The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-07-15
Prosecuted JEWS.
SOMETHING OF THE HISTORY or ThE
JEWB IN EUROPE.
Paradise and Persecution IN sDaIn-Sad
Experience IN France and EngIand.
trials y Endurance In Ger.
mAny-ChsehsFsd HIst0Fy
In Russia and Poland.


The recent riots in Southwestern Rus.
ala, and the trial and punishment Of the
rioters, have airesh called attention to the
peculiar history Of the Jewish people.
For the present, it Is to be hoped the riot
ing is ended, and the presumption Is that
for some time to come the puniahment
melted out to the rioters will exercise q
wholesome influence on the Russian pop
ulScs. This wild outburst Of anti.semitiC
feeling will not have been wholly in vain,
II it shall have the effect Of making an
end Of the cruel and unreasonable dis
tinctions which in Russia separate the
Hebrews from the rest Of the population.
In this late hour Of the nineteenth cen
tuTy, these distinctions and anomalies
should cease. That the Jew should be
denied the righta oil a citizen, simply on
the ground Of his religion, and that for
the sake OF that religion he should still be
the object Of persecution, seem Ia be the
Inconsistencies and ~singulRrly out OF har-
mony with the intelligence OF the age;
although 1t Is somewhat singular that an
lipRthy to the Jews should at the present
momeSt be most strongly developed in
Russia and GeTmany-the two nations
which most accurately represent the ex-
tremes Of European enlightenment.
A Long AND soRRoWEuL HISTORY.
In view OF these anti-semitic demon.
stratIons, and while public attention Ia
more OF lsas occupied with the subject, 1t
may not be without interest to the general
reader to take a glance at the Jew and
consider his position az 1t has been and as
1t Is now In the different countries OF Eu.
rope, There Is no story better known than
that OF Jewish persecution. 1t would be
but TO utter an old and WelLknoWn truth
to say that nj people have suffered % the
Jews have suffered for conscience sake,
For we'll nigh eighteen hundred years
they have been homeless wanderers, and
during that time they have at frequent In.
~tervals been the objects Of fierce aud re.
~lentless persecution. Shut out from their
own country they have been denied q
home in any other. In the early days Of
Christianity the Jew was very naturally
obnoxious because OF the part be played in
the great tragedy Of the cross. With the
progress Of Christianity his enemies mul.
tiplied and became more ubiquitous,
His peculiar habits, his isolation and ex.
clusiyeness, his A~vsrlCs, his success In
the money markets, his own undisguised
disliks OF his ChTistiAn neighbor-Rll these
tended to SgHTRvate the unkindly feelings
which were entertained towards the Jew
In oil sections Of Chriateudom. II was
the Christians pr~iyileRe--nay, 1t WAC The
Christians dulY-to regard him and treat
him as one OF the accused race. in Q
public document the Roman Emperor
Constantine chsracterlEes the Jews %
shat most hateful OF all people" and that
that feeling has not wholly died out has
been abundRntly evidenced by the recent
movements both In Russia and Germany.
During the first Ave OF six centuries Of the
Christian era the Jew had found his way
into almost all parts Of the Roman Empire.
When the Empire broke up he wssa unit
OF greater or less importance In every one
OF the then inCiplent States. His expert.
enCe In every oIsot these States was very
much the same, aud when the lew Of to-
day looks back over these Christian psn.
1 :, ties, be finds but small CArse ot graft
tude ID hs Christian brother.
pApApuE Nd PERSECUTION IN SPAIN.
As early as the seventh century the
Jews were to be found in SssAt numbers
in the Spanish peninsula, Dutt"!g the
entire period OF the Moorish occupation
they we're prosperous and happy. Living
on terms Of perfect equality with their
Moorish masters, they fivalled them In
all the arts OF civilization and probably
surpassed them In wealth. In consequences
OF their favored position the Spanish Jews
acquired characteristics Of mind and
| physique which marked them out as 4
superior class and to this day descendants
OF Spanish Jews are pround OF their
origin. The happy days Of the Jews 10
Spain ended when the OhristiAns gained
the ascendAnCy. With the expulsion OF
the Moors their sorrows began. Their
subsequent history Is n 81 the saddest
on record. Conversion to Christianity
or death. These were the only alter.
natives. In one year $50 we're
burned In Seville alone. In 14l7 an
edict was published ordering every Jew
who refused TO become Christian out Of
the country within four months, and Tor.
bidding him to carry with him either gold
or silver. Within the prescribed time the
cruel order was carried out and some ak
hundred Thousand Jews (some give q lar
ger number) sCrrowfully took their de-
psrture from q country which o residence
Of seven centuries had rendered almost %
dear to them az their own loved Judea.
II was not until the year 1880, that any.
thing was done 10 make II possible for q
Jew 10 live with comfort III Spain. Now,
he may follow trade or agriculture, but he
is shut out from all higher pursuits. The
Temptation has not been sufficient, where
the reColleCtions are 80 mourntul, to In
duce many Jews to return to that country.
sAD EXPERIENCE IN FRANCE.
At a very early date, also, the Jew Ia
found In France, Az one period he Wiel'
ded great Influence. Wealthy establish
msuts existed at Paris, at Lyons, III Ian.
vuedsc and Provence. At the court o
Louis le Debonnaire the Jew lowered
above all rivals. With the advent OF the
weaker members Of the Oar1ovingiau
family their fortunes began TO wane, and
from the eleventh 10 the fourteenth cen
tnrv their history is that Of AD almost con.
It%iniions series oil massScFes. Foolish and
Incredible stories we're trutnped up ageinB
Them, All local and national cSlamitiel
were asCribed TO their mdign Influence
They we're robbed Of their goods, forced
To- sirrender their mortgages and driven
from the country. Philippe Auguets Val
especially severe upon them, and pioui
Thnis tx. cancelled ons.thitd Of the
claims which the Jews held sgSinst hi
HtII2n' a.. kha honaHk nj hia a1nln Or