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We
cannot pass over the mournful ceremonies attendant
on the committal to the silent grave of the remains
of one known to all for a long series of years as a
man of no common order, without some notice being
taken of our dearly esteemed friend and citizen, the
late MORDECAI MANUEL NOAH. This great and good man
has passed away, full of years and full of honours,
to his kindred dust, amidst the profound grief and
sorrow of an entire community, Hebrew as well as
Christian! Alas! he, who a few short weeks ago was
met in health and spirits, animated as he always was
with kindly feelings towards all, and diffusing
pleasure amongst the varied public and private
circles, to which his brilliant talents attached
him, now lies mouldering in the dust, his grave
bedewed with the tears of the widow, the orphan, the
destitute, for whom his sympathies were ever
awakened. Few Hebrews have ever had the good fortune
to secure the heartfelt esteem of their
fellow-citizens whereby the highest honours have
been attained, and places of emolument and honour
filled so faithfully as were those of our lamented
friend.
His was not a chequered life, but from early manhood
to green old age he glided gracefully down the
stream of time, firm in the esteem and regard of
the government and the people, whose
appreciation of his talents earned for him for a
long series of years the most elevated offices in
their gift. Major Noah’s early life was not (as some
obituary notices have published) devoted to
handicraft—his talents and ambition soared far
beyond the narrow limits of that position, and his
entry into the legal profession gave the first
indication that as a fluent orator and a chaste
speaker his political life would command attention.
In South Carolina his career as a barrister was
successful, and having command of a ready pen, his connexion with the leading journals of the day, soon
gave life to that latent talent which could not be
obscured, but in later years established his fame as
one of the most pleasing, chaste, and happy writers
of his day.
Amongst the many public offices he was called upon
to fill, were those of consul to Tunis with a
mission to Algiers. The results of that mission are
graphically described in a volume of travels he
published in London in the year 1819. He also was
appointed consul for Riga, but that office he
declined. General Jackson, in the year 1832,
appointed him to the <<98>>high office of surveyor
of the port of New York, and from time to time the
executive governments have bestowed on him offices
connected with the customs, in New York, one of
which he filled at the period of his death. It is
remarkable that for forty years we should find a man
filling offices commercial, legal, and political,
and in that period, when strong political feelings
might bias, the late Major Noah should possess a
legion of friends, but not one enemy! He carried
with him the good-will of the entire community,
and his death is mourned by all. Characteristic
of the nobleness of his disposition, we can cite an
instance on his part of generous sympathy, perhaps
unequalled.
He
filled the office of High Sheriff of the County and
City of New York at a period when the yellow fever
was raging; assuming a serious responsibility, he
threw open the prison portals, and allowed the
captive to go free, and escape from “the pestilence
which stalked in midnight gloom.” His was indeed a
noble heart. He was “an Israelite in whom there was
no guile,” and as a religious patriot few could vie
with him. Sound reading had formed his mind, and he
ever stood forth the zealous champion of civil and
religious liberty. Liberty of conscience he believed
was a requirement of God, and a natural and
inalienable right of man; a right with which no
man dare interfere, inasmuch as our thoughts,
belief, impressions, and feelings induced to that
duty we owe to God, and what our God demands of us.
Major Noah’s impressions of religion were
consistent yet enthusiastic, and for many, many
years, have his thoughts turned to the amelioration
in the condition of his suffering co-religionists in
the East, and the continent of Europe, thousands of
whom in chains and serfdom were persecuted for their
religious impressions—who required the energies of
such a champion to shield them from hapless misery
aid death! In the year 1825, he conceived a
leviathan plan of collecting the scattered race of
Israelites to this country of liberty and freedom,
as a “new Jerusalem.” Many may thoughtlessly have
been impressed with the belief, that at the time his
designs betrayed an enthusiastic weakness which
compromised him.
But to those who have studied their Bible, and
believe in its prophecy, the very acts of that
period exhibited in our deceased friend a stamina of
purpose which partook more of inspiration
than human labour and sacrifice. The Israelite is
bound to believe that the dispersion of the “chosen
people” is a signal act of Divine Providence, and
that the future gathering is also a prediction not
easily thrown aside. With these impressions, and
viewing the oppressed state of Judaism throughout
Christendom, where “monarchs sway their despotic
power,” nothing <<99>>can be said disparagingly of
the exertions of this worthy Hebrew in his endeavours to secure for “fallen Israel” a home in
this mighty republic.
In
taking a retrospect let every forbearance be
exercised in judging of that act which this
enlightened man struggled to consummate,
remembering that his thoughts and intents were
directed to elevate from oppression, pain, and
sorrow, those whom he loved for the sake of his holy
religion. ‘Tis only a few weeks since that a
commercial treaty was passed between this government
and the Swiss confederation. The latter government
introduced a clause highly prejudicial to the
interests of the Jews, but the vigilant eye of our
deceased friend* penetrated the stipulations of that
treaty—he knew that a large and influential body of
merchants were engaged in the trade with
Switzerland. Ho at once called the attention of the
executive government to the obnoxious clause which
tended to embarrass the Jewish merchants having
commercial transactions with their Christian
brotherhood, and thus, by his influence, was the
objectionable clause obliterated; it savoured of
religious bias and persecution, and that alone was
sufficient to enlist the Major’s influence for its
removal.
His whole life has been one of Jewish sympathy.
During the period he has occupied the editorial
chair of the “Sunday Times and Noah’s Messenger,”
the community have been enlightened weekly by the
elucidations of many of those startling passages in
Holy Scripture which tend to skepticism, and our
friends of an opposite faith have ofttimes selected
Major Noah as the medium by which the truth
has been elicited and doubt set at rest. He was
truly a man
“Blest with each talent and each art to please,
And born to write, converse, and live at ease.”
In
his pursuit of knowledge he founded his faith on the
construction and literal wording of the Holy Bible,
and in his devotion to that study he became the
zealous champion for the exercise of liberty of
conscience, and thorough resistance to every
encroachment having a tendency to limit the rights
of man in his religious belief. His liberty of
conscience was truly the result of the study of
God’s Holy Word; his championship was that of
truth, and his high intellectual powers created
for him that respect and veneration which continued
during a long and honourable life, and followed him
to the grave.
<<100>>
A
few years since, his fellow-citizens elevated him to
the judicial bench; the marked prosperity of early
youth in his profession continued by him till he
had passed the meridian, and, as Judge Noah, his
decisions are marked by stern justice, yet a decided
aversion to rigour. His benevolent feelings never
forsook him; he upheld justice, tempered with mercy;
and his bearing to all created that profound
respect, inseparable from his learned calling; on
retiring from the bench he resumed his editorial
chair. The deep and fervent regard for this
estimable man are apparent in the tributes to his
memory, and the profound regret and sorrow expressed
by the entire press of the Union, at the great loss
society has sustained by his removal. There was a
fascination in Major Noah’s manner and bearing, that
riveted the bond of social as well as public
intercourse with him; his happy smile and address
charmed his listener,—his fund of anecdote was
inexhaustible. His knowledge of the world, grafted
on personal observation, was sufficiently moulded
to impress his hearers,—nay, improve them; and to
those who knew him well, nought but pleasure and
delight resulted in their intercourse with this most
remarkable man. He shed a lustre over the society in
which he mixed; but a change has clouded the scene,
a few short fleeting hours have tended to dissipate
our joy for, alas, every heart has become sad,—every
eye sheds tears. Death has stealthily entered his
chambers, and struck down the delight of our eyes!
one of whom we were justly proud has slink to rest.
Our revered friend has been gathered unto his
fathers, full of years and full of honours.
Verily, our afflictions are very great. In truth,
honour, and rectitude did he walk. Virtue was his
guide, charity his staff. His sympathies lay with
the oppressed,—his purse ever comforted the
destitute. No appeal to his philanthropy ever was
repelled. But his joy was to mitigate suffering, and
to aid the wanderer in finding a home. May we not
hope that our departed brother, having thrown off
this mortal coil, and passed “through the valley of
the shadow of death,” has attained that priceless
glory,—the reward of the worthy and righteous? The
characteristics of his life forcibly remind us of
Job, who thus beautifully discourseth: “All the
while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is
in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak wickedness,
nor my tongue utter deceit; till I die, I will not
remove mine integrity from me; my righteousness I
hold fast, and will not let it go. My heart shall
not reproach me while I live.”
Those who were intimate with our deceased friend,
and knew his many virtues, cannot fail to recognise
in his character that sustaining power
<<101>>which
continued through a long and remarkable career to
mark his life. I allude to truth, manliness of
character, openness of heart, and sincerity of
purpose. He ever despised the deceitful man, holding
such as he thought guilty of that weakness, “that
when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away, his
glory shall not descend after him.” An earnest
love for our holy religion, led our deceased friend
to contemplate the fate of the Jews, their
dispersion, and future prospects held out to them,
and his heart was set on viewing “Zion’s Mount,
which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever,”—that
holy spot from whence was delivered, by God himself,
those divine commandments, on which our duty to God
and man are based, and which are the ruling essence
of our holy religion.
Till within a very few days of his death, did he
speak calmly and most earnestly of his projected
visit to Jerusalem. It was there he hoped, by
personal inquiry, to elucidate and explain away that
mysterious prejudice which for ages has been excited
against the Jew, in his civil, political, or
religious relations with his Christian brethren. Had
he been spared yet another year, the fruits of his labours would have been reaped, and all Israel would
have gleaned the choicest gifts of his enlightened
mind; but it has been doomed otherwise.
The Holy City is shut to the servant of the Lord.
The voice of sadness pours forth in mournful strains
our grief for a bereavement we are all called on to
deplore. One of the main props of our holy religion
has been removed, and this “meteor of the age has
set, expired, and is no more seen.” We have a
religious and consoling reflection, however, in
imagining his possession of that peculiar privilege
upon which his mind was fixed, that of resting in
the bosom of his God, there to await that blissful
reward only bestowed on the great and good. The
various effusions of his gifted pen on religious
subjects prove that his impressions are the fruits
of genuine piety; and his study of the Holy Bible
served him as the incentive to all good deeds and
pious works. The tears of the widow and orphan bedew
this rising mound which encloses all that is
earthly of him so revered; the sorrows and regrets
of the entire community mingle with those who are
nearest and dearest to him, in deploring the removal
of “a great man fallen this day in Israel.”
On
so mournful an occasion, I take the liberty of
extracting from a sermon, entitled “The Separation
from those we Love,” delivered at the Temple in
Hamburg, by one of the most gifted and eloquent
lecturers of the age, I allude to Dr. Gotthold
Salomon; in speaking of the removal of an old
friend, he says: “Life is for the most part
<<102>>made up of union and separation, and small, ofttime very small, is the space that divides them;
for, like joy and sorrow, meeting and parting often
lie close together. The hearts that have found each
other should be parted, ere the cords that bind them
are firmly intertwined, were a minor evil! far
sadder is the separation from persons whom long,
long years of love have endeared to us; far more
painful is the breaking up of associations, in which
other beings have become a part of ourselves, and in
which the affection of these friends has each day
wound round life a fresh bond of soul.”
How very beautiful is this language, and how
truthfully does it apply to one, the very
remembrance of whom is hallowed and revered. In our
pilgrimage through life, a thousand voices warn us
of our approaching separation by death. As many
ordinances exist in the natural world around us, and
in human nature, that call on us to live, so
many are there also that warn us to die. Mark
the cheerful light of day sinking with each evening,
first into twilight, then into darkness. When youth
and beauty are withered as a blossom by the stormy
wind; when men who have wound themselves around our
hearts leave us so quickly; when beings go before us
who are indispensable to our happiness; when a
beloved husband, a tender wife, an honoured parent,
or a sincere friend is called away to his eternal
home, say, are these not the voice of God warning us
of our departure? Do they not teach us that however
fixed our purpose may be to enjoy things temporal,
we know not the hour, the moment, we shall be
summoned hence to appear before the tribunal of the
supreme God?—“where the wicked cease from troubling,
where the weary are at rest.” Life is but a span
long, and our pilgrimage in this world is marked by
various phases from the breast to the grave; let the
principles then, which marked our lamented friend’s
life impel us so to guide our path that, as the deep
mantle of eternal night is wrapt around us, and we
descend into our narrow cell, we may by earthly
deeds secure from Divine Providence a blissful
reward in futurity.
To
the afflicted sister, widow, and children let us
offer our heartfelt sympathy and condolence, and
hope that their affliction will be soothed by the
knowledge that the loved one has descended into the
silent grave, after living a life of virtue, probity
unsullied, honour and benevolence, and that his
career has closed amidst the deepest sorrow of a
mourning community, who crowded to the cemetery to
pay the last tribute of respect to “venerated
shades of departed worth,”—thus proving his loss a
public one, and their general grief, an earnest
appreciation <<103>>of “ a great man fallen this day
in Israel.”
His life can be pointed out to mark how natural
talents can raise a man from the humblest to the
most exalted stations in society. Major Noah was
indebted solely to his own persevering industry,
study, and characteristic suavity of manner, for the
high honours which are bestowed upon him by his
admiring countrymen. But, “alas, he’s lost to all
but memory’s aching sight.”
Our lamented co-religionist for some years past has
been the President of the “Hebrew Benevolent
Society” of this city. Contributing with his
splendid talents at their anniversary meetings, to
sustain a most excellent charity, and diffusing his
benevolent contributions to suffering and destitute
humanity. His smiling countenance will no longer
tend to cheer his associates on in their heavenly
work of charity,—his soul-stirring and animated
appeals will no longer be heard in support of
“universal benevolence,”—his friendly hand will no
longer grasp his neighbour’s in love and
affection,—his bosom no longer will be the
repository of sorrow’s secrets; all is palsied,
dead, and hushed in the silence of the grave; all
that is left us is the savoury remembrance of one
removed after a life of usefulness and of public
good, and to deplore that removal with unmixed
grief, sorrow, and regret. The public press, of
every grade and section of politics, have alluded to
the death of Major Noah in terms of strong and
unalloyed regret, many have pointed out his
manifold virtues with unaffected sincerity and
admiration; truly has our lamented friend’s demise
created a void not easily filled; his was indeed a
life of meekness, benevolence, and universal
charity.
“Unskilful he to fawn, or seek for power,
By doctrines fashioned to the varying hour.
Far other aims his heart had learned to prize,
More bent to raise the wretched than to rise.
His house was known to all the vagrant train,
He chid their wanderings, but relieved their pain;
The long-remembered beggar was his guest,
Whose beard descending swept his aged breast.
Careless their merits or their faults to scan,
His pity gave, ere charity began.
Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride,
And even his failings leaned to virtue’s side;
But in his duty, prompt at every call,
He watched, and wept, he prayed and felt for all.”
A.
WELLINGTON HART.
New York, March 25th, 1851. |
