The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-09
THE CLOSING OF
THE FESTIVAL.
Cycle Of the Jewish Holy Days Draws
10 an End.
REV. DR.. CALlSCH'S SERMONS,
He Delivers Able and Interesting Dis
courses on the Subjects THE Guild
tnr Hand" and Tho Parting
Vord~-Outiine ofAddrcsses

On Friday evening al Beth Ahaba the
servico at S o'clock VAS held as usual
ura. a large audience greeted The speak
er rev. u. n. Calsch who spoke with
,oueb improssivoncss. Or. Calisch took
~. Ids subject "The Guiding Hand" His
text was.
Ia order that your generations may
know that 1 caused the people OF Israel
10 dwell in booths. when brought them
OFT OF tho lanI of Egypt-LeNlucus
axllL, q. JIe said.
Friends, with this evening service the
cycle Of our holy days draws near unto
is end. We usher in tonight the clos
sne festival" tho farewell word, the
parting Donodicton Of our sacreo season.
Who're comes 10 us as in swift review
tho lessons Of our fcstai days, tho mes
saRes OF hope and cheer and spiritual
comfort thoy had spoken TO as. ana we
recall them that We might press them
more strongly upon our minds grave
them, as 40 were. with deeper incisioh
upon tho tables 0f our hearts. OF these
lessons i take ono tonight 10 TcltcT4tc
Ats truth.
on last Sabbath touched among other
things. upon the lesson OF dependence
and OF labor, Of toll and OF trust az
taught by this succ0lh festival WIS"
now 10 lav added stress upon its beauty
ms applicability. SIS value 20 us, IL We
can but possess ourselves Of H.
our guccoth festival is harvest iesti~
val "a "feast OF lnsatheriug' OF me
crops and It's symbols, It's references an
relate 90 che ullage OF the SOL. It's l"h-
ruago is the language Of the fields. For
This reason 20 brings as back more nearly
20 the FIRST soufces Of lie. where man
stands face TO face with the elements
OF existence. and has not the aruhciali-
tics OF civilization 20 crowd between nm
and nature We may not admire the
awkward pl0ughman, but the turrow
that DE follows turns up more than the
mere moist glcbe, &c is the life line Of the
human race. The uncouth yokel would
be laughed az in the paror and the ball
To0m but hs is none the less a very
Atlas. who holds our world upon his
sturdy shoulders. He represents the
primal labor. the task 10 which man was
destined when he passed 0hrough the
gates Of Eden 90 take possession or his
domain "The blessed glow OF labor,
SAYS Carlyle. "ls as O. purifying fire,
wherein all poison is burnt up, and Of
sour smoke itself there is made one
blessed flame" Labor IS the wheel
wherein Destiny, The everlasting potter
is moulding us into useful beautiful
shapes The labor OF the husbandman
cspcc.ally Is that which Is directed 10
produce only bencfcent results, and &c SIS
on The labor OF the hubandman that we
ol depend. Upon the broad basis Of his
production have We reared the proud
cdifce OF orr progress and achieve
ments. and did ho fail as ii would cTum-
Die into ruins.
MUST BE NOURsHED.
AS long as our immortal soul IS the
tenant of its earthly b0iy 1T is subject
10 the Limitations and weaknesses of the
body. The eye may pass from world
10 world and roam the endless realms Of
the empyrean. the cunning brain and the
sk,tul haind may devise aud construct
so that time may De 0utsripped and dis
lance annihiatod and the compelling
finger of man be laid upon the vcrv pulse
of the cosmos. yet eve and brain and
hand must De fed and strengthened and
if they be not fed the eye loses It's vision,
the brain fits cunning and tine hand its
skill And all men alike must DE -FOUR
i-hcd sage and simple. poet, ploughman.
monarch and mental, prince aud pauper
ali. ala alike must yield TO tho necessities
Of our human frame, and be nourlshcd
or perish. 40 state. no condition, no de-
gree. 20 age is exempt We consider our
selves as masters OF the universe. yet
our conquest OF the universe is nothing
without our daily food. Would an the
heopod up treasures OF the world avail
81 they could not buy bread?
Thus are we turned back TO the source
Of supply and we find that an our Wanted
power grows out of the bosom Of mother
earth as surely and as truly as do the
trees and grain and grass OF which we
make our susienance. We are like Au-
tacus of old. We renew our strength
when wo touch the ground We know
fun well that the husbandman must toll
md abor must prepare the soil and SOW
the seed and give vigiiant care ana at
tenton 20 the growing crops. But his
labor alone does not suffice. There IS
power above his that is the final arbi-
traitor of an his efforts. II the frucufy-
ing rains are withheld II the earth Weld
not its rich aid III the life-Fiviur warmth
OF the sun be turned 70 burning parching
death-dealne heat IL the gentle breezes
be changed TO the terror of the irresist-
IDLE cyclone Of our western prairles or
the awful sIrocco OF The east. of what
oVah is mans labor? Wherefore hath
he drudecQ and toiied. bat to behold de-
struclou aua disolation follow al his
painful industry?
II IS this Thought that brings horne to
as the words of our text CAS- ahoVel. Not
only Israel but an humanity. aye AL
The worlds do dwell in the booth of
Gods all-encompassing protection and Ills
guiding hand doth lead through all the
untold asses. We are $50 thoroughly
familiar with The uuerrinc regularity with
which the processes Of nature are cqrricd
on that we are liable 10 and we do for
get the sublime omuipotcnce that caused
them 20 be. and that holds them on their
way. Sc Is 60 jog our memories that our
Succoth feast is instituted to remind
man that all his power is after al but
finite and most pitifully limited. that al
his skill and cunning ah mis- labor Of
mind and muscle an his efforts and under
takings. all his couQucsts and achieve
ment. aye an his glorious accomplish
ments are as nothing al his learning and
al his knowledge as though a had never
existed. when they are brought back TO
the primal necessities OF life. that with
out the guiding hand of the Divine ON
nsclcuce. man wonders In the laby-
rlnih of utter hclplessness. Let Israel
remember that God led him IN booths
across the desert when He took him out
Of the thraidom of Egypt
WHAT 1T RECALLS.
Not only across that desert that
stretches from the Nile 70 the Jordan
has Israel been led. under Gods protec-
ton. bat over that vaster and more fear
fui wilderness that reaches through the
centuries from the hour OF the desiruc-