The Denver Jewish news., 1919-12-24
Solomon Schechter---
Master Builder
lAHRZETT ADDRESS DELIVERED
AT DROPSIE COLLEGE BY DIR.
ELIAS l.. SOLOMON. Y

All of us admired him; all of MS
stood in reverence OF his genius, in
admiration of his noble character; all
Of us loved him for his great heart.
He was such remarkable type, rep
reseiting such n happy blending OF
rare gifts, intellectual and spiritual
lie was, as DR.. Cyrus Adler puts It,
unique in his generation The long
series of articles and papers already
written concerning him and the vari-
Gus phases of his character and his
work by host of scholars and admir-
ers, have not exhausted the many sides
of the man and his achievements. This
thought is aptly phrasea In the follow
ing quotation from a letter of one of
nr. Schechter's ardent admirers, Sir
james G. Frazer, famOsis author of the
'',;olden BOugh." whicn quotation is
cited in DIR. Adler's biographical sketch
of Solomon Schechter:
In him we have lost one of our
truest friends and one or the finest
and most remarkable men We have
ever known. 1t would be difficult to
say whether he was more admirable
for the brilliance OF his intellect and
the readiness of his wit, or for the
warmth of his affection and the gen.
erosity and nobility Of his character,
hut / think 1t was the latter qualities
even more than his genius which Ell
deared him to his friends He was
wonderful combination of intellectual
and moral excellence, and the longer
and more intimately one knew him
the more deeply did one feel the i'm
preston of his greatness and goodness.
I reckon it among the good fortunes
of my life to have had the privilege
and honor of his friendship, and I am
sure that very many that knew him
must feel as l do. His mcmOry-the
memory of his intellectual honesty, his
generous enthusiasm for everything
that was noble and beautiful. and his
unmeasured contempt for everything
that was base and ignoble--the mem
cry of this will abide with us and
be an inspiration to us to the end of
our lives"
SO writes Frazer, and such is the
sentiment of all who knew Schechter.
Nevertheless, tho we cannot apprnfse
schechter's genius at its full value, 1t
will repay us to spend few moments
on his occasion in the company OF
our revered teacher. For there is
nothing so edifying as to repair in
fancy to the shrine of the great. the
good and the sanity. to pay there the
homage of our love and our yenera-
tion, and to quaY from the fountains
A of their wisdom and their goodness.
II cannot but exalt the humble pilgrim.
who needs must catch something Of
tue spirit of the Master. returning to
his tasks inspired and refreshed.
Isaac Hirsh Weiss. author of the
Dor Dor v'Doreshav." in the letter
of recommendation which he gave to
his pupil Solomon Schechter before the
latter left the Beth ha Midrash of
Vienna in 1873 for Berlin, wrote: ~
am certain that my hope will not be
disappointed; that he is destined to
cause glory to rest on his people, to
increase the good, to make honorable
the wisdom. to be n faithful leader,
and to spread Torah III Israel" How
that prediction was fulfilled in the
subsequent career of the promising
student is known to all of us.
He did, indeed, bring glory to his
reople whom he loved with all the pas
sion of his great soul, TO whose de-
fense and to the vindication of whose
truths he dedicated all his great pow
ers. He did make Jewish scholarship
honored of all-Jew and GENTLE. Des-
tined to become the custodian Of the
ancient tr tsurcs of his people. he hem
Gifted M who owed much of their
knowle5 Ind inspiration to him. to
his py d learning ais brillinnt
writiD the texts I edited. and
the FAST literary materials he sup
piled by his epoch-making discovery
of the longlost treasures of the Cair"
Genizah He did become the trusted
leader to whom all looked for guidance.
Tor instruction and for inspiration. He
did spread Torah in israel. thru the
Seminary which he made into great
institution of learning and of Jewish
inspiration, thru the distinguished ia
Guilty that he rallied around himself.
thru the great library he built up and
thru the scientific works which he
ard his colleagues produced. And he
stimulated and intensified Torah in its
practical sense of Jewish life by means
of the United Synagog which he call
cd into existence. and generally thru
the powerful Influence which he ex-