The Washington times., 1894-09-17
Where Pauperism and Excessive
Wealth Will Be Prevented.
HOW TO BUILD SUCH A STATE
Rev. Alexander Kent Points Out Two of the
Underlying Principles of the Mosaic Law
Equal Distribution of National Wealth
and Community of Interests.

4
esprit of the Biblical Legislation. He took
up the second and third principles which DR..
Fluegel says dominate the Mosaic law, viz.
Equal distribution of the national wealth, -
and Community Of interests"
"The Jewish legislation, he said, 'aimed
at prevention OF pauperlsm and OF excessive
wealth. The law did not adopt the commun-
istic or even the socialistic system. under
which the stronger are obliged TO share their
surplus with their weaker brothers. 1t lest
the matter largely TO the conscience and lib
erality OF the individual worker. Yet there
were limits beyond which neither greed nor
superiority were permitted to so in gathering &
wealth. The measures taken to protect these
limits were bolder and more radically demo
cratic than any every adopted by any other
people.
In the first place, the land was divided
equally among the people. 1t was not given
AT ali in fee simple. There was no power to
sell absolutely. The possessOr might dispose
OF the use for a limited period, but posterity
and the commonwealth had rights which the
law would not permit-laZness nor eXtrava-
ganee on the one hand. nor greed on the other
to be disregarded. All land must return in
time TO the family to which it was originally
given. There were provisions. too, that none
should be dispossessed and pauperiZed; Sab
bath, during which neither man nor beast was
allowed TO toll; rest year every seventh, in
which there was neither sowing nor reaping
when the spontaneous products OF the fallow
ground went TO the slave, the hireling, the
stranger the cattle, and absolute release from
debt and obligation to service, and every
Iiltieth year, which witnessed the return Of
every one to his own inherited land and to
his own family. Prof Wines says the agra
rian laws OF the Hebrews made extreme poy-
erty and overgrown riches alike impossible
Their tendency was to secure to all moder-
ate independence and to prevent the extremes
OF opulence and destitutlon which are the
opprobrium Of modern civilization.
ADVANTAGE OF SMALL LAND HOLDERS.
After calling attention to the benefcent eff
fects of the small ownership OF land secured
by Hebrew law, as exempli1ed in the history
of Greece, of Rome, of Spain, and of Peru,
DR.. Kent continued:
''Land-holders in France living on their es-
tates numbered in 1872 over 5000. COO out of
population OF $4,000, 000 in England in 1871
there were fewer than 600, 600, out Of nearly
! 5000 600. while the total cost OF Dauperism
in France for 1873 was -, 500, 600, against
nearly $4,000 600 in England for that year.
In England in 1876 there were a little more
than Z, 900 900 owning Isl 600 acres, while the
Duke of buckingham alone owned 1S2 COO
| The first paid an annual rental of Sl45, ,000,-
| 600, while the Dukes rental was only $780,
600. 1t was to guard against this state of
things that the Hebrew legislator prohibited
the permanent alienation OF the family lot
| These laws were, as with the Golden Rule to-
day, praised with the lips but rudely broken
with the hands. But the great principles have
steadily reappeared in the protective and re-
formative legislation Of every people.
Now Of Il community of interests: it was
clearly recognized by Mosaic legislation.
Mutual sympathy is the rock underlying the
entire social structure. This feeling of COM
mon interest, beginning in the family, ex-
tending to connexions, 10 the tribe and to the
whole people, the jewish legislator sought to
kindle and 10 fan into a full consciousness.
Take a few passages out OF many: The immi-
grant thou shalt not overreach or oppress, for
such We were in Egypt. If thou endest money
thou shalt not take from him any interest
If thou takest the garment OF thy fellow as
a pawn, return 1t to him at sunset Bend not
justice against the poor. Take no bribe, for
bribery blinds the eyes Of the wise.
1T takes centuries to get ready for new
truth or even the application of the old one
There are indications that we are on the eve
OF great change. Perhaps this state of
lethargy which has fallen upon US may be
only the chrysalis state Competition is Civ
ing place to combination. This is the last
step before monopoly when the business of
the country shall be unified and systematized
and the chrysalis of monopoly will burst and
the butterfly of a new and cooperative
commonwealth will make its appearance.
THERE MUST BE PLAN AND SYSTEM.
AZ admire the boldness and courage of the
great-hearted Hebrew, but his method de-
pends too largely on repressiye measures.
Success does not lie in that direction. We
want the nation organized for peaceful SER
vice as Systematically and thoroughly as we
would organize for war. And we must treat
any member of society as a part of the indus
trial army We can have no order in the
realm OF industry until we have plan, sys-
tenn, organization.
WHO would think of putting a thousand
men to work in a machine shop without
a definite plan of operation and an intelli-
gent disposition of his Yorkmen? Are the
law and order involved in such plan and sys-
tenn destructive of freedom? Do they inter
fere in any improper way with personal lib
erty? We have great many thousand men
employed in the service of this government
Does such employment mean slavery or loss
in any degree of personal liberty?
suppose the whole nation were organized
as thoroughly as any department: suppose all
fear of discharge and non-employment were
removed and every man was sure of adequate
employment and support; suppose that this
organization was such as made it to the in
terest of all to see that each individual was
given that kind of employment best suited to
his or her gifts, how would this interfere with
personal liberty 1t would only interfere with
the liberty of one person to live at the ex-
pense Of another. In every department of life
whore men are employed by others there are
certain regulations with which they are OBJ
liged to comply. If these regulations are rea-
sonabe and really required by the nature OF
the business no man feels for q moment that
they are lnfringements on his liberty.
FREEDOM THAT Is A MocKERY.
"We want the avenues to all true brotherly
service made so open and free that every one
may have free entrance and due recognition
for service rendered. The opening of these
avenues is soeiety's most important business
When all may enter and find room for the
best gifts they can bring there will be no in
reference with rightful liberty; there will be
plan, system, order, law, comprehensive
elaborate complex, but freedom broader and
ruer than any man can now know.
what mockery is the freedom of thou
sands to-day? Freedom to tramp. to beg
vainly for work; freedom to be locked up for
asking for bread when perishing with hunger:
freedom to see wife and children sicken and
die before their eyes for want of that they are
not permitted to earn nor beg. Away with
such freedomi We will make these things
impossible when the practice of the nation
brotherhood let us quit out business rivalry
nd .a,,sry e.