Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-03
HOMAGE OF THE AGES
HATRED OF THE NATIONS A TRI-
Butte no THE JEW.
ADMIRE AND FEAR in SECRET,

Dr.. Calisch,s New Year Sermon FROM
the Text Found in Psalms 102; 90
/ 29-The "RelieiousIy Unnssimilia-
BILE E1ement.' of Modern Times.
! In connection with the Rosh Hashana
services Rabbi Calisch yesterday morning
| preached, taking his text from Ps. 1o2,
verses 1923
THE HOMAGE OF TIE AGES.
The speaker began by saying that
| though the earth and the heavens have
not. in themselves, changed, yet they
have been transformed in their relations
| to man. For man has mounted on the
| wings of the flying years to ever higher
| fields OF knowledge, has subdued the
| earth and explored the ornamental
realms. Thus with almost each genera
ton the heavens and the earth have for
| him been changed. as each succeeding
age enlarged the territory of knowledge
and rearranged the map of cosmic ac-
quaintanceshp. But through all changes
man has come to recognize the one IN
| changeable source of all life, the eternal
| God whose years are without end.
cit is to this imrnutable One that the
| children of Israel all over the world, in
| every cline and under every govern
ment. come to-day, to give homage and
fc
solemn in this time-defying loyalty. It
tokens a binding tie stronger than the
| centrifugal forces of widely scattered
and diversified interests. stronger than
the disintegrating influence of varying
tongues, ideals and cultures. What is
this spirit that like wireless biography.
leaps from continent to continent to
unite on this day in one rth-embracing
melody the chants of the dispersed Of
Judah; that marks him as separate and
as the religious1y unassimalable element
of modern times?
IT say advisedly, 'religiously unas-
sin1alable,' because in all other directions
of human thought, feeling and activity
the Jew is a component part OF society
In his religion alone is he separate
Why?
IF you ask the non-Jew he will say
the Jew is arrogant, exclusive clannlsh,
that he holds himself and his re-
1igious conception to be superior to
others. It is the common verdict. Let
US for moment accept it and ask. has
he not an excuse for his pride. when ne
and his religion have for centuries re-
ceiyed the homage of the ages; the con-
centrated attention of the nations for 10
these many. many generations! me
homage of the ages for the jew! Why,
he has been the victim of the ages, the
football of the nations"
The speaker then reviewed the I'M
wearying persecution to which the Jew
has been subjected, the contumely. the
scorn and the insult which were their
daily bread. the rack. the gibbet and
the stake. their terror by day. He spoke
of the age-long and unanimous effort
that has been made to extirpate them
from the Egyptian Pharaohs. through
Assyrian kings, Roman emperors' cru
saders. princes holy inquisitors. down to
the present Russian and Roumanian
crueltes.
PERSECUTION OF JEWS.
'sIn view of these facts can one speak
of the homage of the ages? Yet this
very persecution was and is homage. IL
is the compliment one man pays to an
other whom he processes to despise, but
whom he secretly admires and fears
The hatred of the nations against the
spite of the vituperation and persecution
with which the world has treated the
Jew himself, the world has been bene-
fitted by the Jew to an extent Which
neither he nor they realize.
1.-THE literature. the art the music, the
commerce. the legislation, the prayers
and the hopes of the civilized world are
all taken from jewish sources ~. us
codes of law betray everywhere the
Mosaic influence The psalms of David
are intoned in every church in Christen-
dom. The words of the Jewish prophets
are the hope of its millions of believers:
The wisdom of Solomon is on the lips OF
even the lowest peasant. throughout
Europe and America men cease their
avocations and rest one day In seven. as
Moses taught. The stories of David and
Jonathan, of Ruth and Naomi Of Joseph
and his brothers are the possessions OF
peoples ignorant of their own literatures
And when the highest thinkers OF the
age wish to sum up in on terse sentence
the whole duty of man. they quote the
ever sublime passage Of the prophet
Micah wi. 3.
A STUBBORN FACT.
..This is an homage which no words
can DENY, which no persecution can rem
der anv less the stubborn and 1neradl'
cable fact And to-day when the physl.
ca persecution has, excepting Two coun'
tries, practically ceased, this homage IS
sti1l given. and no less really in the de-
mand made upon the Jew that ne shall
do more and be more than others And
when a Jew does wrong the emphasis
nlaced upon it, the conspicuousness gwen
to him when he sins, are but TIE eV1-
dences of tribute to him.
.'No. not to Him or His superiority, out
to the truth He represents; the eternal
truth of His religion. This is the Well
snrine of all power and permanence- The
living God of Jacob is the real recipient
Of the homage of the ages.
.sThis thought should move US to-day as
we are gathered here to-day. For we are
here again separate. For Israel alone is
this day of judgment and memorial an
hour of reverent reflection and earnest
God seeking. The divisions of time are
but humanity set and arbitrary creations
of the human mind. No outward sign is
given the passing years There is no
sound from the footsteps of the soldiers
in the serried ranks of the army of eter-
nifty.
MAN chooses to distinguish the passing
Of his own created children. He marks
the moment when the grave opens for one
and the cradle is ready for its successor.
But see how this solemn hour of death
and birth is noted! The now Jewish
world ceases its advocations. it is true
but only to balance the books of the bust