1S06.]  Prefent State of the Fews in France and Germany. 
weaknefs of the human underftanding 
united in the fame perfon. 
Whoever has read the Life of Pat 
cal, as written by his fitter, Madame Pe. 
rier, will recolleét many particulars in it 
not unlike fomething here related of Abra- 
ham Fletcher. They were both of them 
diftinguifhed in their refpeftive ages and 
countries for uncommon knowledge ; and 
the great fecret by which they acquired fo 
much knowledge was, that they were ne- 
ver idle, 
It was much to Mr. Fletcher’s credit, 
that, with all his attention to mere intel- 
le&tual attainments, he never was inatten- 
tive to thofe duties which prudence had 
annexed to his {tation in life. He was not 
only a pattern of induftry, but a pattern 
of econ: my, two virtues Which have been 
well called the handmaids of Fortune ; 
and hence he was enabled to leave to his 
large family not lefS than four thoufand 
pounds, three thoufand of which were of 
his own earning. By his wife Mary he 
had iflue two fons and eight daughters, of 
whom only four of the latter are now liv- 
ing. He died on the xft of January, 
1793, aged, as is above ftated, very near- 
ly 78 years and a quarter. . 
The above interefting and very intruc- 
tive memoir was written by the late war- 
thy and learned Rev. Jonathan Boucher, 
vicar of Epfom; and to what he has re- 
lated of Mr. Fletcher, it ought to added, 
that this felf-taught genius was the author 
of an excellent compendium of praétical 
mathematics, in one large volume octavo, 
under the title of The Univerfal Meafurer. 
It is, I believe, now out of print, and ve- 
ry fcarce, butis well worthy of being re- 
publithed for the ule of tyros in mathema- 
tical ftudies. 
J. WATKINS, 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
FACTS relative to the PRESENT CONDI- 
TION of the JEWS in FRANCE amd 
GERMANY. 
[ Concluded fram p. 406 of our laf? Number. | 
HE Proffian Jews had during the 
lat fix years publifhed a Journal io 
Hebrew, in which they attacked with ar- 
gument and ridicule the reveries of the 
Talmud. This periodical work is to be 
revived at Deffau under a new form, and 
the tile of The Sulamiée, or a Journal for 
the Diffufion of Knowledge among’ the 
Jews, by MM. Frenkel, Wolf and Run- 
del. 
The Jews have been reproached for un- 
dervaluing the female fex. In tne daily- 
‘tion. 
499 
prayers of the men is the following paf- 
fage :—<* Bleffed be the Creator of Hea- 
ven and Earth for not having made me @ 
woman ;’’—whilft the woman was taught 
to fay with humility, ‘* Blefled be thy 
name for having made me as I am.’’— 
They begin to repair this injury, efpecial- 
ly at Berlin and at Hamburg, where there 
are many Jewefles whofe education has 
been conducted with the greateft care, and 
who are: diftinguifhed by a union of vire 
tue and learning. In Michael Berr’s 
«* Appeal to the Juftice of Nations,’’ there 
are fome curious notes relative to this fub- 
ject. 
Some enlightened Jews do not approve 
of having {chcols exclufively appropriated 
to the children of their nation. Ir would 
undoubtedly be a powerful means towards 
effeting a complete political union, if 
they ali frequented the {chools and uni- 
verfitics of the Chriftians ; but the pre- 
judices of the latter, by rejecting them, 
or at lealt attaching a kind of ftigs 
ma to Judaifm, induced them to eftablith 
feparate {chools in different towns and ci. 
ties of Germany,—.at Nuremberg, Furth, 
Breflau, Konigfb:rg, &c. They have 
likewile fuch {chools at Berlin, Frankfurt. 
on-the-Mayne, Deflau, Scezen, in parti- 
cular for the education of poor children. 
They are almoit all fupported by volun- 
tary contributions. The Regulati ns of 
thefe f{chools, and feveral elementary 
works exprefsly written for their ufe, 
have been printed. At Frankfurt-on- 
the-Mayne, M. Giefenheimer, uniting 
mufic with poetry, has printed for the 
{cholars a collection of pieces in every 
way calculated to in{pire virtuous fenti- 
ments. | 
In 1795 a fociety of Jews, for the moft 
part young men, founded at Defiau a fe- 
parate {chool tor the children of their na- 
They had to contend again&t a 
multitude of obftacles; but the prote&tion 
of the Government, which approved of 
the ftatutes of that {chool, the fuccefs at- 
tending their mode of- infruGton, and 
the public and folemn examinations, cauled 
the eftablifhment to profper. The founders 
addreffed themfelves to the benevolence 
of perfons in eafy circumftances, and 
received abundant fuccours, by means 
of which they were enabled to enlarge 
their plan. They have accordingly ins 
creafed the number of the matters; and 
they are now preparing a fit place for the 
library. The pupils, whefe’ number 
amounts to about one hundred, are under 
the dircétion of M. Frankel; and a better 
choice could not weil have been made.— 
3 9:2 He 
