The Congregation Sons of Peace invariably began its devotions at 6 A.M. Moses Levinsky was in the habit of rising at half-past five; his toilet and the walk to the little meeting-room in the next block required twenty-five minutes, and he was regularly in his place five minutes 129before the voice of the Chazan or precentor, chanting in classic Hebrew, “Exalted be the living God and praised,” betokened4 that the service of adoration5 and supplication6, with which modern Israel supplies the place of the ancient sacrificial worship, had begun. But to-day the watch which usually indicated about a quarter past five when he first glanced at it in the early mornings, stood at half-past six. The congregation had already been engaged in prayer for a full half-hour, and he could hardly hope to be with them before the services, which usually lasted somewhat less than an hour, were concluded. Watches and clocks are obstinate7 creatures. They persist in their opinions, which can be plainly read in their faces. They care not at all how disagreeable or unpleasant their statements may be to those who consult them, and they can neither be reasoned with nor stared out of countenance8. And so Moses Levinsky’s watch did not recede9 at all for all the hard stares which that rather confused individual directed at it; but, on the contrary, advanced a minute or so, while he, who had now risen upon his side and rested upon his left arm, gazed at it with puzzled and rueful countenance.
The truth was that Moses was in doubt as 130to the right course to pursue. His watch told him that he might as well make an exception to-day from his regular practice and stay at home, for he could never hope to be on time at the services, or even present during any considerable portion of them. On the other hand, his conscience smote10 him greatly at having overslept himself; and thus incurred11 the danger of breaking his life rule, of always beginning the day in the house of God, and in the words which the ship captain once addressed to the prophet Jonah when he had gone to sleep in the midst of all the turmoil12 of the storm, it called to him, “What aileth thee, O sleeper13? Arise, cry out unto thy God.” After a minute’s hesitation14 conscience won the battle over comfort. Moses hastily sprang from his couch, made his simple toilet as speedily as possible, and in something less than twenty minutes was on his way to the little synagogue (“place of prayer” was the unassuming name which the worshippers themselves gave it) of the Congregation of the Sons of Peace. While he is on his way thither15, we will take occasion to describe him to our readers; for many of them, no doubt, are at a loss to understand what kind of a person he is, and particularly fail to comprehend why he should be so dreadfully put out at the mere17 possibility of being absent from prayers one morning, a thing which, I am sure, would never disturb the majority of my worthy18 readers in their mental tranquillity19.
HE WAS NOTHING BUT A COMMONPLACE, EVERY-DAY PEDDLER
Page 131
131Moses Levinsky was a very ordinary and insignificant20 individual, such as you might pass a thousand times in the street and never pay any attention to. He was nothing but a commonplace, every-day peddler who wandered from morning to evening through the streets of the great metropolis21, with a huge basket suspended in front of him, filled to overflowing22 with a miscellaneous assortment23 of goods—suspenders, shoe laces, pins, needles, tape, handkerchiefs, stockings, and what not—and endeavored to induce his fellow-beings to purchase sufficient of his store to provide him with a meagre livelihood24. He had straight and regular features, of a rather handsome Semitic type, though worn and furrowed25, not so much by years—he was only forty-three—as by care and anxiety; his hair and large irregular beard were black, heavily streaked26 with gray, and his clothes and close-fitting derby hat were decidedly shabby. All in all, he was not an imposing27 figure; and when we add to the unimpressiveness of his exterior28 the fact that he had a nervous, deprecatory manner, and looked around him with timid, 132apprehensive eyes, and also that he was a very indifferent master of the vernacular29, which he spoke30 hesitatingly and with a pronounced Slavonic-Jewish accent, the reader will at once realize that he was of the type which low comedians31 love to caricature and street urchins32 to mock at, if not to treat worse.
But his external appearance was no indicator33, except for those who are accustomed to read and understand such exteriors34, of his internal characteristics. Beneath the unprepossessing outward semblance35 there dwelt a keen intellect and a noble soul which might well deserve the admiration36 of the discerning. He had received a good education of its kind in his youth in his Russian home. He had been thoroughly37 trained in Hebrew, had read the entire Bible in the original, and was well acquainted with the Talmud and the modern Hebrew literature from which he had derived38 correct ideas of the world and the development of modern science. But he had not been able to utilize39 his training either in his native land or America. In Russia he had desired to become a rabbi, for which his learning and his sincere religious bent40 amply fitted him; but all the positions he knew of were filled, and so after a few years’ vain waiting he kissed his wife and his two little ones good-by 133(he had married early while still a student at the Yeshibah) and set sail for America, where, he thought, congregations without number were ready to greet him as their spiritual chief. But a brief glance at the conditions surrounding the rabbinate among his immigrant brethren under the Western skies had cured him of his desire to make it his vocation41. As he had neither capital nor sufficient secular42 training to enable him to become a merchant, or secure a remunerative43 commercial position, he had only the choice between two ways of gaining a livelihood. He could become a workman in a sweat-shop or a peddler. He chose the latter and, at the time this story begins, had pursued the occupation of itinerant44 merchant, an occupation in which there is little gain and less glory, for some ten years. During all these years he had permitted himself only one form of pleasure, attendance at the House of God. The theatre knew him not, the interior of saloons saw him only when on business bent; but at the synagogue he was a regular attendant, never missing the early morning services or the evening gatherings45, in which the rabbi expounded46 the Talmud and its commentaries to a group of attentive47 “learners.”
Apart from his natural piety48 it had gradually become a matter of pride with him to be regular 134and punctual in his attendance at the synagogue, and consequently he felt considerably49 mortified50 when on the morning of our tale he found that he must either be absent or late at service. On his way to the house of worship he tried to console himself with the sneaking51 hope that perhaps his watch was fast and that the hour was not really as late as it indicated. But his hopes were doomed52 to disappointment. As he entered the little synagogue the mourners were just repeating the last Kaddish, and most of the other worshippers were folding and putting away their Tallithoth and Tephillin, preparatory to leaving for the work of the day.
Poor Moses! A pang53 went through his heart at the thought that he, whose punctuality and zeal54 had become proverbial, should be so culpably55 remiss56 as to appear in Shool when services were practically over, and a keener pang yet pervaded57 him when he noticed the expression of wonderment with which his companions and fellow-members gazed at him. Nor did they confine themselves to looks of amazement58; but, being finished with their devotions, they gave free expression to their astonishment59 in questions. “What’s the matter, Levinsky?” he was asked from all sides. “Aren’t you well, or are you getting lazy, or are you turning link?” To all these 135interrogations Moses returned no answer; indeed, he felt morally too much crushed to defend or even to palliate his shortcoming. Gloomily he proceeded to put on his prayer-shawl and phylacteries and with much less fervor60 than usual he recited the morning prayer. By the time he had concluded his devotions every one else had left except the Shammas, who, obliged by his office to remain, had waited impatiently to lock the synagogue, and who felt considerably aggrieved61 at Moses for having caused him to lose so much of his valuable time, which might have been utilized62 for collecting a bill or arranging a Shidduch. Listlessly Moses left the room and directed his feet street-ward, but not too listlessly to feel the withering63 glance of reproach which the Shammas shot after him as he departed.
The street was thronged65 and bustling66 with the full tide of activity which had now begun, but Moses paid no attention to its appearance. He did not even notice the friendly greetings of several acquaintances whom he passed on his homeward way. His mind had only room just then for one thought, that of mortification67 at his inexplicable68 tardiness69 and the humiliation70 which that morning had brought him in the opinion of his fellow-congregants. He reached the huge tenement he called his home and began mechanically 136to climb the narrow and interminable staircases that led up to his room. The building was comparatively quiet. Most of the male inmates71 and of the children of school age had already departed, the former to take up their daily tasks, the latter for the immense public school a few blocks away. No one met him on the stairs to draw his mind from its gloomy abstraction. But as he reached the fifth floor he perceived something which at once, arrested his attention and turned his thoughts to matters outside of himself. It was a strong and pungent72 smell, the smell of smoke. He stopped, all his senses at once keenly alert. Like all tenement-dwellers he realized well the meaning of smoke. It meant fire, and fire all too often meant death in those lofty and crowded edifices73, from whose upper portions escape was always difficult and sometimes impossible. Even as he stood, the noise of uneasy motion in the apartments at the side of the hall where he was and a sudden clamor of voices within betokened that their occupants too had smelt74 the smoke and were seized with sudden dread16. Doors were flung open; the white, anxious faces of frightened women, followed by wondering little children, peered out. There was a rush of feet in the hall below and quavering voices screamed 137“fire! fire!” By this time (a very brief interval75 only had passed) Moses Levinsky had located the direction whence the smoke proceeded. It came from the sixth story, and was already quite dense76 at the head of the stairs. As he gazed, Levinsky thought he could hear children’s voices, faintly crying, as if half stifled77.
What should he do? For a moment he thought he would rush downstairs to the street and start the fire-alarm at the next corner. But he realized instantly that quicker action was necessary in this case, that human lives, children’s lives probably, were in imminent78 danger, and that he must do something himself to rescue them, leaving to others the task of notifying the fire department. With a few swift bounds he was at the next landing, clearing three steps at every leap. The fire was evidently in the apartments on the left side of the hall, where lived the Shapiros with their three children, for dense smoke was pouring from their rear door and children’s voices were heard from within, feebly wailing79. The rooms on the other side of the hall, occupied by the Arnowitzs, a young married couple, were still and evidently empty. With one rush Levinsky was at the door through whose interstices the smoke proceeded 138and endeavored to open it. It was closed and resisted his efforts. He kicked at it frantically80. It did not yield. In the meanwhile the smoke was pouring forth81 in denser82 clouds, paining his eyes and his lungs, and the children’s voices were growing fainter and feebler. With mad frenzy83 Moses Levinsky threw his body against the door; it shook and quivered but did not yield. Again he tried to kick it in, striking his right foot in his thin boot against the door with all his strength, and with utter disregard for the pain and possible injury to himself. In vain. The door was strong and firmly locked, while Levinsky was but an indifferent specimen84 of muscular development (his athletics85 had all been of the intellectual variety), and all his efforts to break it down were of no avail. Several precious minutes had now passed and Levinsky was almost in despair. He was hesitating what to do, and half inclined to rush downstairs in quest of additional help when his eyes, aimlessly wandering about the hall, chanced to light in the opposite corner, and lo and behold86! there stood an axe87. It was the axe with which Shapiro was accustomed to chop wood in the yard. Usually he kept it in his rooms, but that morning had left it, by a providential chance, in the hall. Instantly 139Moses Levinsky seized it. A few vigorous blows, launched with all his strength against the door, brought it down and he rushed into the smoke-filled room. In the corner he saw dimly three little figures. Two were clinging to each other and one was lying prostrate88 on the floor. They were Sarah and Ikey, the five-year and three-year-old daughter and son, and little Josey, the eighteen-months-old baby of the Shapiros. The older ones were still conscious, but wee little Josey had been overcome by the smoke and had fallen to the floor. In the middle of the room stood the large family bed, the bed-clothing fiercely burning and emitting dense volumes of black smoke. Levinsky’s first thought was of the children. Lifting up and holding the unconscious child with his right hand and taking a hand of each of the other children in his left, he rushed from the room.
By this time the whole house and all the neighborhood had taken alarm. As he hastened down the stairs, in an effort to find a place where the unconscious child might have fresh air, there came rushing toward him a throng64 of neighbors; among them several firemen, with a portable extinguisher, and a physician. Moses Levinsky’s task had been accomplished89. The firemen proceeded to deal in systematic90 manner 140with the fire, which had now grown large enough to threaten the whole house. The physician took charge of the unconscious infant and in a few minutes had brought him to. But who is this whose agonized91 screams are now heard, and who comes rushing through the dense crowd, frantically crying, “My children! O my children!” It is the mother, Mrs. Shapiro, who had gone out to do her marketing92, together with her neighbor, Mrs. Arnowitz, and, in the manner customary in that vicinity, had locked her children in the room until her return. When she saw that her children were alive and well, she kissed and hugged them frantically, and drew them to her breast as if she half doubted the evidence of her senses. Then she asked who was their brave rescuer; and when all pointed93 to Moses Levinsky, she fell on her knees before him and kissed his hands and called him a Malach of God, sent directly from heaven to rescue her dear ones. But Moses Levinsky did not grow at all conceited94 nor take the praise to himself. His face was lighted up with the gleam of intelligence, with the satisfaction of a problem solved. All he said was: “Now I see that God is good and His plans are wise. He made me late at Shool so that I should be on time to save these poor Nefoshos. 141I was too late for one Mitzvah, but just in time for another, and that is quite in accordance with the Halachah; for does not the Talmud tell us, ‘He that has to perform one Mitzvah is exempt95 from another’?”
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1
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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tenement
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| n.公寓；房屋 | |
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apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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betokened
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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supplication
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| n.恳求，祈愿，哀求 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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8
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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15
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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31
comedians
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| n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 ) | |
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32
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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indicator
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| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
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exteriors
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| n.外面( exterior的名词复数 )；外貌；户外景色图 | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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utilize
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| vt.使用，利用 | |
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40
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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41
vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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42
secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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43
remunerative
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| adj.有报酬的 | |
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itinerant
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| adj.巡回的；流动的 | |
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45
gatherings
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| 聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集 | |
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46
expounded
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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48
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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49
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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50
mortified
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| v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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51
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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52
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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53
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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54
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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55
culpably
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| adv.该罚地，可恶地 | |
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remiss
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| adj.不小心的，马虎 | |
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57
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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59
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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60
fervor
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| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
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61
aggrieved
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| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
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62
utilized
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| v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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64
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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65
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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67
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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68
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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69
tardiness
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| n.缓慢；迟延；拖拉 | |
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70
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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71
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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72
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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74
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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83
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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athletics
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| n.运动，体育，田径运动 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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marketing
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| n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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exempt
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| adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者 | |
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