe. either by
sea or otherwise Many sayings In the
Talmud show that little importance was
attached to commerce a. a means Of lveli-
hood. Up to the dispersion Of the Jews
after the capture OF Jerusalem by Titus,
and its annihilation by Hadrian. the Jews
seemed to have exhibited no signs Of any
special prediction or capacity for com.
lnerce, although We hear OF Jewish shippers
and Wholesale merchants In Alexandra.
and many Egyptian JeWs attained oon-
sluGT8OIo WC3llu SSSp0tAo VI Ss3AAS' ~
soon a. the Teutonic uatiom had settled
down after the great migrations Of the 9th
century, Jews are everywhere conspicuous
a. mercha nts. The Frankish kings bought
goods from them, and they are mentioned
az traders at Narbonne. Marssilles. 'noa.
Naples and Palermo
They even chartered ships: Gregory OF
Tours names . jew who owned . vessel
sailing between Nice and Marseillea. 1t
is recorded Of Charles the Great that. after
watching q ship nearing Narbonne. he de-
cided that IL WAS not Jewish, but Nor.
man vessel. The sudden outburst OF COM
mercial activity on the part Of the Je~s
in the seventh century Of our era 10 at
tributed by Mr.. Jaonbs To tho rtse OF lslsna
and its control Of the lands whence came
most Of the lu1uries demanded in Europe
A a rule, Christians could not trade In
Mohammedan countries. nor Moslems 10
Christendom; consequently. an opening
WAS left for Jews, who wsre tolsratsd IN
both spheres as commercial Intermediates
Within two centuries after the death OF
Mohammed, the jews seem 10 have n,onopt,-
lized the trade between Europe and Asia.
According to Gregory Of Tours they prsc-
tically controlled tire trafnc in spices.
! This was an important branch Of COM
merce because OF the demand for condi-
nents to flavor the sailed meats and fab
on which medievsl Europeans lived dur
ing winter. 4 proof Of the extent Of the
Jewish trade Ia Lyons is found 10 tho COM
plant OF Agobard, that to suit the con-
venienoe of the Jews the market day had
been changed from Saturday 10 another
day in The week. So predominant, indeed
had their commercial position become
| in medieval Europe by the tenth century
that usual formula In charters and like
documents was Jews and other merchants,
1t was In the tenth century that the com.
merciai rivals OF tho Jews began to take
measures to restrain their activity. The
venetians, for example, forbade ship cap.
tains to take Jewish passengers on theil
voyages to the Levsnt. Similarly. a. late
as 1851 no Jew was allowed 10 pass from
AK to Alexandria. and only four each
wear to the eastern Mediterranean. Th<
first systematic repression Of jewish com
merolal activity occurred, however. In tbs
twelfth and thirteenth centuries, during
tho Crusatles. All trade In the towm begsr
to be monopolised by the msrchants
! vuilds. from which Jews were excluded