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FUNERAL OF A JEWESS IN AUSTRIAN POLAND. 369

lamentations were only feigned, for all of a sudden, they stopped and began to scold, or appeared utterly careless. A white linen pillow was next produced, to be laid under the head of the deceased, on which there was a scramble among the women which should be the foremost in filling it with earth. The scene of asking forgiveness from the dead woman was renewed with great vehemence....The hazan or chanter, being hired by the relatives for the purpose, stood by the open grave, and repeated many prayers for the dead. This done, the body was covered in, and the company returned to the portico, where the eldest son, standing in the midst, read, from off a board hung on the wall, another prayer for his dead mother.... Before leaving the burying-ground, each individual washed his hands in water that stood in earthen jars near the gate for this purpose; for the Jews believed that evil spirits hover about the grave-yard, and would have access to them if they were at all defiled by the dead body."-Narrative of a Mission of Enquiry to the Jews, pp. 465, 466.

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CHAPTER XVIII.

SALUTATIONS-MARKS OF RESPECT-PRESENTS—

SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS.

SALUTATIONS-SENDING DEPUTATIONS-RIDING ON THE ROYAL HORSE SPREADING GARMENTS IN THE WAY-FIXING A SPEAR BESIDE A GREAT MAN CONCEALING THE FEETPUTTING OFF THE SHOES-DISMOUNTING-KISSING THE HAND, FEET, ROBE, &c.-KISSING THE GROUND-PRESENTS-PRESENTS TO PUBLIC DANCERS-SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS MUCH USED IN THE EAST-SMITING ON THE MOUTH-TOKEN OF ENMITYSIGN OF ANger.

SALUTATIONS.

GEN. xxxiii. 4.

"And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept."

xlv. 14.

"And (Joseph) fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck." (Luke xv. 20. Acts xx. 37.)

2 KINGS iv. 29.

"Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again and lay my staff upon the face of the child."

PSALM CXXix. 8.

"Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we bless you in the name of the Lord."

"We wish you good luck in the name of the Lord.”*

* Prayer Book version.

MATT. V. 47.

“If ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?"

66

Luke x. 4.

Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes and salute no man by the way.”

66

xxii. 48.

Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?"
JOHN xiv. 27.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you."

xx. 19.

“Then . . . came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."

2 CORINTHIANS Xiii. 12.

"Greet one another with an holy kiss."

More intimate relations, and those of equal age and dignity, naturally kiss the hand, head, or shoulder. "It was interesting," observes a traveller, speaking of the friendly tribes of Arabs, "to see their meeting in the desert from their wandering habit of life, and their frequent and distant journeys, they seldom meet; but when they do, the pressing of the hand to the heart, the kiss on the cheek, the passionate exclamations and gestures of joy, prove the sincerity and fervour of their feelings."—CARNE'S Eastern Letters, p. 206.

“This is, indeed, the land of good wishes and overflowing compliments. Every passer-by has his "God bless you!" Conversation is sometimes among strangers made up of a very large proportion of these phrases ; for example," Good morning!" Answer, "May your day be enriched!" "By seeing you.” "You have enlightened the house by your presence." "Are you

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happy?" "Happy; and you also?" Happy." "You are comfortable, I am comfortable;" meaning, "I am comfortable, if you are." These sentences are often repeated; and, after any pause, it is usual to turn to your neighbour, and resume these courtesies many times. In the southern half of Palestine, I subsequently found the ordinary salutation between persons on the road to be literally, "Good luck!" to which the person saluted replies, "May God give you good luck !” JOWETT's Researches in Syria, &c., p. 90.

The common Eastern salutation is, "Peace be with you!" the speaker laying his right hand upon his heart. The answer is, "With you be peace." Aged people are inclined to add, "And the mercy and blessing of God." A traveller in the desert,* writes :- "Through all the route we had met few passengers. One or two caravans, or a lonely wanderer with his camel, had passed at times, and given us the usual salute of Peace be unto you! Our blessed Lord therefore gave the usual salutation to his disciples; and since the salutations of the world in general are too apt to be mere forms, he adds, that he gave them a real, and not a fleeting blessing, 'Not as the world giveth give I unto you.'"

The Mohammedans of Egypt and Syria never salute a Christian with "Peace be with you!" they content themselves with saying, "Good-day to you!" or, "Friend, how do you do?" and of this the Christians are perhaps themselves the cause; for a traveller relates, that the Greek merchants did not seem at all pleased with his saluting Mohammedans in the Mohammedan manner. In the like spirit, the Roman Catholics of some provinces of Germany never address the Protestants that live among them with the form common among themselves, namely, "Jesus Christ be praised;" and when such a thing happens by mistake, the Protestants never return it after the manner in use among Roman

* Mr. Carne. See his Letters, p. 190.

Catholics, "For ever and ever, Amen!" After this, the words of our Lord in Matthew v. 47, need no further commentary. The Jews would not address the wonted greeting to either heathens or publicans; the publicans would use it to their countrymen that were publicans, but not to heathens.

The Eastern salutations often took up much time. In Egypt the common people reciprocally clap each other's hands when they meet, twenty or thirty times together, saying, "How do you do?" "I wish you good health;" and then ask many friendly questions about each other's family, &c., mentioning the names of the children. Elisha, therefore, who was anxious for the immediate recovery of the Shunamite's son, bade Gehazi not to tarry to salute those he met. When our Saviour gave his disciples the same command, he may have meant that they should not delay the work on which they were sent. - NIEBUHR: MAILLET'S Description de l'Egypte; HARMER's Observations.

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"An incidental occurrence shewed us the meaning of Elisha's command to his servant Gehazi, to salute no man by the way. A Bedouin acquaintance of one of our camel-drivers, meeting him on the road, the two friends occupied no small time in salutation. They kissed each other five times on the cheek, holding the hand at the same time; then asked three or four questions of each other, and not till this was done did they resume their journey. If Gehazi, a man so well known, had done this to every one he met, he would not have reached Carmel before his master."-Narrative, p. 110.

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