The sun., 1909-11-17
10000 JEYS UNCHURCHED
RABBIS CONSIDER TIE PLIGHT
OF SABBATH LABORERS.

Secular Press. Gentle Papers and an
with the Need OF Breadwlnnlng as
IrreiigiOus Innuences-CO COllege Needs.
The Workingman and the Synagogue
was the theme Of the principal paper read
yesterday before the Central Conference
OF American Rabbis at the Educational
Alliance in East Broadway. The paper
was read by DIR. Solomon Foster Of New
ark.
DR.. Foster said that only Is per cent.
OF the workingmen, or about $1,000 in
Greater New York. observed the Jewish
Sabbath. leaving $50 600 out of the syna-
gogues on that day. or the total 90 per
cent. were engaged in the needle indus
tries and the rest were pedlers. DIR.
Foster thought there was considerably
more religion among the pedlers. for the
reason that they did not come closely
In touch with persons OF other religions
and consequently were not influenced
to remain away from worship-besides.
they were not responsible to an employer
and could do with their day a. they
pleased.
Statistics OF the diseases prevalent
the Jew was far more healthy than men
OF other races Alcoholism hardly ex-
isted The children OF the Jews at the
age OF 10 weighed ak pounds more on
the average than the children OF other
working classes, but after that age de-
velopment was not rapid, possibly be-
cause of the crowded condition OF the
tenements and the early age at which
many Fast Side children went to work.
The jew. DR.. Foster said, spends much
- Iss- IL. In. hon nVrd
dance halls. II was far better that no
20 to the coffee houses than TO the saloon.
but the dance hall was an evil, and every
thing possible should be done to stamp It
out.
The secular press and the gentle pulpit
had a great influence in keeping the Jewish
workingmen from the synagogue: An
other reason that the Jew remained away
from the synagogue was that ne FOUND the
synagogue In America a somewhat diner-
ent place from that Of the land OF his birth.
In other countries IL was not only the
house Of God. but a meeting place: hero
il was only a place OF worship and not
always a very inviting place, because OF
the scarcity Of synagogues and the ne
cessity of hiring halls for worship.
Then. too" said DR.. Foster. the
recently arrived immigrant gets the idea
that discrimination is shown In favor OF
the rich
Cries Of -shamei" .Unjustl'
workingmen look ed upon the synagogue
as capitalistic and that many workingmen
were inclined to socialism. There was
,aos much wrong in socialism. he said.
because il was the result OF belief in the
divine right OF the individual.
Isaac Allen, a layman. said that OF the
$50 600 Jews who work ed on Saturday
100000 would be glad to go to the syna-
gogue were they permitted to do 90.
II was the fault OF the employer that they
remained away.
There was a discussion Of the advisa-
bility OF erecting chapels at large uni
versities that jews might have a place OF
worship. The conference was OF the
opinion that much could be accomplished
in that way. The conference also will
endeavor to raise funds for rabbis to visit
Jewish farming communities in the West.
A fund that the conference has on hand.
supplemented by money to be raised.
will be used in the distribution OF an
English translation OF the Bible.
After an obituary address on the late
DR.. Adolph Radin by DR.. Nathan Stern
OF Trenton the conference went TO the
auditorium Of the Alliance and listened
to an address by Isidor Straus.
Children performed a dag drill and re-
cited