Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-06-02
DR.. HARRISON ON
JEWISH PATRIOTS.
LAST OF A SERIES OF PATRIOTIC
LECTURES AT TEMPLE
ISRAEL.
"The American Jew as Citizen, Soldier
and Patriot" His Subject Jews
Not Aliens Fathers
of Liberty.

of Liberty.
From the st. Louis Republic.
The third and last of the patriotic
lectures OF the season, delivered by
DIR. Leon Harrison, was listened to by
an audience at Temple Israel yester-
day morning that filled the edifice
completely. The subject was, "The
American Jew as Citizen, Soldier and
Patriot" the statistics given being
cited largely from the book Of Hon.
Simon Wolf, bearing the same title as
the lecture. Before beginning the
lecture DIR. Harrison announced
that on next Sunday at the usual hour
of 1O:45 q, m. a service of song would
close the series of lectures for the
season. "A short address will be given.
DIR. Harrison began with a reference
to the patriotism that found vent in
st. Louis on Saturday. The supreme
thought of the observer then was that
the white heat OF strong feeling fuses
men together. The multitude, in
origin, represented every land beneath
the sun, every creed and creedless-
ness, every color, every opinion. The
Protestant church, the Catholic, the
Synagogue were afiame with patriot
ism. 1t was not then a discordant
note TO emphasize the national attitude
of the American Jew. On the con-
trary, it completed the national har-
mony to instance that typical illustra-
ton.
JEWS NOT ALIENS.
Continuing DIR. Harrison said:
"Let me say that Jewish Americans
are not foreigners on this continent
except to the red Indians. They came
here not only with but before either
Virginia Cavalier Dr. New England
Puritan. The first white man to touch
American soil was a Jewish sailor in
the feet of Columbus. Jews settled
In the West Indies, in Georgia, Car
DINA and the South with the earliest
colonists. They came from England,
Holland and-you will not blame them
they shook from their feet the dust
OF Spain. The Chevalier de Lewis,
later a Marshal of France, who served
In Canada with Montcalm, and of
Jewish decent, had in his chateau a
picture of leah going into the ark
carrying under his arm the papers of
the house Of Lewis. Three Jewish
officers served in the French and
Indian wars, M Isaac Meyers, organ
izing q company in New York. In
1775 Benjamin Cohen was Attorney
General of Pennsylvania.
fIn the war of the Revolution,
though there were probably not 5000
jews In the country, q Jewish officers
fought for our independence. Manuel
Mordecai Noah was a staff officer of
George Washington and gave to the
government 100000. may mention
the generous services of Haydn Sol
ONION, the friend of Madison, Randolph
and Robert Morris, who loaned $780,
600 to the government that was never
returned, and In many other ways
helped his country in dire need.
~ will not weary you with details,
and simply mention that in the war of
1912 Jewish Brigadier Generals, Colo
nels and Captains abounded. In the
Mexican war the same Is true. The
list Of Jews distinguished in the regu-
lar army and navy of the United
States is disproportionately large.
JEWISH HEROES.
Commodore Uriah Levy, the high
est naval ranking officer up to the civil
war, abolished corporal punishment. i
have in my hand a partial list of 5000
Jewish Americans who fought in the
civil war, among whom were 16 Union
and "a Confederate staff officers. Their
record is distinguished by eminent
valor and numerous awards OF medals
by Congress. The old warriors from
the South recall Judah P. Benjamin,
the brilliant Secretary of State for the
Confederacy. May l mention among
many shining instances, in North
Carolina, six Jewish brothers took
the field, in South Carolina five broth
ers and likewise In Mississippi, foul
being Confederate and one Union.
There Is an instance of Ia families
sending So men into battle.
81 trust you will pardon the detail
Of these citations. These records are
collected by the Hon. Simon Wolf In
his works bearing the title of this dis
course. It will surely surprise many
to know that from New York State
alone 1000 Jews fought for the Union,
from Ohio a thousand and from Illinois
seven hundred. / cite these facts
simply to enlighten those ignorant of
them. In the present regular army
and navy, from Commander Mark
down, dozens of Jewish officers evil
dence that they are descendants ofthe
Maccabees. Twelve Jewish sailors
went down with the Maine. The pres
emit enlistments speak for themselves.
have mentioned with reluctance even
the bare outline of actual service that
I have indicated.
81 feel sur that this large military
quota will astonish many. We hear
frequent eulogies Of Hebraic genius in
tho arts OF peace, In science, In philos-
ophy, In economics, In music, In state
craft, In literature, especially in COM
merce and finance. Their patriotic
services r known In furnishing the
hgurative sinews of war. They have
also furnished their own sinews of
flesh.
FATHERS OF LIBERTY.
"Liberty has ever thrilled them
with its clarion call. Thirty five
thousand Hungarian Jews fought be-
meath the banner Of Kossuth. They
have battled with grim pathos even
for the fatherlAnd that oppressed
them. My jewish soldiers said the
Russian Gear to Sir Moses Montefiore,
G0whk Ifkn uorSt.AAIo Macrnhr~c , Cs~k-