Letter from Bernhard Henry Gotthelf to Isaac Leeser;June 20, 1854 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from Bernhard Henry Gotthelf to Isaac Leeser;June 20, 1854

Author

Bernhard Henry Gotthelf

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Date Created

20 June 1854

Location(s)

Louisville

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 5 page(s) on 4 sheet(s).

Letter

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Hebrew

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p39z90z1w/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p39z90z1w

Physical Characteristics

Unlined Paper

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries

content

Hebrew

Hebrew

Louisville, Ky., June 20. 1854.
Very honored Mr. Leeser:
In the hope that it would be possible to send you the money collected for the Bible and the “Occident”, I postponed my writing to you from week to week. The punishment for my waiting is that in spite of the efforts, the success is a very insignificant one. The following of your subscribers are already in possession of your work, and i beg of you to take notice of this: Emanuel Lieberman, $8.; M. L. Sale, $10.; S. Bamberger, $8.; G. I. Jessel, $10.; Emanuel Bamberger, $10.; S. Ullman, $10.; L. Lowenson, $8.; M. Straus, $12.; Abraham Dinkelspiel, Jr., $10.; A. Dinkelspiel, $8.; Jacob Wurzburger, $10; Ch.Lichten, $10.; S.Maas, $8.; H. Seliger, 8.; S.Bach, 8.; Sol Hart, 8.; S.Selliger, 8.; Rev. Anderson (who removed to the country since) 8.; Benjamin M. Crump, 8—B. H. Gotthelf, 8.
All together 24 to whom I have already delivered it. Since then the following men have moved from here: David Dinkelspiel to California, H. Stern, to Ohio, L. Silverman to Indiana. I still have to deliver to the following: M. Godshaw, who is noe in New York on a buying trip, M. A. Kohn, in New Albany, and B. Sachs, who denies from beginning to end that he ever subscribed. I shall still find the opportunity to send them to Stern and Silverman.
For the past four months, I am running around to collect for you and only the following have paid me: E. Lieberman, $8.; M. L. Sale, $10.; S. SELLIGer, $8.; Abraham Dinkelspiel, $10—together therefore $36.
I was in Albany and they have no money there. Most of them promised to pay towards the end of July and August, when their heavy bus-iness payments will have been attended to. I cannot possibly go the same man three or four times for I feel that he might develop a bad opinion of me. One would not have thought that such a small matter would make any difference to people but when I tell you that Emanuel Bamberger, a man with a capital of $50,000, refused to pay me for that reason, less wealthy men are not to be surprised at. Aside from that many, like Lich- Finished Lich-ten

2
ten, Sol Hart, Bach, Godshaw, Ullman, etc., are not even here. Herewith you receive all that I have. Add to that $9.75 which I spent for you. The check cost me 60 cents.
I have not sold a single copy of Dias down to the present time. Of prayer books, I haven't received any and those that I requested, you need not send until about Rosh Hashonnah. The bill which you sent me in your letter of — cannot possibly be correct. Have the goodness to look through the records again, and all the letters which I sent you since 1850. Note these and let me know. After that I shall try to adjust all that is missing. In your subscription lists for the “Occident” there is such a confusion that I am quite unable to make anything of it. When I canvass, no one outside of your older subscribers wants to hear anything about it, or owe anything for it. when you realize your decision again to make a trip to the west, it will probably be advantageous for you in every respect. You have not answered my last letter, in which I asked you to suggest a subject for our school which is about to be built. Per-haps this was due to your waiting for the letter I promised you, but I could not write it for the reason that uncertainty continued to hang over the entire project. It may still fail. We have elected an English teacher, whose duties are to commence at the first of September, at a salary of $600. a year, but the projected schoolhouse has not yet been begun. In a very short time I shall be able to inform you how things are going in this respect. I hope to God that the plan will not fail. And now, my dear Mr. Leeser, I want to tell you something about my private affairs. Since the appearance of the last “Occident”, I have received letters from San Francisco, not officially, but from several f friends who advise me to try to get the position there. What do you think about it? Will you advise me to do so, and will you also perhaps help me? These are the best years of my life. I have a good position 6-20-1854

3
here and perhaps even a secure one. But to this day I am still as poor as 5 years ago and every year I have to depend upon the uncertain favor of every ass. Perhaps I ought to be careful and not seek after that po-sition. Perhaps you can let me know the exact conditions and tell me f frankly whether you consider me sufficiently fitted or not and whether you will recommend me for it. Since my stay here I have had unusual practice in the matter of preaching and without being immodest I think I can say that I perfected myself in it. I feel that I can fill that position. Please write to me about it as soon as possible.
Dr. Wise was here. His books are practically all lying around here. His subscribers do not want to take them up. Personally and in writing, he asked me to do something about it, but I explained to him unhesitating-ly that it was contrary to my principles to further in any respect a work so destructive of Judaism.
Write by return post to your servant and friend,
B.H.Gotthelf
This afternoon, a contract was signed for a schoolhouse. It cost $3300. and is to be built upon the community's property, behind the synagogue, 45 feet front and 60 feet deep, 4 small rooms below and a large hall above, occupying the entire space. 6-20-1854

Identifier

LSDCBx2FF1_61

Date

1854-06-20