The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-25
LECTURE SEASON.

| DIR. JOHN HALL ON SCRIPTURE AND SCIENCE.
| The twelfth entertainment OF the Young Mems
Hebrew Association was given last night IN
the rooms OF the association. The exercises
began with tr!o opus l No. Beethoven,
allegro BRIO aadante cantabiie. by Messrs l.
Michaelis f. Grumbacher and DR.. D. H. Dawson.
The Rev. Or. John Hall next delivered a lecture or
"rhe Hebrew Scriptures and the Sciences" A violin
solo, batade ct poioaaise vieuxtemps, was played
by Or. d. IL. DAWSON. Alter short interm!sson
the second part OF the exercises was opened with a
trio by Mcssrs. Michaes, Grumbacher and DAWSON.
Miss Rebecca Cohen gave very Gne rendition of Nil
lard's song, "When the Tide Comes In" Mr +.
Grumbacher next played volonceo solo, after which
the entertainment closed BY recitation from
s'Othelo" by Mr.. Frank Rothschild, JE
do not PROPOSE said Dr.. Hall al the beginning Of
his lecture to instruct the specialist or the scholar
but merely TO speaE to persons OF average intelligence
upon this general question: gancng at the objections
that have been raised and the difficulties thrown in
tho way Of believing, and showing how q candid,
fair minded intelligent person ought to look al these
difficulties 1t must be admitted, to say the least, to
be u very remarkable coincidence that the most IN
tclligenL cultivated and civilized people In all he
ages have been inclined to attach the greatest weight
to these ancient scriptures. II anybody should IN
slst on this beng mere coincidence he would have
great difficulty ~ explaining IL. Either no say
that these Scriptures are among the causes Of TINS
civilization, or lie must explain why 3uch a people
been highest in their estimates OF these Scrip
turc5.
DIR. Hall then went on to speak OF the general ten
dency among tribes and nations to ohor sacrifice and
have "a priesthood ot some kind. People wore very
apt 10 place the Hebrew books Ia the same category
the sacred books OF other nations IL would surely
be more just II II was acknowledged that somewhere
the fountain head OF the human race the sacred
institutions, such SACRIFICES, CONSIDERATION oil priests
erection OF affairs, must nave been com
mended the highest authority. SO, when
the nations scattered across the earth
they carried with them these institutions that
had. u divine sanction IN the beginning.
sometimes the ancient religious iteratures OF DIFF
ferent there found certain precapts and
sayings that had very remarkable resemblance TO
those IN the Hebrew Scriptures. Men fastened 10 say
thut the latter should be placed precisely tho same
level as the former Tho lecturer gave II as his
opinion that the argument should DO exactly re-
versed. These condolences only proved that some
where near the beginning OF the race God commenced
certain sentiments to HIS creatures, and there I'm,
gered IN the memories OF the people recollec-
tons of these weghty words which became
embodied in their hteratures. The speaker CITED
Zoroaster's Zend Avesta, which embodied many doc-
trines found in the Scriptures, among which were
Scriptures said be less anlquatod than theso
dated from the seventh century OF our era Dr. Hall
conended that there must be nucleus Of fact around
all the traditions embodied in the Scripturos-some
SOUND to awaken all these echoes OF the ages They
could not be accounted tor as mere traditions.