The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-29
spECIAL. APPLICATION.

SPECIAL APPLICATlCN.
But if we separate It community into
its constituent parts, we shall nnu many
gross, individual crimes. with which the
community cannot he Justly charged,
and yet it is seriously injured by them.
For. like toadstools, growing at the foot
of a tree individual vices cannot fail to
impair the public welfare and to suck
up many power which else. would haN"
subservcd to promote the growth of no
BILE fruit. But these general truths nave
a special application to the jewish peo-
pie. Time has passed, and many pre-
iudces have been removed, but there Is
one prejudice SO deeply rooted in the
minds Of mulutudes OF non-lsraelites,
that neither time nor culture seem TO
have any influence or power over ii.
mean the prejudice which always names
the religious demon nination of an Israel
itc. who by accident or design, gets him-
self on the criminal list
Yet this religious designation Of
Jewish criminal can be taken as "a gem
eral acknowledgment of the divinity of
our creed. Crime is so contrary TO the
nature of our religion, that people are
astonished when they find that an adj
herent of. and "a believer i'm, the old Sin
attic revelation has placed himself IN
antagonism to thosa principles of justice
and righteousness and truth, which con.
stitute the basis of this revelation. Then
our non-Jewsh brethren proclaim the
surprising fact to the world, that the
criminal is a Jew.
| do not like to accuse my fellow men.
I would rather justify them in my heart;
and therefore, | think such expressions.
with whatever design used, mean to say
to us: "a man. processing a creed so
pure and so full of love and justice. as
that impaired to Israel, ought always to
walk in the light of the Eternal and never
should approach the darkness of vice
and crime"
But whether these uttCrances be in
tended as homage toward our religion,
or to express a want of kindness and
brotherhood towards our race, so much is
true. that the moral department Of the
individual has a very decided influence
upon the degree Of respect and esteem in
which Israclitcs may be held by breth-
rem of other creeds and denominations.
Every man Is not n judge Of precious
stones.
APPEARANCES DECElTFGL.
We are too apt to measure the value
of the jewel which the Well-dreSSed man
wears i'm his shirt-front. by our impress
sions gained of his apparel, while the
man in mean attire. though he may wear
real diamond on his breast, is adjudg2d
to own a counterfeit our religion is the
precious jewel, which every one bears
about with him and adorns or disgraces
by his daily life, whether IN the do
mestic circle or i'm business relations.
And the value of our jewel will be grad
ed by our neighDurs according to our out.
ward actions.
Nowhere so much as in Judaism. is
individual purity the basis, the prima
Conditio of religious prosperity. The Lord
was not satisfied with having made the
sanctuary. or rather, with having Israel
| make the sanctuary, the common ma
tlonal institution. 1t was not enough,
that there, the whole people should he
represented by the tribe of the priests
as religious body, but each man, tor
himself, whether rich or poor, was to
give a ransom for his soul.