Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-10-12
HE Prosecuted JEWS.

|
THE Prosecuted JEWS.
| The present persecution Of the Jews in
Russia has aroused the indignant atten-
ton OF the civilized world. That the bar
barities which 1t Is alleged are practiced
on this unhappy people should be posi-
blein this age OF enlightenment is almost
incredible.
The enslavement Of the Jews under the
Assyrian and Persian monarchies was
hardly persecution in the proper sense
of the word. The violence of Antiochus
was inspired by the stubbornness with
" hich they maintained their political ex-
istence, and was retaliated in kind. The
bloody warfare made on them by the
Romans, the destruction of their holy
city and their temple and their exile from
their native land all were due to their intoI-
erence OF the foreign yoke. 1t was only
after Christianity had become firmly es-
tabished in Europe that what may fairly
be called their prosecutions commenced
Before that, Whatever they suffered was
in The obstinate and relentless warfare Of
the times, in which they were the ag-
gressors as often as their enemies. But
under the Christian governments they for
the most part passlvely suffered Whatever
barbarities were melted out to them. 1t is
almost impossible to form a conception of
their intolerable condition. The old
chronicles Of some OF the German and
French cities throw a light on their
everyday life at times, when by compare
son they lived in peace, which. sufficient
ly reveals their abiect condition. Veneer
able men of their faith clothed with the
dignity OF age and learning, were pelted
with filth and hooted and beaten by a
brutal populace when they ventured upon
the public streets. In Toulouse each Jew
in the city was obliged on three stated
days in each year to appear before a
specified church and receive buffet on
the mouth by the public hangman, and
for this service the body OF Jews was
forced to pay the church the sum OF Els.
This was as a punishment for their al
legged betrayal of the city to the Saracens.
In Veziers, if any of them were found OH
the streets between Palm Sunday and the
last day of the Easter festival they were
sto led, and this custom continued until
they secured an exemption from it by
paying JrlDut6 W Inc BISHOP.
TIE CRUEL ACTS OF CYRIL.
All these indignities and humiliations
were as nothing to the fiery blasts Of per-
Secution which periodically famed out
against them. The turbulent Cyril, pa
triarch of Alexandria, first set the ex-
a thousand years 80 ably strove to copy,
by putting himself at the head of mob
of fanatical monks, who RACED the
synagogues to the ground, murdered
such of the Jews as fell into their hands,
expelled the remnant from the city
and divided the plumber among them
selves.
ENGLAND AND THE JEWS.
In England the condition OF the Jew
for long time was fairly tolerable. He
was the kings chattel, and while he was
often subjected to merciless extortions
from his master he was fairly we'll pro-
tected against every one else. There
were, it is true, occasional outbreaks
against him, in which many lives were
lost, but as a rule the Jew was safe in
life and goods. Finally, however,
popular hatred grew so strong that the
power OF the crown became insufficient
to protect him and gradually his privi-
Ieges and lmmunities were abridged, until
Edward, to secure grant of money from
The clergy and laity, banlshed the entire
race from the realm, an act which was
accompanied with the most barbarous
cruelty. OF the 10000 who prefersed
exile to apostacy but few reached the
continent. 1t was not until the time of
Cromwell that they again obtained foot
ng in the united kingdom.
FIERCELY ATTACKED IN SPAIN.
In Spain, when the holy inquisition had
the pagans and the heretics it
urned its fury against the Jews and the
entire race was compelled by the most
earful atrocities practiced against it to
embrace the Christian religion or to flee
o other countries. Many Spanish Jews
Jettled in the low countries, from where
heir descendants have spread to England
md given that country many men emf
lent in literature, politics and finance.
1t was in central Europe and along the
historic Rhine that the Jewish people
uttered the most bitter persecution. AS
n Russia at the present day, the resent
nent of the british masses was constant
y infamed against them because of their
characteristic of acquisltiveness. The
conditions of life imposed on the Jews
them to betraders. They were
o-bidden to own land, and they were
hut out from the trades. Therefore the
ntire ability of the race was employed in
and financiering. The
gnorant and superstitious man of the
middle ages, seeing himself overreached
nd outwitted on every side by the Jew,
Welcomed any pretext for resort to
iolence in order to maintain the upper
and.
At the time when Walter the Penniless
I'd his mob of ignorant, savage and licen-
ous peasants on crusade against the
nemies of God his followers made bloody
,arfare on such of the Jews as he found
eacefully settled in the towns along
hitch he led his devastating host. 1t
as as the murderers of the Son of God
,at thousands of them were massaCred