Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-11-02
One of Tribes of Israel, Lost to World for 25OO Years, Blackened by Sun, IS
 Found in Hinterland of Abysslnia

bv inc corroborative tales that cara vans brought to the coast from the interior, to warrant his Journeylng on an exploring expedition into the hitherland of Abyssinia.
 For six weary months he travelled up and down that almost unexplor- ed country. Four months Journey bv mule back from the coast brought him to the foothills of the Ethiopian mountains. From time to time he got bits of information as to the ] presence of the Falasha in the coun- try. They had been accepted as a part of the people of the country. 1t seemed for hundreds of years, but they worshiped their own God. They l lived among themselves; piled their trades. married among themselves. l Yet. always they were considered as "exiles" from far country. And at the end of the first half year he discovered native who gave him authentic information sufficient to lead him to one whole village of the Falasha.
 Then l found enough to support the theory as to the origin of these people, said Dr. Faitlovitch. "Whether they really are the survi- vors of one of the lost tribes is ques- tionable of course, but it is a fact that these people certainly are Jews, even though their skin is black. They have been subjected to all kinds of persecution, although of late years they have been allowed to live and work under fair degree of peaceful conditions.
 Once Numbered 250,00O.
 "As nearly as could gather from the indefinite sources of information, the Falasha once numbered as many as a quarter of a million. That they would have increased is certain had it not been for the disastrous plagues and famines that spread over the country, combined with the savage attacks which they have to sustain from the mountaineers and other na- tives. At times they were constant ly at war with the natives and only finally succeeded in preserving cer- tain amount of security by moving into the hill countries and fighting to the bitter end with the attacking armies of natives. Today l doubt 1T there are IloIc IHdI uiiuICu thousand.
 "Now all through the centuries" ]" explained Dr. Faitlovitch, "these folks religiously followed the rites and holy days and sacrifical cere- monies of Judaism. Yet they be- lieved that they alone were all that remained of the great nation from whom their forebears had separated. They knew nothing of the outside world.
 "The faith of the Falasha is mono theistic. They believe in one eter- nal, invisible God and they reject any pictoral representation of the Deity, and refuse to bow the knee in the worship of images. Some of the rabbinical traditions are known to them, they are far removed from the barbarous life of the other natives for instance they do not eat raw meats-they possess the Old Testa- i ment and other books of Jewish ori gin"
 "But," declared the Geneva scien- tist impressively, Hebrew is entire i ly unknown to them and all their books, like their prayers. are writ l ten in Gheez. the classical language i of Abyssinia"
 "The Falasha primarily is an agri- culturist and at one time owned ex- tensive lands and cultivated them. Changes in native dynastics gradual 1 ly lessened his hold on the lands. To- day most of the land he cultivates !, is rented. e4t
 The Falasha is mentally far above the fellow-native. He is the artisan of the countrywide blacksmith, the wood-worker, the carver, tke basket weaver, the carpenter, the potter the mason, the tanner. the saddler. He is the economic bulwark of the coun- try so far as the producing capacity is concerned. He builds the rude homes. digs the wells. provides the agricultural implements and the sad dies and harness for the horsemen of the armies.
 | Victims of Famine. ,,
 "In fact" observed Dr. Faitlovitch to a representative of the American
 Jewish relief committee, "this far away people of the Jewish nation , would thrive and eventually become the real social and economic backbone of the. country It so many were not being wiped out year after year by the sourge of famine and plague. When he returned to Europe, pr
 Faitlovitch brought back with him three of the more intelligent of the , young Falasha. One of them fin. , ished lhis education in Switzerland and returned to Falasha land to oper school. The other men are fin , ishing their studies abroad with the : intention of returning to their ma tive land for the same purpose. From a time to time Dr. Faitlovitch learned d of the progress of the people-slov e but bound to show permanent results in the course of at least one. genera t tion.
 Then in 1916 all communication
 lsuddenly ceased. Mail telegraph or courier was unable to get beyond %l<> I@o1s aN1A tn