Freedom and Enlightenment. WHAT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY CAN TEACH US. Qexxnon Delivered before the Congregation Ahawath Chesed, BY RABBI ALEXANDER KQHUT, Ph.D., Saturday, October 23, 1886 FREELY ADAPTED FROM THE ORIGINAL GERMAN BY LEON HARRISON, A.B. Dedicated to the, Two Nations that have ever been the Champions of Liberty, and whose Fraternal Union is Signalized by this Celebration. NEW YORK: Press of M. Schlesingek, 174 Centre Street, 1886.And God said. Let there be Light; and there was Light. Gen. 1-3. The light spread by Liberty's torch will soon gleam over the waters of our noble harbor. By its radiance, we can read the pages of the past ; we can spell out the mighty sentences that the hand of man hath written over the face of the earth. It speaks to us of the fraternal union of two powerful nations ; it summons back to recollection the irresistible movement by which an adult commonwealth asserted its manhood and forever established the Be-publican principle of a government of the people by the people, for the people; it illumines the dark chambers of memory and kindles into fervent recognition America's gratitude to France for her devotion to the cause of liberty, for her brotherly help in the hour of need, and for the valorous arms and true hearts of her generous heroes. The great coming event is one that rouses enthusiasm and fires the imagination. The Old and the New World shake hands across the ocean. The cause they commemorate is the most august, the most sacred, the most divine of all those for which men have poured forth their blood like water, and yielded up their lives. It is the cause of Liberty, of civil, political and religious liberty. No blind fanaticism or Utopian day-dream, led the fathers of this country, to take their first momentous step. ' They foresaw with terrible clearness the long and bitter conflict'- Wisdom guided their counsels, patriotism fulfilled them and valor as-2 sured their final triumph. An unswerving and intelligent conviction that God and the right were on their side, that they were bound to prevail, and that the enemies of liberty would reap the fruits of oppression and wrong-doing, finally wrought upon the minds of the most rational and deliberate. They determined to strike a final deadly blow at usurpation and tyranny. TheJhistory of Republican Government in this, the only truly and wholly democratic land on earth is the sequel. It is a record of freedom, gained by wisdom and secured by law. It is a living proof of the value of enlightenment in laying the foundations of a free, national life. It is in brief a sermon whose epitomized text the intelligent eye can behold in this colossal monument, " Liberty Enlightening the World." " Let there be Light I " If man were omnipotent, and the universe were at his feet, if a single wish might be uttered, inspired by the most far-seeing wisdom, however he might yearn to bless his kind, what more exalted command could he utter than " Let there be Light ?" With these words the Almighty stilled the warring elements and brought the chaotic world under the domination of law. Himself clothed with Light, as with a garment, adored in every age and clime as the " Light of Lights," by men who oft-times have sunk the spirit in the symbol, and worshipped fire instead of their Creator, God filled the universe with its radiance, and He "saw the light that it was good." His own infinite faculties needed no light. The Creator cannot be dependent upon His own creations. But man needs light. " It was good " for him.. It is-so necessary that he does not think of its value, no more than of the air he breathes. It is so priceless that man does not treasure this unmeasurable blessing, to such a degree is it inseparable from his life. Like eyesight, like health, deprivation alone reveals its worth. "And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night." The sages have remarked that the Divine name is only used in connection with the light. They delighted in severing the mention of God from darkness, which is His antithesis. And this nominal distinction is borne out by the text. But this thought is founded on a profound intuition. God dwells in light. His power is the power of light. The progress of mankind would be an idle word if enlightenment did not in some sense signify a nearer approach to the source of all. And this the Hebrews intensely felt.3 Wherefore did they study the Law, the Torah, so assiduously, and to it bend their utmost energy ? How is it that the Jewish mind has become so preternaturally acute, so vigorous to the very limit of intellectual development ? It is because " enlightenment", was the watchword of the Jews, it furnishes the keynote of their many-sided activity, and to it may be ascribed the rational character of their religion, and the ^re-eminence of their genius-in the highways of literature and the domains of scienco. The light that is.co extensive with space should find a parallel in the intellectual life of man. It should pervade every action, be present in fevery scene and circumstance, and as it is the source of life be also che end of life. All things in the plant world turn toward the sun. It rays out to them their existence. Equally so should man ever aspire toward the sun of knowledge, and by drinking in its light saturate himself with the lore of heaven. From it stream all the blessings that have exalted mankind. Freedom is its logical conclusion, for no mind can freely unfold itself and attain its full mental stature without freedom. Thus the world is regenerated through enlightenment, and it above all else should be treasured as beyond compare. This is the standpoint of Judaism. Such is the principle thai has consciously or unconsciously guided our forefathers throughout every age in all the countries of their sojourn. In this the land of our adoption, the first nation in the world where the Jew has been uniformly treated by men as being like themselves a son of God, fulfilling the same mysterious destiny as his fellows, here let us fructify this beloved soil with those rich products that our forefathers busy brains have hived away. Oil this momentous occasion, unique in the history of the world as a symbol and commemoration of a sacred bond of fellowship, instituted for ends now forever priceless and memorable, let Judaism send forth its voice that the world mdy see the patriotism of Jews when they have homes they love, a fatherland their lives are bound unto, and a common pride and citizenship consecrated as the hard worn crown of eighteen centuries of martyrdom. We gaze, therefore, upon this august emblem with love, reverence and gratitude. We remember that it has not been built in a decade nor by a single sculptor. , All mankind have been co-laborers in erecting this colossal structure. Every generation has contributed its quota. Every nation has forwarded this final outcome of unending struggles. It4 has been hallowed by the blood'of the martyred dead. It "has been glorified by the stubborn and unyielding bravery of men whose lives were a perpetual combat for liberty. The world can say: " It is my statue, I have built it." And in truth- All are righteous claimants. We have only the privilege of guardianship. The gigantic dimensions of this statue correspond to the vast-ness of the idea it represents. " Liberty Enlightens the World." America's history verifies this aphorism. She started a revolution that kindled all Europe into flami:. The French, a people quick to perceive and even quicker to execute, rose in their majesty and said to the depraved crew that lorded it over them, " You are idlers not workers. You rob us, not rule us. Do you mock at our supplications ? We will bring fire to your houses and steel to your proud and stubborn necks." Then France became free. She washed away the stains ofi her national escutcheon with oceans of blood. Then what followed? Europe struggled to rend the shackles that fettered hands and feet. Whether success was universal or not, the exercise was good. It strengthened the sinews and prepared them for a greater conflict, for Titanic warfare. And then what followed ? Intellectual liberty followed political liberty. Criticism, in the modern sense, was born. Men opened their eyes and found that they had awakened from th*;; long dream of the middle ages. The night was gone, the sun had risen. Wonderful have been the strides made from the French Revolution down to our day, and the secret is, that liberty had begun her reign, that the sway of authority was broken, that the ruled were now likewise rulers, and men's minds could range untrammeled over the whole field of knowledge without let or hindrance. Freedom gave birth to this wondrous progeny. Her first utterance was, "Let there be Light." Do we need further proofs of this all-embracing truth ? Can any one doubt that the very essence of liberty is the widening of our inner horizon, is the dissipating of the swarniing prejudices that becloud our mental vision and hinder the acquisition-of that virtue which crowns our moral life—intellectual honesty f Liberty enlightens the world, elevates it, purifies it. That is unquestionable. But let us apply the' test inherited from our ancestral wisdom. Let us see whether this action and reaction be not reciprocal, whether the causes that produce Liberty be not more5 weighty than the effects it occasions, whether, .in a word, if it be indisputable that " Liberty enlightens the world," it be not nevertheless equally true and infinitely more important that " Enlightenment liberates the ivorld." We will consider the respective claims of both liberty and enlightenment to being considered preeminent in relation one to the other, and thus we can justly decide which has most emphatically taken 4he grand initiative in the history of civilization. If enlightenment receives the laurel, then, with equal propriety and greater justice might the present title be changed into the glorious designation of " Enlightenment Liberating the World." 1. Liberty is to the soul what bread is to the physical system. It supports life. It is the condition of all healthy activity. As the atmosphere surrounds and envelops all in its soft embrace, and imperceptibly supplies to our organisms the medium through which to remove the effete exhalations that would otherwise poison the blood, so does liberty without our knowledge or conscious volition interweave itself with every fibre of our lives, and afford a channel for the discharge of the superabundant energy and restlessness that otherwise bursts out in fitful eruptions. Where liberty is denied, beware of the sleeping volcano. When the privilege, sought as a boon, has to be claimed as a right, and wrested violently from its holders, it is no longer a tool, an instrument for good, it has become a two-edged sword. Witness the excesses, the carnage, the frightful Sanscuiottism of the French Revolution. The Inferno seemed to have yielded up its most horrid spectres to emerge into the brief sunlight of their hey-day. Let the dead past bury its dead, bury its errors and abuses; and from it learn that what has been may be. But however obtained, what poet or. orator can perfect the eulo-gium of liberty, how can any nation that has enjoyed its health-giving rays, exhaust the catalogue of its benefactions ? It has sounded the death-knell of class-distinctions. Right has succeeded Eights, Liberty replaces liberties. The system of guilds, of close corporations, whereby all but the favored few were excluded from the enjoyment of the most common and rightful privileges of all, has been clean swept away by the rising flood-tide of popular power. Nobility has become a nominal distinction. Ancient prejudices that seemed as deeply rooted and immovable as the everlasting hills have been torn away from the minds of men by the fierce logic that argues sihntly and without syllogisms.6 Changes inconceivable to a past generation have now become commonplaces, and the Spirit of Liberty brooding softly over the entire world, is quietly crumbling away the decayed fabric of hoary superstitions and inveterate bigotry. All this is what is commonly denominated liberty, freedom of opinion, the press, religion and of politics. We yield to none in our superlative valuation of these guerdons of victory. But it is the duty of the preacher to emphasize often not what most deserves emphasis but what most needs it. We are too much accustomed to the fulsome laudation of our hard-earned rights. We are so dazzled by the sheen of previous glory that we shun taking a prospect as well as a retrospect. What structures hands have reared hands may again level to the ground. Our wisdom is not infallible nor our institutions either perfect or indestructible. The majority msiy tyrannize over the minority. Self-government too often means the government of each by everybody else. Liberty is an excellent thing; self-government is an institution above al praise. But from the truest standpoint, what really is liberty, and what is self-government? Ah, friends, there we reach the kernel of the matter. Liberty in its essence is self-government, and self-government is the government not of each by all the rest, but of each by himself. The world of freedom is carried within. Only reason can summon us to liberty. 2. Enlightenment then liberates the world. "As soon as men are capable of being guided to their own good by conviction or pursuasion, compulsion is no longer admissible." I have pictured to you the intellectual fermentation, the wonderful renaissance in every department of literature and science, immediately subsequent to the dawn of liberty in Europe. But that phenomenon is eclipsed in its impressiveness by the remarkable uniformity with which every .great liberal movement in Europe has been preceded by a stir and revival that influenced all the best minds of the age, and by enlightenment qualified them to use their forthcoming privileges an Thus has enlightenment ever been the inseparable companion and predecessor of liberty. When enlightenment does not lead the way, wha;. follows is license, not liberty. Apart from all historical considerations, viewing the individual simply as a unit, is it well for him to enjoy this pseudo-liberty ? When passions rage within a man, and battle hard for the mastery, should he unchain them ? Should he argue that his freedom is identical with theirs ? Would any shepherd be so insane as to admit a wolf within his sheep-fold because it howls and tears ? The simplest example may illustrate the most profound principle. It is then clear, is it not, that this conclusion is a.just one ? and that indisputably we may affirm that though every enlightened man is. free, not every free man is enlightened. Thus we come back to our original proposition. Though originally and characteristically Jewish, the thought is cosmopolitan and should be recognized and practically exemplified in every human life. " Enlightenment liberates the world and Liberty enlightens the world." When we behold that stupendous figure encircled by a radiant aureole, let us recall the lofty conception that exalts its symbolism into a new beauty. Remember that the mighty arm of Liberty carries, not a sword but a torch. A light-bearer is Liberty, and the very possession thereof creates a new feeling of responsibility, and educates the free man to a higher sense of brotherhood and community with his fellow citizens. It is meet that when the storm-tossed immigrant nears our hospitable shores, he should behold in the hazy distance the welcoming gleam of this colossal torch. It is a happy omen for the future. When Columbus, alone in his heroic trust, with the lofty intuition of genius, relaxed not a whit in his firm belief that his forecasts must be borne out by fact, that a continent must lie before him, though as yet veiled and unseen, he was reduced almost to desperation, he was driven to extremities by the fruit-lessness of his efforts, and the mutiny of his crew. But, 0 joy, when almost the last flickering ember of hope had expired, a light was espied, a light! Who can feel what Columbus felt, who can paint his emotions or revenl the sublime exultation of one who had pinned his faith to the truth and found it verified, even beyond anticipation ? That light was a beacon that marked the8 most momentous incident of modern times.' It was to modify the history of mankind, and to open a mighty channel through which would rush the giant energies of a New World. The poor immigrant that reaches this port may not arrive as did Columbus; He does not discover a new world for the Old World. But he discovers it for himself, it is new to him, and with his first step on American soil begins a new life. He has to face the world and grapple with it. That stern struggle will harden his bones and make him a new man. May he be cheered as Columbus was cheered! May the glorious light of a brighter illumination shine into his heart and be the auspicious commencement of a worthy career. May it nerve him with high resolves, and throw its rays over the future, making it beautiful for him. Such is the mission "of the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty. It will once again fulfill the creative word, 'f Let there be Light,0 and irradiate our innermost contemplations with the purer light, which is of the soul, and svhereon no mortal eye hath gazed. 0 that enlightened Europe would free its enslaved millions, and grant them the kingly heritage that is the God-given birthright of all the children of men! Come unto us, 0 oppressed toilers that hail from the dark lands overshadowed by the curse of despotism! Labor with us and for us, and strengthen the noble country that welcomes into its spacious and hospitable confines all the nations of the earth. May all those who view this majestic figure and gaze upon its resplendent light cherish and hold dear the liberty thus glorified! May God, the Liberator, whose Decalogue in its first utterance expresses His care for freedom, preserve our treasured liberties, and enlighten us with His high and holy wisdom forevermore. Amen.