Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-13
NOSES AND LYCURGUS.
Interesting Address by the Rabbi
SchTeibcr.

IntereBttmg Address Dy tine A3apDi
SchKeibcr.
Rabbi Schneider commenced on
Friday night series of lectures at
the Synagogue, the first of which was
as follows:
The following tradition is related in
regard to Lycurg, the great law-giver
of Sparta: In order to secure stabil-
ity for his laws, he caused his fellow
citizens to take an oath that they
would not change them until he re-
turned from Delphy, where he went
for the purpose Of asking the advice
Of the oracle. AS was usually the
case, the reply Of the Delphic oracle
was ambiguous and double meaning,
conveying the idea that Sparta
will be happy, so long as its inhabi-
tants will obey Lycurgus' laws. Then
the law-giver, fearing lest after his
return home the people of Sparta
might consider themselves released
of their promise took upon him self
voluntary exile; yea, intentionally
died of starvation, and ordered
his corpse to be cremated
and its ashes to be scattered
in the sea, so that there
was no possible chance of bringing a
vestige Of his remains to Sparta, and
thus endangering the duration OF his
his laws.
Now, this story, whether true or
not, proves two things. In the first
place, of course, that Lycurg was a
Jealous and unselfish patriot, who
loved his country better than
his own self. In the second
place, however, it teaches us
that while Lycurg was a noble
man he cannot be called wise
statesman and tar-sighted-legislator,
in the true sense OF the word. For,
no matter how weli-meaning his in
tentions were to make his nation happy
and contented, the result of his action
was not beneficial to his country. for
his legislation became in time fetter,
o prison-cell, a yoke, around the neck
of the Spartans, Who were thus placed
before the painful alternative, either
to submit for all ages to
come to the same laws, no matter
how little in harmony with altered
conditions, or to violently abolish
them. Now, such a cou' Sc would
seem surprising in Lycurg, who, to
say the least, was both a good and
wise man. But Lycurg was a strict
adherent of stabilism, conservative
of the worst type, an implacable oppo-
nent of progress and national develop
ment. Herein lies the secret
of his action. At the time, when he
took the reins OF government into his
hands, the state was on the verge of
dissolution. Confusion, anarchy, a
perfect chaos was found everywhere.
Lycurgus succeeded in restoring order
and peace. 1t is then but natural that
he thought his laws would not only
for the time being, but for all genera
tions to come, save the republic and
shield it against revolutionary on
slaughts. Now in this respect he
was mistaken, for times and
circumstances alter cases, and
laws which may prove highly bene-
fetal and satisfactory in one age, may
be out OF place and lose their signifi-
canoe and the sphere of their useful
ness in another. But Lycurgus' main
object was to keep the Spartans for
ever under the same influences and
modes of living, that is, to prepare
them from very childhood for warfare
and battleields. Hence he insisted
upon the taking of a solemn oath by
the citizens OF Sparta binding
them never to change his laws.
And yet Lycurgus' ideal was
not fulfilled. Both the State
and the law went under, and were it
not for the scanty "reminiscences of
Lycurg's legislature preserved to us
by some late writer's, they would
have been buried in utter oblivion.
Mere fragments and relics are the
only signs OF their former existence.
How otherwise acted the immortal
Jewish law-giver-Moses? He, too,
was anxious that the people of Israel
promise allegiance to his laws,
but not to him, but to
God, the Eternal. The Hebrew
commonwealth, based and founded
upon the Mosaic legislature, could,
it is true, not Withstand forever the
storms of time; but the Jewish people
are still living, and no power on earth
was strong enough to annihilate them.
And as far as the laws of Moses are
concerned, that part of them which
was not local, national and pertinent
to Palestinian circumstances only,
did not perish, but has become, and
is becoming more and more, the
essence and four dation Of all modern
legislation of civilized nations.
Let us then impartially and without
bias, merely from the standpoint of
historical investigation, draw par
allel between the two legislations Of
Lycurg and of Moses and we will find
that the words of the prophet Gas
high as heaven is from the earth," SO
much sublimer is the legislature OF
Moses than that of Lycurg.
1t is not we'll possible to enter into
a detailed comparison Of the two leg
islations, from the fact that only
scanty material and fragments of the
Lycurgian legislature are left to our
disposal. But it will suffice for our
object when We call attention to the
following three points, which fally
characterize the spirit of the two law
givers. Let us then investigate what
Moses and what Lycurg had to legis-
late concerning /, strangers; 2, SER
wants; and 3, children.
First-Among the ancient nations
exclueiveness and intolerance were
practiced to such an extent that stran-
gers were considered as barbars and
enemies, which was the case espe-
cially among the Greeks and Romans.
Now Lycurg gave sanction to this
spirit by his legislature. No stranger
-thus ordered the law-giyer of Spar