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(Concluded
from p. 572.)
The sixth toast was, “Charity, the glorious legacy of God to man.
‘And if thy brother be waxen poor or fallen into decay, then thou shalt
relieve him, yea though he be a stranger or a sojourner in the land, that
he may live with thee.’ ”
Mr. Lewis Abraham was then called for, who rose and said:
“Thankful as I am, Mr. President and gentlemen, for the honour you
have shown me in thus calling on me to address so large and respectable a
body of my brethren, I yet regret much that you have not selected one more
capable of responding and doing justice to so noble a sentiment as the one
just now heard by you. After the eloquent addresses of the gentlemen who
have so ably preceded me, but very little is left for me to say; they have
already gone over all the ground; yet if I am able to impress on you the
necessity of acting up to what they have advanced, then shall I indeed
achieve that which will give me much cause for self-congratulation. With
what admiration must we all turn to those parts of our holy law that
inculcate such truly good and moral principles as the quotation just now
heard by you; yet there are other portions equally as impressive, touching
our holiest sympathies, calling forth feelings from the human heart that
must elicit veneration for our wise legislator, adoration for his laws,
and happiness and gratification in their fulfilment. If my memory prove
not treacherous, I will repeat a part of these, knowing they will carry
with them more forcible conviction than any humble argument that I can
bring forth: ‘And if there be a poor man of any of thy brethren in any
of the gates of the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, then thou
shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand against thy poor brother; But
thou shalt open wide thy hand to him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient
for his need in all that he wanteth.’ ‘Beware that there be not a
thought in thy wicked heart saying, ‘the seventh year, the year of
release is at hand, and thy eye be evil against thy brother, and thou
givest him nought, and he cry unto the Lord, and it be a sin unto thee; Thou
shall surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest
him; because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all
thy works, in all that thou puttest thine hand to. For the poor shall
never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou
shalt open wide thy hand unto thy brother, to the poor and to the needy in
thy land.’ Here we find positive commandments to bestow charity;
prosperity is promised for adhering to them, whilst not acting after this
manner will be esteemed a sin against us. But with what pleasure do I cast
my eyes around this table and see that these commandments are properly
appreciated! When I behold so large and harmonious an asemblage of my
brethren, met to celebrate one of the noblest, the staunchest bulwarks of
our faith; it inspires new hope in my breast, I rejoice for Israel, I see
the sun of her ascending glory casting its refulgent brilliancy even unto
the far West. Long, long has it been dimmed by the mists of persecution
and superstition; but these are the meetings, these are the assemblies,
that waft away with the zephyrs of purity and devotion every cloud that
has for ages darkened our horizon; and warmed by the genial influence of
its rays, under the protecting wing of advancing civilization and
universal toleration, we can now meet and openly demonstrate what in gone
by we had to do by stealth, or in privacy. Go on, then, my brethren;
proceed in this good and holy work; let us be joined in one united bond of
brotherhood, forgetful of all private wrongs; pour forth on the altar of
our faith a substantial offering in testimony of our love and our
adoration of its laws; let us ‘judge righteously and plead the cause of
the poor and needy;’ for these are the deeds that tend to erect our
faith on a foundation firm as a rock of adamant. Already do surrounding
nations look upon us with admiration, and on our institutions with
respect; for it has ever been the pride of our people to have societies
among themselves for the relief of their own poor. Let then this
praiseworthy reputation be properly sustained here this day. I do not
doubt but it will; I anticipate the cry of the distressed will be heard
and answered in the proper spirit. The present extraordinary inclement
season, added to the unusual high price of provisions, render the
hardships of the poor extremely distressing, and it behooves us all to
sympathize with them to the utmost of our ability, not only in words but
in deeds. With the more prosperous of us Providence has been very
bountiful of late; since our last anniversary, with a few exceptions, we
have all enjoyed the inestimable blessing of health. It is true, a large
portion of us have been plunged into the most poignant grief by the loss
of a long-esteemed and dearly beloved friend, one of whom no praise of
mine is necessary; no eulogy can do justice to, for ‘none knew her but
to love, none named her but to praise.’ It is, however, some consolation
to know that what was our loss, was her eternal gain; and the only way we
can show respect to departed worth is by striving to pursue the example of
virtue shown us,—the lady of whom I speak (Mrs. Morris Moses) was
remarkable for her great philanthropy. Of her may it truly be said,
‘Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain, but the woman who feareth the
Lord she shall be praised.’ ‘Many daughters have done virtuously, but
thou excellest them all.’ Pardon me, gentlemen, this digression; I know
it is not exactly appropriate; but we are told in the midst of our
prosperity to think on our adversity; it is, therefore, on occasions like
this that remembrances will force themselves on the mind, bringing forth
the memory of those whose example and advice we love to honour and obey;
it is on days such as this we should hold up to the gaze of our rising
generation the noble and good deeds of the strict observers of our faith,
as a beacon to guide them in the paths of virtue, and warn them from the
quicksands of temptation and vice that beset them in their voyage over the
stormy ocean of the world. But I must wipe the tear of grief from my eye
now, as the living claim all my sympathy. As I have before remarked, the
present season is an unusual severe one for the poor; and I assure you
there is much more poverty now existing in this city than many of my
auditors have the slightest conception of. I will not detain you by
reciting instances, although cases have lately come to my knowledge of the
most distressing nature; the curious can, alas! soon be satisfied of the
truth of this. What holy joy then should ours be, that we are enabled to
alleviate such woes; what thanks do we not owe the Supreme that he has
delegated to us sufficient means to relieve such distresses. It is an
attribute of the Almighty himself, as we recite in our daily prayers:
‘He healeth the sick, supporteth the fallen, and raiseth those who are
bowed down.’ To relieve the unfortunate also carries with it a double
blessing, as is so eloquently and forcibly expressed by the Psalmist,
‘Blessed is he who considereth the poor, for the Lord will relieve him
in time of trouble; the Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he
shall be blessed upon the earth; the Lord will strengthen him upon the bed
of languishing, and will make all his bed in sickness.’” After
describing the merits of the Society, and the state of its finances,
&c., Mr. Abraham proceeded: “All I ask of you, then, gentlemen, is,
come forward, enroll your names as permanent members of our Society; we
want not only your co-operation this day, we want your voices at our
councils, your advice at our deliberations, your votes at our ballot box,
so that we may be enabled to elect as officers such men as those who now
so honourably fill our presiding chairs, men in whose integrity we all
have perfect confidence, in whose devotion to benevolence we all place
perfect reliance, of whose bounty and munificence we shall shortly have
substantial evidence. I will not ask of you any thing in aid of the funds;
a contribution will shortly be made; I know your dispositions, and am
satisfied you will give ‘with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your might.’ In conclusion, I will call your attention to
an expression of our blessed Scriptures, which says, ‘Cast thy bread
upon the waters, for it shall return unto thee after many days. Give a
portion to seven, and also to eight, for thou knowest not what evil may
befall the earth.’”
The collections were now taken up, and the company present showed the
utmost liberality. Many a heart will beat with joy and gratitude from the
work of that day.
As soon as the contributions were closed, the President announced the
seventh regular toast: “The city of Cincinnati, Queen of the West; may
she long enjoy her present pre-eminence.” Eighth toast: “The Hebrew
Benevolent Societies throughout the world; we hail them as brother
co-operators and rejoice in the affinity; may their efforts ever receive
the substantial sympathy they so richly deserve.” Ninth toast: “Our
holy and imperishable religion; its ways are the ways of pleasantness, and
all its paths are peace.” Tenth toast: “The fair sex. What language
can express our glowing admiration? without thee, sickness cometh like an
armed man; with thee, the desert bloometh like a rose.”
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