Rabbie Gustave N. Hausmann
Rabbie Gustave N. Hausmann, Grand Rapids.—In the subject of this biography we have one of the most distinguished men in Michigan, who has attained to distinction in his chosen work by acting as an earnest and discriminating student. "Earn thy reward; the gods give nothing to sloth," said the Sage Epicharmus, and the truth of the admonition has been verified in all human affairs, in all ages which have rolled their course since his day, and especially in the subject to whose life history we now direct attention.
Rabbi Gustave N. Hausmann, of the Temple Emanuel, Grand Rapids, Mich., was born in Rzeszow, Austro-Hungary, in 1869, a son of Naphtali and Rose Hausmann, but when three years of age lost his father, a very scholarly gentleman, and a direct descendant of the Spanish and Portuguese Iraelites who were expelled from those countries during the inquisition 1492. Of the Hausmann family, however, in later years, there were several very eminent rabbi.
The early education of Rabbi Gustave N. Hausmann was acquired in the Austrian gymnasium (High school) at Rzeszow, and he next attended the rabbinicial seminary at Pressburg, Hungary, the most famous of its kind in the empire, and there received his diploma as rabbi. At the age of twenty-one years he came to America, landed at Boston, Mass., and remained in that city three months, preparing for entrance into Harvard university, but lack of means thwarted his laudable desire. He then went to New York City and at that place attended several educational institutions in order to prepare himself for the American pulpit. In 1894 he went to Chicago, where he attended the Athenaeum college for several years, also engaged in some university extension work. After finishing his preparatory studies for the American pulpit. Prof. Rabbi Emil J. Hirsch, who had been his preceptor, gave him the following certificate: "Rabbi G. N. Hausmann is well qualified to fill most of our pulpits." Rev. Dr. B. Falsental, one of the most famous Herbraic scholars in America, has fully endorsed this certificate, and has beside, paid Rabbi Hausmann many personal compliment of his attainments. Rabbi Hausmann next spent one year in travel through the states in order to study American manners and customs, and on June 1, 1897, was called to the charge of Temple Emanuel, where he has since remained performing his sacred duties in a most satisfactory manner.
The Rabbi is a member of the Pastors’ union of Grand Rapids and is the first Hebrew priest admitted to this society. Through his influence, the closing session of the liberal mass meeting, held under the auspices of Universalists, Unitarians, Liberals and Jews, took place at the Temple Emanuel in 1898. Since the beginning of his residence here, Rabbi Hausmann has had several honors bestowed upon him by the governor of the state and the mayor of the city, to-wit: He was appointed chaplain of the state senate at the extra session held in the spring of 1898; was appointed by Gov. Pingree a delegate to the meeting of the National Society of Correction and Charities, held in New York City in the same year, and was appointed a member of the executive committee organized for the purpose of welcoming the Thirty-second regiment, Michigan volunteers, on their return from the Hispano-American war for the liberation of Cuba.
At the close of the Jewish holiday, the day of atonement, September 30, 1898, Rabbi Hausmann was presented by the congregation with a very fine gold watch and chain and a purse of money, in appreciation of his valuable services at the Temple and as a mark of their personal esteem; the watch bears the inscription: "From the members of the congregation of Temple Emanuel to their minister, Rabbi Gustave N. Hausmann,."
Rabbi Hausmann opened the house of representatives at Washington, with prayer, February 28, 1899, being the youngest minister that ever officiated in the United States congress. On the 20th of April, in the same year, he opened the house of representatives of Michigan, both prayers having been widely published, from which extracts are here inserted:
Father of All the World! Thou who guidest, formest and shapest the destinies of organizations, societies and nations, we pray to Thee to lead us in the right path. We are aware that Thou, O God, hast conferred upon the American nation the most glorious mission to teach the world the needed lesson of free government, but we also know of the responsibilities which are involved in this privilege. We implore Thee, therefore, to inspire us with that noble patriotism that we may never shirk our post and shrink from our duties. Bless, O God, the representatives of this state. Help us, O God, that the barriers and walls of the various sects and denominations which divide the American people may speedily pass away and be destroyed, so that whenever the question of patriotism confronts us that each and every American citizen may say with Daniel Webster, the great apostle of free government, "Thank God that I, too, am an American." Amen.* * * We humbly and meekly pray to Thee," said the rabbi, "to bless these representatives in this present crisis of the government’s history with thy divine wisdom to legislate for the welfare of the country. Even as we have seen thy guiding hand in the first epoch in the history of our government, when the Father of the Republic, in his wisdom, gave liberty to his countrymen, and again, in the second epoch, when the immortal martyred president gave liberty to all who were born under the protection of the flag, so to-day we see Thy guiding hand in the third epoch in our history, when our government gave liberty even to those who were beyond out boundary lines.
Bless, O God, the speaker of the house. Especially we prayerfully beseech Thee to bless the president of the United States with Thy diivine wisdom while he guides the ship of state in these stormy days of our history. We pray all this because we love our country, because we love liberty, because we love humanity. Amen!"
On April 25, 1899, the evening session of the Woman’s Suffrage Society was begun with prayer by Rabbi Hausmann, who also wrote an article entitled "Women and the Talmud," which was well received by the public. By an invitation from Mayor Perry he became one of the speakers at John Ball park, where, on park day, the most prominent orators of the city were participants.
The congregation of Rabbi Gustave N. Hausmann consists of thirty families, founded by Julius and Joseph Hausmann. He is the owner of property valued at $15,000, with good location and well cared for. He has been an ardent and earnest worker for the church and well deserves the eminent position which he has attained through his piety and devotion to duties. Benevolent in his nature, he is consequently gentle in his demeanor, and has won the heartfelt love of his congregation, not only through his amiability but through his profundity in knowledge and eloquence in the pulpit.