St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-05-22
Medieval Persecution of the Jews.

feld Union.
Medieval Persecution of the Jews
From the friendly shelter of the Mos
lem caliphates and their native East
the jews. apparently possessed hy Il
strong taste t"I wandering. or an in
>atiahlc love of gain. planted their un-
steady colonies in all tn Western ma
tiou>. and sought humhly hospitality
that wa> never shown. Every where
they were received with aversion and
disgust. The dark skinned and alien
race. speaking IN Oriental language
that no European could master. and
governed 10y customs of nratnc>S and
propIicty that seemed Ia Goth and Hun
an excess of fa>tidiousness. mwarlikc.
and highly educated. were met every
where 10y an unvarying cruelty and
scorn. In Germany they were reduced
to Il peculiar form of slavery. y jew
was not person, but a thing. a chattel.
and waif The emperor took posses
sion of the Oriental strangers H. his own
peculiar heritage They were his band
men. He protected them when he WAS
able. and plundercd them when he
Nilliltii money lti lltN >''bI grew
numerous and wealthy in the cities
along the Rhine. and aroused the envy
of their Christian ncighh"Is hy an opu-
lencc which they sometimes incautiouS-
ly displayed. They were forced. ,,or
probably preferred. tn live apart III a
quarter of the city 10y themselves. They
founded their >ynagogues and built
their school houses amidst cca>ele>S
dangers. The ignorant priests followed
them with maledictinn>. and the still
more ignorant populacc pclted them
with stones. and beat and pummclcd
them AT will Accomplished and gifted
rahhims Were often looked upon a> ma
giciam>. The Jews quarter seemed to
the harbarous Germans Il centre of mys
tcriou> and fearful deeds. 1t was he
lirVrd that the Jews were in the habit
of stealing the Host from the altar in
order tn mock once more at the cruel
1iNion with secret rites. OF that they en-
ticrd away Christian children to stab
them With sharp knives and sacrifice
them in Il frighttul ceremony. When
+ child >travrd away in the German or
Italian cities. the Christian uuth,I 1T
once t.ucicd that it had been lurcd into
til" Jewish quarter t" hc put to death.
The Jews We're all supposed to he ac-
Huaiiile" WIN magic, anu carHhi' "l
Weaving ualk >p"l!> that brought dis
ease ana decay. misfortune ANA >hIlir.
t"' hll>tlIi' h"h>th"id>. ltt lh'H We're
W"h"'lliIii\ prosperous. ANA might
! nave "l'liN'n thtlI rAiI\ uhn"l'i'Hlli\
iln not Il sudden wave "t religious la
nHtIcl>m swept away What lttIC hI-
ianli\ ANA IhirliI%cnr" had Vet sprung
Hp among tn" European nations. The
preaching "t the CruSadc> turned back
tu" COURSE at human progress Tor thlc"
hHhdicd Years he passion tor blood
>hed and Tor halh3l"U> cruelty rrNIN"d
nhu'r thr ialatlcal cl"p""hce "i p"PcS
ana pf"iatr>. NJ knnan church
tauGht that 1t WAS II" crime t" ktll a
hereto or an lnittcl. and 1t had never
paused I" exclude the jew from lis m
human in"ulrati"nS. Thou shalt not
kiii. "ihnu shalt not steal. were
erased from the Dccai"gue. and the
Wild and cruel thI"ng>. disSolutc and
infamous. that gathered under the ban
ner~ OF the Cross made their first ESSAY :
III t"hlirly and hl""|>hed among the
wealthy and cultivated jewish colonies