Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/853

* SEMITES. SEMITES. iiicnt their argumpiits must be given due atten- tion. The fact that Semitic speccti avoids the formation of compounds is no doubt !v most significant indication of an analytical rather tlian synthetical tendency: and tlip marked capacity for keen analysis coupled with a strik- ing inability to systematize knowledge, seen in the Arabic philosojiliers not less than in the Tal- mud, is in harmony with this. Nevertheless, there is force in the argument that three nu)no- thcistic religions created by this race indicate a, deep sense of unity aiul a remarkable power of synthesis. It should be observed, however, that monotheism with the Semites is luit so nuieh a result of processes of ratiocination as of the concentration of worship upon one god. The correctness of ascribing to them a certain sober, matter-of-fact way of reasoning may not be seri- ously questioned on the groiUKl of allegorizing common among Hellenistic .Tews, the curious flights of Cabalists from the solid ground of reality, or the speculations of some Arabic and Jewish philosophers of the IMiddle -Vges. since in these instances it is necessary to reckon large- ly with infusions of foreign blood and foreign thought. To what extent the mythical lore of Babylonia was the creation of Semites and not of their predecessors, the Sumerians (see SuME- Ei.N La?;gtjage), is ditiicult to determine. Our most prolific sources do not reveal the wealth of myths once no doubt flourishing in Syria and Arabia; they are late and are written either from the standpoint of monotheism interested in the suppression or transformation of the myths, or from the standpoint of rationalism interested in translating them into history. JIuch weight must be attached to the peculiar idealism that so often manifests itself among the Semites in prophetic enthusiasm and devotion to lofty aims promising no immediate returns. It is indeed to be observed that the prophetic outlook is most sober where it is least affected by foreign move- ments of thought ; and it cannot be denied that the cases of love of the ideal for its own sake become more striking by contrast with the pre- vailing devotion to a certain cause because of the tangible reward it will bring. To the growth of political life the contribu- tions of the Semite do not appear to have been very great. His attitude is that of the Orient as distinct from the Occident, and there is less difference between him and the Persian than be- tween the Persians and their kinsmen, the Greeks. The superiority of the Semite as a trader is not wholly due either to a. survival of nomadic habits or to the social conditions of an exile from home not permitted to engage in agriculture. Cuneiform inscriptions reveal an extraordinary devcloiunent of commercial rela- tions, including banking, contracts, deeds, book- keeping and the like, in ancient P.abylonia among a settled people, whose land was carefully cultivated. Such peoples as the .rameans set- tled in Mesopotamia ; the Yemenites, the Edomites. and the Phoenicians were great traders. From Carthage, Rome secured her text-books on agri- culture ; yet Carthage was even more famous for her commerce. No doubt the heaviest _ debt that science owes to the Semites is for faithful transmission of knowledge originally won by others. Babylonians, Arameans, Arabs, and Jews have done yeoman service as intellectual brokers. It should not be questioned, however, that they have added not a little to the precious l)urdens'thcy have earrieil ilown the ages, espe- cially in a>troni)my, mathematics, chemistry, anatomy, ami philology. .t least one Arabic historian, Ibn Kbaldun, deserves to be ranked with the greatest interpreters of history in any age. To what extent religious protests ngiiinst images jirevented a normal development of native capacities for the plastic arts caiuiot be known. The statues found at Telloli can probably not be claimed for the Semites. They give the impres- sion of being the Ti]w fruits of a long growth among the Sumerians. It can scarcely Im' an ac- cident that such works of art are not founil in later periods of undoubted Semitic dominance. The Assyrians certainly excelled in the repre- sentation of aninuils, but do not seem to have developed otherwise a high artistic taste. The representations of the human figure on South Arabian monuments are e.xceedinglv crude. It is chielly in the arabesque, based upon mathe- matical motives, that the Semitic art achieved a distinct triumph. There is reason to suppose that mu>ic may have rcacheil a comparatively high degree of ilevelo|)ment among the ancient Semites. Unfortunately, it is not possible to de- termine its e.xaet character. The Semitic race lias never produced a great drama or epic poem. But the Semite excels in lyric poetrj-. The fin- est examples are the Book of .lob (q.v. ) and the poems of Heine (q.v.). though the Psalms, Can- ticles, and the Muallakat furnish some passages of gentiine inspiration. This tendency also created an elevated jnose or semi-poetry found in oracles, as in the pniphetie writings and the Koran, often with a definite metre and a simple rhyme. There have been great philosophers among the Semites such as Philo. Ibn Caliirol, Jlaimonides. Spinoza, Avicenna, and Averroes, but their coiitril)Utions are indicative of the in- fluence of foreign speculation rather than repre- sentative of native tendencies of thought, find- ing ex]uessi(in through these men of genius. On the other hand, it may be questioned whether the sense for ccmduct and the genius for religion accredited to the Semites have not to some extent been exaggerated. It is true that so early a production as the Code of Hammurabi (q.v.) " exhibits surprisingly advanced ethical conceptions. The legislative codes of Israel, espe- cially Deuteronomy (q.v.). show much concern for the poor, the weak, and the slaves, and seek to safeguard the sanctity of the famil.v, and the conunentari<s on the Law in the Mishna and the two Tahnuds reveal a sturdy moral sense en- deavoring to ap|dy the Law to the various con- ditions of life without making the burdens too heavy. The great prophets put the emphasis very strongly on the moral requirements, equity, justice, and mercy. In their sjiirit .lesus gave paramount inqiortanee to the uuier disposition and made love the ftilfillment of the law. South Arabian inscriptions show a deeper conscious- ness of sin as well as a keener religious sen.se in general than the secular songs of a late .syn- crctistic period had led men to expect. And the moral earnestness of Mohammed him.sclf and many followers of this prophet must be recog- nized. But no Semitic pi^ople ever conceived of such a marvelous adjustment of character and destiny as the Indian doctrine of metempsychosis presents. The emphasis upon truthfulness seems