The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-12
The aaeha naily Eagle Sunday ornuo sepcmber H. 1897

| ZioniSm means Simply tnat the Jew
has at last taken his salvation into MS
own hands; that he is tired Of knocking
al the gate of other houses; that he is
wearied of begging for admission; that
ne has enough OF praying for favors, of
demanding legislation, OF fighting for
rights and privileges. AT the congress
in Basic he attained his majority. He
proposes now to look out for himself. to
solve the problem of existence in his own
way. and without fear Of man to do that
work which Providence has appointed
for MIN. He desires rest for his wearied
foot, repose for his tired arm, and ne
feels that no one can give him this but
himself. II is now many years since Dr..
i Pinsker of Odessa strG tx the Key note
Of the whole situation IN pamphlet.
"Auto-Emancipalion, the Yer title OF
which indicates the trend Of his aggu-
menIs. And only little later d.. j.
Ruff Of Memel. Prussia, who has now
grown gray in the service Of his Russian
brethren, in another pampalet-"lsrael
Healing Clearly that it was nee
essary 10 reawaken the Jewish national
feeling 10 bring about the reconstruction
of the Jews as a nation; that only when
! the Israelite will have learned 10 help
himself will ne obtain tia, recognition
| and equality which ne has a right TO de-
mand from the peoples Of the earth; that
for such a reconstruction the possession
Of some part Of the earth as a national
! Jewish possession was an absolute neces-
sity.
Where. then, was this spot on the
earth's surface TO be found? The question
pressed for solution because Of events
! which happened in Russia. Even during
the last yeans of the reign OF Alexander
! II. preparations had been made 10 render
the life Of the Jews in the great empire
OF the car well nigh unbearable. The
| death Of the car on March 13, 1881. was
the signal for the work 10 commence. We
are all more or less familiar with the re-
strictive laws which have been promul-
! gated during the las; sixteen years and
which have driven from their homes over
one million of Jews. Many of these. in
! fact. the largest number, have come 10
these shores, where hospitable arms We're
ready 10 help the unfortunates to gain
! livelihood. The attempt was made 10 col
onize them in various parts of the coun-
try. Then came the grandly conceived
! scheme Of the late Baron Hirsch to col
| onize large number in the Argentine.
| With lavish hand he gave in order TO
succOr the unfortunate outcasts, but
evn if he colonies in the United States
and in Argentina had been more success
| ful than they are they could not deal
, with the whole problem nor could they
| thus find a definite solution. For me
N0voe Vreyma has distinctly stated mat
Russia cannot feel satisfied until all the
Jews are driven out of the land, which
means tire 10 four millions more. VIVA.
| is to be done with them? Where are
these 10 go? And even suppose that the
/ efforts in the Argentine had been crown
| ed with complete success. would We not
be preparing there exactly the same state
Of things which has existed hitherto?
/ The Russian Jew there would still be a
foreigner without a home, without any
center 10 which 10 lOk in time of need,
without any ready help in days Of ;rou-
bic What feeling could he carry with
him in his long struggle with new con-
ditions. into the hardest of all fights. 20
fiji himself into entirely new surround
ings? He would still be nothing more
than an assisted colonist, with half mis-
manhod gone az the moment assistance
came a chattel 10 be sent here and there,
and put 10 work at khat mis- assisters,
not himself, thought best
If not on the American continent where
then? From the very first Dr. Ruff and
clear headed men among the Russian
Jews themselves had turned their faces
the other way. They had seen thai the
only real hope for the Jew lay in his re-
turn TO Palestine. Colonization there, if
it could be effected. would be for the COL |
onists a real going home. For from time !
u time during all the centuries of his ex-
lie many Of his people had travelled the |
weary way in order 10 sleep their last |
sleep in its soil. With what a different |
heart did he turn 10 the east. His pray
ers were a last 10 be heard: his dream |
was al last 10 come true He was TO see 4
the land which the patriarchs had trod. |
in which the prophets had preached, in |
which mis- kings had ruled. and where his |
great rabbis had taught. Above all. he |
had been fruc;ified with the blood Of his |
martyrs, every inch OF which was crowd
ed with memories which rose 10 cheer
him on ana put courage in his heart. |
For that land he could do anything.
dare everything, suffer everything BY /
ones and twos, in small bands, they made
their way thither 50 that by gradual in
filtration Palestine is once more being
peopled by Jews. When Benjamin OF /
Tudela visited the holy sites in the
twelfth century he found no more than
handful Of his people there, 70 De coun:
ed by the tens and twen;ies. rarely by |
hundreds. In Jerusalem he could find no
more than two hundred. In 1871 Robin
son found the number Of inhabitants of
Jerusalem to be al most twelve thousand
cf whom three 10 five thousand were
Jews. In 1876 the city contained 10000
souls OF whom 5000 were Jews In the
year 1896 is population had risen to As
ago. II whom 2S.l12 were Jews. Hebron
haS now Lag Jews Joppa 2970. Haifa
Sic. Liberals 1870. Safed $500. The total
jewish population Of Palestine IS es;imat-
ei al 5000.
The idea % coIonizing in Palestine |
those Jews who sill groan under the
weight Of restrictive European laws goes
back. perhaps. 10 the year 1910, when Sir
Moses Monteficre placed such a project
before Mohammed Ali. But neither the
advocacy Of me scheme by Sir Moses nor
by ;ae Austrian poet. Ludwig Angus,
Frankel. seems 70 have made any imp.es