Letter from Abraham de Sola to Isaac Leeser;February 19, 1857
- Title
- Letter from Abraham de Sola to Isaac Leeser;February 19, 1857
- Author
- Abraham de Sola
- Contributor
- Isaac Leeser
- Date Created
- 19 February 1857
- Format
- Letter. 4 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).
- Letter
- Type
- Letter
- Language(s)
- English
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3w669v48/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3w669v48
- Physical Characteristics
- Unlined Paper
- Manuscript
- content
-
Montreal 19th Feb. 5617.
Rev Isaac Leeser
Philadelphia
Dear Sir,
I have had no time to notice yours of 1st ult till now. There are one or two remarks I think it right to make. You seem to be under the impression that I required a public apology from you in the matter of the Phila election and the article you wrote about my testimonials. But this is wrong. As you write so do I. I was and am willing to drop it. If you have my last letter, refer to it, you will find I say “let this pass” I merely required that did I write for the Advocate or any other publication edited by you you should make the amende honorable for your short (as you ? criticize of Pennoch by indirectly (I believe this was the term employed) recalling your charge—expressed or implied—no matter which—in said critique—that I was not ? safe & etc. This was all & it surely was not asking much for your industrious and unsparing dissection of the Catechism. About remuneration there will be no difficulty—you revert again to the election at Phila and say (I make a few comments en parenthese) you have it in your power to prove that your interference with me [I never interfered with you] was owing to letters recd from Phil [I have letters to prove that ll? your friends justified my ? ministers included—though same were with you Hebrew] “Why not do so? You continue, send on the letters you owe the scamps that deceived you no favor [Cui bono? I was near showing you the letters when you were here but I took the second and
better thought why should not my word be sufficient? Why embitter Mr L. still more against them, they against him by raking up old grievances. No! Mr Leeser will one day be ? and find that A.D.S. Is not so black as he paints him] “and no principle of honor can bind you in respect to them. Here again I take a leaf out of your own book and say I cannot allow any one to dictate to me the code of honor. It is as accessible to me as to others, and having equal right to put my own interpretation on its requirements, I always have done so and intend please God always yet to do so. What you write about my editing a periodical connecting myself with Dr. R.L Dr L L. (By the way ? made the latter a Dr I thought he was only Mr) in publishing—a thing I never contemplated yet—your cautious about looking out carefully—uncertainty ? profit—estimate of popularity—inconvenience of losing money—to all these ? I do not deem it necessary to reply. If I desired to publish a magazine tomorrow I do not see why I should stop to ask Messrs Lyons Wise & Isaacs their consent more than any good Christian would ask leave of any brother respected in the flesh. You would not require me to ask you, for you say so. I notice your advice not to attack you should I edit or assist in editing this imaginary paper. Why should I do this even in the land of dreams without ? I may say that when I ? provocation enough, I feel courage enough to attack any one and defend myself from any one, though they be the giants, & I the pigmy. But seriously, what is the use our exchanging letters all about visionary nothings, and old old topics. Let them go to the tomb of all the 6 amulets In future I promise I shall be more business like when I shall have occasion to write you. In writing upon other topics you forgot to say the list for the Advocate came to hand. This list
however small, would not show I had any idea of warring with you. If I mistake you, you also mistake me. I patiently assure you I am no covert enemy of yours; but I do not write on the orthodox side to please you—God forbid and if I wished to enter into a disagreeable topic I would call offensive that part of your letter wherein you advise me not to write for the Israelite or Asmonean. “I would not have your enemies” hear of such advice, and i must again say that I am convicted enough to use my own judgment in this matter. My father never advised me thus much, simply because he has a better opinion of me than you seem to have or perhaps than your letters imply. But you cannot put me out of conceit with you. I do not easily throw aside old acquaintances Your last was written in a very bitter spirit and in any one else I should have treated it as a piece of very great impertinence but I have never lost for you feelings of true respect and regard even in our most inimical moments—even when you have been most surly and ill-humored, and I the model of patience and consideration thought you had treated me harshly and ungenerously, for I have always accepted as true your assurance that if in your labors you have had successes you have had more disappointments & unpleasantness—I was truly sorry to notice your announcement of a fire again in the bindery—I trust you are no loser.
In conclusion please notice what it was I really required of you in my last and how very easily my injured honor would be satisfied and sullied reputation restored to its pristine purity & brilliancy by you, should it be deemed desirable by either of us to write in any
enterprise. Trusting that from this day forward somos buenos amigos Hebrew sine el Hebrew les otras dias
I remain as ever yours truly
Abraham de Sola
Oblige me by handing the enclosed to Miss Gratz. If not troubling you too much I would prefer your giving it yourself rather than sending. - Identifier
- LSDCBx2FF4_13
- Date
- 1857-02-19
Part of Letter from Abraham de Sola to Isaac Leeser;February 19, 1857
Abraham de Sola, “Letter from Abraham de Sola to Isaac Leeser;February 19, 1857”, 1857-02-19, Isaac Leeser Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/leeser/item/65620