Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-21
AMERICANS AND CHARITY.
Rabbi Stern Talks on One Of the Pracfis
Lessona of the Hour

Rabbi Stern Talks One Of the Practical
Lessons of the Hour.
Last evening at the temple Of the Washing.
| ton Hebrew Congregation after The close Of the
! regular Friday evening service Rev. L. Stern
delivered q lecture on the subject, CHARITY
After speaking Of the acts of kindness. helpful
ness and mercy called forth by the reports OF
suffering, he said
well may We with pardonable pride rejoice
that amidst the nations of the world there is
none that would compare with our own Ameri-
| can people in the ready and unstinted exercise
I OF charity. No sooner does the news OF any
great catastrophe calamity-whether il oc-
CURED az home or abroad-reach the American
car. when the great heart OF great nation
goes out to the unfortunate in pity and in love.
and succor is rendered with a heartiness and
nnbounded generosity that is truly and particu-
| larly American. And as to institutions for the
amehoration of the pitiful condition of the sick
and poor and helpiess as to efforts In general
to dispense such blessings and benefits as would
tend to make others wiser. better and happier
in short, in every movement Of charity and
philanthropy. in the broadest and noblcst sense,
America, to say the least, stands today second
to none among the nations of the world.
"Now the query might properly suggest
itself: Who were the people that first of all
others promulgated the lesson of charity,
and practically and intelligently applied it to
men? We hear it repeatedly said. and are in
formed in current literature, that with the adj
vent OF Christianity love and mercy we're born
and charity ushered into the world. No one
would deny that the achievements Of Chris
tianity. and notably modern Christianity in the
domain Of charity are truly great and wonder
full And the slurs and sneers of thousand in
fidels would not reverse the fact that religion
and not atheism is the fruitful soil congenial to
the growth and development OF the society
charity.
But may the world also not forget that
Christianity is the daughter of Judaism and
Christian charity but an inheritance bequeathed
by the mother into her daughter Jewish his
toCy and religion are most closely interwoven
with aud Correlated to the sacred cause of char
ity; they are one and inscparable. And as We,
as Jews, particularly love the American idea Of
freedom and liberty, because the inception Of
human freedom must DO traced to the liberia
ton of our people from Egyptian Serfdom, SO
we are in heartiest accord with the American
spirit Of charity and philanthropy, because
our whole history from its very dawn evinced
such q spirit. because our whole literature
biblical as well as rabbinical-is replcte with
laws, ordinances and ethical sayings sound
ing the praise OK charity, defining its
scope and measuring and making the practice
thereof obligatory to every Israelite. Judaism.
the mother of religion, has also taught the
world the principles OF love and charity" said
kov. Mr.. Stern in closing "Let us rejoice
that. in the main, the seed has not fallen on
barren ground. And let us hope that religions
most beauteous child-charity and Humanity
the child adopted by al creeds, although BY
those not associated with the creed, may
steadily continue to draw the whole human
race into closer fellowship, making the whole
world kim"