JEWS. 



403 



rine products, the total value of Chinese trade 

 amounting to $12,000,000. England imports 

 goods valued at $12,000,000, taking Japanese 

 products worth $2,400,000. The United States 

 buys $17,000,000 worth of products, but sells 

 only $2,700.000. Trade with Germany is in- 

 creasing, imports to the amount of $1,700,000 

 coming to Japan in 1886. With the East 

 Indies trade remains stationary at an average 

 annual value of $3,000,000. Whereas formerly 

 the imports were greatly in excess of exports, 

 the total value of the exports over imports for 

 the past four years is nearly $28,000,000. 

 From 1872 to 1881 the specie and bullion ex- 

 ported showed an excess over imports of about 

 $70,000,000, but the excess in value of imports 

 from 1882 to 1885 inclusive amounts to nearly 

 $8,000,000. The value of imports from the 

 United States was, in 1873, about $1.000,000, 

 and in 1885 nearly $3,000,000. For 1886 the 

 export trade for Japan amounted to $48,870,- 

 471, and the import, $32,168,432; total, $81,- 

 038,903 an increase over the total trade of 

 1885 of $16,601,510. The excess of exports 

 over imports for 1886 amounted to $16,702,039. 

 The trade is shown in the following tables : 



United States and 



Canada $19,988,216 



France 9,632,902 



China 9,594,907 



Great Britain.... ' 4,195,355 



Germany 



Corea '829,316 



East Indies 649,143 



Italy, Australia. 



Eussia, Austria .. 1,039,124 



IMPORTS. 



France $1.330.913 



Corea..' 563,447 



Belgium 507,908 



Switzerland, Italy, 

 Australia 473.573 



Drugs and chemicals. $50,642 



Mercury 44,875 



Lead-pencils 43,655 



Tobacco 29.316 



Watches 18,255 



Iron 16,130 



Great Britain ... $12,703,248 



China 7,123,851 



East Indies 3,561,319 



United States and 



Canada. 3.358,986 



Germany.. 2,313,659 



The United States consumes nearly the whole 

 of the tea and over one third of the silk of 

 Japan, and one fourth of the whole foreign 

 trade of the empire is with the United States, 

 the imports of which, in 1886, were: 



Petroleum $2,358,497 



Leather 149,852 



Flour 97.454 



Clocks 81,331 



Provisions 60,553 



Condensed milk .. 57,102 



Books 53,230 



For the protection and encouragement of 

 commerce, there are now 58 light-houses, staff- 

 lights, and ships 12 of the light-houses being 

 of the first order 17 buoys, and 7 beacons. 



JEWS. The organizing of the preparatory 

 class of the Jewish Theological Seminary of 

 New York on January 3, and the incorporation 

 in Chicago, early in January, of a Hebrew In- 

 dustrial School, were signs of renewed activity 

 in education. The centenary in April of Co- 

 lumbia College was invested with interest, 

 owing to the efforts made by the Kev. Dr. 

 Gottheil, to establish a chair for Hebrew and 

 rabbinical literature, which resulted in a grant 

 of $10,000 by members of the Temple Eman 

 of New York and the appointment^ 

 Richard Gottheil to the professor 

 July 1 the annual examination of t 



Union College at Cincinnati was begun, Rev. 

 Drs. Isaacs (New York), Leucht (New Orleans), 

 and Hecht (Montgomery), being examiners 

 Edward Calisch was graduated, and received a 

 call to Peoria, 111. 



The biennial session of the Council of the 

 Union of American Hebrew Congregations was 

 held at Pittsburg July 12. Josiah Cohen, of 

 Pittsburg, was elected permanent chairman, 

 and Lippman Levy, of Cincinnati, secretary. 

 During the year the receipts amounted to 

 $28,516; expenses, $26,874; the sinking fund 

 reached $23,413. It was recommended that an 

 endowment fund of $500,000 be raised to place 

 the college on a firm foundation. Tlie sum of 

 $1,000 was voted to the committee on Sabbath- 

 schools to enable them to prosecute their work. 

 The next session will be held in Detroit, Mich., 

 in July, 1889. 



The Jewish Ministers' Association held its 

 spring and autumn conferences in New York 

 city. At the spring conference, April 25 and 

 26, reports were read on the marriage laws, on 

 ethical teaching in the public schools, and on 

 the publication of a home prayer-book, and 

 resolutions were offered in favor of the Satur- 

 day half-holiday, disapproving of funeral dis- 

 play, and expressive of sympathy on the death 

 of Henry Ward Beecher. At the public ses- 

 sion Rev. Dr. Szold, of Baltimore, spoke on 

 " How to Extend the Influence of the Congre- 

 gation in Israel " ; Rev. Leon Harrison, of 

 Brooklyn, on " The True Sphere of the Young 

 Men's Hebrew Association." At the autumn 

 conference, November 28 and 29, the publication 

 of the home prayer-book was duly authorized ; 

 papers were read by the Rev. Dr. S. Morais, of 

 Philadelphia, on " Two Living Jewish Writ- 

 ers " Elias Benamozegh, of Leghorn, and Dr. 

 Castelli, of Florence; the Rev. Dr. A. Wise 

 on " Angelogy and Demonology"; the Rev. 

 Dr. Kohut and the Rev. Dr. S. Adler on Tal- 

 mudic themes; and the Rev. J. Leucht, of 

 Newark, on " Congregational Participation in 

 Public Worship." At the public session the 

 Rev. Dr. Marcus Jastrow, of Philadelphia, gave 

 an address on " The Duty of Congregations to 

 provide Synagogue Privileges to the Poor"; 

 the Rev. Dr. Israel Aaron, of Buffalo, on " The 

 Prophet Jeremiah " ; the Rev. M. H. Harris, of 

 New York, on "America, a Favorable Soil for 

 the Development of Judaism." 



The third annual conference of Southern 

 Jewish ministers was held at Montgomery, 

 Ala., November 28, the Rev. Dr. Hecht making 

 the opening address. Papers were read by the 

 Rev. Dr. Leucht, of New Orleans, on "The 

 Origin and Development of the Rite of Confir- 

 mation in the Synagogue " ; " Ritual of Burials," 

 Lowenthal, of San Antonio; " Closer Union of 

 Rabbis," Weclisler, of Meridian; "Advanced 

 Religious Instruction," Heller, of New Orleans, 

 following were elected for the ensuing 

 the Rev. Dr. Leucht ; Vice- 

 lev. Max Samfield ; Secretary, 

 srkowitz ; Treasurer, the Rev. 



