In a recent number of the Jewish Record Dr. Samuel Hirsch replies to some strictures on his views on the Jewish Sabbath, from the pen of an orthodox writer over the signature of "Jewish Heart." He says:

"I assert that in order to celebrate the Sabbath it is equally necessary to work six days as not to work on the seventh day. The meaning of the fourth word is not " Six days thou mayest or thou mayest not work." The meaning is " Six days thou shalt labor." Were the meaning "you may or may not work," the whole sentence would become needless. It should then read " Remember the Sabbath-Day to keep it holy, on it thou shalt not do any work." Why the words "Six days thou shalt work?"

I maintain that working is religion, according to the Bible, and in accordance with the true idea of the Sabbath and with the whole of Judaism. God put man into the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. "Till the earth and subdue it!" is the first blessing, the first watchword given to mankind.

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Man, does work because God worketh; work in imitation of thy God. "Walk in the ways of thy God." (Deut. X. 12.) In fact, what is Judaism? What is the idea of believing, in one God? Heathenism had a plurality of Gods, therefore selfish, needy Gods. Man must, in adoring his particular God, help the same against the attacks of another God, and his God must, in acknowledgement of these services, assist Man. Selfishness is the signal of heathenism. Judaism, acknowledges only the One, the Eternal. He needs nothing, all things belong to Him, are forever and ever in His possession. And nevertheless "He sleeps and slumbers not, the preserver of Israel." He elevates the humblest. He is always our Guardian, our Father. He worketh out of love, and so shall man work. Our faculties, our abilities do not belong to us. We have not the right to use or abuse, or not to use them at all. They belong to mankind. We are bound, by principle and out of religion, to employ all our faculties for the good of mankind. Therefore, working six days, not for lucre's sake, but to fulfill our duty, is religion, and therefore do not work on the one day. Through "thy not working on this day," even if refraining from work results in pecuniary loss, - you exercise yourself to work on the six days for duty's sake and not for gain. That is the true idea of the Sabbath.

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Certainly it is an easy thing for me to exhort, to clamor " Keep the Sabbath." But why don't you ask how it comes that the Sabbath is not kept, all our preaching notwithstanding?

As long as the Jews lived together in Palestine, the observance of Saturday as the Sabbath was easy. During the Middle Ages, the same. The Jews were despised and oppressed. Every calling was forbidden to them except occupations thought so contemptible that no Christian would undertake them. The Jews, having consequently a monopoly for those callings, could keep the Sabbath. To-day, thank God, every field of labor is open to us, and as said above, our religion teaches us to employ our faculties for the purpose God gave them to us. Let us take an example. We take a manfacturer. He gives bread to hundreds of workingman. Do you deny his work is religion? That religion and Judaism exact of him to do what he does!. Shall he give work only five days and pay for six? How long in that case, before competition would crowd him out and leave his employees without work? Or should his workmen be satisfied with five days' work and five days' pay? Would that be fair or even possible?

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Shall he force his non-Jewish employees to act against their conscience by making them work on Sunday? These are the exigencies and principles involved, which I mentioned before the Convention in New York.