The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-30

he TO carry the Torah. the testimony OF
the Lord. the torch of civilization. scat
tering luminous rays OF divine promise "a
the whole world. His was the privilege
TO teach the great Jaw and life of justice
and love to man.
Consulting the records OF history. we
become strongly convinced the fact that
the first promise Israel made ut the foot
OF Mount Sinai became the motto during
their long and weary pilgrimage. What
ever God demands OF US. we will do
Aaron-like. the jew always stood between
the living and the dead. but never for
saking his post of duty. But while he
heroically stood for a lofty and nobi
principle. while he steadfastly chung to
the higher ideals. readily sacrificing all
on the altar of humanity. humanity not
so readily recognized his moral worth.
but spurned his devotion to principle. his
| allegiance TO his God-imposed task. Even
the very name which the be-
slowed upon him the world changed into
scorn and yenomous hate. and for CEN
turtles In many lands the name Jew served
as a badge of degradation, contumely and
debasement. Not to Babylon. not TO
Greece. not to Rome. need We wander Tor
the truth of this statement; yea, even I'm
our present era. an era mellow with the
soft light Of religious liberty: an era when
culture, equality and humanity are house
hold words. constantly phrased upon the
lips of society. we often find that 10 be n
Jew is regarded IN many quarters as an
omense. and is often made n sufhcient
pretext for social and political ostracism.
And while ID is true that In our blessed
land where the salubrious air Of justice
and freedom is inimical to the noxious
germs Of anti-Semitism. yet many a Ia
matte is still found who makes the jew
"a target for his rancorous venom ana
smallness of soul.
You are familiar with our second text.
You remember the narrative contained I'm
the first chapter of the quaint book OF
Jonah. Jonah is commissioned by God
To rebuke the wicked inhabitants Of Nine
yah. forewarning them " an approach
ing doom. but anticipating Gods pardon
ing mercy he sails for Tarshish. All goes
we'll for a while. when suddenly a tenn
pestuous sea arouSeS the superStitlous
mariners to a degree of fanatic frenzy.
Destruction they believed to he near at
hand. the gods are angry and the evil
doer must at once be discovered. Lots
are east and our hero is found Ia be the
unfortunate singled out as having In
CURED the displeasure and wrath of the
gods. Tell US the frantic sailors shout.
tell us thy occupation. Whence contest
thou? What IL thy country and of what
people are thou?' Serenely calm and un-
moved by impending danger he answers
briefly but significantly, i am n He
brew That was enough. That was a
solution of the mystery. He was made
To pay the penalty of being a Hebrew.
They cast him into the sea,
MY young friends. whether as the lit
eralist who believes the narrative to mir
ror an historic occurrence. or as the ra-
tionalist who claims that Il is a legend. a
myth. is a matter of Indifference TO me
at present. Myth though it he. II is
nevertheless symbolic of Israel, nay. our
entire history is reflected therein. Hence
Jonah types Judaism I'm its varied stages
Of development. The annals OF history
painfully emphasize this deplorablc as
sertion. Egypt, Babylon. Assyria. the
classic nations. Spain. and many another
country. have for ages stained their es-
cutcheons with the innocent blood Of mill
lions uf Jewish martyrs for no other rea-
son thar that of being Hebrews and wor-
shipping the God who hath made the
heavens and also the dry land.
ITO be "A Jew in the prophetic sense Is,
indeed. a privilege rare. The very name
stands for everything noble, ancient, he
roically grand and spiritually lofty.
Consider for a moment what the sta
tus Of the world would have been with
out the Hebrew. All which the civilized
world holds i'm veneration and reverent
love comes from your ancestors. Our sis
ter religion. Christianity. has adopted our
sacred literature and it's ethical teach
ings. Our neighbors and brothers. the de
/! vout followers of that great and pious
jew. the Rabbi of Nazareth. recite our
psalms. they sing our hymns. They are
encouraged with the messages of our
prophets: our Bible. which our sires have
so heroically defended. Is their spiritual
mamma. Israel has indeed become "A light
TO the nations and a salvation to the ends
of the earth. Can YOU imagine what the
geographical chart of the world would
have been to-day had our fathers, the de-
spised and universally prosecuted He
brews. been less tenacious, less heroically
determined to stand by their convictions
Ask the millions of suffering and sorrow-
ing: ask the myriads of the down-trodden.
the bleeding and the disconsolate, the
weeping orphans and the heart-broken
widows. the anguishing fathers and the
tear-bedimmed mothers: ask them what
sustains. consoles, what encourages
them i'm their dark and bitter hours. They
all will answer you. 1T is the Bible that
perennial fountain Of divine promise.
whose spiritual waters soothe. sustain, re-
fresh. heal and comfort all who are weary
and sorrow-laden. yea, the production OF
those much misunderstood. maltreated,
maligned and misrepresented Jews.
History registers no crime against us.
nor does modern society. save the one OF
denying that God so loved man as to
! damn him eternally II he deny that some
1900 years ago a certain Jewish Reformer
was man and God at the same time. An
other crime charged to US IL the one of
unsurpaSslnS loyalty, taih ana martyr
dom. suffering. bleeding and dying so that
from the soil fertilized by Jewish blood
sprang up the flowers of Monotheism.
whose spiritual fragrance is fmparadising
humanity to-day. We plead guilty to the
charge of having been the first to sound
the keynote of universal liberty and sun
der the chain of subsection and slavery A.
600 years ago. We plead guilty TO the
crime of having given the world the Ten
Commandments, the recognized pillars of
all civilization. We plead guilty to hav-
ing given the prophets. the bards and
seers and the lawgivers to the world
those master spirits to whom all civilized
nations pay tribute and honor. We plead
guilty of having given to the world it's
weekly day of rest. and raised our voice
in behalf OF the laborer. the outcast and
the mental slave; of having been the very
first TO demand that absolute justice be
accorded the lower classes Of society. and
have even embraced the protection and
the kindly treatment Of the beast OF bur
7 den i'm Our far-rpaglipc pplicN. The lew