The New York herald., 1878-02-25
ADLER ON THE BIBLE.

ZONE OF THE GRANDEsT AND MEANEsT WORKS
EVER WRITTEN"
In the human soul said Professor Felix Adler, at
Standard Hall yesterday, there are secret chambers
which man himself breads to cnter. When all is still
without tho wild appartons OF the guilty past there
revealed by religion, and man appeals 10 religion
TO atone Tor that guilt That atonement, Christianity
as had been explained in previous lecture, could
only accomplish by blood. What was tho answer
Judaism had gwen to the question how to wipe out
gus In order to ascertain this they had TO refer to
the Bible. The Bible, indeed, ono OF the grandest
works ever written: one Of the meanest works ever
written book tull OF great truths and stained with
falsehood and deceit book that teaches youth 10
exalI and Is the Of great corruption to the old
q book, indeed, which Is AT tho same time and
shallow antagonistic views plainly represent
the Bible The orthodox take 10 the one side, the
beginner In radlcaism TO tho other The exats t.
70 The skies; the other takes delight IN trampng
into the The STANDPOINT OF both IL the
point Of ignorance, while the standpoint OF true schoi
arship is TO wisely discriminate. Tue Bbic Is COL
lection OF Hebrew literature extending over history
Of six hundred years, andl contains gems we'll
rubDlshS he would take the gems and leave the rub
b:sh. The pearl WAS none the less valuable because
IL bad been drawn from the weeds Of the sea- In ex-
ercislng that discrimination required 10 review the
Bible they should remember that one part OF u was
the Work OF priests, with their crnmped, narrow ideas,
and the other tnat Of the prophets whose Tree,
Humanitarian thoughts were sublime. On one side
stood those who fought the religion tor rcglons
sake. nc antagonism Of old between priests
sna pr0pess as ann .Ss
TINS antagonism was nowhere moro clearly MARKED
then in the celebration Of The Heorow Day OF Atone
ment which, even IN modern Judaism, appears. 10 be
the only link that binds them 70 the religion OF the
past. In the old temple Of Jerusalem the High
Priest day, laying aside robes OF gold and
purple entered the sanctum simple whto robes,
WINE amid oppressive stiffness and whe an i'm.
mense multitude was assc bcd IN the courtyard he
Qiau0 utpre a a n
OF the two goats did he hoap all the sins Of the
people and declaration was made that that by blood
at0nemcnt was made" Tho next effort 10 reconcile
tho God Of the jews was TO PROSTATE himself and 10
suffer PHI ysical pain by abstainng iood, II
was that the desiro for Indulgence was never 50
great that very day. But ali should
remember that prlestiy law was not the
be found that they werc broad In their views and that
their tho ughts were entirely wound up with human
happiness Three thousand years ago these prophets
said, '.we need no temples" rLey condemned the
SACRIFICES ana said, .Cry aloud and spare not, show
my people their transgresslons aud the house OF
the ancient radicals They called upon their
people to wash their hands OF guilt and TO undo Tho
bands OF wickedness; this was their fast and their
atonoment They Instituted the jubilee q umani-
tartan measure, tnat after tho lapse Of fty years
each man should be possessed Of his own, OF what
his due Those noble men stove of the aggran-
dzemsnt of the fcw against the many. Justice 10
the masses was their religion, and amendment was
their climax OF puriicaton. IL was sad TO con-
template that, even In this advanced age men could
be found who leaving their temples all the round
to DO filed by women and children, would crowd In
there the Day oil Atonement 70 clear themselves
that day by prayer and fasting, as 10 pay OF debt
to the Deny. Men would humble themselves before
the Lord on that day and the next day commit the
same frauds as OF old They forget that amendment
only con atoae for the past shat the doing OF good
deed alone better than all the praying and fasting.
They forget that the thing needful tor them is
improve the condition of those round about them TO
create now aud better surroundings which ai0no IL
the truo atonemenL The Hebrew prophets sketcncd
out this plan 5000 years ago. II Judaism would fs.
vive lot II follow the example OF the prophets OF old
and discard the religion Of the priests. Lot them
sound the clarion tones throughout the land that
human rights and liberty shall and must be the
groundwork OF tneir religions, and cxcaim with
Isaiah, "fhat the cbstiy pies are an abominatou
and h0nor TO the Lord.'