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THE soi-disant "London Clergyman" has sent another letter, (taking the same improper liberty as in the last case,) in which he endeavours to justify the accusations preferred against this Magazine of traducing the characters, maligning the motives, and falsifying the words, of clergymen. The proof he offers is a paragraph in the January number containing remarks on-whom does the reader suppose? whom will he conjecture to be the unhappy clergyman so traduced ?-on the "Record" newspaper! Now, no excuse can be offered for falsifying the words of a public journal, if this has been done; but what becomes of the accusation of traducing the characters of individuals? Whose character is traduced when a paragraph in a newspaper is commented on, which is not only anonymous, but the authorship of which can scarcely even be guessed at? For even where there is one chief editor, he must always have assistance; and very many leading articles, even in great newspapers, are sent by persons of ability, wholly unconnected with the paper. In the case of the "Record," as the editor understands, it has lately been stated, that there are no less than fourteen persons concerned more or less in the management. But was any wrong done to the "Record?" Two statements about it were made. The first simply re-stated in two or three lines what had been stated by Mr. Perceval in a long letter with his name in November last. The "London Clergyman," therefore, in his zeal for the "Record," had better turn on Mr. Perceval, and see whether he can convict him of having "maligned the motives and falsified the words and labours" of the "Record," before he uses such hard words to those who fully rely on Mr. Perceval's high character for their authority. The second statement was to the effect-that the "Record had half insinuated and half said that Dr. Pusey and his friends would bring in popery openly when they were strong enough, and that they had now jesuits in disguise among their followers. Now this is a question of fact, and the Editor willingly remits judgment on it to any one who will turn over a file of the "Record" during last autumn, in perfect confidence that the assertion will be borne out to the full extent. There was one sentence more to this effect. The "Record" spoke of the jesuits, who are said (and with every appearance of truth) to have been sent into this country during the great rebellion, in order to preach all sorts of wild doctrines, and thus weaken the church by breaking men into various parties. The remark made on the writers in the "Record" was, that the tendency of their proceedings was so entirely to cause and increase divisions, and to inflame churchmen against each other, that they acted far more like those jesuits than any friends of Dr. Pusey's. This was the whole contained in the paragraph cited by "the London Clergyman," and this is the ground on which an anonymous writer chooses, with all the bitterness of personal hostility, to charge this Magazine with traducing the characters, maligning the motives, and falsifying the words, of his brethren the clergy. It is curious enough that the "Record" of last week charges it against the "British Magazine" as a crime, as a part of party tactics, that it is particularly civil and courteous on all occasions to popular preachers and dignitaries of the evangelical party, only hinting that on some points it does not agree with them, and never saying anything harsh except of curates or persons of no name!* Utri creditis? Is the " British Magazine" the traducer of the character of all evangelical clergy, or is it most carefully civil and complimentary to all the popular clergy and dignitaries of that class? Of the rest of this letter no notice can be taken. It is wholly personal, and ob This is not the wisest accusation imaginable. The Editor is quite sure that, as far as any intention goes, it is untrue. But it is very likely that an evangelical dignitary, from age, experience, and sense of what is due to his station, states his opinions with courtesy, moderation, and regard for other men's feelings, while a young, thoughtless man, or one whose powers of mind are not such as to win a name for him, exercises no judgment, or has none to exercise, and says all he has to say in the most offensive way. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. viously the dictate of personal bad feeling arising from some supposed offence. As The following have been received :-" Clericus Felix," "M. A.," 66 "B. L. I." "W. H. E. R." Anglo Some lines by "W. H. W." have been received. Many thanks for the kindly continued supply from Bunsen's Hymns. They are used only occasionally. As those which relate to festivals have not arrived in time to be printed before those seasons, the Editor takes the liberty of printing them when most convenient. A letter on Temperance Societies and Fasting has been received. The writer's real name is given in a private note; but he has contrived to cover his signature for the Magazine so completely by his seal, that his letter cannot be acknowledged by that signature. Mr. Evans's second letter has been received, but was too late for this month. "A. B." is thanked for his communication. poses, would be thankfully received. Any brief reports, such as he purnames distinctly? In his present communication three or four persons have been Would he be kind enough to write the proper unable to agree in decyphering the principal name; but it is hoped that this has been correctly accomplished. If not, perhaps he will be kind enough to correct it. Nothing offends persons so much as printing their names incorrectly; but there is often no guessing at proper names. The following was received too late to be placed elsewhere :— SIR,-In your Magazine for April 1833, page 417, appears an extract from some churchwardens' accounts, which are very curious and interesting, and one in particular:-" For vii ballyts consarneng ye Rebells, to be soung viid." This occurs in 1570, immediately after the rebellion of the two Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland; which was the last attempt, by open force, to overturn the protestant religion. As a curious history of this rebellion is now in the press, from original documents, the Editor would feel particularly obliged if your learned correspondent "Archæophilus" would state from whence he drew these memorials. None of these ballets have come down to us; the British Museum possesses nothing of the kind; and the only ballet known on the subject was written many years afterwards, on the death of Egremont Radclyffe,[brother to the Earl of Sussex, commander of the Queen's forces at York. Radclyffe deserted his brother at York, and joined the standard of the rebels at Brancepath. He died on a scaffold at Namur, in 1578; and his death is commemorated by a "ballet." pondent must have been written immediately after the rebellion; and if any could be But the ballets named by your corres. discovered at present, they would be highly valued, and placed on record, by your obedient servant, X. Y. THE BRITISH MAGAZINE. MAY 1, 1838. ORIGINAL PAPERS. THE SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF THE RABBINIC JEWESS. THE progress of Jewish reform has created schools for Jewish female children, both free schools for the poor and establishments of a higher order for the wealthy. But who ever heard of a female school amongst old-fashioned Rabbinical Jews? or who ever saw a Rabbinical schoolmistress or a Rabbinical Jewess who gained a livelihood by teaching? The female schools in London, in Germany, in Warsaw, have all emanated from the power of Christian example, or the direct influence of the government; they are not the natural offspring of Rabbinism, and consequently where this system still reigns, as in the East and Poland generally, they are not to be found. Very many of the Jewish female children do not learn to read at all. Those that do learn are not taught by one of their own sex, but by a melammed, or a rabbi, or a tutor. In very rare instances they learn to translate Hebrew, but in general they only learn to read the words, that they may be able to repeat prayers which they do not understand. In Poland, they learn besides to read the vernacular dialect, and frequently also to write it, as they are much employed in shopkeeping, and sometimes manage all the worldly business, that the husband may give himself unreservedly to the study of the Talmud; and this last circumstance shews, if it were not abundantly attested by the high degree of mental cultivation and accomplishment commonly found amongst the Jewesses in Germany, that this want of education is not to be ascribed to any defect in the Jewish female mind, but to some external cause. The spirit of Rabbinism it is which degrades womankind, and does not suffer her to exercise the faculties which God has given. Rabbinism lays it down as an axiom, that to study the law of God is no part of a woman's duty, and that to teach his daughters the word of God is no part of paternal obligation. "Women and slaves are exempt from the study of the law." "A woman who learns the law has a reward, but it is not equal to the reward which the man has, because she is not VOL. XIII.-May, 1838. 3 P commanded to do so. But though the woman has a reward, the wise men have commanded that no man should teach his daughter the law, for this reason, that the majority of women have not got a mind fitted for study, but pervert the words of the law on account of the poverty of their intellect. Every one who teaches his daughter the law is considered as guilty as if he taught her transgression. But this applies only to the oral law. As to the written law, he is not to teach her systematically; but if he has taught her, he is not to be considered as having taught her transgression.' Rabbinism teaches that a woman is unfit to give legal evidence, and classes her amongst those who are incapacitated either by mental or moral deficiencies. "There are ten sorts of disqualification and every one in whom any one of them is found is disqualified from giving evidence; and these are theywomen, slaves, children, idiots, the deaf, the blind, the wicked, the despised, relations, and those interested in their testimony."+ Rabbinism excludes women from being counted as part of the synagogue congregation. Unless there be minian, that is, a congregation of ten, there can be no public worship of God, but the Rabbies have decided, "that these ten must all be men, free, and adult ;" so that if all the Jewesses in the world could be gathered into one synagogue, they would all count as nothing, and unless there were ten men present, the minister of the synagogue would not read prayers for them. Rabbinism teaches, that to be a woman is as great a degradation as to be a heathen or a slave, and provides the same form of thanksgiving for deliverance from womanhood as from heathenism or slavery. The Jew says every day in his prayers, "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God! King of the universe, who hath not made me a heathen. Blessed art thou, O Lord our God! King of the universe, who hath not made me a slave. Blessed art thou, O Lord our God! King of the universe, who hath not made me a woman."§ Rabbinism, where it is not corrected by the influence of Christianity, allows polygamy, and decides that "A man may marry many wives, even a hundred, either at once, or one after another, and his wife cannot prevent it, provided that he is able to give to each suitable food, clothing, and marriage duty."|| Rabbinism allows the greatest facility of divorce. "The school of Shammai says, A man is not to divorce his wife unless he shall find some uncleanness in her, for they interpret the verse (Deut. xxiv. 1) according to its simple meaning. The school of Hillel thinks, that if a woman let the broth burn it is sufficient, for they interpret the words, 'a matter of uncleanness,' to mean, either uncleanness, or any other matter in which she has offended him. But Rabbi Akiva thinks, that a man may divorce his wife if he only find another handsomer than she is...... But the legal decision is according to the school of Hillel, that is, if a wife sin against her husband, he may divorce her."¶¶ The Hilchoth Talmud Torah. Orach. Chaiim, sect. 55. + Hilchoth Eduth. c. ix. 1. Jad Hachasakah, Hilchoth Ishuth., c. xiv. 3. Arbah Turim, Hilchoth Gittin., i. The reader who wishes to see more on these subjects, may read “ Old Paths," p. 181-192. |