Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1877-12-14

Editor Herald:
Having been present OF tue Jewish Tenn
pie last evening, when "a Hebrew
Tiends concluded their feast Of Dediea-
tion," l had the go d fortune oiksaFink Dr.
GOLlhelf present u sermon on Religious
P~reiudices," which so tlTclbiy struck me
as being "neaTl , true, that / took the
pains OF writing an extract theTelFOm for
your valuable paper, and trust that IL may
prove a pleasant and wholesome Sunday
literature 10 q great majority Of your read
ers. Respectfully yours, H,
Ny friends: Our age is empbaticaliy
and justly called the age 0t progress. In
the realms OF science, discovery thr0ngs
discovery. Problems, which have for
thousands OF years been altogether mys.
teriOus and undesirable, are now solved,
and the veil OF mystery 10 removed; and
with this advance, old prejudices arc
gradually vanishing, and the rules OF eter-
nal laws daily more and more recognized.
In the realm OF pOlitlcal life, too, the same
progress Is marked almost everywhere.
Right and justice and equality begin to
rule Instead OF autOcratic and bureaucrat-
ic governments. The intelligent citizen
takes the place OF tho Obedlent subject,
and he rights and duties OF the people are
clearly defined and exercised.
There Ia but one province In which such
progress l. not SO much noticeable, name
iy, the province Of religion.
Religion, my friends, which, according
TO its p%retenslons Of love and humanity,
should first, above oil, try 70 reconcile
and unite the human family, still keeps up
the old ~dissentions, and continues to
estrange man from Here the old
~preiudices, the old religious aVerslOns,
will not give way, aud sometimes II oc-
ours to our mind that certain classes
would even be willing to revive and 70.
enact the dark and bI0Oa.stained laws Of
by. gone centuries, like those instituted
by Antiochus ~Eppiphanes, which caused
the Maccabean war, and upon which
our present festival Of "Chanuccah'' 20
founded, were It not that the strong arm q
the modern state and Constituted would
with It's enlightened, ideas. Of liberty and
fraternity, 10 lar ahead OF the hostile prin'
clples OF the Church and her theology. II
keeps the latter 10 bounds, aud forces her
to tolerate that love and justice which che
IL constantly preaching, but never fully
practiUing. In fact, my friends, the Church
Itself, not the people, 10 the whole year round
practically contTadicting her teachings OIL
Divine and human love. Proof there0fis
for instance, the mutual dislike, and ever
anlmosity existing between the Catholic
and Protestant Churches. True enough,
they have 10 keep peace not, however,
7 by their own free will, but BY the command
and authority OF the state.
But after all, my friends, II does no
concern US Israelites, directly, how TIL
, Catholic Church, with its lnfAlllbllity, anC
the Protestant Church, With ltA idea Of
Protestant state and q Protestant Country
will settle their mutual differences an
difficulties; whether they will continue 4
foster their averslOns or feel prompted I
remove them. What most interests us l
! the prejudice existing against ourselves
n which, up TO the present day, is still no
a altogether extinguished, and hence
deem 1t worth while to examine the cau,e
thereof, and 10 reiute them In 0rde
to eradicate, possible, In o.
own mldst, this evil with all II
roots. Why, my iriends, should, III on
! against US here and there, aud noN "a
then, be observedf Are we, perhap
0. strangers, mere sOjourners In the count
)r we live In? Are we longing for q retuI
IL to old Jerusalem2 MOI emphatically q
Israel OF old, under the weight OF unbea
70 able expressions and prosecutions, pray
Of TO the God Of mercy for relief, for q speeG
return 10 their Own peaceful home; b
we modern lsraelites, have long clint
abolished all such prayers, The OOuntl
= we live in is our home, our fatherland, al
= we W. allegiance to none else. We r
member Jerusalem as the cradle Of OF
religion, the same as Catholics and ProteB
ants revere 1t as q holy city; but rigl
here ends the whole affair, aud "
2, wouldn't go there II We could.
y vi, my friends, are we averse 10 the pr
Ia gress ~ civilization Do we, like Il
4 Egyptian mummies, cling merely TO Il
past, and have no sense for the spirit
y the age, its W ,nts and demandsl Go
the Universities OF Europe and this cOu
try, examine any department OF hum
ind the Jews the peers OF the best. N
my friends, WI hail with joy and graf
10 tude, the progress Of modern civilizatio
y Tor In II We recognize the gradual fulfil
Ia ment OF our mission, to unite all humaniI
70 into n great bond Of com non brit G
y hood.
le Or, my friends, a;e we iniemp rate
ll our habits, addicted 10 any vice ~
10 class, which may render us O
Iv ~nOxlous as an evil example to other
\, Are VIC bent on quarrellng and hghtin
| do not pretend TO say, my friends, ID
r we are any better than we ought to /
I W AeNE kAA AhhANa 80 = - VAhNA ~
re- pie, and do not intend TO dlsclaim the
But we call on the past history OF eighte
centuries TO testify that we have AWAY
u and everywhere been, as arule, with We
o. rare exceptions, q sober and tempeFa
liz people, not given to eXcessts Of any d
scrIptiOn; that our domestic DIRE Id
we're always distinguished for chastl
~ parental and dial affection, aud that '
IN always abstained from q quarrelsome al
rlOtOus conduct; so that VIC have gO'
cause to implure heaven to grant that O.
er young men may equal In the future y
ne pas generations In chastity aud moraltt
and that our young women may always
n semble their old mothers OF lsrael. 10 oil
ne plicity and true maternal and domesi
he virtues. Or, my friends, are we wantil
In charity, in sympathy with nj feIlC
menY Are we tardR or mtserly In ca
Up ulbuting our mite toward the relief Of u
be poor and u~niortuDate2 DO we ever fail
ed respond TO the call Of any institution
god and noble purposes! No, ceTta n
not! and our impartial GENTLE nelghbO
au will bear me out In saying that VIC q
.p. ,econd to nOne whenever the sacred eau
IN Of charity and beneVolence is espOusC
of with US, and II within our reach, M POI
-. no widow, and no orphan are without me-
Ias era and friends. "Charityn was the
nd scription on our banner at all times, and I
he saying Of our old Rabies that " chari
eir and b%enevoIence outweigh In the sight
90 God all religious beliefs and ceremonies
90 has never been forgotten, or neglected
ne our midst-so that we do not even consld
Ill II virtue, but an imperative duty TO he
he and assist, whenever and BY whomsoeT