Chapter XLV

1885.

FUNERAL OF SIR MOSES--A TOWN IN MOURNING--DEPUTATIONS
FROM ALL PARTS--THE FUNERAL SERVICE--CONCLUSION.

From the moment of his death to the hour fixed for the funeral, the members of the College, conjointly with some friends, remained with the body, reciting prayers and certain psalms, which he so often liked to hear chanted in his Synagogue.

On Wednesday evening his body was taken from his room and placed in one of the libraries below stairs, where, when Lady Montefiore was still alive, he used to enjoy his frugal repasts in the company of friends.

Here, in my presence, the ministers of the Spanish and Portuguese congregations, and the members of the Hebrew Association known by the name of "Lavadores," reverently prepared the body for its last resting-place, and whilst thus engaged, one of the gentlemen present recited appropriate passages from the sacred text bearing on the subject.

Prompted by the great love he ever felt for Jerusalem, he had desired to have his head covered with a cap which had been specially worked for him in the Holy City; he also wished, in commemoration of his happy union with Lady Montefiore, to have the prayer-shawl which he used during the solemnisation of their marriage in the Synagogue, placed on his shoulders, in addition to the customary plain linen attire used in the case of all the dead, poor and rich alike.

Mementoes from the Holy City, papers referring to certain recipients of his benevolence, which he did not wish to destroy, but only to hide from the sight of the world, were also in compliance with his request, placed with him. He had likewise expressed a desire that the dust from the Holy Land, which he himself had brought with him from the Valley of Jehoshaphat, should be placed in his coffin, and that some of this should be sprinkled on his face in token of his deep veneration for the Land of Promise.

I need not say that all his wishes were scrupulously fulfilled.

When the solemn proceedings of the Lavadores were concluded, his near relatives entered the room to take leave of their beloved kinsman. Little change had taken place in his countenance, his benign features leaving a lasting impression on the mind of all present.

The body was now placed in a coffin made of plain deal boards, and covered with black cloth, on the lid of which two lighted wax candles were placed, light being emblematic of the soul of man (Prov. xx. 27).

After the intelligence of Sir Moses' death reached London, great numbers of people arrived in Ramsgate, most of them walking round East Cliff Lodge, or up and down outside the gates. Then with the morning trains of Friday (July 31st) all the Representatives of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Synagogue, to which Sir Moses belonged; their elders, wardens, ministers, and most of the members of their congregations; special deputations from most of the charitable and educational institutions in London; clergymen belonging to various Christian churches, and others, all came to pay the last token of respect.

It was the desire of Sir Moses that his funeral should be plain and private, and that no carriages should follow, yet the line of roadway from East Cliff Lodge to the College was crowded with people, among whom were thousands who sincerely mourned for the departed.

Precisely at two o'clock the coffin was placed on a bier, and borne out of the house by ten of the Lavadores and friends. The senior minister of the Portuguese Synagogue in London, accompanied by his colleagues and the ministers of the Ramsgate Synagogue, preceded the bier, chanting in mournful tones appropriate verses from the Sacred Text.

The chief mourners were Mr Joseph Sebag Montefiore, Mr Arthur Cohen, Q.C., M.P., Lord Rothschild, Mr H. Guedalla, Mr A. Sebag Montefiore, Lord Rosebery, Mr S. Montagu, M.P.; Mr Lionel L. Cohen, M.P.; Mr Henry L. Cohen, Mr Jacob Montefiore and his son, Mr L. I. Montefiore, Mr H. Montefiore, Mr C. Montefiore, Sir Julian Goldsmid, M.P.; Sir Albert Sassoon, K.C.S.I.; Baron H. de Worms, Dr Woodman, Mr William Johnson, the Rev. Dr H. Adler, Delegate Chief Rabbi; the ministers and representatives of all the London Synagogues, and the ministers and wardens of the congregations of Edinburgh, Dublin, Manchester, Liverpool, Brighton, Bradford, Newcastle, and other provincial Hebrew communities from all parts of the United Kingdom, as well as the Rev. A. Vivanti, representing the Hebrew community of Ancona, and gentlemen from Brussels and Jerusalem. Following them were the representatives of the city of London in their official robes, the Mayor of Ramsgate, wearing the chain presented to him by Sir Moses, accompanied by his two chaplains, the Vicar of Ramsgate, and the Vicar of St Laurence. After them came the representatives of the Town Council, the Mayors of Margate, Sandwich, and Deal, and the Broadstairs Local Board. These were followed by the Magistrates, the clergy, and hundreds of gentlemen who came in their private capacity.

As the mournful procession entered the outer field it was met by a guard of honour, composed of persons representing several local institutions, and deputations from religious and other bodies.

The cortege passed through the grounds, and proceeded to the front of Judith, Lady Montefiore's Theological College, where a halt was made. The doors of the institution having been thrown open, the writer for the moment left his place at the side of the bier, and placing himself in his capacity of Principal and Director of the College in the doorway, offered up a prayer, referring to the service the deceased had rendered in the promotion of the study of sacred literature, and beseeching Him who is the God of spirits of all flesh, that peace, justice, and righteousness, which the departed so fervently fostered during his life, might now, even as guardian angels, walk before him, pleading in his favour before the Throne of Mercy.

The body was then taken to the Synagogue, and placed in front of the Ark; Psalm xvi. was intoned by the chief minister, and the congregation joined in it verse by verse. At the conclusion the bier was taken out and borne along a path, lined right and left with masses of choice wreaths, and numerous floral tributes from friends, to the entrance of the mausoleum.

There the air was perfumed by the fragrance of tuberoses, gardenias, and azaleas, in addition to the scent wafted thither from wreaths of coloured lilies suspended from the railings and gates without. The walls were decked with tablets bearing Hebrew and English prayers and psalms; a lamp was suspended from the cupola above, with a Hebrew inscription, "The soul of man is the light of God." At the sight of the open grave, with the Jerusalem stone therein ready to give rest to the mortal remains of him who had worked all his life for the good of others, the eyes of the bystanders were dimmed with tears.

It was with considerable difficulty that the coffin could be removed from the bier and carried into the mausoleum, hundreds of persons being anxious to be present at the interment, whilst there was scarcely room in the mausoleum for twenty persons. Ultimately the multitude yielded to the entreaties of friends, and the coffin, having been brought near the grave, was placed in straps for the purpose of being lowered, but owing to some misunderstanding of the instructions respecting the excavations on the part of the sexton, it met with obstacles in its descent. For a moment it seemed as if even the grave were unwilling to sever the last link which bound the departed to the world of the living, and it was not until the grave had been considerably enlarged that the coffin reached its last resting place. The officiating minister thereupon pronounced a last farewell, "He enters his place in peace," a sentiment which was feelingly repeated by all the bystanders.

The orphans from the Spanish and Portuguese Hebrew schools in London, headed by one of the ministers of the Synagogue, now intoned one of the psalms, the nearest mourners, emblematically teaching the living the lesson, "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return," sprinkled "Terra Santa" on his coffin, and friends and strangers followed their example. Presently nearly all left the mausoleum. I myself, however, could not help thinking of the last wish of my revered friend, "Pray do not leave me," and I remained near his grave till it was completely filled up and a slab had been placed over it. I then lighted two candles and placed them at the head of the grave. It was the eve of Sabbath, and for many years he and his wife had been in the habit of lighting candles on the Sabbath eve while on earth, even while travelling on their philanthropic missions in distant climes.

During the first seven days after his death prayers were offered up at East Cliff Lodge every evening in the room in which he died, and in the Synagogue, Divine service was held every morning, with the addition of a prayer for the repose of the soul of the departed head of the community. On the expiration of the thirty days of mourning, I considered it a solemn duty to hold a special service, and to deliver an address in Judith, Lady Montefiore's Theological College. There was a numerous congregation.

Abstracts of his will were published in the daily papers, some of which gave a complete copy of the whole document. It will only be necessary here to give the introductory portion, which is a reflex of the sentiments he entertained throughout his life, and the paragraph referring to the appointment of the executors of the will, and the institutions which the testator so richly endowed.

"This is the last will of me, Sir Moses Montefiore, of Grosvenor
Gate, Park Lane, in the county of Middlesex, and of East Cliff Lodge,
Ramsgate, in the Isle of Thanet, in the county of Kent, Baronet,
F.R.S., son of Joseph and Rachel Montefiore, of happy memory, and for
more than fifty years the happy husband of my deeply lamented Judith,
daughter of the revered Levy Barent Cohen and Lydia, his wife,
deceased. I desire, in the first place, gratefully to acknowledge the
goodness of Almighty God, the Lord of all beings, for the abundance
with which he has blessed me, and for having allowed me the enjoyment
of it for so many years. When it may please Him to call me away from
this world to eternal life, may our Heavenly Father pardon all my
sins, and have mercy on my soul, and may those persons whom I may in
any way have offended forgive me. I desire that my remains may rest
by the side of those of my beloved wife in the mausoleum near our
Synagogue at Hereson, and that my funeral may be as private as may
be, and without carriages to follow.

"I appoint my esteemed friend Sir Nathaniel Mayer de Rothschild,
Baronet, M.P., and my nephews, Arthur Benjamin Cohen, of the Inner
Temple, Esquire, Queen's Counsel, M.P., and Joseph Sebag, of
Westbourne Terrace, in the county of Middlesex, Esquire, and my
friend Dr Louis Loewe, of Oscar Villas, Broadstairs, Executors and
Trustees of this my will, and I give to each of them the sum of £1000
free of legacy duty.

"The testator bequeaths £3000 Bank stock, 300 Alliance Assurance
shares, £10,000 Imperial Continental Gas Company stock, to the
Trustees of the Synagogue and College at Ramsgate, founded by him in
memory of his late wife, Judith, Lady Montefiore; he also bequeaths
to the said Synagogue and College four pictures from his house in
Park Lane, all his Hebrew books and MSS., a piece of plate presented
to him by the late Viceroy of Egypt, and all his English, French, and
German testimonials; £1000 Bank stock, 550 Alliance Assurance shares,
and £5000 Imperial Continental Gas Company stock, to the Trustees
of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, Bevis Marks, upon trust,
to apply two-fifths of the income to or for the benefit of learned
and necessitous Jews of every congregation residing in the Holy City
of Jerusalem, and one-fifth of the income to or for the benefit of
learned and necessitous Jews of every congregation in each of the
Cities of Safed, Hebron, and Tiberias. He also bequeaths £100 to be
distributed within three months of his decease among the learned
and necessitous of each of the said four cities: £1000 Bank stock
and £5000 of the said Gas Company's stock to the Trustees of the
Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Bevis Marks, upon trust, to apply
the income in the purchase of blankets and coals to be distributed
annually among the deserving poor of the Spanish, Portuguese, and
German communities; £1000 to the Trustees of the United Synagogue for
the poor; £500 each to the Synagogue in Bevis Marks and the Synagogue
at Leghorn, in augmentation of their respective repairing funds; £500
each to the Jewish Convalescent Home and the Beth Holim Hospital;
£300 to the Jews Hospital at Norwood; £250 each to the Ladies' Lying
in Charity for the relief of Jewish women, the Bread, Meat, and Coal
Charity, of which his father-in-law was one of the founders, and the
Jews College; £200 each to the Samaritan Fund of St Bartholomew's
Hospital, the London Hospital, and Mrs Palmer's Cancer Hospital;
£100 each to Mrs Tail's Orphanage, St Peter's, Thanet, the Royal Sea
Bathing Infirmary, Margate, the Seaman's Hospital, Ramsgate, the
Fishing Boys' Home, Ramsgate, the Sailors' Home, Ramsgate, and the
Ramsgate and St Lawrence Dispensary; and £100 each to the principal
officiating Ministers of the Parishes of St Lawrence and St Peter,
in the Isle of Thanet, of St Luke, St George, the Vale Church, the
Roman Catholic Church of St Augustine, and the Parish Church of
Broadstairs, to be applied for the benefit of the poor of their
respective parishes and congregations."

The dividend on Sir Moses' legacy sent this year (the second after his death) to the learned and necessitous Jews in the Holy Land, amounted to £1251, 2s. 5d., which, in compliance with his instructions, was divided as follows:--

£500 8 11 to Jerusalem.
250 4 6 to Hebron.
250 4 6 to Tiberias.
250 4 6 to Safed.

On Sunday, March 14 = Adár 7, the 3158th anniversary of the death of Moses, the son of Amrám, the ceremony of setting the tombstone took place in the presence of Mr Joseph Sebag Montefiore, Mr Háim Guedalla, and other relatives, the Wardens of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in London, many members of the community, and a large assembly of strangers.

At the conclusion of the ceremony at the mausoleum, the company proceeded to the Lecture Hall of the College, where I held a special service and delivered an address.

The tombstone of Aberdeen marble is similar to that of Lady Montefiore, and bears the following inscription:--

In memory of
Sir MOSES MONTEFIORE, Bart, F.R.S.,
of East Cliff Lodge, Ramsgate,
Born the 8th Heshván 5545 A.M.,
Died the 16th of Menákhem Ab. 5645 = 28th July 1885,
In the hundred and first year of his age.

"I have set the Lord always before me."

(This verse, which is the first part of verse 8, in Psalm xvi., is in Hebrew.)

This inscription was composed by Mr Joseph Sebag Montefiore. It is in all respects very appropriate, as in every occurrence of his life Sir Moses set the "Lord before Him," and recognised the direct hand of Providence.

The year of mourning rapidly passed, and the anniversary of his death was solemnly observed in his own Synagogue, and in those of Hebrew communities all over the world. In many churches and chapels likewise his name was reverentially remembered by his friends and admirers.

Thus was Sir Moses Montefiore honoured in death as he had been in life.

The impartial reader of these Memoirs, in closing the book, and recalling to his mind the varied scenes portraying the life and work of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, and the moral to be derived therefrom, will acknowledge that the practice of justice, truth, and virtue towards his fellow-beings, and staunch loyalty to the Sovereign, will ensure an ample reward. At the same time, he cannot fail to contemplate with intense admiration the life's work of the hero of a hundred years, who fought so sturdily in youth the battle of life, and who afterwards devoted himself with such unwearying ardour to the task of combating hatred, persecution, and fanaticism, of severing the bonds of physical and moral slavery, and of aiding in the establishment of religious toleration all over the world. His unparalleled devotion to the sacred cause of humanity in general, and the unclouded halo of a spotless integrity which encircles his name, will ever afford a splendid example for emulation no less than the dauntless courage with which he set to work for the rescue of the suffering and the oppressed, whilst the bright guiding stars which lighted all his actions were the fear of God on high, and deeds of charity and loving kindness on earth.

The retrospect of the lives of Sir Moses and his honoured, spouse brings joy and gladness to the minds of all who care for the welfare of the human race. It is calculated to inspire increased hopes for the future, to implant and confirm in us the love of heaven, and to cause us to rejoice in the victory of truth and justice over falsehood, and to make us devoutly thankful for all the blessings vouchsafed to us by Providence.

May we ever bear in mind that the life-work of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore was based upon the lesson taught by the Wise King--"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind" (Eccles. xii. 13).

The power adequately to fulfil this behest is in itself a noble reward, and constitutes the happiness of every human being created in the image of God.