The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-03
LIFE is DIVIDED
INTO TWO HALVES
Rabbi Newfield Delivers EIo-
quent New Years Sermon
PESSlMlSM IS UNJUSTIFlED
The Learned Rabbi oivec Expression
to Philosophic and Poetic Thoughts.
Lies Troubles Can Be Gained
and Transformed.

Rabbi Newfield's New Years discourse
delivered at Temple Emanuel Friday
night was regarded by all who heard it
as an effort of rare eloauence and uplift-
ing force The rabbi said:
AN old Semitic proverb has it that life
is divided into two halves, the past a
dream. the future a wish. day like this
brings home most forcibly the wisdom of
that proverb.
But a few hours ago another civil year
has run its race ana poured out is last
waves into the ocean of eternity. These
last twelve months, now that they are
past, seem like a swift dream. What has
become of the many minutes that were
licked off on the clock of eternity-of the
many hours rounded into days, wreathed
into weeks. linked into months, and which
when we anticipated them impressed us
with Unreasonable length and incalcu-
liable possibilities. We seem to have been
asleep. When time has run 1t wears the
semblance of dream as the old proverb
has it. Yea, a dream is the past 1t is
fraught with some happy recollections-
decisions, perhaps-they are no more In
with sensations terrible, nightmares dis
turbing our rest. But whether dreams of
pleasant texture, or nightmares of painful
tinge. what matter? Time that was can
not retrace her step. 1t is now no longer
a reality.
Wishes and Hopes.
But as on a day like this, which di-
vides the past so well known and yet so
unreal, from the future so unknown and
yet so certain, we look forward; the
knowledge dawns on us that the old phil
osopher has indeed caught the spirit with
which men confront the days yet to be.
The future, he tells us. is wish Yea,
a thousand and thousand wishes crowd
to our lips, thousand and
thousand hopes culver along the harp
strings of our heart. a thousand and
thousand prayers wind heavenward from
church and chapel from temple and ca
thedral from the altar of the home and
the shrine of the heart
And the common burden of all these
prayers, the universal refrain of all these
wishes are ever the same. They tell of
past disapointments that we hope will be
changed into successes, of bygone disas-
tiers that we wish to see shorn of their
fury now that the new time unrolls it's
scroll and articulates its tidings. They
are all born of the hope that life's trou-
bles and dissa tisfactions, its commercial
and political, its social and individual
unrest will be Gained and transformed in
to peace and joy and happiness. And
they are the same wishes, hopes and
prayers that we entertained when year
ago we speeded the then parting year and
greeted the new guest that has now too
receded into eternity.
I'm some respects, perhaps. our prayers
were answered. Some of last years dis
satisfactions have disappeared and some
hopes have been realized. But fresh trou-
bles and new problems have risen in their
stead. and of disappointments and dscon-
tent there is no decrease. No wonder that
some wearied hearts are led to repeat the
wall of Ecclesastes: I have seen evils
under the sun that are too great for men.
Peosimism UnJustified.
But this pessimstic mood is unjustifed
Railing at. troublous conditions is more
over useless, unless we be willing to I'M
veil the secret of the evil and having
recognized its cause proceed to uproot it.
We rail at life, at nature, at unstable
social conditions, when the cause of all
our troubles is within us. Not nature is
at fault, but men; not humanity is ac-