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The
twenty-fourth anniversary of the Hebrew Benevolent Society was celebrated
by a public dinner at the Apollo Saloon, on Thursday, the fifth of
November; the company was unusually numerous, and preparations had been
made upon an extensive scale. The Grand Saloon was brilliantly
illuminated, and three long tables, and one at the head of the room, were
spread with every thing that the season afforded, together with a rich
display of all kinds of fruit and choice wines. At seven o'clock, the
President, Judge Noah, left the reception rooms in company with his honour
the Recorder, and other distinguished guests, with the following
Vice-Presidents and Officers: Israel D. Walter, Ed. Manson, David Samson,
Philip Pike, Isaac Bernstein, Ed. J. King, Sam'l Philips, Hart J. Moyes,
H. M. Ritterband, L. Garrits, Benjamin Lewin, George Godfrey, Sylvester
Brush, Isaac Raunheim, Isaac Dittenhoeffer, J. M. Mier, Philip Levy,
Marcus King, Bennet King, Treasurer, John Levy, Secretary, Henry
Goldsmith, Assistant Treasurer, Geo. Manson, Assistant Secretary, Joel
Nelson; the company filing off to the right and left passed into the
dining-room; while Dodsworth's celebrated Band played the grand march from
Moses in Egypt. The company being seated, grace before meat was said in an
impressive manner by the Rev. Mr. Lyons. On the conclusion of the dinner
and dessert, the President announced that it was customary to sell the
honour and the privilege of saying the blessing to the highest bidder, for
the benefit of the poor, which was purchased for thirty-five dollars, by
Abraham J. Jackson, Esq., and by him given to Lyon Levy, Esq., who said
the grace after the manner of the German and Polish Jews, with impressive
effect.—The table being cleared, the President commenced reading the
regular toasts, which were repeated by Simeon Dreyfous, Esq.,
Vice-President, and received with great cheering and applause, as follows,
each toast with appropriate music from the Band.
- The day we celebrate,
sacred to the best feelings of the heart.
- The land of our birth, and
of our adoption—the asylum for the oppressed of the whole world. Here
we can repose in safety under our own vine and fig-tree, and there is
none to make us afraid.
- Benevolent institutions of
all religious denominations throughout the world—the tie that binds
society together—the best links of civilization.
- The President and
Vice-President of the United States.
- Charity, our first and
highest and happiest duty—the relief of the poor and the afflicted.
- The Governor,
Lieutenant-Governor, and Legislature of the State of New York.
- The Mayor, Corporation, and
constituted authorities of the city of New York,—the conservators of
the law, and the almoners of the public bounty.
- Republican institutions,
and Republican Governments, deriving their origin from the laws of
Moses,—may they ever be administered in justice and mercy.
- Education, the only solid
basis of character, enterprise, and public safety.
- Our brethren, scattered by
divine dispensation in every part of the world,—may they ever find
hands and hearts, such as we have found, to relieve them in the hour
of need.
- The charitable associations
of our brethren in Europe,—a monument of munificence, and an honour
to the best feeling of human nature.
- The fair daughters of
Israel,—our solace in affliction, and joy in prosperity.
On the 5th toast being drank, the President rose and spoke as follows:—
"It
gives me pleasure to state to the members or this charity, and to the
gentlemen assembled, that the receipts of the last year amounted to 3500
dollars, and the expenditures to nearly the same amount; that in addition
to the weekly allowances to families, which commences in the winter, and
terminates in the spring, aid has been afforded to poor emigrants, which
has enabled them to commence some small business, and has afforded them a
living, in this, the country of their adoption. The society has also a
permanent fund of 3000 dollars, and a few lots of ground, and I hope in a
few years, that the increase of this fund, will enable us to erect an
asylum for the aged and poor among our brethren. There is every thing,
therefore, to encourage us, in the good work we have so auspiciously
commenced. We have lost a few members, in the establishment of other
praiseworthy institutions; but the loss has been more than made up, by the
accession of new members. To me, gentlemen, it is a source of the highest
gratification and pleasure, to see you assembled around the festive board
on this interesting occasion. It is near twenty four years, since a few
members obtained from the Legislature of the state, the charter under
which this society is governed;—the little plant, watered and nurtured by
your fostering hand, has grown into a goodly tree which in time will
spread its protecting branches over the aged and indigent; and that time I
may say has already arrived; for from a population of some 5 or 600 Jews,
when the chatter was first established, we have now increased to over ten
thousand, and from a single Synagogue, nine places of worship, l am told,
have arisen. A hardy, enterprising race of men, driven by despotic laws
from foreign governments, here find a home, freedom, comfort, and wealth;
supporting their own poor, and respecting the laws of that land which
afforded them protection, and adhering faithfully to their religious rites
and ordinances. To the world at large, we are ever objects of peculiar
interest, as the descendants of the Israelites who came out of the land of
Egypt—the people to whom were intrusted the oracles of God, and are the
living witnesses of their truth. Born in the infancy of the world,
preserved amidst the rise and decay of ancient and modern nations, we may
be destined, as the chosen people, if we are true to ourselves, to be the
last, as we have been the first of nations. The secret is in our
nationality, in our adherence to our laws, in our international marriages,
in our charity and unity, and bearing in mind the solemn admonitions in
our law, that the poor shall never depart out of the land. I could,
gentlemen, long dwell on these interesting subjects, but our worthy friend
and co-religionaire, Mr. Jonas B. Phillips, desires the honour and the
pleasure of addressing you on this occasion, and to him I assign the
pleasing task, of dwelling on the duties, and the high prerogatives of
charity, and all the blessings it brings in its train.
Mr. Phillips arose amidst the cheers of the company, and spoke as
follows:—
Mr.
President and Gentlemen:—The return of this anniversary is a subject for
congratulation among all who delight in contemplating the benefits
resulting from associations instituted for purposes of benevolence.
Twenty-four years have elapsed since the organization of this society, and
each return of this anniversary, has practically illustrated the
excellence of the charity. The report which has just been read, has
informed you of the present condition of the society, and its resources.
Much has been accomplished; yet there is much remaining to stimulate us to
further efforts to mitigate the sufferings of those whose lots are cast in
adversity and affliction. It has been usual to appeal to those who attend
this annual festival, in behalf of an association which commends itself to
the best sympathies of our natures; and I respond to the call with which I
have been honoured, although convinced that there is but little need to
attempt to awaken the active spirit of benevolence, which glows in every
heart, and beams from every eye.
Man
is a dependent being, such has he ever been since his "first
disobedience," and so must he continue, until the end of time. Thrown
upon the world by the divine command, to "earn his bread by the sweat
of his brow," he relies upon the assistance of others to enable him
to stem the troubled tide of existence, and his success is proportioned to
the aid and encouragement he receives in the prosecution of his daily
avocations. As society advanced his wants became more numerous, and hence
that the burden of relieving those wants, might not fall too heavily upon
individuals, associations were formed alike for the encouragement of
industry, and the benevolent purposes for which this Society was
instituted. There is a pride inherent in the Israelite, which shrinks from
soliciting at the hands of strangers the aid he may claim of his brethren.
Hence, instead of resorting to the public charities, our own societies
take care of our own poor. The public Alms Houses contain no Israelites;
and what is far more gratifying, it is rarely indeed that the walls of a
prison enclose a Jew for offending against the laws of the land,—not that
we are exempt from the frailties or the vices of human nature, but because
obedience to the laws and a reverence for virtue are early inculcated, and
seldom forgotten.
He
that is truly charitable confines his zeal within no narrow bounds; to the
unhappy of every nation, and of every faith, he affords relief; and he
finds his reward in the consciousness, that his kindness has consoled the
sorrows of the widow; that his benevolence has gladdened the heart of the
orphan; that his hand has smoothed the pillow of sickness, and that
beneath the sunshine of his charity, the drooping flower of life has been
again restored to healthful bloom.
In
a country like this, where we almost realize the sacred land of promise,
it is peculiarly our duty to assist those whom we are bound by the holiest
of ties to cherish and protect. Day after clay, we behold philanthropy
"with healing on its wing," seeking the abode of the wretched,
and removing their hapless tenants from their homes of misery to a more
congenial atmosphere. And strange indeed would it be, if, when hourly some
bright example of humanity is before us, we should neglect those, whose
claims upon us are of a character so strong, because so just.
We
are told that "the poor shall never cease from out of the land;"
let it then be our grateful duty to take care that they shall never become
a burden it to the land. There are now eleven thousand Israelites in this
city, and hundreds are daily flocking to these shores, seeking beneath the
glorious banner of this happy country, a refuge from the persecutions and
oppression which have driven them from their father-lands. Nor do they
remain idly here, but emigrating to the "far and fertile west,"
by their indomitable energy and perseverance, soon acquire competency, and
in many instances fortunes.
Many
of these adventurers have been aided by this Society, and from the little
seed thus planted, have gathered golden harvests, which have enabled them
to repay, (unsolicited,) the amounts which have been advanced, and in turn
become contributors to, and members of the institution, which blessed and
prospered them in the land of the stranger. All that are wealthy, all that
are prosperous, hold these blessings in trust for the benefit of their
fellow-beings,—and he is ungrateful to his God, who has so blessed him,
that withholds his mite, when charity with her "heaven-born
smile" asks him "to remember the poor," so that the Lord
shall bless him in his hour of trouble.
I
avail myself of this hour, when the most generous sympathies implanted by
the God of nature in our hearts are awakened, to appeal to you to exercise
one of God's own attributes. It is not alone to the wealthy, I address
myself; let "every man give us he is able;" for while
benevolence exalts the wealthy,
"It
plucks the meanness from the poor man's lot,
When he aspires to succour misery."
The
experience of the past, convinces me that you will cheerfully and
liberally respond to this appeal, so that the prayers of the widow and the
orphan shall prosper you in life, and plead for you
"Like
angels, trumpet-tongued,"
At the throne of the ETERNAL!
The
offerings then commenced, which were briskly and rapidly made; the gallery
was crowded with ladies of different religious denominations, to whom
refreshments were carried by the pages in waiting. The President arose and
said—"I think, gentlemen, among the names of the donors I heard that of
the Rev. Mr. Labagh, an Episcopal clergyman, whom I have great pleasure in
recognising as a warm and enthusiastic friend of Israel, and with your
kind permission, I beg leave to propose his health. The health of the
reverend gentleman being most cordially drunk, he replied as follows:—
Mr.
President:—Accept my thanks for the kind manner in which you have noticed
my presence among you this evening, and especially for the honour of a
seat at your festive board. Believe me, when I assure you, that I do
esteem it a great honour to unite with so many of the children of Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob, in the promotion of such an heavenly object as this
Society has in view, and, Sir, never have I realized with more pleasure
and sweetness, than while sitting at this board, that promise so dear to
many a Christian heart—"Many shall come from the east and from the
west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of God."
Mr.
President,—The gentleman who just addressed you, alluded in his remarks,
to the many bitter persecutions that your people have endured in past
centuries. Sir, I do here, in the name of Christianity, express my deep
repentance for all the cruelties and wrongs that have been inflicted upon
the chosen people of God, by Christian hands; and, Sir, could I with tears
of penitence wash away the guilt that has been contracted by these
cruelties, I would pray, in the language of one of your prophets,
"Oh, that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that
I might weep day and night for the sins of my people."
Sir,
I hope I have not read history without profit. One important lesson that I
have learned from history is this: that persecution of the Jews has always
been an unprofitable business for the gentiles. When I read in that book,
which is peculiarly a Jewish book—though, through the mercy of God,
open to the perusal of all mankind—that the Most High reproved kings for
their sake saying, "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no
harm," and again, "He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of
mine eye," I feel that it is better for all men to keep their hands
off them; and when I learn what has been the fate of all their oppressors,
I feel the more deeply convinced of this truth: Sir, follow their history
down from the earliest to the present time, and see if it is not so. When
they were yet but few in number, and went down into Egypt about seventy
souls, whilst Pharaoh nourished them, and protected them, and dealt kindly
with them, he was prospered beyond measure—his land was made the granary
of the earth—God gave him one of the wisest counsellors that any king
ever had—his servant Joseph—through whom he had the honour of sustaining
the human family alive throughout seven years of famine in all lands. But
when another king arose, which knew not Joseph, and began to oppress the
children of Israel—ordering their male children to be thrown into the
Nile, and commanding them to make brick without straw, God turned against
him, laid his land desolate, and finally overthrew his hosts in the Red
Sea. What a striking commentary on the promise to Abraham—"Blessed
is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee." And so
will we find it to be if we follow the stream of their history down. No
sooner had they crossed the Red Sea than Amalek came out and fought
against them. This is wicked king was determined to interrupt the journey
of God's redeemed people to the Holy Land; and for this malicious attempt,
it was not sufficient that Joshua should go out and discomfit him;—the
Lord would not let the matter drop there; He swore that He would
"blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." About
the same time, Jethro, the father in law of Moses, having heard of all
first God had done for Israel, came out in the wilderness to meet him, and
rejoiced with him for all the goodness that God had showed them, and
offered sacrifices for God, and said, "Now I know that the Lord is
greater than all Gods," and gave Moses important counsel and advice,
which was of great service to him and to the people.
And
now pass over a period of 500 years, and see whereunto these things grew.
When Saul had become the first king of Israel, the Lord sent this message
to him—"I remember what Amalek did to Israel when he came out of
Egypt; now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that he hath;
spare nothing" Saul went, and came to a city of Amalek, in a valley,
and found there the Kenites, who were the descendants of Jethro, settled
there; and he said unto them, "Go, get you down from among the
Amalekites, lest ye be destroyed with them, for ye showed kindness to
the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." A
kindness shown to them full four hundred years before, was remembered for
their good, whilst an injury inflicted at the same time brought ruin upon
their foes. Is it not true, then, that it is safe to be their friend, but
dangerous to be their enemy? And so throughout their whole history. The
Babylonians led them into captivity; the Persians liberated and restored
them. The Greeks had constant wars with them during the reign of the
Maccabees; and the Romans finally destroyed their city and temple, and
scattered them over the face of the earth. Now look what follows. Babylon
became a den of dragons, and the nation wholly lost. Greece became
divided, distracted, broken up and subdued. Rome, overrun with northern
barbarians, lost its imperial sovereignty, and was divided among the
conquering tribes. Persia alone remains. Through many revolutions and
changes of dynasty, it is Persia still. Is there any thing in all this
that may be attributed to the working of the principle, "Blessed is
he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee?" Do we
come down to modern times. Charles I. expelled the Jews from England, and
soon after lost his head and throne. Cromwell recalled them. Spain, about
four hundred years ago, was one of the mightiest kingdoms of Europe, and
had all the elements of increasing prosperity and power. In an evil moment
she passed a decree of banishment against the "Children of the
Covenant;" and what has been the consequence? A downward course,
until she has come to be designated by the title of "poor unhappy
Spain."
Mr.
President, I rejoice that my forefathers assisted in laying the foundation
of a government under which the sword of persecution was never to be drawn
out against the Jew; where he is to enjoy, of right, all the
privileges of the most favoured classes. And I say to my brethren,
wherever I go, Be kind to the children of Israel. All civilized nations
are their debtors. It has been a question whether it is wise and safe to
receive into full citizenship such great number, of the population of
Europe as annually come to our shores. Now, sir, without entering into
this question generally, allow me to say, for myself, that I welcome to
these shores as many of the children of Abraham as may incline to cast in
their lot with us; for I am sure to find in every one of them a true lover
of liberty and good order. I only wish that I could bring Jerusalem along
with them, and then, with the Holy City in it, this would indeed be the
GLORY OF ALL LANDS. But as it is the will of God that that shall remain in
Asia, I am content. Now, sir, how laudable is the object of this Society,
to assist the poor that come here in pursuit of an honest livelihood, and
with a little assistance to supply their most pressing wants, and to
enable them to provide for themselves, and in the course of time to become
benefactors to others. I, sir, have been for some time past, carrying out
the principle of this society, without hardly knowing that I was doing so.
It was but a few weeks since, that two young men, brothers, came to my
house and asked for a night's lodging; upon inquiry, I found that they had
but just landed, three or four days before, and had already commenced,
with a very small bundle, to trade. I cheerfully granted their request.
When I went within doors, my wife asked me, Who are those strangers that
wish to stay here? I told her, two young Germans, who had just come over.
She said, is it safe to entertain such strangers? You do not know who they
are; we read in the papers of so much robbery and violence from
foreigners, that you do not know what injury they may do you. Oh, said I,
my dear, I said shalom alachem to them, and their countenances
immediately brightened, and they answered, shalom. Well, she
replied, we have never known Jews to be men of violence, or do injury in
such ways; and she immediately attended to their wants. 1 have seen and
entertained these young men since, and I am happy to say, their little
bundle has grown to quite a large pack, and they are doing well. But I
must not trespass too long upon your time, and thus leave no room for the
remarks of others, who may address you with more profit. Allow me to offer
in conclusion, the following sentiment:—
Kindness
to the poor—a precept enjoined by Moses, and confirmed by Christ, (both
of the seed of Abraham,) and therefore common to both religions. May Jews
and gentiles walk together in this GOOD OLD WAY, so pleasing to the Father
of us all, and so beneficial to his indigent children.
Loud and enthusiastic cheering followed the liberal observations of the
reverend gentleman, who spoke with a zeal and fervour which evinced his
sincerity. On the ninth toast being drank, in favour of education, Mr.
George Lyon addressed the company as follows:—
Mr.
Chairman and Gentlemen:—I am particularly flattered in being permitted to
take part in the proceedings of this evening, inasmuch as it enables me to
give expression to the interest I feel in any and every institution which,
by its ameliorating the worldly condition of our poorer brethren,
justifies the heavenly principle of our revered religion. As I labour
under the disadvantage of being personally unknown to the majority of this
meeting, I deem it necessary to say that I do not come before you without
some slight experience in charitable Societies, and I feel justified in
asserting that that experience fully warrants the position I assume at
this moment.
It
is hardly necessary for me to dilate on the merits of your Society.
Founded by men well known to fame for much piety and great practical
benevolence, several of whom are happily spared among you—managed for
twenty-four years by a Directory culled from the most active of our
people—men who have laboured not only zealously but wisely—who, looking
on the grievous privations of their fellows, have devoted their time,
services, and money, to alleviate the incurable distress and misery to
which they were pained witnesses, when acting as visiting committees, they
penetrated into those deserted quarters where
"hopeless
anguish pours her moans,
And lonely want retires to die."
The
labours of these gentlemen have caused the benefits of this charity to be
widely known, and too universally acknowledged, to need eulogium at my
hands, and it would be more particularly out of place, after the talented
and able address just made to you by Mr. Jonas B. Phillips. Therefore I
shall content myself by soliciting that you will bring to your
recollections the poverty of its treasury, and the startling fact that,
after an existence of nearly a quarter of a century, the directors have
never been enabled to accomplish the most important object, for which the
Society was projected. Gentlemen, it has been well observed, that charity
furnishes a link to bind together the two great sections into which
society is divided—"the possessors of the luxuries, and the
seekers after the necessaries of life"—and that its divine
character, like that of mercy—blessing him that gives as well as him that
takes—is never more manifest than when ministering to the wants of
suffering, humanity; and it ever must be foremost in our recollections,
how strongly, how deeply, how repeatedly, our great lawgiver of blessed
memory, whose inspiration is unquestionable and beyond a doubt, enjoins
the unlimited practice of benevolence. The Pentateuch teems with passages
showing the imperishable existence of poverty, and its indefeasible right
to relief; and the passage just quoted by Mr. Phillips is extremely
applicable, and runs thus: כי
לא יחדל
אביון מקרב
הארץ—"For the poor shall never cease
from the face of the earth;" therefore, it is wisely ordained, that you
shall open wide your hands to the poor and needy, both your brother and
the stranger. I do not presume to quote the many and varied forms in which
this injunction is repeated, but I venture to call to your recollections
that, in the New Year's Service in which we have just participated, after
reciting the infinite power of the Deity to allot and prescribe our
destiny for the coming season, we humbly say—ותשובה
ותפילה
וצדקה—Penitence, Prayer, and
Charity, can avert the evil decree. Now, gentlemen, let me entreat you to
mark the moral of this passage. See how beautifully the sage who compiled
the prayer, leads us to assert that the exercise of Charity will be
most efficient in propitiating our Creator. Gentlemen, I fear you will
deem these remarks unbecoming me, seeing that I am not a minister of
religion; but I am proud of being a Hebrew, and, as such, hold it as a
bounden duty, in every place and on all occasions—by being an humble
advocate of Charity—to manifest my grateful remembrance of the mercies
conferred by the Omnipotent on my ancestors, at the Exodus. I have said. I
am proud of being "a Hebrew of the Hebrews" No man who has been
justly reared in the faith, and made himself acquainted with the history
of the past, can say otherwise; nor when 1 look around, can I forget that
it is by the ordination of Providence,
"Supremely
wise,
Alike on what it gives and what denies,"
That
our ancestors, suffering oppression, tyranny and abuse for near two
thousand years—sojourning on the Shores of the Tiber, the Danube, or the
Thames—still living in what place soever they did—
"Thrive
under evil, and work ease out of pain,
Through labour and endurance."
Gentlemen,
it is matter of history, that the tendency of the Jewish mind is evidently
not mechanical; for we find that however much they may have been depressed
by poverty, and driven into obscurity, they do not adopt mechanical
trades; but strike out some course more in accordance with their
disposition for traffic and barter, and permitting the free exercise of
the bias of their minds, and which, in many cases, has led to the
production of the highest order of intellectual vigour. Their capabilities
for carrying on extensive mercantile operations, the world has long since
acknowledged; for the Hebrew
"Walks
o'er many marts,
And smiles on them for his."
Even
at this moment, as pioneers of commerce, they are pushing an enormous
trade to the confines of the great far west, and, by eliciting its
resources, gathering wealth to enrich their adopted country. The great
British novelist, Benjamin D'Israeli, the younger, himself the son of an
offshoot from Judah, in his semi-political novel of Coningsby, has most
eloquently painted the bright and dazzling career of many Jewish minds.
Indocile, indeed, must be the mind of a man who can contemplate our
national career and not be affected thereby. Gentlemen, in aristocratic
Europe, the proud peer of England, standing on his broad acres, obtained
by pandering to a tyrant, or by fraud and oppression of the people, looks
back with secret and glowing satisfaction, upon the generations which have
passed since his property was first acquired, and plumes himself upon the
antiquity, the modern antiquity, I will say, of his house; while the poor
Jew, even he, who has come a wanderer from far distant climes, to seek a
home on these hospitable shores, with no other patrimony than a legitimacy
pure, unbroken and undefiled—regarding the sacred ordination by which, in
ages so far distant as to absorb more than half the history of the world,
his career, as part of the great race of Levites or Cohenites, was marked
out, and he says with humility, in opposition to the peer's proud vaunt
that his father fought on the fields of Hastings, Cressy, or
Agincourt, that his, the Hebrew's ancestor, worshipped on
the banks of the Jordan three thousand years ago.
Gentlemen,
there is something in the genius of our people, in the spirit of the
institutions of this happy land, which gives bright hopes for the future;
and it has been truly said, that the past and the future are counterparts
of each other; for without the former we can have no conception of the
latter. With us, the past brings bitter recollections of brilliant
positions blasted, of long continued regal magnificence thrown away,
without a vestige or a shadow remaining. איך
נפלו גבורים—"How
are the mighty fallen," said the Psalmist of yore, when mourning over
Israel's aelf immolated king. How much more appropriate would the hymn be
at this day, not as an elegy over a king, or a line of kings, but as a
requiem over the ruins of a nation's greatness. But, gentlemen, placed as
we are in this blessed land of religious and political freedom—sheltered
in this ark of refuge for the persecuted of all nations, the Synagogue
rears itself beside the Church, and reaping instruction from the past, the
Jew merges into the American citizen, and as such, obtains immunity for
the profession of his belief, and the exercise of its ceremonials, while
he enjoys every hope and every right of political advancement.
On
no spot on this habitable globe, does the same amount of religious liberty
exist as here; although toleration is rife and spreading through the Old
World, toleration is not freedom, and persecution for belief
has not yet entirely ceased. The same causes are now in operation to
people the Great West as led to the colonization of New England; for the
magnates of the north of Europe, by their tyranny, are driving their
people here by shoals. How oft does it occur that a man and woman arrive
here to obtain the facility and power of being united—a right denied to
them at home—and many, very many in this city can tell of the rigours
they suffered previous to renouncing their native shores for the
"Land
of the hickory and pine,
Where the flowers ever bloom, and the beams ever shine."
Gentlemen,
you who are native here can have no conception of these debasing
hardships; but, nevertheless, they exist. The freedom of your institutions
is favourable to the propagation of truth, and permits Jew and Christian
to go hand in hand in founding and supporting societies for the mitigation
of the evils of this life. It is no idle boast to assert that in no other
country does the same amount of religious liberty exist as here. England,
even tolerant England, with her innumerable charities, and her
missionaries spreading over the globe, metes out emancipation with a
sparing hand—denying the right to legislate to the men whom she permits
to hold the scales of justice amongst her population. France, noble
France, guarantees liberty of conscience under the charter of 1830, and
restricts it by her administration of 1845. It was reserved for
America—for that republic whose banner is freedom, and whose people are
"Free,
and to none accountable, preferring
Hard liberty, before the easy yoke
Of servile pomp,"
to
prove to the world the truth of the axiom, that the conduct of men in
society is a proper subject for statute law, but their religious opinions
are manifestly out of the reach, as they are out of the province, of
legislative enactment. Gentlemen, this principle has become so strongly
engrafted in the minds of Americans, that nothing will ever dislodge it;
its benefits are felt now, and will continue to bless future generations
for many distant ages; it permits the mingling of your children at the
public schools; it allows the discussion of doctrinal points, without the
violation of private friendship. I saw this finely illustrated a short
time since, when standing beneath a fane, hallowed to another faith. I
heard a talented co-religionist attempt to rebut the calumnies of two
thousand years' growth. The cause was worthy of the labour—of the
difficulties encountered—the essay creditable to his talents,
demonstrative of his erudition, and evinced much religious zeal. But how
shall I truly speak of his audience, nine-tenths of whom were of another
creed. Their breathless silence, their rivetted attention, during the
whole of a lengthened lecture, manifested their enlightenment, their
liberality, and unbounded freedom from sectarian prejudices. The
impression then made on my mind will never be effaced, and it emboldens me
to-night to solicit their assistance towards this charity, and to request
that their bounty may be extended freely and not sparingly, in order that
the managers, when putting up their edifice, may inscribe in imperishable
characters upon every stone, from base to turret, "Founded by
Jewish piety, and erected by the aid of Christian benevolence."
To
you, gentlemen, who worship at the same altar as myself—whose adorations
are uttered in the same language, and offered at the same shrine—I say,
let the memory of past wrongs be forgotten—do not disturb the present
generation with the follies or the passions of the past; bear in mind the
spirit-stirring invocation which we repeat in our festival prayers—שובה
ישראל אל
תירא יעקב
הנה לא ינום
ולא יישן
שומר ישראל—"Return,
O Israel; fear not, O Jacob; behold, thy guardian angel neither sleeps nor
slumbers;" and which is most applicable at the present day, for we
are on our voyage of national regeneration; our course is clear and
defined: it is to organize Societies for the cultivation of the intellect.
And here I cannot refrain from briefly alluding to an article lately
published in the New York Commercial Advertiser, on the want of Jewish
periodicals in this country. The writer, after detailing the various means
now in progress in Europe for the advancement of information amongst our
people, slightly glanced at the Occident, and stated his surprise that we
had not in America, a newspaper devoted to the same purpose. Truly, it is
a matter of regret that we are destitute of the means of disseminating
intelligence of our holy fraternity, to the extent requisite; and it is
still more to be regretted, that the general apathy on this subject,
permits the valuable periodical which I have just alluded to, with its
indisputable claims to public support, from the acknowledged talent and
ability of its learned editor, to want that support and general
circulation which its merits fully entitle it to. Earnestly do I hope,
that the time is not far distant, when this literary destitution, and this
coolness of support, will cease. Indeed, the paragraphist himself is well
qualified to take the lead in this matter; however, gentlemen, to you I
appeal, for it remains with you to support every attempt which may be made
to elevate and organize our co-religionists: you must erect colleges; you
must educate well and extensively your youth of both sexes; you must
create an ecclesiastical authority—an authority before which the
mind will bend without the heart being abased, and that not for carrying
out any specific changes in our ritual, but for securing its greater
efficiency; and no one who hears me will deny the necessity for all this,
for at this moment our church is entirely without such an authority. There
is no Jew on this continent entitled to the prefix of נורא
מאד or justified in the performance of certain
ceremonies requisite in extensive Jewish communities; and this, in some
measure, accounts for the very alight influence beyond their own
congregation, which our Hazanim possess. But the fault rests with
yourselves. You make them readers, and you leave them so, forgetting that
something more is due to the man whose prayers you employ at the birth of
your offspring, and whose supplications are poured over your mortal
remains at its return to its parent dust. Gentlemen, I am warned by a
friend that time is fast waning; therefore, I hasten to apologise for
detaining you, and, in conclusion, beg to propose the health of our most
worthy chairman, with the expression of our sincere wishes for his health
and happiness.
The
President, in reply to the toast of Mr. Lyon, which was received and drunk
with great cordiality and applause, said that he always felt himself
deeply indebted to his friends and brother Israelites for untiring
manifestations of kindness and confidence; he could only hope to merit its
continuance by a devotion to every thing that could contribute to their
temporal happiness and prosperity. It gratified him to see the unanimity
and good feeling which prevailed on this occasion, and the prompt and kind
manner in which every one aided this laudable charity to the extent of his
means. But, gentlemen, said he, we are not yet done; there is still some
"balm in Gilead;" some of our uniform and kind patrons have not
forgotten us, and their bounty on this occasion is truly munificent.
Wealth, said he, is only to be envied when it enables its possessor to dry
the tear of affliction and soften the woes of the unfortunate; and those
are to be thrice honoured who are pious without bigotry, and liberal
without ostentation. The President then announced a donation from Mrs.
Harmon Hendricks of fifty dollars, Miss Hannah Hendricks one hundred
dollars, and the Misses Selina and Hermoine Hendricks twenty-five dollars
each, which were received with great cheering, and the health of the
family enthusiastically drank. The offerings amounted to nearly two
thousand dollars, and the company separated at a late hour, highly
gratified with the results of the anniversary they had celebrated. Great
and splendid preparations are making for the Annual Ball, for the benefit
of the same charity, and the utmost exertions will be made to sustain this
institution, and extend the benefits and blessings it confers upon our
brethren, without reference to what division, section, or Synagogue they
may belong, regarding all alike as Jews and brethren, and to the extent of
the means affording every one aid who are worthy objects and need it.
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