Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-29
The Story the Week Has Told

| ''liberator of the German mind" for
| which same object MendelsSohn also
wrought effectively. Mendelssohn was
the foremost of champions of Jewish
emancipation, toward which Leasing S
| contribution was substantial. Leasing
! procured the publication Of the first OF
MendelSSohn'S writings to know type.
! MendelsSohn died of a cold contracted
while he was carrying to his publishers
the manuscript of a vindication of his
friend, dead five years before. The two
met over the chess board, both being
passionate devotees of the game. Les
sing had just produced drama
| C'Diejuan'O. Of which the central idea
is that Jew may possess nobility of
character. The thesis was being gen.
orally pooh-poohed, when Leasing found
in his new friend complete Vindica-
ton thereof and Herewith a powerful
impulse toward further effort to demol-
iSh prejudice. MendelSsohn's most i'm
portant work Is Jerusalem" a plea for
| freedom of conscience, an assertion of
the principle that the same essential
religious truths may be found in Sundry
| guiseS. The same plea is advanced. the
same principle asserted, in Leasing S
very notable drama, Nathan Der
| Weise," under the parable of the three
| ringS-and, what Is more, Nathan is
MendelsSohn himself. So much in sup
| port Of the statement that these two
great men were closely joined in their
lives.
Moses MendelSsohn is often called
1.-The third Moses" the other two being
the biblical Moses and Moses Maimo-
hides, neither of whom is belittled by
such association. He has been styled
the German Plato" by reason of his
dialogue, "Phoedon," modelled on Pla-
toe Az Fa1l Fo
short of its original, but 1t has much
beauty and, moreover, a lucidity gen.
orally lacking to German prose. Curl
Gus that the best German prose should
be written by men Of the Jewish race
witness Heine.
1 must add that Mendelssohn was
perfectly intrepid man, even daring
publicity to criticize the poems of Fred
erick the Great. Certainly he was the
Spinoza. The composer Mendelssohn
was his grandson.
Few men have battled with such
vigor as did Leasing for the freedom OF
the human mind for tolerance. He was
not quite a genius Of the first order;
but his literary and intellectual influ-
ence has been more salutary and fruit
full that that Of most of the supreme
luminarieS, and his creative work only
Just failed to butt the stars. He is the
father of the modern German drama.
LAGOON" holds high rank in the very
limited category of classics of criticism;
indeed, every practitioner of the literary
and plastic arts should know it by
heart, that SO there might be fewer vio-
lations of the proper limitations OF the
several arts. He debunked the old
criticism of the classics and furnished
new interpretations, stimulating and
vivid. He was equally at home whether
dealing with transubstantiation or the
origin Of the epigram, with Martial or
Moses. He was sane, lucid and intrepid.
10 repeat and conclude, he was above
all paladin in the struggle for the
emancipation of the human spirit; he
was perhaps the most admirable OF the
German giants.
| CHINA.-On December ~ protocol
formally ending the Sino-Russian dis
pute over the Chinese Eastern Railway
by agreement on the essential matters
IN controversy was signed at Khabar-
oVsK. The Chinese negotiators were all
Manchurians, but they we're empowered
70 sign on behalf of the Marking govern
ment. The dispatches which led us to
believe that such an agreement was
struck several weeks ago evidently erred
though perhaps there was some sort OF
provisional understanding. The protocol
provides Tor Russo-Chinese conference
TO regulate all outstanding questions,
to open In Moscow January as next.
the central political council Of the