The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-11
THE ANCIENT FAITH.
Festival Of Shebuoth at the
Synagogue Yesterday.
FINE muslc-LovELY FLOWERS.
Lecture ~ Melvin @. wfnstoek-Materf-
allan the Idai-A Modern Moses
Sadly Needed.

Elgnth streets. was crowded 10 its utmost
capacity yesterday By Jews and Gsntiles
20 witness the commemorafion OF the fes-
tivai of Shebuoth. The building had been
Handsomely decorated with many varis-
ties Of towers, ferns. ivy and evergreen,
the handiwork Of the ladies Of the congre-
CATION. and the beauty Of the scene height
ened the effect Of the impressive services
The musical programme was feature Of
the occasion. rendered more prominent By
the effective singing OF Mrs. Capt Wal
lace, whose clear soprano voice was heard
70 advantage in the solo 'sThs Lord. Ny
Fa-her." and Of Miss & Greenbauni.
whose rich and full contralto voice i'm
pressively rendered the solo Morning
Prayer" The choir. made mp OF Miss
Smith, Miss yaffs. Master SingerEnan, Mr..
Elliott, Master Lohss and Messrs. Grass
and Pound, with Mr.. A. Lueben, organist.
was effective in sill its work and gave evil
dence o. many good voices
The intellectual treat OF the occasion was
the lecture delivered by Mr.. Melvin G.
Winstock on "Universal Law"
Mr.. Winstock described the conditions
under which the Hebrews marched from
Egypt and slavery to the mountain of the
torieal traditions than upon the divine in-
spirations OF the biblical story. The Jews,
he said, were q horde of freedmen, skep-
tical - the God from whose mercy
freedom did come and doubtful OF the
power of Moses to safely lead them to
Palestine It became necessary to frame
legal system In order that this peculiar
race might be guided, ana is Was further
necessary that . knowledge of this system
should be given to the people under con-
ditions OF mystery ana awe that should
impress them with the might of an un-
seen power, demanding complete obedience
TO it. The speaker admitted that the
deealogue was not an entirely new declara-
ton OF moral principles. but Moses codi-
ned existing laws into q national system
which earned for him the title of the
greatest legislator OF which history con-
tains record.
The laws of Moses were then by the
speaker compared with the criminal and
civil Jurisprudence of Greece and Rome,
the code TO Justinian and the common
Law of England, and the conclusion Was
reached that there was no need for the
Hebrews of modern times to cry out
against the ancient faith and law, because
It's principles were based upon the truth.
which Is eternal
Mr.. Winstock, warming up to his theme,
declared that because the nation was fall
ing away from justice and equity IN hui
man dealing. inspired by the claws of
Moses, the American people are suffering
from an Industrial revolution, the outcome
of which Is fraught with consequences
that none can foretell. bringing about a
period OF contrasts startling in the ex-
IRENE; political parties are losing sight of
public morality, and have sacrificed tho
industrial masses to the party manipula-
tors, whose only desire is to retain
at arg al kAa bar
the idol. and when for millions
OF honest men there is no work the people
are hardly blameable who turn to a Coxey
as a modern Moses, who might perchance
lead them out of the wilderness of in
dustrial slavery. Men in the abuse Of the
power Of wealth have corrupted public
integrity. The cities are full of il. Thence
IL has spread 10 the state. and reaching out
its giant death grip il has even CONTAINS
mated the national administration of the
Law, until today. while Coxeyism does not
represent the sober common sense of the
people. il Is surely mighty protest against
the evils OF the present; and the spirit
that underI!es The pure men "a the move
ment can not be laughed down, hooted at,
ioked or brushed away. This illustrates
how Moses knew the nature of man. He
realized that men were selfish and grasp
ing, that they would beat the breast OF the
earth without rest, and thus he declared
that once In seven years men
should give the ground rest
and cease from tiiling the soil.
He realized mans natural greed for power,
and thus once in every fiity years he de-
clared that lands should be restored to
their original owners, thus preventing the
aggregation of wealth in the hands OF the
few. Thus Moses checked the encroach-
ments Of the strong in his age. So surely
in this age there should BE- some limit TO
the power of man 10 absorb the product OF
labor.
Closely connected with this question is
the problem of the relation existing be-
tween capital and labor. The laws of
Moses enioin just treatment 10 those who
are compelled to work, and wherever the
employer exercises goodness, whenever he
permits justice and righteousness 10 con-
troll mis- conduct to those under him, the
labor difficulties vanish.
Speaking then more particularly of the
children of Israel, he said:
'The effect of the law upon Jewish char
aeter was TO make the nation race of
priests. whose noblest dream was God and
humanity. and whose pathway through
history was the wonder OF all the earth. I"
The speaker then deplored the materials
ism OF the present day, and he concluded
with an earnest, eloquent plea for a return
TO the noble truths Of The ancient faith.