The evening times., 1898-09-10
EVENING TINES WASHINGTON SEPTEMBER
added impulse to the moral and religious

1 life of the country
| "You are called by these facts to
| position of vital Importance and dele
| gated, in certain sense, as the repre-
sentative before the nation of all Ameri-
can Jewish congregations. To your tenn
| pie is thus given an added conservation
| over any other, conservation which i'm
| poses at once a more solemn obligation
and a more glorious privilege
| 'All American Israel rejoices with you
| in the fact that the task which you set
| for yourselves has been pushed forward
| to completion. 1t congratulates you as
| an organization: 1t congratulates your
| earnest and beloved minister and the
jealous officials who have SO bravely and
untiringly labored for the attainment of
| this triumph.
Many have noted with rejoicing that
| what was deemed somewhat apathetic
| community has been nightly aroused
| under the stimulus of this noble under
taking to the exercise of energies hither-
| to latent to enthusiasm that was dor
| mant and unknown. These have lifted
the Washington Jewish community to
prominent position in the eyes of all OBJ
| servant Israelites. Therefore with will
ing hand and happy heart I crown this
achievement with the sincere and heart
| felt congratulations of the Jewish peo-
| pie of this whole land.
I'm doing so it becomes my duty to
| direct your attention to the vital and far
| reaching message which this hour pro-
| claims, and to deepen, as best may, its
| gladstone and solemn emotions into a
sentiment whose sacred influence shall
| abide with you forever.
| I'VE are facing new era. This temple
/ Is dedicated in the fading light of
| mighty epoch now drawing 10 a close. 1t
| is dedicated to the tasks of a grander
| future, whose promises are to be clearly
read in the glowing skies.
"A new era confronts us as Americans.
! The progress of events has just culmin-
| ated in issues which a few weeks or
| months ago no human foresight could
| nave grasped. The arbiter of nations and
! the guide of human destinies has led the
! American people to the forefront of mis-
tory. Within a hundred days the call
to arms was heard and hushed
| at was with a bleeding heart and
| spirit heavily depressed that thousands
among us heard the decision of Congress
| TO declare war. We had hoped that the
| ends sought might be attained without
! bloodshed. The horrors of the battlefield
and the miseries of the plague were as
| haunting nightmares which alas, the day
| has proven but too truly to be sad and
| sickening realities. But for all that, the
| truth is driven home to our souls that
| the principles at stake were worth any
price that must be paid. Wrongs which
cried unto the heavens to be righted
| spurred thousands TO leap TO the fray
at our country's call. Heroes unnum-
/ bered such as the past has perhaps never
| known for valor, commanded the bound
| less admiration of the world. The navy,
| the army, the battlefield the camp. and
the hearth-stone were sanctified by the
| fires of martyrdom
"Old animosities were forever buried,
| the clamor of party strife was hushed,
the croakings and murmurings of the So
| cial unrest received their quietus-when
| North and South black and write, mill
| ionaires and paupers, employers and
paupers marched shoulder to shoulder,
Jew with GENTLE fired by the like fervor
| of a deathess patriotism.
Those who had been derded as ma
| tion of shOpkeepers gave to the world
| brilliant demonstration of the truth that
! though a commercial people, we hold JUS
tice and right higher than gold or glory.
We have dominion rivaling If not ex-
ceeding in extent and in riches the
mighty monarches of old.
| THE law of God, as clearly revealed in
! history, is a solemn admonition that we,
| too, viii go into inevitable decay and de-
| struction If, like them, we make self-ag-
| grandizement our goal. But if. unlike
| them, we set the principles for which we
stand ineffacably upon our standards,
|
| ry can be too great for the privileges of
| civilization for the dominion of right
eousness and the intelligent administra-
| ton of justice.
"The freedom in which this nation was
| born, unto which it was dedicated. it has
| resolved henceforth shall be extended to
| the oppressed of other lands. This
ton has under God been consecrated to a
| mission of humanity among the peoples
! Of the Garth What was hitherto clear
| ly recognized duty toward ourselves alone
| has under the newly awakened conscious
ness of the nation become a duty toward
others. New power carrIes with it new
responsibility. That justice. liberty, and
| education of which our flag is the cher
ished emblem shall and must become the
| treasure of all over whom II waves.
| ITO bring the oppressed under its folds
is our manifest destiny. Not, indeed, for
our enrichment at our neIghbor's ex-
pense, not for peculiar privileges and mo-
nopoies for ourselves but TO carry the
| rights and benefits of freedom of labor,
| freedom of thought. freedom of con-
science and freedom of worship whittier
soever the hand of God may direct.
"It is these supreme and lofty purposes
now clearly set before US that open up
a new era 10 us as Americans. Mighty
problems are forced upon us by these stu
pendous changes. For their solution in
the purest, most unselfsh. and loyal pa
triotism every one of us, from the highest
| executive to the humblest citizen, will
need the conservation which, with mark
ed fitness, this hour and its purpose i'm
parts.
| I'VE are facing new era in religion.
To rear new temple to the worship of
God is an act which today has more of
reason. more of wisdom and more of no
bility than II ever had in the past. This
act of dedication has the highest indorse-
ment of reason today because religion is
no longer matter of blind faith. but of
| rea spned faith.
For ages men cringed before Deity
Into the dust they prostrated themselves,
sat in sackcloth, askes upon their heads,
poured out the blood Of a thousand sacri-
| fees TO appease the avenging spirit which
| seemed ever in wrath TO be riding down
the highways of desolation, spreading ca.
| lamity in the dread darkness of the night
and hurting the shafts of destruction amid
| the lowering tempests of the day. The
pure sentiment of religion, eternally in
| dwelling in the human soul, was at first
rudely awakened by terror.
But at length reason came and soothed
! the needless troubles of the soul Slowly
and painstakingly il labored TO teach man
| to look beyond his local environment and
learn what in four days, as never before
the world has come to see-that God works
not by special but by general laws. In
Gods sight a thousand years is but as
yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in
the night The process of creation
ranges through myriads of our petty diyi-
sions of time and space, so that what in
narrow bounds seems the wrathful tenn