The Cairo bulletin., 1908-01-20
ToLsTol AND HIS VIEWS.
Lecture BY Rabbi Sadler at Synagog
Takes Issue With Great Rus
sian Statesman.

| sian Statesman.
| There was good attendance AT
! Synagog last night To listen to the
discourse on "Tolstoi and His Views.
After the preliminary devotional eX-
ercises and the singing Of the solo
HE Leadeth Me" by Mrs. A, MI
Stein, Rabbi Sadler gave brief bio
graphical sketch Of Tolstoi and then
spoke of him as an author, novelist.
| philosopher and moralist.
He described Tolstoi as man who
though descend from princely
family. and princeiy endowed. for
sakes life Of uxuriant ease, the
company of the great OF the land
steps down 10 the lowliest, and shares
their difficult toll and joyless Let
that he might teach botn BY example
end precept, the lesson Of self-sacri-
iiee for the good OF all.
Tolstoi does not write for money.
does not accept it, does not believe in
III He uses the novel to reach the
Russian public which could not he
reached In any other form. For Rus
sia has no free press, no free speech,
40 lecture platform, no pulpit In our
sense OF the word. the novel is the
Russians library. his magazine, his
Eible. 1t is. therefore, not merely
rhetorical style. nor aesthetic taste
that a Russian author considers In a
noyel. His eye is upon the evil he
has to uproot, the corruption he has
to expose, on the reform he has to in
stitute aud TO do that means the pro-
duction of ar Anna Karenina, of a
Kreutzer Sonata, etc
In dwelling upon Tolsto as a philo-
sopher moralist and social theorist,
Rabbi Sadler claimed that 1t does not
follow that because ToIstoi is a great
man. there are no imperfections and
fallacies in his c0de OF ethics, and no
weakness in his moral philosophy
When in his my Confession. Ny
Religion, and other books. he teaches
the doctrines of non-resistance TO evil
and vice, pleads for the abolition Of
al law, courts, juries. he fails to
consider that these precepts were
considered to apply to the messianic
age. or the age Immediately preceding
Ii: that under present circumstances
and conditions. as long as there is
aggression there rsust be resistance.
as long as all men are not honest we
need courts and jur;es and penal and
reformatory institutions, as long as
there are wars uf aggression the
patriot must take up arms to defend
his country against invasion.
In the opinion OF one. of the ancient
sages in Israel even the passions or
men. under moderation and due con
troll, serve benefcient ends; without
them no one would marry, rear fam
lily, build house. tin the ground etc
Carrying into force the ten com
mandments. the injunetions of the
18th chapter of Leyiticus and the
other humanitarian laws of the
Pentateuch there would be very
little occasion for charity in the
shape OF alms-giylng, the stranger,
the foreigner we are to love and to
treat as the home-oorn. for we were
strangers in the land of Egypt the
righteous of all nations and all
ereeds shall have shade in the bliss
% the future life. is one Of the say
ings of a father OF the synagog
Notwithstanding all that, Tolstoi is
one OF the great modern prophets Of
justice, mercy and
love. II is worth every ones while
T. read and study al his works Ills
strength lies in his OSCILLATIONS. in
his seeking 10 establish the Kingdom
OF Heaven upon earth and in his ask
Inc the followers OF the various /
creeds to be what they profess TO be. 1
and 10 practice what they preach