The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-20

| B. c. Theme, the right Of the civilized
to civilize the uncivllized.
| Jezebel, the principal character in our
text, has long been regarded as the in
| carnation of all that is evil in woman's
| nature This is great mistake. Jeze-
bel was not really bad woman. She
was a noble exponent of civilization.
| Her so-called murder of Naboth was
| only the necessary and legitimate ac-
| ton of civilized person in dealing with
| the uncivilized Naboth was the obsti-
| nate representative of race inferior in
, social development. Sociology recog-
/ nizes five ascending stages in industrial
development, the hunting, pastoral. ag-
! ricultural, commercial and manufactur
| ing. Two or three centuries of contact
with the more civilized Canaanites had
elevated the Hebrews from the pastoral
| to the agricultural stage, but all the
efforts of Solomon had failed to get
them permanently upon the yet higher
| commercial level. Indeed this obsti-
nate people We're so determined to re-
! main mere farmers, and so resented
Solomon's efforts, because they noticed
that, in spite of the enormous wealth
that came in from foreign trade, it was
the few that became rich, and taxes
We're constantly growing heavier for
the masses, that no sooner was Solo
mon dead than the larger part of the
people forcibly seeded, trekked, as we
might say, from the authority of Reho
ooam that they might enjoy their right
to life liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness on as low a stage as they
pleased.
Unfortunately, however for such low
ambitions, a people of higher industrial
development lay close upon Israels
northern border. The Phoenicians had
long ago risen to the commercial and
manufacturing stage. They We're
brave, industrious and enterprising, and
as necessarily follows, they were rich,
and though their home territory was
small, the empire of the seas was their
and their colonies were on every shore
In short, they We're the Anglo-Saxons Of
their day.
Jezebel was worthy representative
of this splendid civilization A near
relative probably of that Queen Dido,
who about this time was founding Car
thage, she had an equal share of the
energy and ambition of her race. But
unlike her kins-woman, she was fated
to marry King Ahab of Israel, this pet
ty little kingdom of farmers, a narrow
field for the exercise of such powers as
hers However, Ahab had leaning to-
ward civilization. He had in fact
sought this marriage as a step toward
an imperial policy, to bring his people
out from their exclusiveness into the
larger life of the nations. Jesosaphat
in the southern kingdom about the
same time was trying to interest his
people in the renewal of Solomon's wise
policy of a merchant marine. The pros
pect was not altogether hopeless that
the northern Israelites might accept
civilization. Jezebel was enthusiastic
to help on the good cause; by gentle
means if possible, of course but in any
case the rustic prejudices of these Doors
could not be allowed to stand in the
way of their own elevation. Phoenicia
had duty to perform and as the lead
ing civilized nation of the world, she
could not escape her responsibilities In
two points especially Jezebels ideas
came in conflict with Hebrew preiu-
dices. One was the religious question
whether Baal should be accorded tole-
ration in the territory of Jahweh. The ,
higher civilization of Phoenicia favored
cosmopolitanism in religion with the
right of the individual to worship any
one or more of several deities; while !
a small but energetic party in Israel |
stood stoutly for the exclusive worship |
of JahWeh within the ma tional bound |
aries. On one occasion this party I'M |
der the lead of a fanatic named Elijah |
invited the representatives of the Phoe- |
nician system to a conference, and |
there, having demonstrated to their own |
satisfaction that their religion was the |
right one suddenly broke forth and |
massacred four hundred and fifty of I
Jezebels clergy, an act of treachery
characteristic of uncivilized peoples |
In dealing with such q people Jezecl !,
found it necessary to abrogate for a
time the enlightened principle of reli-
gious tolera ton and put the worship of |
Jahweh under the ban. 1t is often ne
cessary for civilized people to set |
aside their own moral and political
principles in their dealings with inferi-
or races.
The second question was an economic |
one, the question of land tenure
Among highly civilized people like the
Phoenicians, living on the commercial
and agricultural stage, land had value
mainly as space to do business on and |
to go forth from, and the system of
land tenure best suited to such pur-
poses is a system of free sale and trans
fer. And even on its agricultural side,