Letter from K. O. M. to Isaac Leeser;April 08, 1860 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from K. O. M. to Isaac Leeser;April 08, 1860

Author

K. O. M.

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Date Created

8 April 1860

Location(s)

Augusta

Philadelphia

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/p3c82510f/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3c82510f

Physical Characteristics

Unlined Paper

Wax Seal

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries

content

April 8th
Rev Isaac Leeser
Dear Sir
Imagination fertile in ways of tormenting as well as in ways of blessing, has fitted my mind with many fears as to the construction you would place on my silence; & therefore has caused me to be silent when duty & inclination both prompted me to reply. You seem to think that I have much leisure at command but you are mistaken I often cannot command an hour in the 24 to appropriate to myself & truly when your letter arrived I had mind & body so much occupied (& not pleasantly either) that I defered writing until I was in a better frame of mind & when I could I felt like a guilty one that had not firmness to confess her fault. Better feelings have come over me & if you will accept the Assurance that indifference did not actuated me & that I will do better in future. I will be again the punctual correspondent you were wont to call me. When you judge I have a great deal of leisure you no doubt identify in me a Southern Woman & one of easy circumstances; now let me undeceive you I am neither, although born, at the South; I have none of the indolence unjustly attributed to us—nor the means to indulge in it, if I wished. I have the charge of a large family, have many responsibilities, besides; have many pecuniary troubles, Educate two children at home, do all my own needle work; but above all: am in a society far above my means & among the like of Augusta. This latter circumstance, obliges me

to fritter away many hours that might be more profitably employed; and I am only reconciled to doing so, from the reflection that I neglect no duty (for writing you is a pleasure) my business correspondents all find me punctual & I should deprive my children of much pleasure & many advantages did I seclude myself from the world! You cannot tell, you cannot comprehend what sacrifices a ? mother is capable of making for her offspring! Besides you know I love reading & mine is a most heterogenous mass! I have injured my eyes so much, by reading late at night, that I now have to use glasses. I can honestly affirm, that unless in society that from 6 in the morning until 10 at night & some times 12 I am never unoccupied. I have been thus explanatory, for your letter would infer, that I plead an excuse for my indolence! Now that is not my besetting sin I assure you! What it is, I shall leave one of your pendration to discover. My two daughters are gone to Charleston, Set to be bridesmaid, at her cousins wedding & Rose to pass some time with her grandparents. Set intended replying to your letter but preparations for her departure have prevented; she will write you from Charleston. The criticism on the dying Hebrew will I fear deter the young aspirant from other communication for the present. I do not doubt their justice but few have energy to bear up against the criticism of one so capable as your-self. Why have no numbers but the 1st & 2nd of the miscellany been published? I am glad, that you have completed the 2 last numbers of the Pentateuch. Believe me my dear friend poverty, brings no deeper sting to me, than in depriving me of allmost all the religious works of the present days for I prize those I possess so highly; that I deeply regret I cannot increase my stock of Jewish publications. We have an excellent

collection of books, but at the time I was able to purchase a Library the Jews had sunk too deep in sloth & indifference to benefit their people. The Occident & miscellany are the only two I feel able to sub-scribe to, Mrs Hart sends me on the Voice of Jacob (& while I think of it) do say to her I have received no numbers since October. Mrs Henry gets hers & therefore I am no sufferer. Our Sunday School does not increase, in numbers, although Mrs Henry is indefatigable & I use every effort to promote its well doing. Out of 8 families I have relinquished sending their two children, not I believe from any cause, but because they are not strong in faith. The Jews certainly are a stiffnecked race & want much of that piety of heart, which would bear against worldly considerations. Will you tell me, whence we take the institution of having godfathers & mothers: as I can find no example in the bible. Do you consider it no harm to attend the Theatre or a Ball or any other public amusement on the Sabbath? Do you judge the Sabbath properly kept when spent in gossiping from one house to another after the duty of Public Worship is over? By what form are Jewesses allowed to become members of the Synagogue & at what age? If they are not allowed to join at all, there can be no religious form, which gives man the right; for certainly in no part of the Sacred book, do we find women deprived of the hope of eternal salvation & the same course that would fit man for a celestial abode would I should hope entitle women. Do you know a Miss Hendricks from Philadelphia she lives with her aunt Mrs Levy, her family reside here, she seems to be ladylike & industrious & has much capacity for earning a support She has with her sister opened a fancy store on a small scale but will I hope do well we are much interested for her. She is a regular attendant of the Sabbath School, where we assemble & Mrs Henry & myself read the morning Service. We adopted this course because we found

it would collect together the few Jewesses here & the children would be more deeply impressed by preparing them to attend at a given place to hear the service read than in their own houses. Another motive influenced us living among gentiles we were subject to interruptions (which although I never allowed to interfere with me) were unpleasant
I hope as soon as the duties of the Passover are finished you will will write me a long pleasant letter to convince me the mantle of Charity is always thrown over the faults of your friends What a purifying festival this is if we would only cleanse our internal house as we do our worldly abode there would be but little fear of a blessed hereafter. Your sincere friend KOM

Revnd Isaac Leeser
Philadelphia

I have written in such haste & so badly that I would like to destroy this but then I might delay it for a while so with all its imperfections let it go. Remember me to my friends my son will soon collect yr subscription money & forward it. My son Philip has located in La Grange a small town in Georgia he has opened a Drug Store & is read-ing medicine during his leisure hours. I am so pleased that he is in the same state with me that although 250 miles seperate us I dare not murmur. We have it quite cold & rainy our winter has been very severe

Identifier

LSDCBx2FF7_17

Date

1860-04-08