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and absolute fidelity to his convictions, and I am sure he would think less of any of his kin were he or she to do aught but follow in turn the dictates of conscience. It is neither a wrong, shame or misfortune for a son to differ from his father, either in matters of religion or anything else; but it is a wrong, shame and misfortune if this be the case, not to say so. I have never concealed, neither before nor after accepting the position in this congregation, my views, as little as I have endeavored to press them upon you. But I have striven when, on former occasions, I felt obliged to give expression to them, to do so in a reverent and respectful spirit. and I shall endeavor to do so this morning.
"The state of Judaism," it has lately been said, "calls for reflection, not for condemnation." That it presents problems, serious and weighty problems, to earnest and thinking minds can only be questioned or denied by those unaccustomed to or incapable of serious and earnest thought. Nor can the discussion of these problems be evaded if we desire to obtain, either for our own peace of soul or for a larger circle, a satisfactory solution of them. The breaking out of divisions is, no doubt, to be regretted, and I for one can well understand the voices raised, which appeal for unity and the urgent calls to bury differences for the sake of peace. But it is a serious error to mistake stillness for harmony, calm for peace, silence for acquiescence. Not only is there a stillness "as of death," and a calm foreboding a storm, there is also a silence, which springs from an indifference due to a feeling of despair or disgust, and not an indifference due to a lack of interest. It is one of the most hopeful signs of the present that cold indifference to religious affairs is yielding slowly, but I believe gradually, not only among the Jews—who but reflect the spirit of the times in this respect—but in general to a recognition that we cannot afford to regard with indifference a matter which involves our own present and the future of our children. But it is necessary to distinguish between controversy and discussion, between wrangling quarrels and calm debates. People are tired and very naturally so of the never-ending quarrels about unimportant trifles. while the main
