THE MONTEFIORE COMMEMORATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1045, 9 January 1884, Page 4

THE MONTEFIORE COMMEMORATION.

Sf •; ; ♦ November 8, at Ramsgate, was a day looked forward to anxiously by thousands. The Bth of Chesvan, Sir Moses Montefiore’s birthday by the: Hebrew calendar,- dawned inauspiciously, but the day turned out bright and sunny. The first telegram which 5 was, passed oyer the wires was a mes- < sage from the Queen to Sir Moses Montefiore, conveying Her Majesty’s congratulations to the venerable owner of East Cliff Lodge. The words of Her Majesty’s telegram were:—“l congratulate you sincerely ori your entry upon the hundredth year of yOur honorable and useful life.” A similar telegram was received from the Duke of Edinburgh. When Her Majesty’s telegram arrived at Fast Cliff Lodge a Hebrew choir,, composed of Mr Jewish school and Mr Aloofs choristers, who had been serenading Sir Moses by chanting the Psalms in Hebrew, concluded by chanting the National Anthem. The whole of the .iea froht frora the East Cliff to the end of the West Cliff —from the coastguard Station beyond the Granville Hotel to the cliff overlooking the bay to Dealhad been made gay with flags. All business \|as dismissed for the day. At the a display ofbunting. At the seaside sta■'c theu London, Chatham and

Dover railway a salute of fog signals ;first visitors from ;Lon‘^bh^,including deputationsfrom Hebrew and Christian communities. There was early service in the synagogue, conducted by the Rev H. Shandel, and after the midday hour second service was held, at which the Rev F, Mylra ahd the Rev H. Shandel officiated. It was hoped that Sir Moses Montefiore would be able to attend the service held after the noonday hour; and, indeed, he urgently desired him"ffeiftb* attend, but his medical attendant, Dr Woodman, forbade him, and

a service was then held in his own es :fpppa.; !l rSir Moses put on a new' prayer p; i :Bcais , fWOVen especially for him by Mrs Israel, the daughter of the Chief Rabbi. It was touching to all who were near to mark the fervour with which the venerable baronet recited the blessing scribed in the service, “ Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, who has preserved me and; kept me alive, and permitted me tb’reach this day.” The Revi,l)r, Hermann Alder, the son of the Chitsf Rabbi then recited the psalm Ixxi. (“ In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust j let me never be put to confusion”), and at the end of each passage, in which the Psalmist declares that God is his hope, and prays that his mouth may be filled with «Thy praise and Thy honor all the iay,” Sir Moses responded with a fervent “ Amen.” A special prayer,

composed by the venerable Chief Rabbi ;;wiisDfJifeh tbasL n Sit Moses was deeply affected by the reference in the prayer to Judith, Lady Montefiore, the faithful partner for more than half a cen-Atu4ry-of his' life. The service ended wilh a recital of. Psalm cxi. (“Praise ye I ‘will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”) At the midday service held in the -synagogue the same prayers were given, the Rev. Dr Hermann Adler read

the special prayer, which was heard

with deep interest and emotion. Sir i'MSWS*/ it ’inay, be i observed, had re''quested that the service in the synagogue should precede any festivities. -vAt Iheipresentalion of addresses which followed; Sir Moses Montefiore, in a tiembling with emotion, said his power prevented him from exhis deep appreciation ofall the kindnesses which had been showered -dtpoouhim. • [Here some of his friends osaidj’ 4f Sit ■ down, Sir Moses;” and the 7 *phefahle; gentleman replied, ‘‘ I cannot pSrf.down' while my friends are stand- ' Sir Moses then asked that the f be readao him, and the LwiprdSiWere read over to the attentive ; Irpteaerby • the Rev Shirley Woolraer, .of St George’s, Sir Moses said he lamented his lack of bbt if ,he could boast that l 'ne possessed'all the eloquence in the

.JPR*Wd>P.o«!Q«ild bei unable to express cbldl-jhis.dttfep feelings. Sir Moses sent I ite- folldwihg letter- to the Titties ; Sir,.—May I ask the privilege of'exthrough'the mail my heartfelt v t|tahkp'lowards the very large number ■^f/fti^ndsriatjn.public:bodies who have so "considerately offered me their esteemed congratulations on the occasion of my-entering this day into my xoolh year. Grateful. to ? ProVidhlich for the merciful protection vouchsafed to me during my long life, I rejoice in the teflsctionithat any feeble efforts , I may have made to advUnde* the happiness and welfare, of my fellow creatures have beenjo.kindly. judged. With a fervent pirayer for the health and long life of our gracious Queen, whose beneficent sway over this great arid free country has caused sb much happiness to all clatShefc of .her subjects, reiterating my .tjtmpkP) to my numerous friends, and "acknowledging your own courteous and flattering remarks.—l have the honor to remain, yours most faithfully, Moses ,mdbtoeFiOßE.- ■■ / ; ■-M .ni ——

,j.Jn,£b e course <pf a lecture at Blenheim tjft'pil riacent- visit tor Palestine, the Bishoppf; Nelson (we leam from the Marlborough Times) said that his party RedSea to Egypt, and, strange to say, one- of the last things they saw was the embarkation of General British officers and .■NS#^jptianp.accompanying him to the Tbey.did net present a promising array; thjare wee not-jnuch discipline, vitality, ororder amongthe men; the decks were crowded with ragged soldiers, and they resembled/a-* lot of* Bsahi-bazouks fopjTfa -tbpn a;regnlar army. : It seemed ' very sad now.tpbear of this' army being 'totally,annihilated. - • He •; passed' through Cairo and Alexandria last March, 'Aftiadtoild wot' help noticing that those concefiied'in the inaumc-

tion showed no animaa against the English/ 'thflryrbpei*! y hardly 1 being' touch, d by the rebel*'during the bombardment, . though merely^‘a- lighted match would Mwiefi *man‘y4of the buildings on fir a sWMi(|Ht»cni'showed tbaV the animus waa MCtfrtltbeiiVftticb, and not the English, the.®KKE>ljU | ® 8 fearing that what had re- , eenily taken placo on the coast of -Africa j>woj{ld4i juiue been their fate.-: InAlexarbiSMtitiMtStench .had taken nearly all the the eiduaion of the bduwed sgyptia*? r and' although the latter night not be able-to rule the country t'Agtirwly, - th«y *ould take a very active XtSfritiiV; doing ait -Under these circum* Hat#n##l /they could not help sympathising to some e*tent:iwith- the efforts* of the ■ , -Jsgypti>®a:to.f*es tbcmaelvee. -