E-text prepared by Charles Aldarondo and Project Gutenberg Distributed
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A Study of a Peculiar People
Author of "The Master," "The King of Schnorrers" "Dreamers of the
Ghetto," "Without Prejudice," etc.
1914
Preface to the Third Edition.
The issue of a one-volume edition gives me the opportunity of thankingthe public and the critics for their kindly reception of this chart of aterra incognita, and of restoring the original sub-title, which is areply to some criticisms upon its artistic form. The book is intended asa study, through typical figures, of a race whose persistence is themost remarkable fact in the history of the world, the faith and moralsof which it has so largely moulded. At the request of numerous readers Ihave reluctantly added a glossary of 'Yiddish' words and phrases, basedon one supplied to the American edition by another hand. I have omittedonly those words which occur but once and are then explained in thetext; and to each word I have added an indication of the language fromwhich it was drawn. This may please those who share Mr. Andrew Lang'sand Miss Rosa Dartle's desire for information. It will be seen that mostof these despised words are pure Hebrew; a language which never died offthe lips of men, and which is the medium in which books are written allthe world over even unto this day.
London, March, 1893.
Proem
I. The Bread of Affliction
II. The Sweater
III. Malka
IV. The Redemption of the Son and the Daughter
V. The Pauper Alien
VI. "Reb" Shemuel
VII. The Neo-Hebrew Poet
VIII. Esther and her Children
IX. Dutch Debby
X. A Silent Family
XI. The Purim Ball
XII. The Sons of the Covenant
XIII. Sugarman's Barmitzvah Party
XIV. The Hope of the Family
XV. The Holy Land League
XVI. The Courtship of Shosshi Shmendrik
XVII. The Hyams's Honeymoon
XVIII. The Hebrew's Friday Night
XIX. With the Strikers
XX. The Hope Extinct
XXI. The Jargon Players
XXII. "For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear"
XXIII. The Dead Monkey
XXIV. The Shadow of Religion
XXV. Seder Night
I. The Christmas Dinner
II. Raphael Leon
III. "The Flag of Judah"
IV. The Troubles of an Editor
V. A Woman's Growth
VI. Comedy or Tragedy?
VII. What the Years brought
VIII. The Ends of a Generation
IX. The "Flag" flutters
X. Esther defies the Universe
XI. Going Home
XII. A Sheaf of Sequels
XIII. The Dead Monkey again
XIV. Sidney settles down
XV. From Soul to Soul
XVI. Love's Temptation
XVII. The Prodigal Son
XVIII. Hopes and Dreams
Not here in our London Ghetto the gates and gaberdines of the olden Ghetto of the Eternal City; yet no lack of signs external by which one may know it, and those who dwell therein. Its narrow streets have no specialty of architec