New-York tribune., 1890-04-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE ANTISEAuTIC SCHOOL:


Semitic school in French literature When NJ EdouaTo
Drumont published La France Juvc' the snpec
uncxploited. The Germans had, indeed p"sse'
through. and nearly out o.. the singular hhtoc"i"'
epidemic which among the Tcuonic masses had taken
mcdiaevally rude and violent form. Russia po' h@n
exhibited in her treatment Of the Polish Jews that
peculiarly Oriental ferocity and pitilcsspess manes'a
tions of which from time 10 time render ali Europe
thoughtful and uneasy. 1t was reserved fof NJ Dru
mont to found a French Anti Semitic school by virtue
of the astonishing vruience of his hate ana tlc ul
restrained energy OF his expression NJ DTuinoht
followed ND ala France Juve" with La France Juve
dcvant rOpnion," and that again with LA I'm
o,un Noudep Now in the volume before rs. La
pcrniere BataiIe" he seems TO have concentrated all
his deep and bitter enmity in final voncy all along
the line: discharge OF mitraille' such may even
surprise those who have most closely studied ths
singular movement Doubtless NJ. Drunont has been
encorragcd-he could hardly have been emboldenea-
BY the success of his efforts toward the institution OF
n regular Anti Scmitic cult. Partisan publishers, 10
fact at present advertise an Anti Semitic Library -
much a. American publishers advertise a Railroad
or a Seaside" library. In this new collcctlon' more
over are found many well known and popular authors
as for example. besides Edouard Drnmont Mon An
ciste Chrac. George Mcync. Kalixt de WolSM'
Kenion Auglste Rolling. II. Dcsporcs, Leo laNli Dr'
Martinez Albert Savinc (whc is also publisher
Honore Pontols deputy and x-Judge). A. Hanson.
G. Bachot Paul yerdcur. Francois BouInaud Eugene
Bon;oux. etc.
X
moved by precisely the same purpose. some OF them
are Clcricals7 Others are not some OF them are
anti Masons Others not. They agree. however
in the main object Of their cndcavors, which Is 10
,w-,,o dorn tho lows NJ Drumont is easily the
leader Of this school both regards the fertility OF
his invention and comprehensive character OF MS
ucnunciaton. He affects also judicial air ana a
special regard for documentary evidence calculated u
impose upon "A great many candid readers. lie mas
his proofs-such as They are-msrshalcd with al-
and he
these alleged proofs with 50 much boldness ana IN
sstence that the effect he aims at is likely to be
produced In perhaps "A majority OF minds Inc cooi
and wary reader howcver-to whom the very phrase
Anti senlitsmr is danger signal loudly suggesting
unbrdlcd prejudice. narrowmndedncss and the luds
Notwithstanding tyranny Of and dominant ideas
Is more likely to be reminded by some parts OF La
Derniere Baaillc" Of Thackerays delicious buriesqnc
OF Disracli's "Coningsby," in which 1t is darky III
tmacd BY sidOnla that every body OF prominence not
excepting His Holiness the Pope IS really Jew for
NJ Drumont has carried far in his Anil scmluc
campaign that lie suspects Jewish cauSatlOn, or al
least completely. in every wrong, fraud pc'ua'on
and swindc. private or corporate An ola cyhlc sdu
"Cherchcz Ia femme" whenever there was any t.onoic
~ Drumont has changed the phrase To "CherchcI
Ia Jnive7 lie divides society into two parts; Jews
and those who are in alliance or he would put H.
I'm confcdcracy, with Jews. such ciasslhcitloh ~
douot smplincs things so far as AntSemuc il'
erauIe concerned. but it can hardly be SAID 10 maze
for truth and justice.
II might be thought that in challenging all
Jrdais,a this truculent author would have cnt out
work enough for himself but his Inst OF battle i
apparently Unsuitable and he has consequenry aodea
to the already formidable array OF his enemies cVery
French official. public man. banker, capitalist ana
protector who has ever been associated IN any way
with Jews. no matter in what enterprises. lN
perverse ingenuity born OF the dominant idea. more
over, NJ DrumOnt has contrived to make his com
patriots fos the hated Hebrews that the deepest
fniQuity of the latter Is made 10 appear less Dlach
than the comparatively venia offences Of the former
The Government Of France. OF course. docs not
cscape in the melee. There are few members Of the
Cabinet or the Corps LeCiSatif who not taken III
the rneshes OF NJ. Drumont's wide spread net. II
there were any virtue in libel suits as against tic
AntiSemitic movement, materials for half dozen
might found nearly every page OF tins s'oit
volume ono prominent member Of the Government
is calmly charged with nearly every crime on the
calendar, while others let of with records quail
flying them for the galleys. The aristocrdcy, the
House of Bourbon the bourgeois. are impartially
abused and made targets OF. Juvenal has by his
acknowledging pessimsm and his bitter tongue mis-
led the world possibly to the real state of society
IN his time. 1t is the more probable when one con
sders how this nineteenth century Juvenal fouls his
own nest That he entirely oveIdocs the thing,
and so ncutrazes himself. is Of course inevitable.
That is the necessary outcome Of the dominant idea
The man who is taken possession Of in tins WAY in
yariably ends by making Of himself. first nuisance
then a laughing stock; and ends by passing into that
gallery Of cranks' whose melancholy examples do
not unhappily. seem TO operate dccrrens.
1t would obviously be absurd 70 take VI. Drnmont
and his AntiSemitc school too seriously. and most
absurd answer his wild nvcctivc. The only
course is to let him and them alone and quietly
observe their progress toward that dccadcnce' which
surely awaits their efforts. Much entertainment may
meantime be derived from dispassOnate study Of the
development Of the dscasc-or that is what it really
is. In certain form Of epilepsy the patient has
attacks of homicidal mania, which preceded ard
their approach signaed by peculiar optical effect.
The patient everything red at such times.
crimson mist seems to lie his eyes, and both
animate and inanimatc things take on the color OF
blood. Just is it with the Anti Semitic school.
Wherever they turn their ewes they nothing but
Jewish vile and and greed and intrigue II by
chance some nOn-Jewish crminality is cpcouncrcd.
they explain il by the theory that Jewish influence.
counsel. or policy behind at the bottom Of the
affair, this idea to Justify duplication OF
the attack which includes Frcnchmcn well
as Hebrews. 1t is the old fable Of the wolf and the
lamb again, modified and adapted to the times.
NJ Drumont, being in the state of "sceing red
naturally finds his country in a sad way; in fact.
according TO him. society is rapidly tending to dc
composition. Yet while this gloomy view is main
tained with the utmost dogmatism is found
b predict coming rehabilitation for without such
hope what would be the Of ntSemltie
movement? When the doomed craft is already in
the rapids ii is no longer OF any use to shout
ings and cry that she is about to shoot Niagara To
give appearance Of practically to the alcrte.7
the possibility Of rescue must be assumed. and thus
we have truly paradoXcal position, though
whose difficulties in the least embarrass writers
who are under the masterful influence Of dominant
idea
How long the Anti Semitic school will survive, is
a question only TO be answered by events. NJ Dn-
mont appears 10 believe tnat 1t has already fully
vindicatcd itself, and that it VIII cOnqucring
and 10 conquer" and sober Observers on the
other hand will be unlikely 10 agree with him and
his disciples. The intense energy. the force Of
viction have hitherto kept the movement alive to
certain extent; but already the limits OF denuncstion