College Conference.

In Sever 11 yesterday evening Professor Toy spoke on the Development of the Hebrew Religion.

From about 700 B. C., the Jewish nation has been very largely subjected to foreign control and naturally has been considerably influenced by the ideas of the people with whom it came in contact. This captivity was thought necessary by many of the prophets as a punishment to the Jews for their sins, but throughout all the writings of these prophets, the national existence is guaranteed, as well as increasing vigor in all the real elements of life for ever and ever.

We see in the contemporaneous Greek writings, the philosophers dealing with science, politics, literature; but the Jews were so completely absorbed in the religious aspect that they lost sight of everything else. In the prophetic literature there is an ideal picture, a conception found in no other literature. The ultimate end is a great world kingdom fashioned by the hand of God out of his chosen people.

Meanwhile another idea was growing up, that of law; and these two ideas, the first of the prophets and pertaining to the relation of the race to God, the second of the scribes and concerning the government of society by law, blend in the last part of the Old Testament.

The whole of the Old Testament literature is national, yet at the same time of the individual. From this literature we arrive at the fact that the morals of the Jews did not differ much from those of the Greeks and Romans. The difference was in their relations with God rather than with men.

The Jews believed in common with most nations that-if God were offended by disobedience proper relations might be resumed with Him by means of sacrifices. The Jews however had a more complete and symmetrical belief than other peoples. Instead of many temples and priests, we find but one temple and but one priest.

The Old Testament sets forth this idea that God is to be propitiated by the suffering of the nation or of a part of it.

Then again the favor of God might be attained by turning away from the paths of wickedness and living a righteous life.

There is a great difference between the Psalms and the Greek hymns. The Greeks exalt their Gods it is true, but there is lacking that controlling element which is to be found in the Psalms, the formulation of the communion of the soul with God. For this reason the Psalms were the hymn book of the Jews and continue to this day to be the hymn book of modern Christian nations.

The purely intellectual side of religion is taken up. The question of the "Utility of obedience to moral law" is variously answered. From the prophetic point of view good men will always prosper; Job with much boldness endeavors to treat the subject from the stand point of human reason.

The old question: "Is life worth living?" is answered affirmatively provided a man does not worry concerning the ambitions and passions of life.