Show JEWISH FEAST commemorates THE deliverance OF JEWS FROM BONDAGE formerly feast was celebrated by the holding of carnivals and masked balls feast of purim the jewish people in cannot very well celebrate their feasts by assemblages semb lages here they have no synagogues but their holidays and feasts can bo celebrated by little home gatherings and this they do in this city the feast of purim has just been closed or rather the time of the feast for it has hardly been noticeably observed in thia city the feast commemorates the deliverance of the jews from the bondage of according to the story as told in the book of esther a multitude of jews were carried into the domains of this great king and made to suffer as slaves in the height of their oppression the prince diaman became a power in the kingdom and persuaded the king to issue an edict putting all the jews to death As the order of the king was being circulated throughout tha land esther his queen herself a jew acye raed him in his purpose had mordecai one of her own countrymen elevated to a princes power and caused diaman to be hanged from the gallows he had prepared for the persecuted with her assistance the jews were enabled to turn upon those who would have joined with hainan in their persecution to put them to death and make them delves powerful inthe in the land of their ene iglesi wherefore says the book of esth cr they called these days purdin after the name of pur that is the lot and the jews ordained and took upon and upon their aeed and upon all such as joined themselves unto them as jt should not fail that they should keep these two days according to their writing and according to their appointed time every year and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation every family every province and every city and that these days of purim should not fall from among tho jew nor the memorial of them kerisli from their seed ad it is in obedience to this command that the jews to this day in all carls of the world commemorate the feast of purim formerly the feast was celebrated by the holding of carnivals and mask balls it has become the custom however of late years to celebrate the occasion by services in the synagogues by sending presents to the and giving ahe proceeds of which are devoted to charity |