The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 19, 1904, Page 3

very hollow and overgrown with a tousied black beard, over which hung his long, silky pells, which frequently annoyed him when he bent forward to thread a needle. A skull cap invaria- bly crowned his head. The material of this cap was a puzzle to me. At first [ thought it was velvet because of its oss and blackness, but after closer ervation I found the gloss to have been chiefly due to the pressure of his under which he always wore his , in order (as he once explained to that he might not remain bare- ded when dellvering clothes in places where the removal of his cap would be necessary, so I changed my opinion. Groone was Menke's second love, an by no means had he been disappointed in hi# second venture, for in a little over seven months he had been blessed with a kaddish (a male child to y prayers after a dead parent). At first the continued existence of this kad- dish was gravely doubted; neverthe- i he grew tall and stcoped, and had as fine a pair of crooked shoulders as ever overtowered & folio of Talmud. His name was Samuel, which was fondly diminished by his mother to Shmulke, which his father, who talked through his nose—because that organ broken a little below the Semitic bridge—pronounced Shmun! and as the kaddish likewise talked through his e he also had difficulty infpronounc- g his own name, and therefore spoke himself &s Shmunke Menke Although Menke was very anxious to e a daughter (for as Grocne used to plain, she had enough bedclothes alf & dozen daughters), the “Lord had shut up her womb,” and Shmunke remained a ben-yocrid (an only son). Naturally, Shmunke “was given to the Lord all the days of his life,” and he was destined by his parents to become a rabbl. And the manner of the prophet there never came scissors upen head, so that at the time of m 1ing his acquaintance he could knot his pelis under his chin. He was now about 18 years old, and his mind was constantly rambling in the cul-de-sac of the Babylonian compflation. oms the > Kitchen, for 1d and wife, r shop, in which m sunrise till worl The s rcom; it was al- at. 1 was sup with him, but it so as practically min stayed in the yes joy his every day and the greater part ht, and shook himself and as his lungs would al volume of were only One served bedroom of the h d also for the tailc ne sat There two 1 s clean and 1 to share this ro d that it Shmunke extrem m had come to Groone ame her heavy opened md day after [ with these my room, smoothing and a little awkwardly rsation “Teploffker (most of th called by the came from), I hate to wple; you know, it is As I always say to my he live a hundred and me people like to im- natures quite the other way. We know cur station. Not like Beile Yente Mollie Zippe's, who thinks because her second cousin W R rabbl she is an aristocrat. 1 know full weil, if not for my Shmunke, who. Rabbi Brill said with his own holy mouth, is going to be a shining light in Israel, 1 would be no more than the people students v © name of the town they intrude upon not my nature. husband (may twenty ve pose, but our rs!) are ordinary working people. I admit that I would be no more than Yankle, Chaim or Todres. But when God blessed us with such a son—well, you can't help feeling a little proud, as the Talmud says—he! he! you will excuse me if I misquote it; I am only a woman (and her countenance assumed a smiling grimace), but I think it says that good children pull their parents out of the blazes of hell, and of course a person can’t help, you know, feeling a trifle elated over such a blessing. As I say, it is not in our nature, meither in mine nor in my husband (may he live a hundred and twenty years!)—but really what do you think of our Shmunke? Are there any brighter boys in the veshiva? Really, T am only a poor ignorant woir but is there anybody who knows more than Shmunke? And ** She suddenly checked herself and ith a beaming face she said: “I hear I nd I must be ck. M ing m covered with a white cioth and a dinner was set upon it. Menke d his wife never breakfasted on any- Yread 1 chi- meai (for th consisted of th: ce of herring and hed barley, When Shmu was in the house parents never talked above a whisner; then their thoughts seemed tered upon him i E while Shmunke pondered in th be cen- nigit, yeshiva Katia, Menke a mud, and while T si council regarding future. The subject , and their ta lows “Menke dialogue ommenc are you asleen? (Menke would stir in i evidently desirous of siumber.) you blockhead, you pe: vou straw-stuffed head, why not Men- the timber-merchantls daughter? not? (No repl from Menke.) teii me ecked world is'a lamden (a an learned in almud), who ow a water-mill, estates for Count collector, gnd has eniture’ law is the Jews in fully 70 vearseold, a man live? Think ould fall heir to. hle the cobble Zemach the water- W of us then—and They would simply with _jealousy. would get a'seat In the syn- to th Oren-Koc What! ycu are pot really snoring ue ¢n you! You burst on the t. And 1 sa daughter 0 one else.” seconds of silence would en- other bed thoug ochid’s the much the was always was would already hed, -thus the Menke, enke, brain, Why no sons still in ¥ sia.) Me and hew long d what Shmunke Imagine what Baril the carpen carrier wou who would hang thern Shmunk agogue neit existe elves A few sue. Not @ sound “Weil, Menke, did you dumb all ot a sudden?”’ “Oh, "T"told you a huudred time Menke would finally answer his nuse in a sleepy tone, ruthér bave Iy ron MArry a daughter than ihe daughter of ber merchant. What is wealth? As it stands in the Tehiim (Psalms): “For when Te dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory s descend after From the of his voice that h as from the deaf and - on his etbow, “Look here: Torah is the best merchandis The rabbl is aiso an aged man, the girl is his only child, and when he dles who will succeed him if he should have a son lke our Shmunke? Narrele (little fool),” he would proceed persuasively, “why should money dazsle your eves? Now think what our enemies would say secing our Shmunke with the rabbi’'s daughter under the chupa- (nuptial canopy).” < Little by little such eonversation would become more and more broken until nothing would be heard from the next room but the sonorous snoring of the pair, like trumpets out of tune. CHAPTER XV. THE *“SHA.” However great the contrast between the life T had led in the sudya's house and that I spent with these humble people, the next few months passed rapidly and almost happily. It is true the sacred fire which Katia had kin- dled in my young heart did. not simolder, and the ambition which she had aroused in me grew daily and took full possession of me; but I was con- scious of the heavy shackles that checked my movements, and was dis- creet enough to keep still when I real- ized that the raising of my voice would bring me no relief. T learned the ways and manners of my schooimates and became one of them. I learned to sway myself backward and forward and shout the Talmudic lcre at the top of my voice, *By and by I even learned to comdemn Rabbi Brill for being henpecked, and his young wife for curtailing the students’ sti- pends. ohraim was as commanding in this great institution as he had been in that dingy little Talmud-Torah. Here, tdo, he was the leading spirit, and was hated by Rabbi Brill and the other seminar als as he had been feared Shlomka Gazlen. Although the authorities- knew that he was violating every rule of the faculty, he was never molested on that score. But he frequently gdt himself into trouble by taking the part of others. \ few davs before the clese of the winter semester -the stipends of forty- five dents were reduced twenty par cent, and a ‘numbper 0f students who had becn caught reading books™ were given motice to resigm Ephraim promptly fook up the c: of his unfortunate fellow-students. - He cpenly condemned the actions of the rozh-h'shiva and agitated fearlessly among his classmates, The yeshiva was in a state of uprising. Students stood in groups about the campus, dis- cussing the state of affairs in excited tonesy hushing“at the appearance of Rabbi Brill and resuming as soon as he was out of sight; 7 -night we’ll ‘have’ the biggest Itabbi Brill ever*saw,” Ephraim ded to me one morning. “Uuless the stipend of students’ lodgings stopped’ at once, bbi Brill will stay there ‘all’ night, every window-pane of his house blame him?” 1-asked.;“1f the centributions to the stiperarfund have diminished, what"caj e de®’ “What can he do?”’ he burst out vehementiy. *You're the same chicken-hearted fel- old: you always believe ives in luxury, his wife school as of Tow 1d lavishes money onj otheér decrees. studenits they were directed could not be tolera- five poor shouid he suppress of enlightening books Aren’'t we our own mas- are to rufier the readin periodica ters?’ 1 urged him to abandon the plan, but THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. “prohibifed are raised and the raids, he sald sharply that I was just like a girl—afraid of everybody; and then he abruptly left me. In the evening, after prayers, every student resumed his studies as usual. Rabbi Brill, as was his wont, walked between the rows of desks, and up and down the long passage between the tall, white “four columns” which sup- ported the orlental structure. He moved slowly, his thumbs stuck rest- fully in his abnet, his streimel (round fur -hat) tiited back, and cast suspi- clous glances here and there. Present- ly Rabbi Brill reached his armchair, which looked like a kingly throne, and opened a pocket-edition volume of the mishna (a syllabic digest of the Tal- mud). Then suddenly, “Sh! Sh! hissed five hundred breaths. as guddenly all were hushed. Rabbi Brill leaped from his chair, and his ' energetic, ™powerful face clouded .with rage. He turned his piercing eyes right and left, but none of the students looked at him. “Sh! -Sh! Sh! Sh!” again came from all sides. like so many Missing snakes. The mashgiach slapped his desk wrathfully. - “Silence!” “he cried. “Silence!” shouted his assistant. But their commands did nothing to quiet the sibilant uproar. Rabbi BrilI’s anger seemed to be aroused to its highest pitch, but he still restrained his feelings, and con- tinued walking dcwn the passage be- tween the “four columns,” trying to subdue the class' with his looks. But of no avail, His patience gave way, and he cried out in his hoarse volce: “Stop hissing!" No One regarded him. Stamping of feet began to be heard at the farthest end of the hall. Ephraim, whe sat opposite me, joined in the stamping, and commented slapping the book be- fore him. Rabbi Brill paused in front of me, his patriarchal countenance white with wrath, and fixed his eyes tpon Ephraim. op that, you rasda he shouted, pointing his finger at Ephraim. . se the tipends!” responded Ephraim boldly, hissing and stamping his feet thg more, Rabbi Brill lifted his hand and let it fall twice on Ephraim’s cheek. The re- ports of the slaps hushed -the clads for @ second, but the pext fnstant the con- fus increased. - A prolonged whistle rang through the seminary. At once all the lights were turned out, and a shower of smashed” lamps and their chimneys came rattling to.the floor; benches, chairs, tables and everything breakable flew up in the air and came down with a crash; a large tank of water which stoud at the entrance was turned over; and above the clapping, stamping, shouting, whispering, and Hisging, the cry arose again and again ‘Raise the _weekly sti- “Ruige the weekly stipends! Rabbi Brili groped his way out of the darkmess, but the mashgiach and his ant, whe were less 'respected, beated and thrown bofily out of hall with 4 gEeat Qr:reng&y’_s cheer. As soon as the “sha” was overa com- njittee of arbitratien was t to the rosh-h'shiva, . Higer rather Ris young wife, immediatelgpgranted the raise of those, weekly wiipgnlis that had been reduced, but he would nct retract the The offense at which Sh! Sh!” And just ted in a Jewish theological school, he declared with tears in his eves, and he said that he wouid rather see the doors of the yeshiva closed forever than per- mit the reading of “pernicious books,” as he called novels and philosophic works. Ephraim saved others, but himself he could not save. The authorities could not over®ok the part he had taken in - this uprising, and immediately ordered his expulsion. One beautiful springlike morning a few days later a light cart moved slowly through the main street of Javolin, and after it came a long train of whistling, singing, shouting stu- dents. When the hilarious- procession réached the mail-coach road leading to Vilno the cart halted and all voices were hushed; all eyes were r: d to Ephraim, who mounted the ca®t. He waved his hat and expanded his chest, but for a moment it seemed~he could not give vent to his overflowing senti- ments. His eyes glowed like burning charcoal and his whole body quivered. Then he controlled himself and poured forth his {deas with all the passion d fire of his nature. He spoke of the w epoch which was beginning with the young generation, of fanaticism, of en- lightenment, and of the mysterious fu- ture. The audience listened breathlessly. When he had finished speaking they burst into a frenzy of cheering, and when the time c¢f departtire came every oge embraced and kissed him. Long after the happy gathering had returned to their crude sti long after the cart that carried b friend had disappeared from sight, I stood brooding by the roadside, with my head drooped over my che Just as I had stood on “Blocdy Hil years before, when Ephraim had me that time. I was again loft friendless, in T began to brood cver the past yearning the more after my sweet Katia, and longing after the boc I had rcad in her house, and (with in my heart do I record this) a faint hatred against the Talmud and against Jewish life generally struck roct in the depths of my hea left CHAPTER XVL THE The following summer wa ning of a great epoch in the the yeshiva, and also in the Russian Jew There ing—a ressurrection, the low-sunken race. » flood of en- lightenment that streamed from western lands swept even through the inclosures of the unc ttos, That summer the b d-minded mon- arch, the emancipator of the peasants, also showed his willi s to liberate the Jews. His fi step was to admit them to schools from which they had beeh barred. Hitherto the young p: ple had been restrained within by the demoniac clutches of fanaticism and without by the tyrannical hand of the Gqvernment. The announcement of the relaxation of the latter hed through the dingy Jewries like a new light. The yoeung generation was dazzled with the brifliancy of the opportunities for en- lightenment. that had dawned upon them. There was confusion in the synagogues and uprising in the ves- hivas. Children ran away from their fanatical parents; and young Talmud- ists from their wives. Haskolo! Has- kolo! (culture) .becawme the cry of the viung. Naturally the mashgiach and his “scouts” were now mbre active than ever and kept closer watch over the students on the “suspected list"—a list that included the very brightest stu- dents of the institution. It became a daily occurrence to search students’ rooms, break open their trunks, burn their “forbidden books, and expel \ REAWAKENING. the begin- s of all them from town that they might not corrupt others. But these acts of ty- ranny could not destroy the craving for the new thought. Prohibited literature continued to be read behind bolted doors and In sequestered spots of the §Y wcods which surrounded Javolin, and in spite of the mashgiach's careful scrutiny of the mall, “forbldden” books and journals continued to be smuggled in. It was even discovered that some of the contributors to the black-listed magazines were seminary students, who concealed their identity under fic- titious names. But in none of these acts of insubor- dination 4 I take part, nor did the least suspicion fall upon me. I never touched a literary book or a periodical, nor did I even breathe to any one that 1 could read Russian. The faculty wished me to study the Talmud and | the Talmud only, and I obeyed their rules religiously. I had had encugt trouble and now craved peace. I fol- lowed in the footsteps of my room- mate Shmunke, and little by lttle my mind became as dull and inactive as his. My only thought apart from the Talmud, and that only a fleeting one, was a fragmentary recollection of Katia and her father. Fanaticism had grown stronger and stronger in me un- til it had induced me to believe that to think of anything but the Talmud— even of Katia—was an unpardonable sin, and I scrupulously avoided all sins. But changes happen unexpectedly. It was late—near the first blush of morn- ing. I sat in the yeshiva, swaying my body over the Talmud and trying to unravel some knotty point. For there are many knotty points in that crude and marvelous Babylonian encyclo dia, t¢ which ghundreds of comment tors have copiously added knots in the earnest endeavor to simplify difficu es. There are Tesopheth am, the rosh, and nu hair-spliting expounders, each one whom is trying to straighten the othe only 'to beécome the more entang himsell. There is no end of questions and no end of answers, but the di- ca] question was never asked and never |§§ answered. But let me not fall into the Talmudic style, but proceed with my Only one other student still linger in the great class m—Nehemiah Ro- sencranz, a dark, slight young man of about 21 or 22, with a pair of nervous, ughtful eyes and tightly The younger boys looked him with a feeling which athounted to reverence. The m ach and his scouts would hardly has dared to search his room, even if they had suspected him of wrong-doing. Rabbi Brill often found himself per- plexed when Nehemiah would begin to questicn during a Talmudic Besides honor, he received a large sti- pend, which enabled him 'to live as comfortably as the richest boys of the school, I occasionally glanced across the room at Rosencranz. Several times I saw him peer around’ suspiciously. My curicsity was aroused and I watched him furtively. I soon detected that he was reading a little volume lying be- tween his large folio of Talmud with a guilty air like one counting counter- feits. I stole softly behind him, and glancing over his shoulder I saw that the characters of the book were Rus- sian. He was startled as he locked up, and hastily covered the pages of the book with both hands. “Don’t be afraid,” I said. “I merely wished to know what you were read- ing.” His face grew pale. pressed up to al At first he could 3 | FULL SCH OLASTIC DRESS AT BERK N cement day at Berke- ley the professors and instruct- ors of the University of Califor- nia and its Affiliated Colleges ap- pear in full scholastic dress. - To the vast throngs who usually attend these exercises the gowns are picturesque, put meaningless. Few realize that, like the uniform or trapvings of a na- val or military officer, the official gown of a college professor means something. pt styles of sleeves, the the welvet bands, the colors 1 have to the initiated a spe- significance. the gown of your favorite pro- sleeves or bell sleeves? hooc ced with white, blue or velvet, and is it lined with m or maroon silk? These and red questicns when answered uld tell where be was graduated and t degree he holds. There are three styles use—the bachelor’ i the doctor's. All of the wns are made of Dblack x material and, to the cas- the chief difference in ap- shape of the sleeves. gown, as worn by stu- the bachelor's de- sors holding only a s long pointed angel sleeyes of The master's gown reaching’ below the wre at the end and hasa curve at the back just . The front of the the arm coming .near the eibow. gown has full open bell his gown is faced down the broad have three ange of gowns in the mas- len ¢ 1 observer nee lies The bachelor dents about to tak sed bové the s 3 bars of velvet nes them. The doctor’s is be trimmed variation the only gown that “ith velvet, and here permitted. The vel- , or black edged, 3 ting th> depart- for medicine, or the vel- ¥ b2 whotly of the department as a black doetor’s gown faced scarlet velvet and with scarlet vet bars on the sleeves- for a doctor ivinity, or purple velvet ‘facings and bands for a LL.D. Velvet wholly of the dev~rtment color is considered the best usage. The caps are alike in shape, flat mor- tarboards, and are made of black eloth, though one nocw and thgn sees a velvet ands of velvet and ' s ‘cap. The gold tassel can be ly on a doctor's cap. hoods are worn in Brit- ish es and our American gowns are modeled after those worn in England. The-hoods worn at Oxford and Cambridge are picturesque, but the arrangement of colors is arbitrary and it remained for the American universi- to adopt a eode which would ren- departments and college colors in- telligible from Massachusetts to Cali- fornia, There are three styles of hoods, as of gowns: Bachelor’s, master's and doc- The hoods are black, with a silk lining of ihe oflicial color of the insti- tution granting the degree. All hoods # faced with velvet of a color that indicates from what department the de- gree was received. The colors for the varlous versity departments are: Arts and letters, white; philosophy, blu science, gold yeliow; medicine, gree pharmacy, olive; law, purple; theology, arlet; dentistry, lilac; veterinary science, gray; fine arts, brown; music, pink. There is usually a real or fancied his- tor’s. uni- torical basis for the selection of these colors. White “ur is used on the Ox- ford and ‘Cambridge A. B. gowns; blue for the degrees in philosophy is the color of truth and wisdom; gold vellow is emblematic of the wealth added to thc world by scientific re- gearch: medicine foliows the army regulution Of the green stripe on an army surgeon’s uniform; law uses the royal purple of the King's Court and theology the scarlet which for cen- turies Cardinals have worn as typical of their love and zeal for the faith; the Oxford doctors of music wear pink S T ST gy brocade. When you have noted the facing of the hood, look at its lining, for there the glory of college colors displays itself in full. It the college has one color, as the blue of Yale or the ma- roon of Chicago, the hood is lined throughout with silk of that color. If more than one color, as blue and gold for California or orange and black for Princeton, the hood lining is of one color, with a chevron of the other color. If there are more than two col- orsd!he double or treble chevron is used. ELEY = The college colors as worn by grad- uates of some of our leading Amer- ican institutions are arranged in hoods, as follows: University of Cali- fornia, gold, with blue chevron; Michi- gan, maize, with blue chevron: Johns Hopkins, black, with gold chevron; Princeton, orange, with black Yale, blue; Harvard, crimson brown; Cornell, carnelian, with white chevrons; Chicago, maroon; Columbia, light blue, with white chevron; University of Pennsylvania red, with blue chevrons; Stanford, cardinal. German universities do not use hoods, neither do they, in our under- standing of the term, have colors. Their colors are those of the German state in which the university is located. At a conference of professors, who were graduates of German universities, held in Chicago in 1895, it was decided that they would adopt the American system of caps and gowns and hoods, lining the hood with the appropriate wniversity color overlaid with a tri- chevron of the German national colbrs, black, white and red. The leading German universities are represented on Aderican faculties by their graduates wearing hoods lined for: University of Beriin, pur- ple with trichevron of black and red; University of Halle, w with trichevron of black, white red; University of Heidelberg, red with trichevron of black, white and red; University of Jena, green above gold with trichevron of black, white and fed; University of Gottigen, yel- low with trichevron of black, white and red. Professors holding degrees” from English universities sometimes wear an English hood, the red hood of the ioctor being most commonly seen. The wearing of a full scholastic dress is rather a new thing in the Uni- versity of California, President Wheel- er having introduced the American system used by all of our leading uni- versitjes. One has only to compaye the commencement processions of re- cent years with the metley display of Prince Alberts, cutaways and sack coats of former presidencies to realize how much more dignified the cap, gown and hood is. An old lady was hearqd to remark at last commence- ment: “How much finer looking these professors are than those they had a few years ago.” She did not realize that many of the men who nassed her had been on the faculty ten years. and