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Published Waeley by The Jewish Chronicle Publishing

JOSEPH .1. CUMMINS
JACOB H. SCHAKNE

Co., Inn.

President
Secretary and T

Entered as Second-class matter March 9, 1916, at the Postuffice at Detroit.
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etpressed by the writers.

July 8, 1927

Tammuz 8, 5687

A B'nai B'rith Issue,

Running like an underground river beneath the
smooth surface of the B'nai B'rith convention this week
Was a feeling among some of the delegates that the
funds of the Grand Lodge of District No. 6 were dis-
proportionately distributed as between its administra-
tive and the philanthropic functions.

The only delegation that openly expressed itself as
dissatisfied with the philanthropic provisions in the
budget was the Omaha delegation. Harry Lapidus of
Omaha, spokesman for the delegation, rose in the after-
noon session of the convention on Tuesday and, in an
impassioned address, charged that no less than 70 per
cent of the income of the district was being expended
on administration and only 30 per cent was going to
the B'nai B'rith's philanthropic institutions. The imme-
diate cause of the outburst was the proposal of Benja-
min Samuels, past president of the district grand
lodge, that appropriations to the consumptive's hospital
at Denver and a boys' camp in Winnipeg be curtailed.

wwi,_mw,i%

It should be pointed out in this connection that the
B'nai B'rith gives a much larger percentage of its in-
come to charitable and benevolent causes than many
other, larger and richer, fraternal orders. But the fact
remains that 30 per cent, and even 40 per cent, is not
enough, for it is as a philanthropic organization that
the B'nai B'rith is chiefly . distinguished. The Omaha
delegation offered the suggestion that the office of
executive director and most of the expense of adminis-
tration be eliminated in order to make a larger per-
centage of the funds available for charitable purposes.
The majority of the delegates, however, were of the
opinion that the district should strive to increase its
membership, thus bringing in more revenue to apply
on charitable work.

The elimination of a paid executive—and every-
body admits his usefulness and his ability—is the easy
way but it is not the wise way. There is much more
wisdom in the general consensus of opinion that what
the district—and, for that matter the whole order—
needs is a much larger membership and, consequently,
a much larger revenue. Membership figures for the
past year, as reported at the convention, were disap-
pointing. The lodges should do all in their power to
make their work, their social and cultural activities,
more and more interesting so as to attract a larger
share of the Jewish public in their communities. The
administrative expense can be kept at its present fig-
ure with twice the present membership. It is up to the
individual lodges.

The Battle of Mishmash.

Reduced to its essentials the Zionist Convention in
Atlantic City last week resulted in a mass of mutually
contradictory decisions.

The Lipsky administration won, but it was a Pyrrhic
victory. Mr. Lipsky was returned to power but his min-
isters all '.!"'t their portfolios and the emolluments of
office into the bargain.

The old Brandeis-Mack faction made a remarkable
show of strength and, it is quite possible, that only the

vague indirectness of Justice Brandeis' offer prevented
them from seizing the reins. Had Brandeis made his
offer more personal and his plan more definite it is not
at all unlikely that the Brandeis-Mack faction would be
in the *addl. t..2 -21 ),.

Brandeis was defeated but "Brandeisism" tri-
umphed. At least that was the view of one faction and
it is not far from the truth. As It turned out, a ttl1111bre
of the Brandeis group were included in the new admin-
istrative committee.
Abraham Goldberg. who, when he was called upon
to talk louder, replied, "I lost my voice yesterday in de-
fense of the administration," was not elected to the new
administrative committee. Neither were a number of
others who lost their voices, and in some cases, more
than their voices, in defense of the Lipsky administra-
tion.
The "feminine rule" of the Hadassah, which, at first,
threatened the Lipsky administration and entertained
the offers of the Brandeis-Mack group, turned out to be
the deciding factor in the re-election of Lipsky—al-
though it was this same "feminine rule" that brought
about the creation of a coalition administrative com-
mittee.
These are a few of the confusing. contradictory
decisions arrived at in Atlantic City. The trend of the
convention, if it can be said to have had any definable
trend, was a sort of zigzag line drawn between two
hostile forces. That zigzag line can be said to repre-
sent the wavering position of the Hadassah which held
the balance of power.
The history of coalition governments everywhere
has not been such as to inspire any wild optimism. Per-
haps Mr. Lipsky had this fact in mind when he spoke
so lugubriously at the close of the convention. The
issues involved in this tumultuous convention were
based on something more than personal animosities.
Two formulas, two rival plans of organization were
involved. Also two rival philosophies of Zionism.
Did both factions lose? Did both factions win?
Will unpaid volunteer leadership prove more efficient
than paid leadership? Will the present administrative
committee with Lipsky at the helm prove more accep-
table to the non-Zionist elements who are expected to
participate in the creation of the Jewish agency? Will
the defeated and disgruntled Zionists continue to labor
in behalf of the movement or will they drop their active
participation?
We are sorely tempted to make predictions on all of
these questions. But we hesitate to essay the prophetic

role. We prefer rather to do whatever is in our power
to strengthen the hands of the incoming administra-
tion, give its officers every encouragement and every
assistance and await the decision of Time—a decision
that is not determined by caucuses and conventions.

Champions of Peace.

Once more the Central Conference of American
Rabbis goes on record us the champion of international
peace.

International peace as an ideal never found a finer
expression than in our Bible. The Prophets of Israel had
not only a most beautiful vision of peace, but best under-
standing of the means of its attainment. The Prophet
Isaiah had given to the world the best formula for domes-
tic tranquility and international peace when he said: "The
work of righteousness shall be l'eace and the effect thereof
quietness and assurance forever."
However distant the time when righteousness will be-
come the spring of our actions, thus removing all causes
and provocations for conflicts yet we hold firmly to the
belief that the rule of right will eventually displace the
rule of might. To this consumation, the bestmindsand
hearts of humanity are working today possibly with greater
zeal than ever before.

So reads the report of the committee on interna-
tional peace to the recent conference at Cape May,
New Jersey.

Those who have followed the proceedings of the
Central Conference for the last two decades will recall
many such reports and the glowing resolutions that
were offered and passed in protest against the havoc of
armed warfare.
In Charlevoix, Michigan, back in 1915, a few
months after the outbreak of the Great War, Rabbi
Moses J. Gries, of Cleveland, then president of the
Conference, spoke of the war then raging in Europe in
these words:

Civilized warfare does not exist. Humane war is un-
thinkable. The whole world has been brutalized until it
has grown callous to the daily butchery and slaughter.
. . . . Jews, too, have been brutalized. Never before
has the Jew heard the tragic story of suffering, untouched
by pity and unquickened to relieve. . . .
The war has flung a challenge to the teachers of re-
ligion. Difficult and most perplexing are its ethical prob-
lems. . . . What is our ethical luty? If two men be fight-
ing and are at death-grips, do we question about neutral-
ity or ethics? We stope the fight! We do not supply nour-
ishment for strength, nor weapons for destruction! If na-
tions are battling and are grappling unto death, what is
our ethical duty? humanity outweighs "neutrality." Hu-
manity demands that we stop the fight and do not supply
food to sustain the combatants, nor ammunition to con-
tinue the war!

If we are sincere in the desire to stop the war, if we
of America are willing to pay any price and to make every
sacrifice to save human life, let us not enrich ourselves
by the blood of our fellow creatures and by the grim har-
vest of death. In the years to come, it will be repulsive to
the nobler American spirit that we rejoiced to make for-
tunes out of the misfortunes of our brother-men and sister-
nations. Stop all food supply and all war supplies and all
money supplies to all the warring nations."

The lovers of peace can find much to warm their
hearts in the published proceedings of the Central Con-
ference of American Rabbis. Especially in the four
years before America's entry into the World War and
in the last few years. During the period of America's
participation in the war and a few years afterwards
while the war fever still hovered around the danger
point the voice of prophesy was hushed. Or, perhaps,
it should be said, that the voice of prophesy was not
hushed but it had changed its tune. It was still the
voice of prophesy but the prophesy was victory instead
of peace, or, at least, "peace with victory." Indeed, in
many pulpits, the entry of this country into the war was
hailed as a mission of peace, a "peace crusade." We
heard no more about "our ethical duty to stop the war,"

But, notwithstanding the paucity of peace prophe-
sies in the proceedings of the Central Conference dur-
ing the last year of the war and the period immediately
following, the yearbooks of the Conference remain a
veritable gold-mine of fiery oratory in the cause of
international peace. Rabbi Joseph L. Kornfeld, who
submitted the report of the committee on international
peace, could have availed hima t31: of many beautiful
and effective phrases from old m ie,
the conference
'ear books for the text of his report. What
was said
in 1915 could' very well have been repeated in 1027.
For the Central Conference of American Rabbis has
always been the champion of the cause of peace. Par-
ticularly in the of peace.

a

The Outlaw Nation,

An eminent Jewish visitnr from Eurnite tells of an
European government that recently alloted 150,000
acres of good arable land to the Jews within its boun-
daries. The same government had already set aside a
vast territory for that purpose and assisted the Jewish
colonists who settled it, with generous grants of money
and farm machinery.
The same eminent visitor goes on to tell its that the
peasants amongs whom the Jewish families are colo-
nizing are friendly and there is no fear of anti-Semi-
tism. That these colonists, after three years of work on
their farms, no longer ask nor receive any assistance
except for establishing schools and co-operatives.
1Ve are also told that the same government recently
reclassified about 200 towns as villages, thus giving
their Jewish inhabitants the prerogatives of peasants
in taking land for settlement. These towns are predom-
inantly Jewish in population and "the government's
only purpose in reclassifying them into villages was to
give the Jews the legal rights and privileges of peas-
ants. This act will give an opportunity to the Jews to
get 50.000 acres of land fitted for the development of
milk farms and other branches of agricultural work."
We further learn that within the territories granted
by this government 35,519 Jewish families have already
been established as pioneer farmers and that the land
occupied by Jewish settlers embraces 413.803 acres.
This government was not the government of Great
Britain with which we are, diplomatically, on good
terms. It was not the government of enlightened
France. Nor the Fascist dictatorship of Italy with
which democratic America is, of course, on the best of
terms. It was not the government of Germany nor the
government of Austria with both of whom we are now
friendly despite our erstwhile execration for tne Hun.
Nor is it the generous government of Roumania whose
beautiful and accomplished queen we entertained so
hospitably a short time ago and with whom we have
the friendliest diplomatic relations.
The government which has done and is now doing
so many generous things for its Jews is the government
of despised Soviet Russia with which we, as a civilized,
democratic and virtuous state cannot have diplomatic
relations.

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1

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I am extremely interested in the revival of interest
in the Argentine as a haven for desirable Jewish immi-
grants. At present there are about 7,000 or 5,000
Jews going into Argentine, South America. But the
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society issued a statement
explaining that Argentine can use a great ninny more
immigrants who are willing to work on farms. Profes-
sional workers, too, in the building and metal trades,
bakers, tanners and others, can obtain employment at a
very fair wage. So can bookbinders, printers, watch-
makers find an opportunity. But doctors, druggists, CO-
rilloegS and others of the more highly developed profes-
sions, I am told, will not find it so easy to get established.
But it seems to me that those Jews in Europe who are
seeking an opportunity tie live in a self-respecting man-
ner and to cant a good living amid a friendly environ-
ment should consider very seriously this South American
opportunity.

Now we have a new Irish-Jewish play on the screen.
It's "Frisco Sally Levy." I am not advertising it, but
merely mentioning it in connection with the many Jewish-
Irish or Irish-Jewish plays that have become no popular
since Abie and his Irish Rose, chaperoned by Anne Nich-
ols, became the most-talked-of stage couple in the history
of the drama. I confess that I cannot fathom the source
of the popularity of these plays. But it is interesting to
note that we never have a Protestant and Jewish com-
bination that is appealing to the masses who support such
plays as the Irish Rose. It is always an Irish boy and
a Jewish girl, or a Jewish parent and Irish parent, but
never a Protestant character. Maybe some of my read-
ers have some solution to offer to this puzzle.

Who are and who are not Jews in Germany? The
J. T. A. says that a recent report of the Economic Sta-
tistical Section of the Jewish Scientific Institute of Berlin
shows that there are only 500,000 Jews in Germany (in-
including Prussia), which indicates that the Jewish popu-
lation of that country is on the decline. The question I
want to raise is not the apparent decrease in the num-
ber of Jews (despite the fact that there has been a great
influx of Jews from Eastern Europe since 1914), due
to the fact that so many Jews have renounced their faith
because of social, political and business reasons? And,
after all is said and done, despite these conversions, is
it not a fact that the non-Jews of Germany insist on con-
sidering these Christian-veneered Jews as Jews rather
than Christians? We have had any number of outstand-
ing cases where Jews who have not been identified with
Jewish life in Germany for a great many years, and who
had actually renounced their Judaism, were among the
victims of anti-Semitic attacks. So it would seem as if
the anti-Semites had good reason for their "surprise" in
finding the number of Jews listed in Germany as far less
than they had expected. Because the Jews are there but
in Christian disguise.

I ,:ruess it must have bene a year since I first tried to
stick a needle into the tough skin of that apostle of in-
tolerance, the Very Christian Editor of the Manufac-
turers' Record of Baltimore, Richard II. Edmonds. Some
of my Jewish readers were surprised that Mr. Edmonds,
who has such n successful trade journal, would condone
an attack on the Jews. Well, if they want another ex-
ample of the Klan mind of this gentleman, they will find
it in this statement of whom he thinks would be fine
Presidential timber from the South:

Let the South, therefore, begin to think of men
like Governor McClean of North Carolina, a strong
business leader; John 11. Kirby, a giant Christian
business leader of Texas; John E. Edgerton of
Tennessee, a great Christian statesman in business
affairs, and . . . it is interesting to note that for
years in his woolen mill in Leban, Tenn., Mr. Ed-
gerton has maintained a chapel, where all his
working men gather every morning for a few mo-
ments of divine worship before beginning the
labor of the day.

Now, there is no objection to divine worship morning,
noon or night. But one can see the "rishus" in Mr. Ed-
gerton sticking out of him like the quills on a porcupine
as he revels in the phrase, "Christian business leader" or
"Christian statesman." Ile thinks because a man holds
chapel services for his workmen that makes him fine tim-
ber for the Presidency. One can imagine the genuine
anguish of Mr. Edgerton if "Al" Smith, a Catholic, were
elected! Nothing has given us such an illuminating pic-
ture of this man, and nothing so clearly shows why he
said the nasty things about the Jews in his trade journal.

A couple of English writers got out a book a year
or so ago called "Odd Fish." And I think that same
applies to Franklin Ford, in charge of the Broadcasting
Station WIIAI' in New York, which has been the source
of so much controversy because of the statements Ford
broadcasted against the Catholics and the Jews. Mr.
Ford appeared the other day before the radio commission
and was frank enough to say that he has been opposing
the political activities of the Catholics, considering them
inimical to American institutions. He also said that he
had attacked certain Jew:,
out not Jews as a class. For
example, he pointed out that he has attacked, over the
radio, night clubs, cabarets and sex plays owned by Jews,
and railed utbun the decent Jews to straighten out the
renerlde class of their people. All this is very interest-
ing, but has Mr. Ford ever pointed out some of the evils
that are being fomented by Protestants, for surely, in
this wide land of ours, some Protestant must be doing
something that isn't 100 per cent. The trouble with this
Ford, like the other Ford, is that he is filled with preju-
dice. He may chatter all he pleases, but the fact remains
that he has shown himself to be intolerant to the extent
that his attacks on the Jews and Catholics prevented him
from being accepted as a juryman in New York, because
it was felt that such man could not be trusted to sit in
judgment where facts alone were to be considered im-
partially.

One man's hate of llenry Ford was so strong that he
carried it with him to the grave. In his last will and
testament here was one of the provisions:

This, my last will and testament, shall be read
at my funeral, and there shall be no Ford automo-
bile allowed in my funeral procession.

The name of this man was Max Fisher of Denver,
Colo. It must be very gratifying, indeed, to the greatest
man in the world to have built up such an immense for-
tune of goodwill. There is something that Mr. Ford is
finding out that can't be bought with even $1,000,000,000,
and that is the affection and the respect of his fellow
men. I would characterize Henry Ford as one of the
outstanding failure, of his time.

A thought for the Ilebrew-Christiain missionaries.
Mencken picked it out of the Birmingham, Ala., Post.
Pastor E. G. Byrd of the Simpson Methodist Church said
it. So here goes:

We churches are spending so much money on
foreign missions that we are peopling Heaven with
the Chinese and Africans, leaving Hell to be popu-
lated by Americans.

Our dear pastor should not have used the term "Amer-
icans," but the original Nordic Christians. You see,
Christianity isn't altogether something to be promiscu•
nasty distributed. We shall soon have 100 per cent
Christians just like we have now the 100 per cent Ameri-
can and one will be just about as 100 per cent as the
other.

I can't always agree with Nathan Straus. Ile should
not have sent that message to the convention of the
Zionist Organization of America telling them for "God's
sake stop wasting time in faultfinding and squabbling."
It's opposition, Mr. Straus. that vitalizes an organization.
The trouble with most of our Jewish organizations is
that they have become mummified. They elect one group
of officers and keen them there until the judgment day.
If some one suggest', new blood on boards and in higher
executive positions, that is Bolshevism! No, what is de-
sired is to maintain harmony even at the cost of an in-
stitution's progress. Mr. Straus, you just let those Zion-
ist friends of yours fight to their hearts' content. It
keeps the blood circulating, and that
means life! Then,
too, a leader who has opposition can's afford to let
dust
gather on his brains. It keeps him alert and strengthens
him in every possible way. No one need to worry about
Louis Lipsky. From what I know
of him. he loves •
fight and is quite able to take rare of himself.

MinzeiYinznS MIVAILUViN

The Village Without a Church

A Story

By MARK HERSHFELD

ll'opyright Mark ll•rabf eh!, 19:7./

(Editorial Note: Mark llershfeld is a resident of Detroit.
Ile was born in Ilungary where he was in the midst of a lit-
erary and dramatic career when the frightful conditions fol-
lowing the war made it necessary for him to come to Amer-
ica. The story reproduced here is a translation from the
Hungarian. Mr. Hershfeld's literary work has met with
much favorable comment in America. Of his drama, "The
Stake," Rabbi Henry J. Berkowitz wrote in 1924: "The play
is a literary work of which you can be proud. It is intensely
dramatic, has a good plot, is well constructed and beautifully
written." The following year Rabbi Berkowitz wrote a pre-
face for "The Stake" in which he compared it with Grace
Aguilar's "The Vale of Cedars." Frank S. Tompkins, play.
write, critic and dean of the English Department of the City
College of Detroit, commenting on the play, said: "It is a
very fine piece of work. It held my interest throughout and
after the first act the emotional appeal is strong." We hope
to present to our readers a number of stories and other liter-
ary efforts from the pen of this gifted writer.)

To those who prefer a love ro-
mance or an essay I cannot recom-
mend this story. Uncle George
from whom I heard the story is a
very old man. It is not because of
his years that I call him old, but
because of his out-of-date and rusty
ideas, to which the good old man
clings with the obstinacy so char-
acteristic of old men.

You must know that Uncle
George has spent the greater part
of his life in a village and feels the
deepest antipathy toward city life
and city ideas. It is very seldom
that he visits us, and then he iv-
mains with as only three of four
days before he retires again to the
seclusion of his village.

On one of the these occasions on
a pleasant summer afternoon we
sat on the front perth of our house
and discussed the topics of the day.
During the conversation, Uncle
George's eye lit on a signboard net
up on a lot in front of the house
and there in large letters could be
read the following:

ON THIS SITE A
$1,000,000 CH URCII
WILL. BE ERECTED.

Uncle George looked at the sign-
board for a long time; then. he
made this comment half-aloud, "If
1 were the pastor of the church
which is to be built here, I would
remove this sign at once." The re-
mark rather annoyed me, for I am
acquainted with the clergyman and
know that he is an excellent man
in every respect.

Since not even the greatest per-
suasion can ever change Uncle
George's opinion, I tried to direct
the conversation to some other
subject. So I asked whether he
would fine, it improper to have on
the sign board these words:

ON TIIIS SITE A
$1,000,000 BOOK STORE
WILL BE ERECTED.

Uncle George continued to look
at the signboard for a while, and
then in that monotonous voice of
his told me the following story:

The village where my father was
born was at that time a very small
place, for it contained scarcely a
score of houses. One day a young
clergyman happened that way; he
took a fancy to the village, and SO
it turned out that Jacob Love—that
was the clergyman's name—settled
there. His first task was to build
house for himself and in this
work the whole population of the
village came heartily to his aid.
The only difference between this
house and the dwellings of the
farmers was that one room in this
house was somewhat larger than
the rooms in the other houses. Di-
vine service was held in this room
every Sunday, and during the win-
ter months the farmers' children
gathered in this same room while
Jacob Love instilled in them schol-
arship amply sufficient for a farm-
er's life.

The clergyman's manner of life
and dress did not differ in any way
from that of the farmers. From
opting until autumn he and his
wife worked in the fields or in the
garden, and if at such times a
stranger had found himself in the
village he would not have been able
to distinguish the pastor from his
flock. It was only on Sunday and
festival occasions that he put on
that garment which distinguished
him from the members of his con-
gregation. He then prayed devout-
ly with his people and in simple,
unaffected words explained the
Scriptures to them. Yet his speech
was addressed tee their understand-
ing as well as to their hearts.
In the course of time the mem-
bership of his congregation in-
creased, and the suggestion was
made that a church must be built.
Jacob Love did not become very en-
thusiastic over the idea. On one
occasion he asserted that it is not
a pile of squared stones and well-
hewn timbers which constitutes a
church, but that a church is every-
where where out of pure hearts and
with true devotion prayer rises un-
ta the Turd. On another occasion
he said that whoever buys new
clothes before he outgrows his old
ones, or wears them out, falls into
the sin of extravagance.

The members of the congregation
acquiesced in this opinion, and
those who did not agree were in-
fluenced merely by the fart that
the neighboring villages derided
the churchless village.
When the clergymen of the neigh-
boring villages came to know that
Ja•.ih Love n o t only failed to en-
courage the project of church-build-
ing but even opposed it, they made
a complaint to the bishop. In their
complaint they emphasized the fact
that this bad example would spoil
the generosity of the entire coun-
tryside. The bishop, however, per-
haps because he was already an old
man, paid no attention to the corn-
plaint, and so everything remained
as it was.
One day a member of the congre-
gation complained to Jacob Love
that during the night thieves had
destroyed his fence, broken the lock
on the barn door, and stolen a few
hairs of wheat. lie expressed the
suspicion that the theft had been
committed by some person of the
village.
Jacob Love became greatly de-
jected at this news.
Ile stood

speechless for a time and then beck-
oned to the complainant to follow
him. They went into the yard.
There the clergyman brought out a
spade and dug up the fence posts
pulled down the fence, piled up thy
slats in a heap and set fire to them.
Ile then brought out a hammer and
broke the locks off all the doors and
left only the door handles. The
complainant was bewildered as he
watched, but the pastor showed no
inclination to explain his enigmati-
cal action, for, as soon as he fin-
tolled his work of destruction, he
went without a word into his room
and became absorbed in the reading
of a sacred book.

11.

On the following Sunday the peo-
ple assembled in the clergyman's
home for the customary service., but
their surprise became much greater
when they saw that he did not re-
ceive them in his Outstay vestments,
but, dressed in his everyday clothes,
sat and prayed in silence. The peo-
ple remained speechless for a while,
then the older members of the con-
gregation approached and asked
him to hold with them the custo-
mary service.

At this intimation Jacob Love
stood up and with tear-tilled eyes
begged the members of his congre-
gation not to expect of him any ex-
position of the Scripture. That till
then he had believed he Was living
a worthy religious life., and that he
had been called to preach the Word
of God, but the events of the past
week had convinced hint that his
life had not been in accord with the
holy teaching which he had
preached. Ile had preached that
the Lord is our defense, that the
eye of the Lord watches over as and
that we must trust the Lord; and
yet, in spite of that, he had enclosed
his yard with a fence and fastened
his doors with locks, just as one
would who did not trust the Lord.
With a shudder he thought of the
difficulty he would have in making
his defense., it if should be demand-
ed of him that he explain why his
flock had gone astray. The sin
which had been committeed was
his sin, for he had set a wrong ex-
ample and the shepherd is respon-
sible for his flock. He felt that he
was unworthy to preach the God's
Word and begged the members of
his congregation to pray for him,
that the Lord might be merciful to
him and might not punish him as
he deserved.

:3

-1

There did not remain a dry eye
during the clergyman's self-accusa-
tion. Now at last they undersstood
everything. They prayed in silence
and then departed as though they
were leaving a house of mourning.
Shortly afterwards two lads step-
ped into the clergyman's room and,
in a penitent voice, confessed that
they had committed the theft. They
were extremely sorry for their deed
and were not merely ready to re-
pay the amount of the damage, but
were also willing to endure what-
ever punishment the clergyman
might inflict upon them.

Jacob Love embraced and kissed
youthful sinners and declared
that he recognized only the laws of
God and that he did not have any
time to devote to the laws of the
world. In the Scripture there are
merely the words: "Thou shalt not
steal," but not a word is found
about the p unishment which should
come to him who breaks the com-
mand. Ile did not believe that the
omission of this from the Scrip-
ture was caused by either forget-
fulness or error, but his conviction
was that the Lord had reserved for
himself the assignment of punish-
ment. He therefore could not pun-
ish anyone. Indeed, for this rea-
son also, he too was a sinful man.
He advised them to make amends
for the wrong they had done by
living henceforth the life /moon-
ing true believers, and he confident-
ly believed that the Lord would par-
don their deeds, which had been
committed in youthful indiscretion.
Thereupon ail three went to the
farmers who had suffered from the
theft. After logging their forgive-
ness they settled for the amount of
the harm that had been done.

the

444

11. ■

On the following day, now here,
now there, a fence was torn down
and burnt until at evening not a
single fence remained in the entire
village. On the same day at both
ends of the village signboards were
set up with this inscription:

"The Lord guardeth this
village and we trust the Lord.
Thou traveller, if thy way
leadeth thee hither, and thou
art hungry, thirsty or weary,
come to
No fences encloses our hous-
es, nor is there any lock on our
deers.
May the blessing of the Lord
accompany thee on thy jour-
ney."

And since neither fence nor lock
guarded
s,
everyone felt
the nearness
neaess of the Lord and no
on ua4:: afraid.
The following Sunday Jacob
Love's fare beamed with happiness.
The psalms never ascended toward
heaven from purer hearts than nut
of that unornamented ram, and
Jacob
gripped their heart
with his

When it was reported how the
fences and lock, had been de-
stroyed, the clergymen of the neigh-
(Turn to next page.)

44:47.14 ,74' ,=41A t

