Letter from Moses N. Nathan to Isaac Leeser;May 01, 1866

Title: Letter from Moses N. Nathan to Isaac Leeser;May 01, 1866
Author: Moses N. Nathan
Contributor: Isaac Leeser
Date Created: 1 May 1866
Location(s): Saint Thomas; Philadelphia
Format: Letter. 4 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).
Type: Letter
Language(s): English; Hebrew
Has Format: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3rf4t/manifest.json
Link to Colenda: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3rf4t
Physical Characteristics: Unlined Paper; Manuscript
Is Part Of: Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Isaac Leeser Collection
content: St. Thomas 1st May 1866.
Revd. Isaac Leeser
Philadelphia
My dear Sir
It is a long time since I had the pleasure of hearing from you. Your time is, I suppose, as usual, pretty well occupied with your numerous public and private duties, and as, in addition, you have to chaperone your nieces, your silence is not surprising. There is nothing new to communicate respecting religious matters. The question whether the Representatives and minister combined are to decide on the admissibility or not of the required changes and modifications in public worship, or whether the minister alone, has not yet been decided by the Government. The affair is therefore in status-quo. Meanwhile the small minority identified with the origination of the measure, commonly called Mr. Clorio's? clique, keeps away from the Synagogue, tho', occasionally, its

members are seen in their places. Their chief and I are not on intimate terms however. I have done, according to the admission of his own friends, all that a man and a minister of religion can do, to reconcile past differences, not of my creating, but as he is an impracticable man, I have now come to the inflexible resolution of refusing all further overtures, and to avoid all risk of prospective disputes, certain of occurring if we are on speaking terms, I shall say “Hebrew. Our public services, particularly on Sabbath mornings, continue to be well-attended, and Quietness reigns in the Congregation.
The news of our late lamented friend Mrs. Ostermans' death gave Mrs. N. and me a great shock. She was all you described her. What a melancholy termination of a noble life. We loved her as a dear sister, and the time we lived in her house ?, and she another sister in ours at W/O, were some of our happiest days on earth. We often recur to those times with that sadness and regret inseparable

from the thought that they are passed and gone to return no more. Be good enough to send me the address of Mrs O's sister Hannah. The Pollack's will be able to tell you, but I know not where they live in Pa. How goes on your plan for a college in your city! I observe that the situations in the southern congregations are not yet filled. There must ever be a difficulty in the way of getting proper men until the college be established. With the change of the season, to the great heat felt in this place from May till now, my liver begins to trouble me. If the complaint should become as troublesome as it was in 64, I most certainly will have to take a trip to the states for a month or two. My good old assistant, Chazan Maduro, is, I fear, almost past duty. He is now 68 years old, and a long neglected hernia is making sad havoc with his constitution. He has scarcely done any duty the last 5 months. The whole falls on me. I do not mind the labor for the sake of the old gentleman, who, if super ? and pensioner, will lose perhaps more than half his salary,

But I also begin to feel after 32 years residence, almost, in place-like St. Thomas, Jamaica, and New Orleans, a want of former rigor and strength. I have not the energy of former days, at a time when I require it more than ever to accomplish a certain object I have long had in view. We manage to have service every night of the Hebrew, the same as last year, and 4 services from Friday evening to sabbath evening. So we are not so bad after all. I coincide entirely with your arguments against the new views of Geiger. But the agitation of such questions keeps alive Jewish attention to the mosaic Religion, and prevents that apathy and indifference more destructive to its progress than erroneous theories.
Plenty of opportunities offer themselves monthly for writing me a few lines. The Brazilian, Venezuelean, and ? steamers bring mails from the states every month. Mrs. Nathan, her mother, and David join with me in best wishes. Hoping this will find you in health, and with remembrances to old inquiring friends, I am, Yours sincerely
M N Nathan

The above text refers to Occident Volume 24 No. 3 page 144. Click here to view.
Identifier: LSKAP0026
Date: 1866-05-01

Part of Letter from Moses N. Nathan to Isaac Leeser;May 01, 1866

Moses N. Nathan, “Letter from Moses N. Nathan to Isaac Leeser;May 01, 1866”, 1866-05-01, Isaac Leeser Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/leeser/item/69028