The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-08
RELIGION And HISTORY.
A Lecture Delivered by Rabbi CaliSCh at
the MOzart.
4 VERY LARGE AUDIENCE PRESENT,
The Address Was Before the Jefferson Liter
airy and Social rclc-Full Ex-
tracts of the ID scourse.

In the face of raw. disagreeable night out
of doors a fine audience assembled at the
Mozart Academy last evening to hear DR.. Il
n. Calisch, Of Beth Ahaba synagogue, de-
liver an address before the Jefferson Literary
and Social Circle. He was introduced by Nr.
Sol. L. Bloomberg. ice-presdent of the So
ciety. and spoke fuently for more than an
hour on the subject of religion and history,
holding the closest attention OF every indI-
vidual in the audience. Any attempt at full
report Of his mastery address would be
futile.
THE LECTURE.
The speaker introduced his subject by saying
that when the invitation had been EXTENDED 10
him by the Jefferson Literary and Social Slrcle
10 appear this evening, though approaching
the honor yet ne had Decn 10th 70 accept ior ne
was nervous. he had heard what Virginia
and Richmond audience Is, ana was aware ol
the high standard of excellence demanded py
it. tie felt that IN tine capital clty OF Inen
great Commonwealth that was not only the
mother oil Presidents, but also the fountain OF
thaf mere the common lace and the ordinary
tend to say that he did offer now
assured that Their generosity was oquhi
10 their demands. lie then went on
to say that in speaking OF religion
or single shade Of belief. but to rei gion in gen
eral. Religion was. as he defined 1t, merely an
expression an outward EXPIRE 'sIon' on Ieellns
or capacity in the human breast, the copacity
for the God-idea. IIis caiacity was innate.
This was proven by It's uniYersaity. All over
the globe even among the loWhest ana most
barharlc savages, the God-ldea was prevalent,
| and found eS{gess ION ~ various religious forms
and ceremonies his Is the case today IL was
the case in antiquity In most ancient DAYS the
/ DftaHff 81 unQ fg
gious ground Of al tribes. It varied In the
various tribal districts and grew more ana more
different as the tribes separated from each
The causes that tended 10 DISCREPANCIES and
| variety in the religious rites OF the various
nations were the sum OF national traits ana ana
/ characteristics. the special doctrines iaid Gown
| hy varIO prophets, leaders or oher media OF
| divine and special revelation and the topo-
| graphical and geographical conditions OF 1he
| individual tribes or peoples.
PRIMITIVE MAN.
Primitive man was far more n creature Of his
| emotions than are we to-day. lis feelings anu
| fears. his SLOPES and aspirations were influenced
| and acted upon by his conditions OF Ilie. Dy ms
/ environments. by the resources and topography
Of the country in which ne dWelt. 1he hlilste
| dWeler planted the vineyard and pressed the
| grape, the one IN The PLAN plougheu ana SoWeu
and reared the harvest, the one on the coast
srread out his not aud caught The fish. and each
| one adapted himself TO his surroundings. ! hese
| feelings and fears III turn acted upon MS re-
| hgious life and il was natural that the mer-
chant should have god Of commerce. the sea-
man god of the sea, the ploughman god OF
the sun and Of ram, or nation mat nag ia, 81
! these 10 have gods for each one, as had Rome
| Mars for her warriors. Neptune Tor ner Sailors
/ Mercury for her merchants, etc. The fsqul-
i maux to-day have r god OF tho sea, Iorngak;
/ fhe people of the orient wor ship the sun. the
/ Indian OH the plains has his great unknown
spirit.
CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS.
| The changes and improvements in the re-
/ i 81 q lf.Q M nm
proyements in the physical world, and thus his
! tory acts upon religion 10 improve and purliy
! il. AS man learned that natural phenomena
| rain and clouds and sun shlne and tempest ana
| whiYl1ind and eclipse. were not tho acts OF par
ticulaf deiies. but the result OF well estaDushe
! and ascertainable laws, they ceased 10 fashion
| gods for these things and discarded those thoy
| already had, SO gradually, with the progress OF
| history. pOlythelsm anf heathenisn Wa11cd De
fore the approach of truth and reason This Is
| the feateet and general euecI oI history upon
| religion There were local conditions IN sing q
and individual countries that may have helped
10 advance or retard the progress OF maj peo,
| pie Again, nations that had advanced beyond
| others extended 20 the latter helping hanl
| along the pathway Of progress. stanley law
| ingstOn. On Chailiu. Kane and Greely were not
| only explorers in the material world, tAey were
! eYangeiSis as vel.
THE PICTURE PAINTED BY RELIGION.
The results of religion as manifested in the
! history of nations were as varied as are TIE
| emotions of the human breast. Ihe picture
| that religion paints upon the canvas IS one
| made up o. big blOtches Of light and shade.
| Tears and blood, smiles and frowns, love and
| hat cd murder and compassion nave al Deen
/ impelled % action by religion The cause OF
| this great divergence in the results OF renglon
| is the variance Of the proportions OF qnahty
| and quantity that were possessed ny religious
| deyOtees. loo great quantity, without COM
| pensatng quality, brought ianauclsn ana
| strife 8 he cause of improy yement in religion IS
| the fact that quantity Is giving way TO quality.
| Improvement is gong on rIfht along, anu We
| can exrect that the more enlightened man get
| the more closely be Will approach 10 me ,tfnth
| in things spiritual he barriers hat divide
| man o day will break away The true concep-
ton OF God Will come 70 the 'front.' ana II Will %
| held by all peoBles This time VII tie the NIL
| lenium. The rabbi went on TO say thar such
| were at any rate the mlllenal expectations ol
| Judaism. u was d mistake 10 suppose thai
| the jews expect or await national
| restoration at Jerusalem. They are simply
| working and waiting for the day when all tht
! errors. superstlti0ns and fallacles Of religion
| MI be eoYYaeted and the world advance 10 the
| pure and correct conception or Deity. 10 theI
| closed with a beautiful ILLUSTRATION as follows
| The color white is the emblem OF chastity anc
| innocence but Il IS not simple elemental color
Ii was composed Of the sey, n colOr- OF the rain
| bow. The demonstration OF TINS is 20 take bal
| or tOD. and on II IN parallel ands paint ths
| cardinal coIors OF the rainbow Let the ball ol
top revOlve on IL, own ais, and the more SWIFTLY
| il revOlyes tho more the cOl0rs viii lose then
| distinCtness and, blend ng tlge her merge INT,
| one single band Of white. Sot9ketms giant al
| OF earth, AMI on II IN parallel IAN Is let color
| represent the yari u religions OF the world
| Now place through u the AXIS OF enlghimen
! ana civilization nnd let IL rey0lyo thereon
| chased by the hying feet OF time. Though n'
| prophet am 1. yet can fOretell the future Tim,
| moves on. the earth revolyes faster and faster
| the colors lose dlstinctnoss, they 20 TOWARD
| one another. thev coalesce. they merge one into
| the other. leaving one broad band OF pure, daz
| zling white the true, the pure. the ideal relig
| ion, when all humanity Will bend the knee tC
| one God and all tongues sing his praise. ha
is the Messiah, that the mil nnlum. 1her
! China will tear down her wal and Africa's Jun
| eies will be pa adise Osir. Will be forgotten, anC
| Nishuu be unknown; Rrahma will cease 20 b,
remembered and Buddha image be no Longer
seen; then Tarngak andModen and Thor will / n
their grave together and the Parsee viii know
that hi blazing sun-gol Is noi apart from Ma
| ture but OF il. not creator but creaiuro the
| Zend-Ayesta viii be a myth. the hope for Nir
| yana he lost, and all religions merge into tn,
pure white light OF the true conception o
deity and all ma ions will le one nation and al
peoples one people. and all humanity shall hav,
one creed the common fatherhood of God, III,
common brotherhood OF man.
TO STAY ON THE POLES.