430 



JEWS. 



Sunday-schools, with an average attendance of 

 about sixty pupils each, making in all about 

 600 scholars. The National Bible Society of 

 Scotland, the British and Foreign Bible So- 

 ciety, the American Bible Society, and the 

 American Baptist Missionary Society, were all 

 engaged in the work of translating and print- 

 ing the Scriptures. Parts of the Old Testa- 

 ment had been translated, but as yet only 

 select portions, instead of complete books. 

 Many of the Psalms were in use, but there 

 was no translation of them entire. Several 

 thousand copies of the Scriptures in Chinese 

 had been circulated, besides many tracts and 

 other religious publications. A weekly Chris- 

 tian newspaper, in the Japanese character, 

 published by the missionaries of the American 

 Board, had a circulation of 11,000 copies. 



The missionaries of the Russo-Greek Church 

 claim that there are 3,000 Orthodox Christians 

 in Japan. They report that their schools for 

 both sexes are increasing in number, alike of 

 schools and of scholars, and that they are at- 

 tended by heathen as well as Christian chil- 

 dren. A lithographic establishment is in op- 

 eration at Tokio under the charge of Father 

 Nicholas, where small books have been pub- 

 lished in language suited to the comprehension 

 of the common people, and preparation has 

 been made for printing other books. 



JEWS. The annual convention of the Board 

 of Delegates of American Israelites was held 

 in Philadelphia, May 20th. The Hon. P. J. 

 Joachimsen presided. Nineteen congregations 

 and societies were represented. Letters were 

 read from Sir Moses Montefiore, of England, 

 and M. Cre'mieux, of France, in response to in- 

 vitations to attend the meeting. The Execu- 

 tive Committee gave, in their report, a brief 

 history of the work of the board. Since its 

 organization, in 1859, it had constituted the 

 medium of communication between the Is- 

 raelites of the United States and of other 

 countries. Acting harmoniously and in co- 

 operation with the "Alliance Israelite Uni- 

 verselle " and the " Board of Deputies of Brit- 

 ish Jews," its activity had been exemplified in 

 every movement for the elevation and benefit 

 of the Jews of the Old World. During the 

 past seventeen years the board had pressed 

 measures for the enfranchisement of Jewish 

 people in countries where they were still held 

 in bondage. Kindly messages of brotherhood 

 and sympathy had been conveyed by it to the 

 Israelites of the Danubian Principalities, of 

 Morocco, Persia, and Russia. Through it the 

 help of American Hebrews had been extended 

 to their suffering co-religionists in Palestine, 

 Roumania, Morocco, Tunis, Persia, Asia Minor, 

 Italy, and the provinces of East Prussia and 

 West Russia. It had been instrumental in 

 modifying the policy of the Swiss Republic as 

 exemplified in the case of a proposed article 

 in a treaty denying to Jews equal rights with 

 other sojourners. It had borne a part in every 

 movement for the rescue of the Hebrew peo- 



ple from the results of prejudice abroad ; and 

 had even found occasions to protect them in 

 their rights and privileges in the United States, 

 as in the case of proposed measures na- 

 tional, State, and municipal the tendency of 

 which might be to make a discrimination 

 against them. " The representative character 

 of the board," said the report, "has been cor- 

 dially recognized not alone by like organiza- 

 tions among the Israelites of Europe, but uni- 

 formly by the Government of the United 

 States, which has never failed to pay respect- 

 ful attention to the official proceedings and re- 

 quests of the Executive Committee when oc- 

 casion demanded correspondence with the 

 President, the departments, or Congress. The 

 appointment of a Jewish chaplain in 1862, at 

 the direct suggestion of the committee, the 

 prompt action upon the obnoxious military 

 order in the same year, the appointment of 

 Mr. Peixotto as consul at Bucharest, the nego- 

 tiation of the Swiss treaty, the correspondence 

 as to Palestine, Morocco, Roumania, Russia, 

 and other countries, the cordial reception by 

 the Senate and House of Representatives of 

 the memorials submitted by the board at the 

 outset of the agitation for the Christian con- 

 stitutional amendment, are successive instances 

 of the influential position awarded to the board 

 by the Government." 



With the cooperation of the Commissioners 

 of Emigration at New York, the board had 

 been able to provide for hundreds of Jewish 

 immigrants, and promote their gradual absorp- 

 tion into the mass of the American people, 

 while it had actually prevented pauperism. 

 The accounts of the board showed that balances 

 stood on hand, in favor of the general fund, 

 of $602.46 ; and in favor of the trust-fund, of 

 $457.11. The sum of $250 had been trans- 

 mitted for the use of the Agricultural School 

 at Jaffa, Palestine; $100 for the hospital at 

 Jerusalem, $50 for the hospital at Tiberias, and 

 $500 had been transmitted to B. F. Peixotto, 

 consul of the United States at Bucharest, 

 toward reimbursing him for outlays for the 

 benefit of the Roumanian Israelites. Two 

 Roumanians had been assisted to return to 

 their homes. An address had been transmitted 

 to Sir Moses Montefiore expressive of the sen- 

 timents of American Israelites, a suitable re- 

 ply to which had been received. The Hebrew 

 Free-School Association was recommended to 

 the cordial and liberal support of the Jewish 

 community. The American Jewish Publica- 

 tion Society, organized four years before by 

 the direct action of the board, was represented 

 as prospering. Its publications for the past year 

 had met the approval of scholars, and were 

 exercising a decided influence upon the rising 

 generation. A special report was made upon 

 the condition and needs of the Jews of Pales- 

 tine. It was computed that there were now 

 in Jerusalem about 13,000 Jews, who formed 

 fifteen congregations, each one an independent 

 organization. They had, according to Sir Mo- 



