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Albany, April 4th, 1849.
To The Respected Society of
the Friends.
GENTLEMEN:—Through your
secretary, Dr. Waterman, I was informed that I was
elected an honorary member of your association, “The
Friends.” Permit me to express my best thanks, with
the assurance that the formation of this society
gave me unfeigned joy; and my election as an
honorary member is very flattering to me indeed. The
union of active men guided by conviction and reason,
has ever been led to happy results; and thus I have
good reason to expect from your association a happy
result likewise; and should this fail to be
accomplished in one or two years, I hope your
courage and your perseverance will not slacken, and
that you will not yield, seeking for the aim which
you strive to attain. On the contrary, I am
convinced you will take as your motto:
“The good progresses slowly,
but surely.”
The tendency of your society is
of a religious progressive nature, moving entirely
upon and within the field of Judaism. The materials
constituting the base of action must be the
doctrines of Judaism in general, positively and
dogmatically, the origin and development of the
same, including the history of our nation. Next to
this, it should be the object of the association to
form out of this material a firm foundation, and to
adhere to it afterwards. The association can and
dare not act outwardly, nor settle even its own
internal object, nor determine on its plan of
action, until it has laid this firm foundation, and
has fully conceived and understood its principles
and its tendency. At the laying of this foundation,
reason, science, and the demands of the present have
a right to advance their principles, and to claim
for themselves a due consideration; for reason, like
the doctrine of the Jews, is of divine origin, and
science is the result of reason. History is the
expression, as well of divine love and providence,
as of the << 275>>doctrines of the Jews, and the
“present” is the last product of history.
Consequently Judaism, reason, science, and the
present must stand peaceably and harmoniously side
by side.
It is therefore desirable for
the society to include as members men of all
branches of science, of all shades of intellect; for
only out of the diversity of opinions, and from the
most heterogeneous elements, can you hope to build
an immovable structure.
If the association has once
gained a firm basis, and conceived its tendency, it
will then become its duty to carry it out by word
and deed. The word that has been accepted in this
association must be communicated to the world at
large, unchanged and unaltered, through the medium
of the press, and every member must become an
advocate for these ideas before the great mass; for
the great mass of the Jews must for ever remain the
object of the society, and cannot be lost sight of.
But the word must be followed
by the deed, and for this reason must every member
be bound to act according to the acknowledged
principles of the society in their religious and
social life.
DR. WISE.
Remarks By The Editor.—In
admitting Mr. Beckel’s letter, we only gave him the
privilege of expostulating against the tendency of
isolation and the opposition to a thorough union,
which he alleged to have discovered in the
establishment of the society of Friends. We knew
nothing of their object, nor a single one of the
members, and only wondered that Dr. Lilienthal
should join a movement which might be turned to
evil, as these societies of intelligent men have
often led to evil results in Europe. Had we seen
their constitution, we might have understood their
tendency; but in the absence of this, we had no
right to refuse Mr. B. a hearing, since he alleged,
and this with some show of reason, that it was a
part of a movement to defeat the proposed assembly,
in which we take a deep interest. Since the
publication of our June number, we had the pleasure
of speaking with Dr. L. in person, during a brief
sojourn he made in Philadelphia, when he assured us
that he had not changed his friendship for a union
meeting, and would attend one if assembled.
Consequently neither he nor his associates of the
Friends can be charged with an attempt to undermine
the convention; and we, give, therefore, an
opportunity to Dr. Waterman to plead for his
society. We could not say anything in their favour
in June, because, as we said, we had not the least
knowledge of their names, objects, and tendency;
wherefore we had to wait for one of the members, as
has been done now, to state the facts as they exist.
We trust, therefore, that the gentlemen who have
formed the association will really endeavour to
scatter light and truth, and become as distinguished
<<276>>for religious conformity as they are superior
in intelligence to the multitude. If they act so,
they shall find in us a strong advocate; but if they
use their union for the sake of favouring sectarian
feelings, we shall not spare the rod, if in our
power. In conclusion, we must say that Mr. Beckel is
nowise blameable for opposing a movement which he
thought wrong; and we think that Dr. Waterman’s
explanation will satisfy him as well as it has done
us, and that there will be peace between the
parties.—Ed. Oc. |
