The New York herald., 1870-01-09
LECTURES LAST NIGHT.
TIE EABa MEAL CONFERENCE"
Lecture by MIR. M. ElIinger.

Lecture by MIR. M. Ellinger.
lecture on the acove subject was delivered by
Mr. III. Ellnger last evening before The Lon1teOw
Literary Association at Association Hail. corner or
Twenty third street and Fourth avenue, where an
intelligent audience mad assembled to Listen to sue
remarks OF the lecturer.
The lecturer SAID that no event had caused
80 much commotion during this cen.
tury as the convention Of Jewish Rabo.s
held in Philadelphia in November last. rne
old observances Of the Jews were beginning now to
DC dlsrcsarded ana their laws violated. Tna old
law prohibiting certain food as unclean was now
commonly broken. In our own country Jews were
most valiant n arms. Few there werc however,
who If tie question were put to them whether it
would be advantageous or proper Tor the Jews TO
become united again rs political body,
would not answer that such an expectation
would be an assumption too preposterous to
entertain Siace the ban or fanaticism
and priestcraft which dwelt over the Jews
naa been removed, and they wero allowed place
the great Held Of liberty, the Jewish people were
progressing and keeping time with the spirit OF the
aye. The congregations In Germany heretofore
were SO dividcd among themselves that u reform
ccuid not BE- introduced. Slight as the cnanges
were that the reormers proposed such the aboli-
tion Of the recital OF long Hebrew poems and
whlcn ,l hal no no direct bearing on rcil.
them Them In lact Judaism knew OF no compromise.
When the rabbis wish 70 express their opinion or
one Of taeir laws they say 1t was ordained by Moses
on MOunt Sinai: but orthodoxy compelled belief and
sent out It's hat Insisting OH peculiar 0ocIriaes
Opposed to orthodoxy was reform. The whole
history OF the Jewish religion proved that clrcum-
stances crenEed new laws and abolished Old ones
lie could shOS that IN Olden times the raUbis
were the most radical reiOrmers. The principles
VI the kaDDintcal Conference were for numb n OF
years adopted fifteen Oi the principal ctes or the
Old World. lIe commended that civilization and i.s
accOmpaiyin ing blessings SprInT from the Jewish
people IN the heart OF Israeli aad that they trans
mltLea the Magma Cnarta which they recc we'd from
Mount SINAI doWu to the generations OF the
whole word. But now, when they were no
longer a dls1nct class OF people they longed
not Tor return to Palestine. redceMer was
coming IN the shape OF civilization and progress
with wlicn they were keeping pace, and which IN
the end would show tnat the humanxing oil God and
the deifying OF man was wrong. Tie Jewish people
had q lnlssiOn--aS Moses had u mission ShaE-
speare had q miiSlon--aS Columbus mad o mis3ion-
as washington had mi6Bon-a Us Lincoln had q
mission; but the COnscOusneSss Of havln2 mission
hali0wed the Jewish race. Without It they had no
right to eXlsteuce with 1t they became the priests
Of humanity. The tendency OF the age 10 return
TO the laws OF Noses. Mans soul was but O spark
Of the spirit OF God. Christianity made the resur-
recii0n Of the boly o powerful engine to control
lion would die natural death In the crusmnI en-
brace VI civIlizatioD. The speaker then aludei 10
the restoration oI the Hebrew language, and de-
cared that prayer was only the expression OF thought
and hence iG must he In the language In winch
man was apt to think, Ot1erwise It was mummery.
The Jewish marital laws were afterwards alluded TO-
and Lie lecturer Closed his remarks amidst applause.