Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-21
LESSONS IN DIPLOMACY.
Topic Of Sermon by Rev. DR.. Wallace
Radcliffe.

Lessons in Diplomacy" is the subject OF
a series Of Sunday evening lectures begun
by Rev. DR.. Radcliffe. pastor of the New
York Avenue Presbyterian Church. The
up-to-date statesman was the theme Of his
Introductory lecture.
Up-to-dateness, according to DR.. Rad
cliffe. is the fetch Of today. He declared
that the world is too proud Of its mod
ernity.
Many arts of today" the speaker said,
''are only lost arts that have been found.
Our sense Of superiority rests often not SO
much in our accomplishments as in our ig
norance. The ardor of our enthusiastic in
ventor is often cooled by a visit to the pat
ent office. Our notwithstanding civiliza-
ton is boastful. We plume ourselves upon
our adventure investigation, scholarship,
development. We have found something
new under the sun and are Independent of
the old formulas and methods. We are es-
pecially apt to talk of the modern Declara-
ton Of Independence and the development
of constitutional government and the COM
Portable revelations Of our religion of hu-
mainly Yet the germs of modern consti-
tutional attachments were given 5000 years
ago and the most up-to-date statesman of
history is Moses, the Hebrew lawgiver.
There Is no statute book anywhere equal to
the Pentateuch no benefcent legislation
that Is not founded upon it's principles. The
mosaic constitution contains the germs of
almost everything precious in modern civil
iZation and reform.
He first taught the true science of gov
eminent. Our Puritan forefathers learned
their idea of republicanism from the He
brew commonwealth 1t was the first in
stance in history of government Of the
people, by the people, for the people. 1t
was based upon the consent Of the gov
erned. 1t insisted upon a perfect equality
of man before the law. Religious freedom
tod
for religious opinions; even idolatry was
punished only when intrusive and excess
sive.
Excessive wealth and ,abject poverty
were prev ented by the sabbatic and jubilee
year. A standing army was discouraged
and reliance laid upon the patriotism Of
volunteers. Legislative assemblies corre-
sponded in course and type to those Of city,
state and nation in modern republics. Office
was elective. Public Office was a public
trust TIC Moses more than to any other
man in story does the home owe the ele-
walton Of women and the laboring man his
sabbatic rest. He limited ownership so that
the modern problem of the large landed es-
tate became impossible. His legislation did
not cast the debtor into prison. nor hang a
milestone around his neck. but protected his
implements, and every seven years gave
him bankrupt privilege.
HE guarded the poor mans wages, 20
that the corporation store had no place for
his oppression, and placed battlements
around him in his daily work. He was far
ahead of modern legislation in his sacred re-
gard for life. The death penalty followed
only four classes of crime-treason, murder
gross abuse Of parents and horrid sexual
crimes Yet in England. scarcely two hun
bred years ago. one hundred and forty-eight
crimes were capital, many of them trivial
and only against property. Sentence for
crime was administered not only for pun
ishment, but for restraint. And he antici-
pated our modern Society for the Proven
ton of Cruelty to Animals. He originated
the common school system, and set one
whole tribe apart as educators. that the re-
public might abide in the intelligence of the
people. Whence had this man all this wis
dom? Where shall this nation find the solu-
ton of its problems and the guarantee of its
perpetuity?"