The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-08-09
From the Philadelphia Presbyterian.
The Jew.

magnetism to draw both scorn and SYM
pathy to itself stands again in the fore
ground. The descendant of Abraham
divides interest with the Irish Land
league, the Turk, the Khedive, Arab
Bey, the ironclads, and the whole East
ern question. The wandering Jew is on
his periodic pilgrimage Where shall he
go? What shall be done with him? Is
there no place on the globe for this i'm
Fortunate, irrepressible child of prophecy
and misfortune? He~has soiourned in
every land, and by turns has been cast
out of all. He can live anywhere, every
where-for nothing, not attrition, perse-
cution, time, change, climate can destroy
his distinctive nationality; yet withal he
has no citizenship. His creed is the germ
of the worlds laws, but his church is a
dream that he cannot believe has been
fulfilled. He seems to have no power of
assimilation, but boundless capacity of
antagonism. Just now his case is among
the hardest of the worlds many hard
problems.
Russia, with whom he has dwelt after
fashion, not very homelike indeed, for
centuries, has turned upon him very
flood of passion and cruelty. The Rus
sian peasantry, red handed mob, hunts
him to death, robs him of his ducats and
burns his dwelling. The Russian rulers
are helpless to protect him, or careless of
his fate. The horrors of Bulgaria and
Montenegro, which brought the Cossack,
a Nemesis from the North, to.wreak ven
geance on the faithless Turk, were but
as a prologue to this bloodier tragedy.
The authenticated story of the outcast's
sutterings are almost unreadable Cali
cha, whether he has fed, can do nothing
for him. She will not put the sword to
his breast, but she cannot put bread into
his mouth. He only exchanges swift
death for slow death. Brody, 1.-THE city
of refuge" to him, is fast becoming a
crowded lazaretto, through which gaunt
famine and disease stalk.
Austria has warned him off her door
step. Hungary has shut her gates
against him. France turns her face away.
Prussia puts her hands behind her back
and looks on with sublime indifference.
England is too busy with her own tan
gled social and political problems to take
him up either as an object of charity or
of greed.
But this ubiquitously unwelcome crea-
ture must go somewhere Where shall
it be? How shall he get there? 1t
would seem that no place is left for him
but Palestine and the United States, the
old " Land of Promise" and the new.
Mr.. Laurence Oliphant has fine
scheme for the re-establishment of the
Jew In Palestine. The Jew himself seems
willing. A great and growing enthusi-
asm has taken possession of his heart to
dwell in the land of his fathers. A mi
grafton fund of fifty thousand pounds has
been subscribed in Roumania, and still
larger sums in Russia, to carry on such a
movement. Are the long deferred pro-
phecies of the literal restoration about to
find fulfilment? Is Jerusalem the solu-
ton of the vexed problem? The Gun
speakable" Turk, who has something to
do with this question, says mo-" very
emphatically. Jewish colonization in
Palestine would mean the overthrow of
Turkish power there in less than a GEN
eration and the Sultan respectfully de-
clines to SOW seed for such a harvest.
No Russian Jew shall enter Palestine
he may go into Syria, but must become
Turkish citizen, and cultivate the soil. ="
On this ultimatum the Turk will stand
until driven from it by force, OF com
PEELED to abandon it through weakness.
And thus, for the present, the restoration
Of Israel must await the further develop
ments of the Eastern question.
In the meantime, what of the New
World" for the jew? 1t is not likely,
in the nature OF the case, that general
exodus of Jews could ever be led across
the sea Westward The Jew is essen
TALLY Oriental in hopes, habits, and mo-
tives. Besides, the small stream of Jew
ish immigration has had a check in the
branch of faith with which our Occiden-
tai kindness was treated The European
Aid Societies seem to have gathered up
the paupers and most worthless classes
Of Jewish birth and name and sent them
to us. The Jewish Aid Society of New
York city, after expanding more than
eighty thousand dollars on their trans
portation, finds itself with fifteen hun
dred Migrants on hand, unable and un-
willing both to do any thing for them
selves
Three things the Jew has a right to,
and the world, by its public sentiment,
ought to assure them:
l. Protection. The Jew shares this
right with every other man and class of
men. 1t ought to be impossible for any
nation to perpetuate, or allow to be per-