THE GHETTO AT ROME.

THE Ghetto at Rome is that part of the city in which the Jews live. It is on the banks of the river Tiber. When the heavy rains fall, the river overflows its banks, and then all the Jewish quarter is overrun by its waters. The poor people, when this is so, take refuge in the upper parts of their houses. Their trials are very great.

But it is remarkable that there is no part of Rome more healthy than the Ghetto. May it not be that the hand of God is with His ancient people under the persecutions to which they have been exposed in this city?

Until within a few years, there were large iron gates to the Ghetto. At a certain hour every evening these gates were locked. By that time every Jew was required to be within the Ghetto. If any were found in any other part of the city after that hour, if they were robbed or murdered, they and their families could obtain no help nor redress. Such was the way in which these poor children of Abraham were regarded.

The present Pope of Rome ordered these iron gates to be taken away. In their place some barriers of wicker-work are put up at night. The law has not yet been done away with, which requires the Jews to live within the streets of the Ghetto; but there are some cases, where a few of the chief Jews have been allowed to live in other parts of Rome.

In passing through the narrow and curious streets of the Ghetto, one is struck by the busy and active life of the Jews within. Their faces soon show that they are not to be numbered among the Gentiles. And as one comes out of the Ghetto, by the street near the Bridge of St.

Bartholomew, the Church faces it, of which an engraving is given in the Frontispiece. The view is taken from a photograph.

It is in this Church, that a Jew is baptized every year by the Roman Catholics. It is said, that it is often the same Jew who is baptized again and again! The Jews do not like to become Roman Catholics.

Over the door-way of this Church is a writing or inscription. On one side it is in Hebrew, on the other side it is written in Latin. This is the passage, from Is. lxv. 2: "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people," &c.

By this the Romanists wish to show, that they have tried to convert the Jews, but have failed. They say that the Jews are too hard-hearted. But how could they believe the idolatry of the Church of Rome! How could they love a Church which persecutes and does them harm!

And what do we see above the inscription? It is a drawing, or fresco-painting. It describes the Saviour on the Cross, with two women kneeling before Him. This is an offence to the Jew. He looks upon it as an idol put there to be worshipped. Instead of driving him to Christ, this helps to drive him away from the Saviour. The Church is a small one. There is nothing in it worth seeing, except a beautiful painting of the Virgin Mary at the east end.

THE POSEN SCHOOLS.

(From the Report.)

THE number of schools in operation during the year has been eleven, namely, Posen, Margonin, Storchnest, Inowraclaw, Kempen I. and II., Exin, Obornick, Sandberg, Gnesen, and Adelnau, and the numbers attending show a considerable increase. The highest attendance was during the summer months, and reached 527, while the lowest was 412. It is also especially to be noticed that this attendance has been much more regular than formerly. In one of the schools, the Committee remarks that the Jewish children go almost as regularly as to a Government school. Opposition still continues, and must be expected, but it is unsuccessful for the most part in teaching the Jews to look upon the schools with distrust.

On the contrary, one of the teachers, after speaking of the rapid increase of his pupils, says: "Some of the newly entered children have been committed by their parents with special confidence to your school, which the Jews now begin duly to value." Occasionally the fear on

the part of the parents of losing some temporal advantage interferes for a time with the attendance of the children, and in more than one instance the parents have come, and freely ated that they must keep their children away

for a few days, in order to avoid forfeiting some benefit promised by the Jews. In each case they begged leave to send them back at the expiration of the time named.

The report of the general superiority and high moral tone that pervades your schools, as contrasted with those under Jewish superintendence, have made Jews in other places most anxious to have similar ones established. During a journey made by Mr. Skolkowski and Mr. Fenner, they were much importuned on the subject, the Jews engaging, if they would only grant their request, to send their children to no other school; for, said they, "your teachers being religious and moral themselves, are able to train up and educate children in the same manner; while ours being irreligious, and but hirelings, are not qualified to give their pupils a really sound education."

Another and still more striking instance of this feeling has been shown by the Jewish congregation of another town, who petitioned the Government to send them a Christian teacher, asserting that the Jewish teachers never acquit themselves of such a charge to satisfaction.

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The school at Posen is going on in a manner highly satisfactory. Enter when you will," remarks your missionary, "you will be struck