Evening star., 1897-05-07
NEW PUBLICATIONS..

MosDpcAI MANgEl A,s5 ssM;.o1M; a Biographical
sasesi.: stss By 1s s!nse wS s %,ts Portrait Phil
Mr.. Wolf, whose gtsrary works in ooaa-
valuable not only from tlfefr point Of view,
but as additions 4 5g9nerd literature,
could have found no more appropriate SUBJ
ject than Major Noah. one of the greatest
editors this country Ihas ever knowu. The
author considers the present time especial
ly opportune to emphasize the good work
done by American citizena of Jewish faith,
when there seems torbe 4 tendency to at
| tack the rights Of insliyfdual Judgment and
| belief in such matters as religion. He
therefore seeks to show by an account Of
the services OF an American citixen to whom
| the Constitution Of the United States was
| q shibboleth what he wrought and how
he fought for the elevation Of all men,"
whether Jews or Christians.
Major Noah was born in PHILADELPHIA
July 10. 17S5, and died In New York March
- 1851. MT. Woifs sketch is only an out
presenting all the elements Of a biography
sunlcfent to show the patriotism, heroism
ana philanthropy Of the subject. Young
Noah's mother died when he was hut ten
years old. and his father disappeared at the
same time. his melancholy over the death
OF his wife causing him to leava his for
mer home. His son afterward discovered
him in Paris by curious coincidence.
The boy was sent to Philadelphia to I've
with his grandfather, Robert PhilIips. a
prominent patriot of the revolutionary pc
riod. Thenceforward the sketch follows the
career of the young man and carries him
forward to his appointment by President
Madison to be consul at Tunfs with a
special mission to AlgieEs.
Major Noah's mission 10 AIgiers was
particularly difficult, as 1t related to the
ransoming of American prisoners. then
held In slavery by tho Algerian govern-
ment- He accomplished his mission, but
try, who accused him of ransoming more
enslaved Americans than his letter of in
struct1ons warranted. He was finally re-
called. the Secretary of State giving as the
| reason for this action the religion that he
followed. Major Noah was engaged in
many difficult diplomatic enterprises dur
ing this period. and made the nag of the
United states respected by the Algerian
pirates and their government
He returned to this country In 1919 and
took up his residence In New York city
He published an interesting volume of his
travels, said to be the first book Of travels
by an American citizen. He then founded
the National Advocate. which was sue
ceeded by the New York Enquirer sub
sequently merged with the Courier. In 1884
he established the Evening Star In New
York, and eight years later established a
daily paper called the Union. which was
discontinued as a daily after the expiration
VI dQulnlStTdUOn, becoming
weekly periodical, known es Noah's Sun
day Times and Messenger. which Major
Noah edited up to the time of his DEATH
1t had q large circulation. and was con-
time.
In 1922 Major Noah was elected high
sheriff Of New York city and county. The
law at that time permitted Imprisonment
for debt. The yellow fever broke out in
| the debtors Jail. and. in order to spare
the prisoners from unspeakable horrors,
the high sheriff threw open the doors and
permitted all within to go free. Major
Noah was made responsible for the debts
of the prisoners, paying over $2OO.0O0 on
this account, and completely fmpoverish-
ing himself. No restitution was ever made
by the state. t...ff
In 1920 Maj. Noah undertook a project to
| re-establish the Jewish nation in q form of
state on Grand Island. In Niagara river,
near Buffalo. A city Of refuge was dedi-
Gated in 1925. but Maj. Noah finally realized
the project was imprac ticable and it was
abandoned.
Maj. Noah was a voluminous writer, and
some of his best work is reproduced in q
volume called "Gleanings From a Gathered
Harvest" He lectured repeatedly on SUBJ
jects associated with his religion and wrote
a number Of plays some of which, based
upon a strong patriotism. were very popu-
lar throughout the country. being regularly
produced on the evening OF the Fourth of
July. He was intimately associated with
the greatest Americans Of his time. and his
cISOHdl tLliuShCc WdS dAuSudLy WiUS anu
|. powerful One of his most marked traits
was his great philanthropy. and henevo-
lence.
With all these characteristics he had a
ally keen Mr.. Wolf notes one instance of
| this capacity. When he was elected high
sherin some dissatisfied persons remarked
that it had come to pretty pass for Jew
forsooth who deserves hanging" was Maj.
Noah's retort. and nothing further was
heard on this score
Maj. Noah foresaw the civil war and ad-
vocated the abolition of slavery by pro-
gressive laws. His editorials on this SUBJ
ject are among the most notable writings
of the time.
These few notes Of a remarkable career
Indicate the wealth Of material that Mr..
Wolf has utilized in the preparation Of his
biographical sketch. His work Is well done,
and concluding its examination the reader
can but join with him in the hope that
some day a complete story Of Noah's life,
which was so closely associated with the
early years Of the republic. may be pre-
pared. The portrait from which the from
tspiece was reproduced is a miniature
painted by the elder Jarvis In 1S4O. A son of
Major Noah. Judge J. ]. Noah, is WELL
known and greatly esteemed resident Of
Washington.
THE LIQUOR PROBLEM IN IT'S LEGISLATIVE
Kafen Boston: sf aoashton, wnss Miiia and 'Ssn Go
Washington: Brentano's.
In this volume are presented the results
Of an investigation into the legislative
aspects Of the great liquor problem under
taken by a subcommittee. composed of
Charles w. Eliot. Seth Low and James c.
Carter. appointed by the Committee of
Fifty. This organization has for several
years been dealing with sociological ques-
tions, and among these that Of the liquor
traffic has been taken up with systematic
thoroughness. Subcommittees were ap-
pointed in 1898 on the different aspects of
the drink problem; one on the physiological
aspects. one on the legislative. one on the
economic and one on the ethic. The first
report Of the committee on the legislative
aspects is here given. 1t is one of the most
complete presentations of this subject ever
published. 1t deals first with prohibition In
Maine and its results: the history Of pro-
hibftion in Iowa, the South Carolina dis
pensary system. the restrictive system in
Massachusetts,. 1875 to 1894; the liquor laws
of Pennsylvania; the Ohio liquor law; the
liquor laws in Indiana since 1851 and the
Missouri local option law. Thus it virtually
covers the entire field of legislative en-
deavors to regulate the liquor traffic. The
Investigations were conducted in the field
by trained agents and the results were
carefully reviewed nv the subcommittee he