The St. Louis Republic., 1901-12-30
"THE IDEAL REPUBLIC
OF THE GREEK AND JEW"
Rabbi Samuel Sale Talks of Pla-
to's Conception of God-He-
brew's High Ideal of Marriage.

'The Ideal Republic Of the Greek and
the Jew was the theme Of Rabbi Samuel
Sale at Temple Share Emeth, He said, in
part:
Among all the Greek philosophers, Plato
approaches most nearly the teachings Of
the Bible. In his conception of God and
contact with it. and for this reason. It Is
interesting to compare his ideal Of the
state with that which we find in the Bible
Here there Is a wide discrepancy.
"In the Republic which Plato has con-
structed the government is conducted by
the philosophers. with absolute authority.
OF the classes is vigorously enforced. The
citizens are given over wholly to the state.
concerns IN fact. no individual existence.
For the higher ranks. marriage. family
life and private property are abolished. All
marriases IN the lower orders rs OF society
dams Of the state. The children. without
ever knowing their parents. were-reared
from their birth in public Institutions. All
maintained at the expense of the state;
the girls. as well as the boys. were In
matics and philosophy. and the women. like
the men, were employed as soldiers and
ofhc.als.
the freedom Of intellectual life was mer-
cilessly shackled. The strictest censorship
was to be exercised. and every innovation
in the realm Of morals. religion and art
was to be vigorously suppressed. As a dis.
ciple Of Socrates, Plato believed that all
virtue and moral eScellenee were condi-
build his state on this as the surest foun-
dation. The guardians Of the state Were
to be its philosophers. those who had as-
ouainted themselves most thoroughly with
the idea Of the good. He believed that all
material and industrial pursuits tended to
unfit men for the higher duties Of citizen
sKnowing how often the well-being OF
the community is undermined by the self
ishness OF individuals. he proposed to make
public interests. by abolishing the institu-
tions OF marriage and private property for
those who were to be the rulers and guar
Now let US oppose to this picture Of
political institutions ss We nnd them In
the, Bible. CT. rather; the so-caned BOOKS
ali citizens arc perfectly equal before the
law. The people are not divided on into
castles, whose limits are to be fixed forever.
,s are to aad
pendent, controlled by. magistrates. and
with weli-Enown laws. which, though they
might not be chanKed at WILL were. like the
American Constitution, subject to con-
traction and expansion. True, there was
in later timea one distinct class. the tribe
Of priests and Levites. whose especial duty
1t was to minister at the sanctuary. But
this obligation conferred upon them no spe-
with no superior power and authority. nor
were they possessed Of any large landed
estates. "a
'aThc Mosaic law endeavored to prevent
the few from becoming the sole owners OF
the land by securing TO each larger tribe
It's original land Inheritance. OF the land
appear that they were effectively stopped
by the law. Plato could easily separate the
people Of Hellas Into castles. because. even
ology. was still 20 thoroughly q Greek that
he regarded manual labor Of all kinds a.
degrading. and beneath the dignity Of the 4
noble and free-born
I'm ancient Israel work Of every kind
that was necessary for the maintenance Of
human society was regarded a. ennobling
and god1Ike. Honest toll IN the interest Of
the community vas the principle which
undeflAy the old Mosaic comm0nWealth. 4
Where the belief obtained that IN men