The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-10-14
THE ANCIENT
FAITH OF ISRAEL

Intelligent and tolerant people in
this age do not make religious diff
ferences a matter that affects ones
esteem for and confidence in the
worthiness of his fellowmen. And
even if there were less of tolerance
the Christian could not but respect
and admire and learn some valuable
lessons from the loyalty the Jew of
high and low degree, orthodox and
reform, manifests for the ancient
faith that has been the moral beacon
light of the chosen people for more
than half hundred centuries. 1t is
the worship of God, in the most ex-
allied ideal that man has formed of
a Divine Ruler, Law or First Prin-
ciple, and as such it appeals to the
Christian for respect and tolerance.
On Saturday, September 26th, all
of the places of business owned by
Jews in Dawson (and elsewhere)
were closed, for this was the Jewish
New Year-and in that act of OBJ
legation there is an object lesson
for all here who are not Jews The
lesson is so obvious we need not COM
ment thereon.
The Hebrew New Year began at
$50 o'clock Friday evening and
closed at $50 Saturday evening. 1t
was the 5669th year of the Jewish
era.
The Penitential Period.
The New Year begins the Jewish
penitential period, which eliminates
in the Day of Atonement, on the
tenth day of the Jewish month of
Tishree. The reformed Jews, fol-
lowing the strict letter of Holy Writ,
observe one day as holy, the ortho-
dox Jews observe two days. The
New Year and the Day of Atonement,
unlike the three festivals of Pass
over, Pentacost and Tabernacles, are
essentially days of awe" It is a
period of meditation, of reflection, of
introspection, largely corresponding
to the Lenten period in the Christian
church
The Characteristic ceremony of the
days is the blowing of the rams
horn or thofar, which, originally used
for secular purposes, was finally ap-
propriated by the synagogue for use
on these solemn days. 1t is the
alarm clock of the worshippers
arousing them from prayer to action
and repentance. The New Year and
the Day of Atonement have retained
a wonderful hold upon modern Jews
Are Solemn Periods.
The Inauguration of the New Year
is a solemn feast, most strenuously
observed in the New Year day, two
days later at the fast of Guadaliah,
and on the last day of the peniten-
tial period Yom Kippur, or the great
day of the atonement
The New Year begins as it were
with the taking of moral inventory
The true conditions are realized, and
the sins are eXpiated and blOtted out
on the great day of atOnement, when
the high priest was accustomed to
enter the most holy place with the
blood of the sacrifice amid the fumes
of the censor and sprinkle the blood
UClOi Z lllC dt N vi TIE Covenant.
When YOm Kippur was over then
the slate was clean, the congrega-
ton had been purified, and the peo-
pie were ready to begin the years
work with the harvest gathering.
Other Days-The Passover.
The other great solemn festival
Of the Old Testament period is the
feast Of the passover, held on Nissan
IS (Aprn g. This commentaries
the most important event in the his
tory of the people. 1t is their indie
pendence Day, their Fourth of July.
AS the French peasants celebrate the
revolution, as the German peasants
celebrate the abolition of the Leib-
Eigenshaft, as the Russian peasants
celebrate the abolition of serfdom,
as the negroes celebrate the 10Th of
June, as the Mexicans celebrate Sep
TENDER 10th, or the South Ameri-
cans the birthday of Bolivar, so do
the Hebrews celebrate the 18th of
Nissan as the day that marked their
deliverance from 400 years of Egg
tian bondage and slavery more bit
ter than death and more cruel than
the grave.
1t was the time when Jahweh took
them by the hand to lead them into
the desert. 1t was the day when the
angel of death swept over the land
Of Mizraim and the first born Of every
house in Egypt died.
There is not in all literature and
all history the story of a more dra-
matte succession of events followed
by more stupendous climax than
in the Hebrew stories of the days
preceding the passover when the
plaques smote Egypt in succession,