The Brookhaven leader., 1883-04-19
A Defense Of the Jews.

New YorR Timesl s.E ..
Recently at Chickering Hall, New
York, Senator V. b. Vance, of North
Carolina, delivered lecture before
the Young Mems Hebrew Associa-
ton, his subject being ''The Scatter
ed Nation lie said for many
years it had been his opinion that
the just men of his age had great
duty to perform in respect to the
Semitic race; what great reparation
was to be made for the greater
wrong shat had been inflicted, and
abe Withholding ofthis so long seem
cd to be an augmentation of the
injustice. "Feeling this deeply
continued the Senator, "twelve years
ago l resolved to tMrn aside from the
beaten path Of the politician and
make my contribution as public
man to the great people to whom we
are SO much indebted. Professor
Maury, in his Geography of the sea-,
tells of a mighty river in the ocean
which is never dry, and which
sweeps on ever with current more
majestic than the Amazon or the
Mississippi, whose waters are of a
deep blue, 80 that 10 can be distin-
guisbed by the eye, and whose banks
are so we'll defined that ship may
float one end Of her in this stream
and the other out of it, so reluctant
are it's waters to mingie with the
rest of the ocean. And so there is
a lonely river in the ocean Of man
kind; the line which separates it,
from common humanity is plainly
visible to the eye. 1t is the Jewish
race. There is no man who APP
prOachcs to the Jew in his influence
ON mankind. Palestine his home,
was the central chamber of Gods
administration. He was the priest
and hwgwer to mankind, and in all
ages the Jews have been a wonder
and astOniShmcnt. AS Nation the
Jews have no longer an existence,
bat as individuals they are scatter
ed all over the globe, No other Ma.
ton can claim such purity Of blood
and certainly none can assert such
antiquity of descent. The Jewish
people, church and institutions still
exist Ali Christian churches are
but offshoots of the old Jewish
Church. The Saviour Of the world
was Jew and SO were alp the eally
Christians. For our conception Of
God we are undoubtedly indebted to
the Jews" ,,sd
The lecturer next spoke of the pc
culiar characteristics of Palestine, its
uneQualed richness of soil and its sa-
lubrious climate, making it essen.
tally fitted to be the home Of an ag
ricultural people ssseh as the jews
were at first. This people, he said
grew rich in spite of themselves and
gradually abandoned their agrieuf-
tural pursuits. He next spoke of
their institutions and the peculiar
feature by which the land was held,
coming back at the end of each half
century to the heirs Of it's first pos
SCISSOR. Their Government was in
form a theocratie democracy; the
civil and ecclesiastical functions were
kept apart, Their organic law al
though given to them by God him
self, was reqHired to be ratified from
time to time by the whole people.
Their legislation in regard to ordina-
ry affairs was founded on the most
radical Democratic principles: :, it
was In all its branches thoroughly
representative. Each. tribe was i'm
dependent OF all others, although all
united to form the Nation. Their
code of criminal law was most re-
markable- !, Only four offences were
punishable BY death. and some of
the most humane and enlightened
principles of modern Jurisprudence
had their origin in the,laws- of the
Hebrew tribes Senator Vance then
spoke Of the dispersion Of the Jews
and Of their heroic courage and con-
stapey to religion. ,Witb, their dis
persion came a change in their par
suits, ana frena an agricultural they,
have become emineutlyaa CONNER
cial people,. In spite of all their
prosecutions, the Jews are still
numerous, and they are now ihcreas-
ing and their estimated numbers
now are from z 900 900 60 a,O0a000.
The lecturer next spoke of the physi-
cal peculiarities of the Jews, and
said it was a fact that as a rnle ,
they were more healthy than the !
Gentle race criue is less frcqqept