Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-12-14
iii LOST ISRAELTES

t,o,, 4 hazardous journey in Abys-
s;,;, there exists in the wilds of that
-e-,ote country, one of the least eX-
.ro~ed and most inaccessible in the
no-r5. tribe of Jews called the Fa-
,,.-4s who give indications of being
...-sraants CT the lost ten tribes of
rs-..l. whose strange disappearance
.r.- history has been one of the
greatest mysteries Of The ages.
The confirmation of this report will
s,-.,y nut at rest the various other
,-,.-:, which had been put forward
% .<-rin the disappearance of this
,.,~:.hs4 Fart of the Hebrew nation.
!. Nj. end what has been one of the
rrs. exciting guessing games that the
,-.--. cf the world have played and
sort. once for all this problem which
Ia. we'll been called "the fairy tale of
science"
S-.~.- has been very slow to ac-
.,~. m. Hclief in the Jews of Abys-
s.oil When in the middle of the last
century mssionaries returned with
tales Of hose people there was gen.
er,l scsT,.;ism and it was for timc
considered to be nothing more than a
travellers story.
But the reports of the Christian mis-
,;o.a-i.S that the FalaShaS were real
t. remnant Of the lost ten tribes be-
came sn cnnvincing that special eXpe-
ti,frns were organized to investigate
their state. Among the last to take an
ir,e-cs. IN the Falashas were their
own c.m7qtriots, but finally the AL
lance lsraelite Franchise, an inhu-
entail organization of French Jews,
o-ra~...i an expedition under DR.. Ha-
levy
Re wc-, t. Abyssinia AMI discover
Cd .ra. f1r from exaggerating in their
r.rorts of the Abyssinian Jews. the
Christian missionaries had understat-
cd their number and their condition.
When he returned and presented his
report, so novel and strange was the
material. that most people did not be-
levc it and took it for a bit of mis-
guided enthusiasm.
Therefore. although the report was
made in 1888, the revelations contain
ed in it we're not accepted until years
later. when other expeditions had con-
frmed the truth Of his data. Since
then a great interest has been arous-
ed in this strange people, but the ma
ture Of the country in which they live.
without railroads and almost without
roads Of any description, together
with its location in a rough mountain
Gus country peopled with fierce tribes
men has made information about
them exceedingly difficult to obtain.
The manner in which DR.. Faitlovitch
took up those discoveries which he
has practicable made his lifework is
4 romance in itself. A Hebrew, born
IN Poland and educated in France and
other European universities, and an
official of the University of Geneva, he,
like many others of his race, was very
profoundly interested in languages and
mad become philologist.
Having independent means, he trav-
lied over the world pursuing his Ian
suaGe studies. Finally he came to
me decision 10 study Geez, the ancient
language Of Abyssnia, from which it
was hoped new light could be thrown
on the Egyptians. He undertook the
journey little dreaming that it would
leaa him To his own people and would
oflng about a startling change in his
own liFework.
When he arrived in the country he
heaT5 Of the Falashas and at first he
merely oN' of curiosity tried to get
N touch with them. He found him
ls' received with very little favor.
'"ey SUSPECTED that he was a mission
"'s c'e- Of the Mohammedans or
"v CHRISTIANS and closed their doors
To MN. r vas only after three months
" constant eNort that he gained their
''"f'ac'tc and was admitted to their
~ could really become
."' ~ them.
The Fa'ashas are a dark
are even darker than the
trair features are not in
ncGroid like those of the
-.'eS Of the continent. While
races of Abvssiria lead life
"N1rism the Falashas are
their modes and habits OF
are cleaner and far more