The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-19
HEBREW POETS And POESY.
DR.. Niete Says They Are the True
Historians.
4 Practical Method Of Treating the
Unfortunate Is Advocated by
Rabbi n. s. Levy.

The inclement and unsettled weather
rather interfered with the attendance at
the various Hebrew places of worship last
evening. Climatic considerations, however,
had little effect on the members of Congre-
CATION Sheriff Israel, who assembled in
force to listen to Rabbi Jacob Nieto's in
teresting lecture on 1.-The Hebrew Poets of
the Middle Ages
After few words of preliminary intro
duction, Rabbi Nieto said:
"The history of that period, perhaps the
sorest age of Israels distress, extending
from the twelfth to the sixteenth century,
NAV well be said to have been written in
the nations blood. The sources from which
the knowledge of the true facts has been
have chronicled the sad events, written
them with their tears, and sealed them
with their lives. In mournful dirge thew
bewailed their peoples sad fate, the i'll
usage to which they had been subjected,
the rigor, the degradation, the outrage
and the slaughter they had had melted
out to them as sops from charitys
cup And from out the ruined heap OF
their manhood and substance, from the
very lowest depths to which they had been
forced down, their souls scared aloft in
hope and never-failing trust in Justice.
They sang their funeral song along with
the song of freedom, the one the accom-
paniment to the other. Their bodies
racked with pain and tortured by all the
heinous devices the medieval barbarism
could. invent, their souls borne up by
beauteous reliance, and faith enrolling,
the poets give us the history of their times
and it is to their singing We must turn,
and, catching the tone, weave for ourselves
the tale they would tell.'
The musical programme was a beautiful
and varied one, and included the singing
of Sir John Stainer'S anthem, 90, Clap
Your Hands" by the quartet choir, under
the direction of Mrs. III. J. Stewart.
Preaching at the Beth Israel Temple,
Geary street, Rabbi Mayer s. Levy ad-
dressed his congregation on GA Practical
Method of Treating the Unfortunate" Said
Dr. Levy:
"The clergyman who is not more than
ordinarily interested and engaged in feed
ing the hungry and ministering to the I'M
fortunate, whatever be his oratorical
powers, is not doing his work to God. We
ministers are here to serve man and God,
and Gods service can only be accom-
plished by active work in aid of our fellow
creatures.
at has been truly said of the unfortu-
nate that when he leaves his place of con-
finement he is heavily handicapped in his
-,
to lead a reputable life. No time is so
critical as the moment of q prisoners dis
charge. Then is the time to aid and guide
him, or the chances in favor of his return
to evil associations are greatly enhanced,
and he may find crime an easy way of
obtaining bread and butter"
DR.. Levy gave short resume of the
work of the Pastors Aid Society, an asso-
citation which has been in existence three
years and has in that time granted sub
stantial aid to released convicts. Seven
teen of these have been assisted and none
of them have been returned to prison.
Dr. Levy, who should be credited with
the foundation Of this society, concluded
his address by giving his views on methods
for the prevention of crime.
At the Temple Emanuel Rabbi Voor-
sanger continued his lectures on ''The Jew
as a Citizen of the World" He said that
in the course of the lectures "a remarkable
fact will be developed and become apparent,
viz: that as the waves of persecution arose,
higher and higher, the Jew rose
with them, and the strength of his mind
has always permitted him to cap and SUBJ
due them.
school of thought shows mental friction.
has been defined as 1.-THE
system of asking questions" A better
definition has never been found, but it is
this that brought it into collision with the
religion of ancient times, no matter
whether it was Judaism, Christianity or
The principle obtained
Ecclesiasticism was a ter
rible taskmaster from our point of view.
1t reserved to itself every right to think
and determine mental action. 1t under
took to assume that its own Interpretation
of matters and things was the only correct
one. The church undertook to present its
own bosom for the weary human child to
rest upon it, to rest without knowledge,
content only with the food that its mother
was ready to give it. We do not occupy
any offensive attitude when we hold that
the medieval church was prosecutor of ,
thought.
e Dr. pr:oal. D.