The Denver Jewish news., 1919-07-16
WHAT RABBI JEHosnA SAID.

Perfect as Michael and the rest
First broOded in creations nest,
Whose only office was TO cry
llosanna once and then to die;
OR rather. with LIES essence blent.
To be led home from Punishment.
Rabbi Jehosha had the skill
To know that Heaven Is in Gods Will;
And doing that, though for space
One heartbeat long, may win grace
AS full of grandeur and of glow
AS Princes OF the ChariUr know.
T were glorious. no dOubr. 10 he
One Of the strOng-winged Hierarchy.
To burn with Seraphs, or to shine
With Cherubs, deathiessly divine;
Yet /, perhaps, poor earthly clod,
Could l forget myself in God.
Could l but find my natures clue
Simply as birds and blossoms do,
And but for one rapt moment know
'Tis Heaven must come, not we must
go;
should win my place ms near the
throne
As the pearl-angel of its sone,
And God would listen mid the throns
For my one breath OF perfect song.
That, in its simple human way,
Said all the Host Of Heaven could say.
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.
From Standard Book of JEWISH Verse
of the whole evil Tho Congregations
lack a constructive program, they lack
ambition, aspiration, vision, zeal for
holy cause. The fact is that the
mission or function OF a congregation
in modern times Is not clearly uppar-
ent to the vast majority of those who
congregation these days for many ul-
terror reasons; some out Of feeling
of loyalty to Israel, some out of re
spect for the memory Of departed
parent. some, as 1 have been tcl,l. that
they may be properly buried, and 9th
crs, sad to relate. for social purposes.
A saving remnant. to he sure. are
guided by the lofty purpose of furth-
cring their own spiritual welfare and
contributing to the geiien,a rise Of re-
llgi0n and ethics, as we'll NJ tho sal
walton OF Israel. 80,
1t seems to he timely, therefore that
we should outline for ourselves u clear
definition OF our purpose In maintain
Ing congregation and synagog
that we should be grcat factOr Or
modern civilization and should contrib
ute It's quota to the moral upbuiltiing
OF the individual and mankind. Tint
view should be constantly held be
fore us, so as to enable US to visuaiixc
all our religious efforts and to CELL
centrate them on definite goal. Such
a purpose would give new meaning
to membership in congregation and
10 the relation Of the sypagog to the
Individual as well as the community.
The proper field Of activity for a
congregation is that of religion and
ethics, beyond which there IL no de-
partment of life that is superior or
more important. or that touches more
directly upon every phase Of modern
life. Religion and ethics are those two
provinces of thought, feeling, and ac-
tion that rise supreme over every 9th;
er precinct of spiritual or material ex-'
istence.
We can scarcely conceive Of any
plane Of society, of any tribe. state or
nation that is wholly devoid Of some
form Of religion. We can hardly imag-
inc any avenue Of human endeavor,
whether mental, emotional or. material
istic, that is not in some way brought
under the domain of religion and
ethics. These two factors Of think
ing, feeling, and willing condition the
Individual in his home, In society,
business. politics, art. science, phil
osophy, etc, and deal with man In his
relation to his fellow men, his city, his
country, and naturally to God. over
this vast empire of the soul, under the
direction of religion and ethics, the
congregation has recognised author
ity. This is realm so vast. so i'm
portant to human life, and requires
such consummate genius and tact, that
it would be almost the height OF ignor-
ance, If not of folly, for any congre-
cation to complain that Its function,
its responsibility, its authority, has
Teen contracted in these latter days.
During the present period of recon
struction tho value Of the congregatio