Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-16

trade of New York city, where the Jews
ahoT,nd ri snch an extent that they
have twenty-six synagogues' IN every
community where they are numerous, Lne
trading activity Is exceedingly great ne
see his I'M London, frankfort, Paris and al
the leading cities of European commerce.
But the ield presented to them in EUROPE
Is less than here, because in the course OF
centuries the European race have been
trained I'D 10 The highest point OF develop
ment in commerce and finance, and have
accumulated capital and power, and are In
Overwhelming strength.
In the United States, on the other hand,
there is an ample opportunity Tor all COM
ers. and our own people are somewhat de-
ficient in commercial and financial training.
That we improve fast is beyond dispute;
Init the country is so vast and the work be-
fore us so stupendous, that any highly
trained commercial and financial race like
the Jews are welcomed everywhere. Speak
inc for our city of Philadelphia, we can as
sure all of them of as good a chance to
flourish as any other class of citizens. They
assimilate naturally with Americans,
and having lost their own nationality, be-
come proud of the new one, in which,
after ages OF oppression in Europe, They
are elevated to full equality Of rights and
privileges. American institutions are pro
ducing a visible effect upon this race. Much
of the sordid character, ground into them
BY the expressions to which they have been
subjected, fades away in the free atmos-
phere Of the republic. They display as
much benevolence and public spirit, as
liberal a disposition, and are as generous
and open-hearted as any class OF our
people.
The London Spectator says that the Jews
assimilate to the special qualities Of every
race among which they dwell, without los
ing any Of their own. If so, what may we
expect from the American Jews? For thus
far no foreign element has been able to
keep up with the tremendous pace at which
the native-born American race goes ahead.
The American has use even for his boast
inc. He plants an imaginary city where no
living being can be seen, and he act
ually brags It into existence and greatness
He starts railroads without cent Of CAPT
tai, and yet manages to build and to run
them. Life in this new world seems to be
such q prodigious whirl that none but
those native and to the manor born can get
to understand it sufficiently to dash in and
take the lead successfully.
Nowif the American Jews are going TO
gather up this American trait, and to eZag-
gerate it as their race is said to exaggerate
the leading traits Of the European races,
while at the same time retaining all their
own amazing capacity for business, 1t must
be evident that the immigration and in
crease Of the Jewish race is fraught with
the greatest consequences to the nation.
| If they add to the American audaeity their
Jewish shrewdness and knowledge OF
| business, the combination will give a
breadth and harmony TO our enterprises
| that they have often lacked. In fact this
race in America, with new world before
it, and such a career open as it never had
before, must be judged not by what it now
I is, but by what it is very likely to become
! in the future. 1t may be asserted, without
| contradiction, that the prosperity of the
| Jews in America has equalled their mos
sanguine anticipatiODs.
1t must not be supposed that they ar
| confined to the great cities of the Northern
seaboard. On the contrary, they are pow
| erful in all the social centres of the repub
! lie. In CanifOrnia they are quite numerous
and widely diffused. In New Orleans
and other Southern cities, they are boil
active and influential. Their number;
show most in places like New
York and Philadelphia, but they flourish ii
| Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Chicago and st
! Louis, and are potential in Baltimore. Tht
! influx Of the race from Europe goes on IN
| noticed, because they are not reported sep
| arately, but their increase is quite regular