Letter from Isidor Bush to Isaac Leeser;October 06, 1853

Title: Letter from Isidor Bush to Isaac Leeser;October 06, 1853
Author: Isidor Bush
Contributor: Isaac Leeser
Location(s): St. Louis; Philadelphia
Format: Letter. 2 page(s).
Type: Letter
Language(s): English
Physical Characteristics: Manuscript
Is Part Of: The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries
content: St Louis October 6th 1853/5604
Revd Isaac Leeser
Pha
Dear Sir
With great pleasure I acknowledge the receipt of your favor of the 20th ? and thank you for the kind inquiries and friendly wishes concerning my father. He arrived last spring safely in New York and I met him there we sold parts of the Books he had brought with him though at a sacrifice to some N. Y. hebrew Book sellers. This kept us so long there that I had to forego the pleasure of visiting you in Pha. And to return the shortest route to this city, where I established since a pretty large Hardware Business. The opening of this new business deprived me of all leasure either to write you and for your monthly, or to get you any subscribers. The latter is moreover a very difficult thing, our correligionaries being either too indifferent or perhaps too poor to pay for it. Of the two subscribers which you mention the one (Mr. Nuttenwieser) is as you justly suppose either in California or Europe, or may be pedling among the Indians; and the second (Mr Block) is among the blessed that have changed this life for a more perfect one.
I enclose herewith $5.00, which I hope you will accept as payment in full for the one copy which I receive
I will try to get—if possible—payments from the heirs of Mr Block and send you the amount as soon as received.
You have the kindness to ask my views on your changing the Occident into a weekly paper. I believe that most of your subscribers will be pleased with such a change and you will probably get some new subscribers by it, besides you would get more advertisements, the greatest aid for every periodical; but I doubt that it would even then prove a profitable speculation.

In my opinion—which may altogether wrong—you could succeed if your paper becomes the exponent of the sentiments and views of the majority of our people here, if it adapts itself to the ? of our times, if it was a paper for American Jews;
As an advocate of the Jews of the middle age, of absolute views and customs, of sentiments that exist but in very few (and among these few mostly such as your orthodoxie will not deem sufficient it will receive but little support).
There are among those who support your paper certainly many that differ widely with its views and tendency—but like it for its undisputed great merits, for the many excellent pages it contains for the high esteem which they bear to it able conductor notwithstanding this difference of opinions and sentiments in many points.
I hope you will excuse the frankness with which I give you my unpretending opinion
and will accept with friendly feelings
my best wishes to the next year
and the assurance of
my respect & affection,
with which I remain yours
Isidor Bush
Identifier: LSDCBx1FF10_72
Date: 1853-10-06

Part of Letter from Isidor Bush to Isaac Leeser;October 06, 1853

Isidor Bush, “Letter from Isidor Bush to Isaac Leeser;October 06, 1853”, 1853-10-06, Isaac Leeser Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/leeser/item/69152