The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-03
MO- ES A COMMUNIST.
WHAT HE DID rem THE People
OF ISRAEL
and Poverty That Are the
Curse OF Our Age.

HGnf0Fdb Neb M0n!hty MGQdsif1e, q
Unlversslist orSan, published by 7.
II aud NJ w. Tabor in Chicago, Au.
gust number, makes the following de-
tense OF Moses aud his supposed
'mistskes," under the title, "Tnings
About Which Moses Wes Not Mis-
taken" We rep odoce this article
not merely beciuee it comes f;on G
Christian pen, an impartial witne's in
defense Of the law, but chiefly be-
cause II contains ideas often an
nounced in this Journal and frequent
~ gainsaid by our own co'ib)TeB 90
being wiseonian Mr.. Hanford thus
begins thu "Things About Which
Moses Was Not Mistskep."
ask yon 10 look at the direction
for dividing the promised land among
the Hebrews, given in these words:
"And ye thaIl divide the lend by lot
for an inheritance among yeur fam =
liec; and 10 tho more ye shall give the
more inheritance, end 10 the few ye
shall givs less inheritance" Eum.
bers, xxxiii, "a.
This d vision Was made by Joshua
See Joshus, XVIII chapter. The l.
realities were not permitted to ee,tle
where they had q mipd TO, nor to
aim all that they might desire to
have; each family was to receive an
inheritance under the law In proper
ton to its sis', and that inheritance
could not be permanently aleniated by
any &C, of theirs.
A learned writer favs tina. "tha
Mosaic method Of dividing tho land
made extreme poverty and overgrown
riches alike impossible With the
denial Of the means Ct luxury, 1t took
awsy all the ordinary indictments to
II In the form Of titled and wealthy
aistocracy. 1t gave to every member
OF the body polit an interest in thu
so i, and consequently in the main.
tenance of pubic order, and the
sup emacy Of Law, which ne hsd no
power 10 part with" at made the
virtue OF Industry aud frugslity neces-
ssry elements Ia every man's charsc-
ter. Its tend ncy wss 10 secure to all
the people moderate Independence,
and to prevent those extremes OF opu
leDcs and dtstilution which are The
oppTobrium OF modern civtls Ition "
This was no mistske. For examples
are not wanting outside OF The Hebrew
nations to illustrate and enforce the
wisdom Of the Mo- ale division OF tue
soil. Uadtr the sysem Of small
oWntrships We ave It'd, that Attica
reached the hight Of her prosperity,
but when ono man became the Bols
pTorr etor che sank into poverty and
misery.
So, too, when we look at R,me un-
der Servius, wo see vast body OF
small proprletors, who enrich them.
selves aud the state by the culliva ion
Of their own land. We | ok again,
and see universal pDvery and degrade
lion. Iumente tracts of and are now
in the hands OF single families who
have displaced the numerous small
but prosperous proprietois.
We are told that the same expert
enoee have been repeated in the south
OF Span. When the industrious Moors
held he country the lands were di
vlded and worked by the owners, who
enri he'd boh themselves and thpir
country. But eince those industrious
Gu tIvators Of the soil have been dis
placed bv few g aadees, the richest
soil which the sun ever shone upon
naa become almost desolation.
G9ldsmiih bemna such change
in the pecuniary and social coudition
Of EoRland In his Deserted Viliage:"
Sweot smiling village, lovslisht Of the lawn,
Thy sports are ntd, and all thy charms with
Am DIST thy bowers the tyrant's hand 10 seen,
And desolation saddeps all tho green:
One ouly mater arAsps the whole domain,
And hat tillage stints thy smiling plan.
No more tho e aesy brook Ieheots the day,
But, ohoked with sodses, works lite Wesdy
WAV;
Along thy glAdes solitary guest,
The no loW sounding b tern guards its nesti
Amidst thy desert walks the lApwinR dies,
And tires their echoes with UNMARRIED cries:
sunk are thy bowers in shApeloss ruin all,
And the Ions ArAss o'ettops the mouldorina
wall;
And, trOa, bling, shrinking from the spoilers
hand,
Far, far away thy children leave the land.
III farce the land, to haItSning illSA prey,
Where wealth Rcoumu tes and men decay;
Pri ces and lords may flourish or may fade;
breath 9 make them, as breath has
mAdei
But bold peA'antry, their eouutry's pride,
When once destroyed, can mover be supplied.
/, was the purpose OF Moses 10 make
such sotiSl condition imr ossible, and
the laws epac cd TO this end were in
no sen,e mie,ake.
-.