New-York tribune., 1918-02-24

literature of later times has become
the chief literature of the revival
movement.
Poetry of the Bible
Has No Rival
"The Hebrew language says Ma
hum Sokolow, himself one of the
foremost Hebrew-writing publicists of
the time, "mysteriously preserved, like
Israel, the people after whom it is
called, amid the tempest of many,
many centuries, politically annihilated,
but spiritually full Of vigor, has never
ceased to be a vehicle for the expires
sion of soul-stirring thoughts and OF
holy sentiments. Not only in the brill
liant epoch of Hebrew literature In
Spain, from the tenth to the fifteenth
century, but since then, Hebrew has
been written in prose and in poetry
with power and effect unattainablc in
any Of the languages that have ceased
to live. The Semitic wogd has
within historic times exercised on the
tzation of the whole human race
influence to which no parallel can
be found, and which, if the future NAV
be measured by the past, is destined
triumphantly to extend. for the incal-
culable benefit of mankind, to the utter
most bounds OF the earth The poetry
OF the Bible has no rival. Some people
consider Hebrew to be a dead lam
guage, but this is entirely wrong. He
brew has never been dead. At no time
IN It's long history has it ceased to be
employed by the Jewish people as {.
medium tor the expression, whether in
speech or in writing, of the living
thoughts and the living feelings of the
Jew. Its use as a national medium OF
everyday speech came. indeed, to an
END with the destruction of polit-
zeal organization Of the Jewish people.
But that catastrophe did not DESTROY
the lite OF the language any more than
IT destroyed the life of the nation. The
marvellous revival of the Hebrew lam
guage IN our times in Palestine, which
Is one OF the greatest achievements OF
'he Zionist movement, shows that this
language was only neglected and that
1t was essentially living language"
The revival of the Jewish land must
be preceded by the revival Of the Jew
ish spirit" pronounced Achad Haam,
the keen and penetrating modern
Hebrew essayist, who, too, by his own
work, proved the persistent vitality of
the Hebrew language and thought in
our own day. His dctum gave rise te
controversy as to whether the physi.
cal or spiritual aspects of restoration
should first be emphasized, a contro
vcrsy In connection with which tn,
noted writer, who was associated will
the first of the Lovers of Zion" j,
Russia, journeyed to Palestine an,
subsequently inditcd severe criticism
of the colonies as we'll as of the frs
Zionist activities; the political Zionist
then coming to the fore, insisted upo,
material foundation for the enfold
the stern moralist was fearsome of tn,
over-emphasis of practical considera
tlons; but, whatever the merits of tn,
controversy, whether one or the othc
OF the aspects should have been give,
precedence, it is certain that the re
vivai Of the land went hand in hant
with the revival of the spirit, and sc
well did the two phases of the move
ment blend that what was formerl,
known as cultural Zonism, propoundec
oy Achad Ham, has since grown to be
almost part and parcel of the one great
Zionist movement.
independence Kept
Alive by the Word
50 Through the spread of the Zionist
movement, instruction in the Hebrew
language, the promotion of Hebrew