The Forrest City times., 1913-10-10
"R0sh Hash0nah," or the Jewish New
 Year.

1 Hashonah, or the Jewish New Year holiday services, held in Odd Fellows hall, Thursday, October ?, 1913: Dear Friends For us the coming of the new, as well as the passing of the old year, has profound significance.
 The non-Jew may look upon this occa- sion as fit period to balance the books of business, but the Jew regards 1t as a time to look over the ledger of life.
 To the world at arge the New Year may present an opportunity for ad- Justment of it's commercial and indus trial interests, to the Jew it is the adjustment of his religious life.
 In this spirit we have gathered to- day in the house of our prayer. We are come to review the religious con- ditions Of the year that has passed to inquire about the outlook for the year that Is coming As individuals we must each answer for ourselves. We are each Of US the captain of our own soul and the master of our own moral destiny. None knows so well as each Of himself what has taken place in the dead year that has now gone into the night of yesterday. Our public service here today-our united worship-is for the purpose of strengthening us. toward the righteous course. To each one present this
 union of hearts and hopes, of aim and aspiration, of purpose and prayer. is
 to strengthen the single heart in it's struggle for righteousness.
 My friends, Rosh Hashonah is in deed an occasion of gladsome tidings. for we realize that as years come and go, and the ages succeed each other In the endless march of time. that
 neither the years nor the centuries
 wither the beauty nor weaken tine
 force of the faith that is ours.
 We Jews have a most noble and ex-
 alted family tree. The world never
 wearles admiring the Jews wonderful
 lineage, his heroes and his sages. his
 kings and his saints Yet all this his
 torical importance Of the Jew can
 avail him but little in his own life as
 q man and citizen, unless he IoyalIy
 and firmly follows in the foOtsteps of
 his fathers What we are, and what
 we are not now is but the sum total
 of our past-the good or evil we have
 done, the opportunities we have im-
 proved or neglected. The joys or sor-
 rows we have caused by word or deed
 have left indelible imprints, marking
 us accordingly with the badge of dis
 tinction or the stigma of disgrace. All
 our'past is centered m this very mo-
 ment The hours in which we have
 accomplished something worthy smile
 at us with approval.
 Tie hours of unworthy efforts rise
 out of the past to accuse us on this
 day Of remembrance The past is
 gone but not dead, and as we stand
 in the shadow of the vanished year.
 our hearts are laden with regrets be.
 cause we have failed to put it to bet.
 ter use; to employ time and opportu-
 nIty In such manner as to render the
 present more resplendent with the
 triumphs of good and noble achieve , ment.
 Reproying reflections throng the minds Of all on this sacred day What have we done that rebounds to our credit? How many things nave we left undone, though it was our bounden duty to do those things? . A> Jews have We striven to live so as to reflect credit on tie Jewish name to make JeNisuuess stand for dignity and honor, for goodness of heart and liberaity of mind or, for Sooth, has our behavior been such as to dIscredit Israel and lower our peo pie and our faith in the esi eem of the world?
 hut regrets and remorse are not the chief concern of the day. The larger and Weightier significance of Rosh iIashonah is found in it's interest to , stimulate good resolutions
 The past year is gone beyond recall, and we must take the consequences bravely; but the future is in our hands and We should firmly resolve 10 build it with the wisdom gained from the past. Sauctify this coming year through all of its days by your con duct, as now you sauctify its first day by your prayers and your deyotiou forth into the new yea remember ing lhat udai>m is life t0 be lived . for honor, purity. usefulness, good . ness and brotherhood
 Imuged with this spirit may We all hopefully euter upon ihe new year resolved 50 10 live. and 50 to act. that when another year suail have run it's ! course We shall have less cause for re grets, and more of the comforting as suraure that we have done tle hpst