Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-11
THE LIBRARY TABLE
Nv the B00kloper

the jews, stranger IMAM F1CtiOn."
He considers their significance pro-
found: 1.-THE one element in those five
centuries of Hebrew kingship which
really makes their history worth telling
Is the presence of the neviim, the
prophets" The earliest of the prophets
were fortune tellers, medicine men,
priests and patriots. all in one. Their
simple aim. frenzicdly followed. was to
keep the Hebrews of the Fertile Cries.
cent an isolated people. developing
their own nationalism. under the guild
ance Of the covenant made by their
fathers on the Holy Mountain Of Sinai
In the Wilderness. With the building
OF the Temple by Solomon. the prophets
were officially replaced by "a horde Of
fussy, busting priests" The prophets
were too wild and foot-loose set Of
men to mess about for long within the
four walls Of what they might have de-
scribed as a stuffy little ornamented
temple" The prophets were coura-
gcous: they accused even kings. Ma
than used no euphcmisms in telling
King David what he thought of his
stealing another mans wife: Ahiiah
attempted to start revolution when
Solomon was King the wild Elijah, clad
in shcepskin. was called the 'troubler
In Israel because he denounced the
evil practices of Ahab and his Phoeni-
clan Queen, Jezcbel. Greatest of the
early prophets, Elijah had no tolerance
for tyranny. corruption or vicious luz
ury: he was the forerunner OF the
Hebrew revolution which came a gen.
Grafton later. The prophets we're also
probably the first historians of the He
breWs, who laid the foundations OF the
Old Testament.
The prophets Of the eighth century
BIC. and later were. according 70 MI
Browne. OF the highest type. During
this period took place the attacks on
the Hebrews Of the AsSyrians and
Babylonians which eliminated in the
deportation of the ten tribes of Israel
to Assyria and the two tribes OF judah
to Babylonia. Fortune-telling and
''tawdry miracles" disappeared from
among the prophets. who became
philosophers and preachers-the lead
ers in thought of their times. Amos,
"a simple shcep-herder and lumber
Jack from Judah" went to Israel and
preached denuncia.ory sermons that
are great literature because of their
simplicity. beauty and power. Hosca's
preaching was more gentle and Gull
tured. less bitter. He urged repentance
and offered the forgiveness of God
who represented Love as well as JUS
tice. Isaiah was an aristocrat" His
learning and brilliant style were prob
ably over the heads of the common
people. but he Influenced the rulers Of
Judah. Micah was The prophet OF SIM
pie folk, for he was one of them. He
was radical. voicing the wrongs of
the masses at the hands of the rich
and the priests. Zephaniah and jere-
niah. both OF aristocratic families,
preached return to the old-time re-
iigion of the forcfathcrs. AT the de-
struction OF Jerusalem in $40 &c. by
the Babylonians. jeremiah was lett In
the ruined city to control the rabble
not worth dcporting. The rabble fled
to Egypt, taking jeremiah. and there
stoned him 10 death because he would
rot keep silence about their sins.
Among the cxiles In Babylonia. was
Ezekiel, the son Of priest; durinS his
lie IN exile he wrote many laws for
the future. all inspired by his belief
In prics.cra:t. After tho return from
the Babylonian captivity. the aged
Haggai and the young Hachariah. both
animated by the priestly spirit OF the
Code OF Deuteronomy. preached Gods
vengeance unless thc Temple was
promptly rebuilt Malachi. dcvotee
Of pricstcraft, protested against the
neglect Of Hebrew law and the growth
OF heather practices. Nehemiah. APP
pointed at his own request by the King
OF Persia as governor Of his rcpatri-
ated countrymen. rebuilt the wall OF
Jerusalem and then turned his at;cn-
ton TO reform OF morale He and the
faI
Of laws. probably drawn I'D in BABY
lonia. which enforced Sabbath observ-
ancc. broke up heather marriages.
purged the priesthood. Cancelled debts,
and prescribed methods for the wor-
ship OF God. The Book OF Ruth"
Mr.. Browne says. lis yelled protest
against the laws 0! Ezra and Nehemiah
prohibiting intermarriage." and the
Book of Jonah In a like fashion was
a yelled protest against the narrow ma
tionalism of the new prophets" Jonah
thinks God should care only for the
Hebrews. but God teaches him lesson
OF universal brotherhood.
$50
Much OF the material in Win 1rwin's
"Highlights Of Manhattan" Is rem,n,s-
cent OF his days as reporter on the
New York Sun In the time of Dana
Then he became acquainted with the
Ninth Ward. now better known as
Greenwich Village: with Gramercy
Park before II was surrounded by sky
scrapefs: with Broadway when il was
SUI chiefly downtown thoroughfare:
WIN chinatown. which he saw through
me Tong wars. reportMig. for his paper
me murders OF Mott and Pell streets:
win the many harbor reaches where
Jay craft ranging all the way from
ocean liners To canal boats The mod
crn Manhattan OF Office towers piercing
the sky In rivalry with airplanrA. of
giant hotels and apartment buildings.
OF paiatlal thcaters and restaurants,
though obviously interesting him less,
Is stu part OF his picture.
The fictitious President OF the uaited
States created by Fannie Hurst IN her
novel. "A President Ii Born Is a
schuyler. OF Swiss ancestry born TO
poor parents In the Middle West lie
lives into future akin 10 some OF
III. q, Wells utopias, IN which he
promotes beneficent laws for negroes
ana Indians, agricultural relief and ex-
tension. protective measures against
soviet propaganda, legislation dealing
win pfoblcms Of the air. and other
atatesmanlikc achievements not reatnr-
ing large amount OF originality on
the part OF the author of the novel.
Laurence Sterne, preacher, PAM
pnieteef. novelist. society man. lCved
aooVe AL else tn express his own eccen-
wv views on men and manners and
philosophy, itia so-cailed novel "1ris-
tram Shandy" has few characters, AL
most no plot. but abundance of Sterne'S
observations and reflections IN many
helds. so absorbed did he become In
These that he almost forgot Ia intro
duce his hero. whose entrance into the
BOOK WAS unduly delayed Letter writ
'iig was one OF Sternes favorte meth