The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-17
DR.. Edward N. Calisch Senses
a Coming Arcadia When
Democracy Triumphs
STRONG SERMON USHERS
IN JEWISH HOLIDAYS
Festivities of Rosh IIa-Shanah
Celebrated in Local Syna-
gogues--Yom kippur Comes
in Zen Days

I'VE, ourselves and our country are
this night In the position of the peo-
pie of Israel at the borders of the
promised land We areabout to
undertake a difficult and solemn task,
We are to enter with new conditions
and new circumsta noes such as have
not been known in the history of
America We are entering the world
war for freedom, for right and for
justice 1t is true we have had wars
IN the past, but they were as Skin
mishas compared to he tconfiict before
us. But we are imbued with high
and holy purpose. We are about 10
enter into the domain of entrenched
dynas.sc idolasry and Of governmental
paganism We are about to conquer
the forces of long standing evil and
establish a universal promised land
of civic Justice and righteousness. a
Canaan of humanity where every peo-
pie, <larse or small, shall sit in safe
ty and unmolested under the vine and
fr-tree OF it's own national conscious
ness and destiny"
That Was the key-hote If the ser
mon delivered by Rabbi Edward y.
Calisch, at the Rosh haShannah ser
vices held at Beth Ahaea temple yes
teraay evening Or Cansch select
Good Courage
After the usual PRAYER and song
service. DIR. Calisch spoke as follows:
t'DouhtieSs more than AZ any other
time within recollection the mystic
ard Insistent influence NJ holy season
prevails The usual sense Of sacred
ness. Of nearness and communion with
tsinws noble and divine js intensified.
The sense Of the unfathomed nays
tegT Of thn dissolution OF things
mortal and temporal IL 8eepened We
Il es,Es4e tttsaa *sea + a4-4 AZ xsssas
True IL is an intangible and inapona-
cradle thing. q mere fragment of time
even a flKmeut of mans invention
for. after all. the divisions of time
are but the artificial irsigts Of man.
designed for hts convenience, They
have no accurate counterpart in the
great universe arouni Us Yet artia-
.cial and inpersoual as It Is. 1t touches
rs each closely. fersonalts. Intimate
IL This iS true palpably of those
who wear the sable garment of sor-
rov--those to whom death came as
real and positive force during this
past year and for whom, some dearly
loved form has been lost to mortal
VISION FOREVER itttEts - A%aS&BSF fithAtAea
husband wife child or cherished
friend. oh you. taken from us we
call YOU back to his this Solemn hour
Brought Sense OF Seriousness.
But more than thus the past year
las brought a sense Of seriousness in
many homes, and has affected us all.
Our beloved land has entered the lists
OF the world conflict, has tilted its
lance with the pennon of democracy
flowing free at It's point, The con-
seriousness Of that fact has become
very dear to us. The first waves OF
the tide os war have Iapped our shores
and made their presence felt through
out the land. The first call for the
soldiers of liberty has been ma de. and
f-cn, homes OF our people the young
-.~ - oos' ~ America has answered
There have been heartaches and
ttet.s ae great sorrow OF parting. the
s-eeiter anxiety OF tho uncertainty of
fr-~ J,@'7re We are weighed down
with the knowledge of the fact that
before long another call VIII he made,
and there will be more tearing of the
heartstrings and the shattering Of
cherished associations,
II hesitate to touch upon these
things, but they come to us irresisti-
bly, and will not be denied The hour.
tHG SiSiGSs tlN tt1dstNtfrs tflA
thoughts of this time evoke them.
Even the weather itself seems TO EN-
phasize them. The sullen clouds. the
sodden, wind-beaten and rain-swept
streets and fields all add their monody
Of melancholy And, as the dun
day *darkens into night. our souls
to the low pitched tones that
are struck upon the strings of the
heart. 1t even seems that the horror +,
OF that great conflict across the seas
Is borne upon us. that in the sigh
ing Of the wind and the dismal patter
OF the rain we hear the groans of
the tens OF thousands on the battle
fields and In the hospitals, thee ease
les moaning of starving menand wo-
men and children in the devastated
lands OF Europe.
But. dear friends I have not tira wn
this melancholy picture simply to rend
your hearts but. on the contrary, to
bring you a message OF cheer. of COM |
fort. OF hope and courage,
Be Strong and OF Good Courage.
II find il in Joshua, 1-s. God |
called unto Joshua and said to him, +
Behold have l not hidden thee TO be !
strong and of good courage, be not /
afraid or dismayed for the Lord. thy I
God Is with thee whithersoever thou
SOSSi dOSlud ndu seECseueu moses as +
leader OF Isreal He was about to take
up a difficult and solemn duty. The
people were to be led into a new eeua-
,ry. What Law before them they did !
not know. What they had already
heard had frightened them. They had
,ice before recoilcd from the ad-
1ance they were now about to make.
rhey were going to meet obstacles and i
iiniculties such as had not come to-
hem before. They were going to
light with organized nations safely
IND strongly entrenched within their
,Ntn domain. They fought with other
sAtions. on the wilderness march, but
hese we're ~ skirmishes compared to
fCunflnuaA an - - fsE0 4 -