The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-30

and pbilosophic Indifference But IL he were to
proclaim the exclusion of Americans on the ground
that they are q tobacco chewing, nasal talk
ing, boisterous people, and hence disagreeable
TO his European guest, should feel disposed to
resent it as an insult to thst large class OF re-
fined and cultured Americans who are the peers
of the gentlemen and ladies of any country in
the world That which l condemn in Judge
Hilton is not his determination to admit only
Christians to his house, but his mean
sUBsEBvIENcY TO THE PREJUD1cEs
OF vulgar and jntolerant class. observe that,
in recent defence of his course, he says that
Mr.. Gardner, OF the Pavilion Hote Sharon
Springs, excludes Jews from his house. 1t hap
pens to be within my knowledge that this asser-
ton is unqualfedly false. passed six weeks at
that very hotel last summer. aid l know that
there were mary Jewish guests in the house
during the whole season. / can say, too, that
they were quite the equals of any others in all
that good society requires. II is true that tbere
was but little association between them and The
Christian guests, but it s equally true that there
was no effort on either eide to pass or to obter-
ate the line of separation. 1t is just true that
the Jewish families constituted so charming q
society of their own that
THEY NO NEED
TO feek admittance, or to ask acceSsions, else
where. AT the risk Of overstepping the limits OF
perfect delicacy will mention some of the names
Of the Hebrew ladies and gentlemen who were
there. OF those known in New Orleans were
Mr. Theodore Hellman and his charming wife.
the daughters of one of the brothers Seligman,
the Eckmans, Of Savannah, nieces OF Messrs.
Victor and Adophe Meyer. The young lady of
the family, Mrs Helen, was remarked by all for
her beauty, her grace, her intelligence and the
perfect elegance Of her manners. There was
also family named Lagowitz, from New York,
in which were
SEVERAL YOUNG LADIES
who were remarkable for their beauty, for the
perfect decorum and propriety of their deport-
ment. and the quiet taste and elegance Of their
attire If the se lines should meet the eyes of
the persons referred to, or their friends, trust
they will forgive mo for having been tempted
to give this much Of publicity to thei names. It
is my experience that the class Of Jews with
whom Judge Htons Christian guests would be
apt to come in contact at the Grand Union are
remarkable for conspicuous absence Of those
traits which he imputes to them. May it not be
that the
UPsTART AND sHoDDY
aristocracy who faunt their sudden wealth in the
halls and bathrooms of the great Saratoga hotels
are unwilling to submit to comparison with the
rich and cultured and elegant Jewish ladies'
Who knows2 There may be more of envy than
Of any other feeling in this attempt to stigmatze
the Jews for traits which they do not possess.
There are vulgar and impudent Jews, of course,
and there are vulgar and impudent Christians in
quite as large proportion. Judge Hilton's at
tempted distinction between
"TRADE JEWS AND HEBREWS
is especially absurd in a country in which trade
and industry are the basis Of such arstocracy as
we POSSESS. II by "trade Jews" he means the
Jew Of Chatham street. or the levee, he might az
well refer to the ''Degos' Of the market houses
as "trade Christians" There is quite. as much
likelihood that the one as the other, vii. cam NOR
for admittance to the Grand Union and intrude
on Judge Hilton's guests. My observation OF
Jews with whom one meets in the course of
travels, that the men are distinguished for their
ltberality and their genial temperament, the
women for their
PERFECT DECoRUM
and propriety of conduct, and the children for
the s.rictness with which they are brought up,
their uniform obedience to their parents, and
their Difference to their elders. It is strange
that, in spite OF the every day experience Of our
lives, 80 many of us should accept as true ke-
nesses, the false portraits Of the Jewish race in
America, as drawn by the intolerant people, or
the unobservant people, the intellectually lazy
people, for whom Judge Hilton purposes to keep
@ hotel.
1T is STRANGE
that We regard with reverence the Jews from
whom We are separated by thirty centuries, and
visit with aversi' n the Jews Of to-dly, who sur
pass their ANCESTOR, and equal ourselves in all
the attributes derived from our cherished ciyili-
zation. 1t is strange that we forget that the di-
vine founder Of Cur religion was Jew; that the
holy lady, whom the masters Of Christian art
portray as the
TYPE Of HEAVENLY PURITY
and earthly perfection was a Jswess; and that to
the Jews we owe ur emancipation from the de-
baspg hereses OF polytheism and the gift of
Christianity itself.
To conclude, as l began, do not deny Judge
Hiltons right to keep hotel for any class of
people he may choose to select. What do deny
is his right to slander and yillify those whom he
may wish to exclude. Nor do believe that, in a
PURELY ECONOMICAL SENSE,
he will suffer from the rule which he has adopted
There are more than enough ntolerant people,
and prejudiced people, and thoughtless people, to
fill many such hotels as the Grand Union These,
added to the numbers who fancy that they gain
certain ton By pretending to exclusiveness and
By affecting to snub somebody, will probably
more than compensate Judge Hilton for all that
he may lose by the refusal of Jewish custom.
But liberal peop'e, philosophic people, enIight-
ened people will probably avoid the Grand Union. |
d. DA PONTE.