Letter from I. P. Abrams and Isaac Hart to Isaac Leeser;November 26, 1856

Title: Letter from I. P. Abrams and Isaac Hart to Isaac Leeser;November 26, 1856
Author: I. P. Abrams | Isaac Hart
Contributor: Isaac Leeser
Location(s): New Orleans; Philadelphia
Format: Letter. 4 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).
Type: Letter
Language(s): English
Has Format: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3ng4hj13/manifest.json
Link to Colenda: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3ng4hj13
Physical Characteristics: Lined Paper; Manuscript
Is Part Of: Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Isaac Leeser Collection
content: New Orleans Novb 26th 1856 (5617)
Revd Isaac Leeser
Phila
Dear friend
I avail myself of the first leisure moment to devote it to you Your long & I may add painful Letter dated the 4th inst came duly to hand I say painful for it is to me to notice from your remarks that after so many years as you have laboured in the Jewish Cause our people do not appreciate your worth if they do they take a strange way of showing it. Mr Jonas sent me a number of plain & Gilt Bibles & I have only disposed of one ($2.00) Your offer to issue a weekly paper & not a simple prospect is returned to you. this is under cause for your serious reflection & I sincerely trust & hope you will be induced to enter the Ministry again by your friends in Phild. offering you every inducement to do so. See what time I have had your Books on hand & fearing the Dampness of the climate might ruin them was the cause of my selling a sett to Mr Kursheedt for $20.00. but thus far he has failed to pay for them. I want you to write a feeling letter to John M Bach requesting him to pay his dues to the Occident He is well off & your request may have more effect than my frequent solicitation tell him your situation burnt out &c & send Bill at same time, I should be sorry to see you retire from the field of Literature nothing would be more pleasing to your Enemies but still with no limited encouragement

it would with disgust drive 99 our of 100 to the determination not to cater any longer for our people. You must not blame all for I know many that would willingly become subscribers to your New York but they are so heavily taxed to support our various Institutions besides being Members of other associations that they (say) cannot afford to increase their expenses Its useless to refer back to what is past but I cannot refrain from here alluding to the advice I gave you some few years since to give your reading lighter matter stories “to be continued” &c. You are no longer in the era of years ago & must conform to what makes man act contra to his sober & better calculations. Ask your subscription List of the Occident on how many of our Sincerely Religious Jews it depends on to support the Occident. Hence the necessity of dropping so much Heavy matter which I will candidly tell you I never read nor do I believe any other Individual in this City. what then is to induce new subscribers or to retain the present ones now Leeser this I tell you. The Advocate must appear & take my advice unless you intend to Drop the Co?nomer of Editor. You must drop the Occident & in its stead send the Advocate to every Subscriber start not at my proposition your Enemies can yet be outflanked if you will go to work right give us the Advocate & in it if possible a sheet in the German Language & I will stake my Existence on your Subscription list soon equalling your best

should you conclude to publish the Advocate I wish to send you a list of many in the Country—to send the first number to, I have read the two first numbers of the Voice of Israel published by Revd Mr Bien? & Henr Labatt at San Francisco. Have you hear favoured with the same. Since you first started a Jewish Periodical how many has allowed; Our Home for Jewish Widows & Orphans is steadily increasing in its number of Inmates & if they increase so rappidly in a short period additional Buildings will be required. I presume the Anniversary will be the 8th January/57 being the day of its Dedication We give no Dinner but with an oration (I presume Gerthom?) & a light repast shall pass the day with the Widows and Orphans,. I have no other news to write “local” I feel proud of the Board Elected by the Pourtugese Congregation. Mr Jonas attending the school & no doubt with the other officers will do all they can for the Interest of the Institution to show you how they appreciate Gutheim?. The Congregation have just increased my Salary from $2000 to $2400 a year with the Letter informing him of this fact the same time a Letter of approval of his Course during the period they have had him with them the letter concludes “Wishing you Recd. In long life & Happiness I am further instructed to inform you that the Board of Officers are instructed to furnish you with what means you may require to furnish your House now completed & ready for your occupancy Signed
I P Abrams
Treasurer
11-26-1856 E

I may not give you the exact words for the substance as I hurried to read over them. I need not tell you our worthy friend Gutheim is highly pleased & deservedly so; for he is a fine young man & we all love him. The Rev Mr Seine is a candidate for Reelection but I shall not vote for him He is not the man I like for a Minister If Mr a Block wishes a copy of Dias's Letters He knows where I am & so excuse me I will not send it to Him I cannot & will not humour there pople (you mean Mr a Block in this city do you not)— well I must close my time is so occupied as to prevent my writing to any but yourself in private matters so excuse my hurried scrawl. Beleive me Leeser your ever devoted friend
Isaac Hart
Miss Hart & family I am in Love
Identifier: LSKAP0227
Date: 1856-11-26

Part of Letter from I. P. Abrams and Isaac Hart to Isaac Leeser;November 26, 1856

I. P. Abrams | Isaac Hart, “Letter from I. P. Abrams and Isaac Hart to Isaac Leeser;November 26, 1856”, 1856-11-26, Isaac Leeser Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/leeser/item/68929