The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-30
GOOD WORD FOR THEM
Gods Chosen People and the
Trials They Have Borne.
Mr.. Christensen OH the Jews-The Hands
of Men Have Been Against Them
DIR. Buchtel at the Y. VI. G.. A.

Yesterday morning at st. PauPs Church
DR.. Christensen preached "a good word for
the Jew and there was in his line Of
thought that broad spirit of human SYM
pathy that serves to make all men kin.
The sermon was as follows:
There is a certain people scattered
ABROAD and dispersed among the people in
al the provinces of Thy kingdom, and
Ii IT please the King, let it be written
mat they may be destroyed. And the
IL unto Haman, the son of Hammedatha
tne Agagite, the Jews enemy.-Esther iii,
was the friend of God; but those who claim
TO be the children of God too often avoW
their enmity for the children of Abraham
israel was chosen inheritance honored in
the sight OF heaven, but hated among the
nations of the earth. This scripture directs
our attention TO one Of the occasions when
THIS hatred was expressed. 1t was in the
year 500, b. c., and during the reign of
Xerxes, King of Persia and Media. Plainly,
therefore, the Semitic agitation began be-
fore the new era, and the Jews have had
other enemies than those who have perSe-
cuted them for their religion. For the sake
OF the Hebrew, and for the. sake of u
class of persons to-day called Christians.
but once a Hebrew sect, / desire to show
who and what these enemies have been,
towards those who are, with us, the ihher-
itors of heaven-given faith The first
conquest. The bas relief of the triumphal
arch of Titus witnesses history's earliest
record of Hebrew subJugation and exile
in the Christian era, but 1t was under the
authority of pagan Rome that the suffering
and expatriation began. In the first century
of the Christian era a million persisted by
the sword In the second century $4,000
were slain and Judea was laid waste; in the
second century they were forbidden, under
penalty of death, TO enter Jerusalem In
the fourth century they were banished from
the city of the seven hills, In the fifth
they were expelled from Egypt, and in the
sixth, driven TO desperation, they armed
themselves for the capture of their country,
and Palestine saw, for the first time, a
massacre like that of Titus and Hadrian.
a second enemy was witchcraft. Upon
the least provocation on one side, or per-
sonal pique on the other, an onslaught
this superstition. If a child died or was
missing the Jews were charged with pois-
oning or stealing it: In case of a visitation
of pestilence or famine earthquake or
drought, it was deemed visitation of di-
vine wrath for the presence of Jews among
them. A criminal could always transfer
the burden of his guilt to the shoulders of
the Jew by false accusation, in which he
could always command the. testimony , OF
false witnesses. Various nations compelled
him to be labeled with some sign of distinc-
ton. In Italy and Portugal 1t was hat
of a certain shape or color. In England
two strips of white cloth were required to
be worn; in Germany IT was one strip. of
yellow cloth, and in Spain a mantle of a
specified shape and quality.
a third enemy was the feudal system.
In that singular structure which rose like
pyramid from the slaves who titled the
ground to monarch who crowned the edi-
| fee, these people alone found no proper
| place They were an outlying caste, in the
midst of a society and country of which
| they formed no proper part They could
| not be lords, neither could they be serfs.
They were debarred from military service,
and so could come under the protection of
none. If the people were to be taxed they
were taxed double. If money had TO be
raised for war they were made to pay for
the fighting. although they could not them m
was obliged TO share it with a military or
ecclesiastical superior of the land. thus
| the Jew became valuable chattel. He was
| bequeathed, pawned sold and stolen, and
could always be turned into cash. Another
| agent in the conspiracy against the peace
| and prosperity of the chosen people was the
| soldier. Chivalry, the parent of so much
| good as we'll as so much evil, was the
| source of almost unmitigated wretchedness
| to the Jews, for with chivalry there was
connected the most unbOunded fanatlclSm.
/ Massacre followed massacre in the cities
| of the Moselle and the Rhine: II there
| had been any relaxing of the blood-thirsty
| pursuit of this people in previous centuries
| il was most successfully revived during
| the crIsades. For three Centuries the court
| We'd with the council and the camp was as
| eager as the church for the capture OF the
| Holy City. Bitter hatred was felt against
| the Mussulman who possessed the coveted
| city, and in a far-off land Il convenient
| method of eXpunging this hatred was 10
| vent it upon the race which had crucllled
| the Savior, and most conscientiously and
! merciiessiy did citizen and churchman as
we'll as soldier follow the trail OF an lnno-
| cent and unfortunat race. Another instru-
| mentality more relentless and wide-reach-
| ing than any that preceded 1t, was
| the Inuusition. 1t served as a convenient
| and ready expedient for the accomplishment
| of any purpose, for, under the gulse OF
religious zeal it was an easy matter TO per
| The Jews were imprisoned, Danlsned,
| starved and burned alive. In the year that
| to leave spain, and were given four months
| in which to dispose of their property. Of
| course their goods were sacrificed; ana tne icy
| compass with their lives in their hands.
| Such portable effects as they attempted 10
| carry away were soon TAKEN no Iroll .nei -,
| Seventy thousand OF the SOO,WO survived IN
| their flight and reached Africa, only TO per
! ish from hunger and disease. But what tne
| Spaniards seemed chiefly TO enjoy was the
bip,r,pine, of the LEWIS. which could be either
| a religious ceremony a public amuse-
| ment In 1850, at Madrid, at the marriage
| tIeyys were to be burned for their entertain
| ment, the public square was arranged ike
| a theater, and the King sat upon a RAISED
| aristocracy DR.. Gundeman. or Vienna mas
| stated that for long tirne after the con-
| version of the Germans no hostlllty was was
| shown to the Hebrews, and not until the
| wear 1896 when the influence or the cru
| sades began TO be felt
| The seventh and last onslaught has come
| from the Russians, who have at their mercy
| fully two-thirds of the Hebrews Oh ue
| world. Ten years ago tnere WeIS ~ etioii,-
| tions of a coming storm, when lOO,VD faml-
| lies were driven from their homes, anu
| when their losses amounted TO over 49,
| co000O Last March hostilities were re-
| suned and the torch, and sword, and
| Dhysical torture have been brought into
| resfuisition Twelve thousand jews nave
| been expelled from Moscow some years
| aoo Russia was greatly exercised over the
| atrocities against Christians In turkey. anu
| che wa ged war with the Turks in the inter-
| aSts Of humanity but ii is not easy 10 say
| whether the Turk or the Russian mas eA-
| ceIled i'm the diabolical works OF persecu-
! tion Half the atrocities have not been toid,
| and Mr. Harold Frederic, who has given
| months of closest study 10 the sltualloni,
| in a series of letters to the New YORK
| Times corrects many misapprehenslons sucn
| as have obtained currency through tne re-
| ports of Prof. Goodwin Smith ana other
| Western tourists who have looked Oh
| through a plate-glass window. Inc ouepse
| 90 tbe Hebrew next to his being a Tor
| eiener in the eyes of the Russian, Is INA
| he is not as depraved as the MuscoVlte
| i'm his retrograde movement towards par,
| ha1-isn AS to the uncontroliaDle sweep Oi
| = stIInid nationalism and race preJudlce' We
| IN this land can understand something
| when we recall the craze or what WIS WIS
ME- called sKnow- nothngism," and the
| recurrence. every few years OF Volalei
! Io5ian treaties our relentless and UNI
| iustifable wars with the red man, ana the
| pitiIess robbery which takes away MS lahu
| and drives him from reservation 10 reSerNa-
| ton And SO to-day we bear IN nlfu uidl
| while we are equipping our gunpoats TOT
| forcing a hospitable reception for the Amer
| lean intruder upon the 1ang-tsl- hlahG, we
! are proceeding with equal alacrlty 10 deny