The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-02-10
The Jews in Self-Defense.
From the Jewish Times. |

From the Jewish Times.
The Jewish communities in the United
States can have no righttul quarrel with
Dwight L. Moody, so long as be keeps
his missionary labors within legitimate
bounds Now, however, this itnerant
preacher has provoked every Jew in the
world to take him in hand and give him
a sound drubbing. In Philadelphia, on
Wednesday of last week. and in his inn
proylsed church. into which huge freight
depot had been converted, he went out OF
his way to assail the Jews as a race with
unusual venom and malevolence, and with
pack of lies which not even the Satan of
Christian mythology could have improved
1t an illiterate hod-carrer calls the Jews
"Christ-killers," he is to be pitied and for
given, for he knows no better. But for
man in the position of Moody to say the
same thing to a meeting of ten thousand
excitable people and to repeat it a dozen
times in one breath, with all the fervor Of
his exotic oratory, is an objectionable out
rage. " The blood of Jesus is upon the
Jews to-day, wanderers as they are all
over the world" said this blasphemer to
his audience, and his intention evidently
was to arouse prejudices against those Of
our citizens who worship God according
to the religion of Moses. Indeed, he would
even deny US the boon of American cit-
zenship, since, if the Jews are merely
''wanderers' all over the world. which
means vagabonds, they can acquire no
fixed residence anywhere, are outcasts
and outlaws, are a people without coun-
try and without rights. Such is the logi-
cal conclusion to which Moody would lead
his hearers. and just such insane babbling
brought about the persecution, wholesale
robbery and massacre of Jews in other
countries and in past ages. Does he want
to haul down the bright flag of civil and
religious liberty, the glory of America,
and to raise the black banner of intoler-
ance in its place? Is he intent upon fam
ming into furious contlagration the sparks
of bigotry that still lie mouldering in the
hearts of the superstitious and uneducat-
ed? In law every man is presumed to in
tend the natural consequences of his acts,
and Moody's acts are his sermons. Apply
ing this rule to him, his indetensible on
slaught on the Jews as Il race convicts
him of the haring crime OF attempting a
breach of the peace and netting a religi-
Gus riot
1t would be useless to tell M. Moody
that the Jews had but little to do with the
crucifixion of Christ, if that event did hap
pen as ii is related in the New Testament
The Jews had no part in the government
OF their country, which was Il Roman prov
ince, ruled by Roman officials, its Courts
presided over by Roman Judges, and its
towns garrisoned by Roman soldiers
These historical deductions are neither
new nor have they been asserted by Jews
only, but may be found in the erudite
works of eminent divines, both of the Cath
olic and Protestant Churches Yet as
Moody is fanatic, and as tanaticism is
simply prejudice inhamed to an exagger-
ated degree, and inasmuch as prejudice
always squints when it looks, and lies
when it talks, we suspect that even these
truths Of history will make no impression
on his mind
We have already said that on the occa-
sion referred to he lied most wickedIy He
spoke OF meeting OF one thousand Jews
in Paris some years ago, where one OF
them gloried in the honor of haying killed
Christ, and every one present clapped his
hands in applause No such meeting was
ever held and no Jew in the world ever
made such an impudent and infamous as
sertion. Perhaps Moody has read some
where a notice of the annual meeting of
the Alliance Israelite Unversele. which
has It's central organization in Paris with
branches extending to every country on
the globe.
Let Dwight L. Moody look around him
in his own country Here he will find
that the Jews are among its best citizens,
and contribute their full share of its pros
perity.
1t is probable that Mr. Moody knows
nothing ofall this Before he "eXperienccd
religion" and was ''coverted," he had no
opportunity of informing himself His as
sociations as 4 dispenser Of drinks from
behind whisky bar were not of a kind
to give him much knowledge of the world
beyond the merest scum and dregs of So
ciety. That knowledge of what is low
and mean he has acquired and the vulgar
ity by which he disgraces the pulpit, is
the best evidence that he retains il.