Jewish Schools--The Joy of being released from them causes a stiff foot.
My brother Joseph and I were sent to Mir to school. My brother, who was
about twelve years old, was put to board with a schoolmaster of some
repute at that time, by name Jossel. This man was the terror of all
young people, "the scourge of God;" he treated those in his charge with
unheard of cruelty, flogged them till the blood came, even for the
slightest offence, and not infrequently tore off their ears, or beat
their eyes out. When the parents of these unfortunates came to him, and
brought him to task, he struck them with stones or whatever else came to
hand, and drove them with his stick out of the house back to their own
dwellings, without any respect of persons. All under his discipline
became either blockheads or good scholars. I, who was then only seven
years old, was sent to another schoolmaster.
An anecdote I must here relate, which shows on the one side great
brotherly love, and on the other may be viewed as expressing the
condition of a child's mind, that sways between the hope of lightening
an evil, and the fear of increasing it. One day as I came from school,
my eyes were all red with weeping, for which there was doubtless good
cause. My brother observed this, and asked the reason. At first I showed
some hesitation in answering; but at last I said, "I weep because we
dare not tell tales out of school." My brother understood me very well,
was extremely indignant at my teacher, and was going to read him a
lesson on the subject. I begged him however not to do it, because in all
probability the teacher would take his revenge on me for telling tales
out of school.
I must now say something of the condition of the Jewish schools in
general. The school is commonly a small smoky hut, and the children are
scattered, some on benches, some on the bare earth. The master, in a
dirty blouse sitting on the table, holds between his knees a bowl, in
which he grinds tobacco into snuff with a huge pestle like the club of
Hercules, while at the same time he wields his authority. The ushers
give lessons, each in his own corner, and rule those under their charge
quite as despotically as the master himself. Of the breakfast, lunch,
and other food sent to the school for the children, these gentlemen keep
the largest share for themselves. Sometimes even the poor youngsters get
nothing at all; and yet they dare not make any complaint on the subject,
if they will not expose themselves to the vengeance of these tyrants.
Here the children are imprisoned from morning to night, and have not an
hour to themselves, except on Friday and a half-holiday at the Newmoon.
As far as study is concerned, the reading of Hebrew at least is pretty
regularly learned. On the other hand, with the mastery of the Hebrew
language very seldom is any progress made. Grammar is not treated in the
school at all, but has to be learnt _ex usu_, by translation of the Holy
Scriptures, very much as the ordinary man learns imperfectly the grammar
of his mother-tongue by social intercourse. Moreover there is no
dictionary of the Hebrew language. The children therefore begin at once
with the explanation of the Bible. This is divided into as many sections
as there are weeks in the year, in order that the Books of Moses, which
are read in the synagogues every Saturday, may be read through in a
year. Accordingly every week some verses from the beginning of the
section proper to the week are explained in school, and that with every
possible grammatical blunder. Nor can it well be otherwise. For the
Hebrew must be explained by means of the mother-tongue. But the
mother-tongue of the Polish Jews is itself full of defects and
grammatical inaccuracies; and as a matter of course therefore also the
Hebrew language, which is learned by its means, must be of the same
stamp. The pupil thus acquires just as little knowledge of the language,
as of the contents, of the Bible.
In addition to this the Talmudists have fastened all sorts of
extraordinary conceits on the Bible. The ignorant teacher believes with
confidence, that the Bible cannot in reality have any other meaning than
that which these expositions ascribe to it; and the pupil must follow
his teacher's faith, so that the right understanding of words
necessarily becomes lost. For example, in the first Book of Moses it is
said, "Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau, etc." Now, the
Talmudists were pleased to give out, that these messengers were angels.
For though the word _Malachim_ in Hebrew denotes messenger as well as
angels, these marvel-mongers preferred the second signification, because
the first contains nothing marvellous. The pupil therefore holds the
belief firm and fast, that Malachim denotes nothing but angels; and the
natural meaning of messengers is for him wholly lost. A correct
knowledge of the Hebrew language and a sound exegesis can be attained
only gradually by independent study and by reading grammars and critical
commentaries on the Bible, like those of Rabbi David Kimchi[16] and Aben
Esra; but of these very few rabbis make use.
As the children are doomed in the bloom of youth to such an infernal
school, it may be easily imagined with what joy and rapture they look
forward to their release. We, that is, my brother and I, were taken home
to the great feasts; and it was on a trip of this sort, that the
following incident happened, which in relation to me was very critical.
My mother came once before Whitsuntide to the town where we were at
school, in order to purchase sundry articles required for the house. She
then took us home with her. The release from school, and the sight of
the beauty of nature which at this season displays its best attire,
threw us into such ecstasy, that we fell upon all sorts of wanton
fancies. When we were not far from home, my brother sprang out of the
carriage, and ran forward on foot. I was going to imitate his daring
leap, but unfortunately had not sufficient strength. I fell down
therefore with violence on the carriage, so that my legs came between
the wheels, and one of these passed over my left leg, which was thereby
pitiably crushed. I was carried home half-dead. My foot became cramped,
and I was wholly unable to move it.
A Jewish doctor was consulted, who had not indeed regularly studied and
graduated at a university, but had acquired his medical knowledge merely
by serving with a physician and reading some medical books in the
Polish language, who was nevertheless a very good practical physician,
and effected many successful cures. He said that at present he was
provided with no medicines,--the nearest apothecary's shop was about
twenty miles[17] distant,--and consequently he could prescribe nothing
in the ordinary method, but that meanwhile a simple domestic remedy
might be applied. The remedy was, to kill a dog and thrust into it the
cramped foot; this, repeated several times, was to give certain relief.
The prescription was followed with the desired result, so that after
some weeks I was able to use the foot again, and by degrees I completely
recovered.
I think it would not be at all amiss, if medical men gave more attention
to such domestic remedies, which are used with good results in districts
where there are no regular physicians or apothecaries' shops; they might
even make special journeys with this end in view. I know many a case of
this sort, which can be in nowise explained away. This however in
passing. I return to my story.