The times., 1899-09-03

Some months ago / published a maga-
zine article descriptive OF q remarkable
scene in the Imperial Parliament in Vienna.
Since then ! have received from Jews in
America Several letters OF enquiry. They
were difficult letters to answer, for they
were not very definite. But at last / have
received definite one. 1t is from lawyer.
and be really asks the questions which the
other writers probably believed they were
asking. BY help Of this text / will do the
best ! can 10 publicly answer this cores
pondeht, and also the others-at the same
time apologiZing for having failed 10 reply
privately. The lawyers letter reads as fol-
lows
i have read Stirring Times in Austria.
One point in particular is of vital import 10
not few thousand people. including my
self, being point about which / have often
wanted 10 address question to some disin-
terested person. The show of military force
in the Austrian Parliament which precipi-
lated the riots, was not introduced by any
jew. No Jew was a member of that body.
No Jewish question was involved in the
Ausgleich or In the language proposition.
No jew was insulting anybody. In short.
no Jew was doing any mischief toward
anybody whatsoever. In fact, the Jews
were the only ones of the nineteen different
races In Austria which did not have q party
they are absolutely non participants. Yet
IL your article you say that in the rioting
which followed, all classes of people were
unanimous only on one thing. viz, in being
against the Jews. Now, will you kindly
tell me why. in your judgment, the Jews
have thus ever been, and are even now, in
these days of supposed intelligence the butt
of baseless, vicious animosities? / dare
say that for centuries there has been no
more quiet, undisturbing and we'll -behav-
ing citizens. as a class, than that same
Jew. IL seems to me that ignorance and
fanaticism cannot alone account for these
horrible and unjust prosecutions.
Tell me. therefore, from your vantage
point of cold view, what in your mind is
the cause. Can American Jews do anything
TO correct il either in America or abroad? {?
VIII IL ever come TO an end? Will a Jew
be permitted to live honestly, decently, and
peaceably like the rest Of mankind? What
has become OF the Golden Ruler"
] win begin by saying that If ! thought
myself prejudiced against the Jew ] should
hold IL fairest TO leave this subject TO a
person not crippled In that way But
think ! have no such prejudice. A few
years ago Jew observed to me that there
was no uncourteous reference 10 his people
in my books and asked how it happened.
IL happened because the disposition was
lacking. / am quite sure that (bar one)
have no race prejudices. and / think have
no color prejudices. nor caste prejudtces,
nor creed prejudices. Indeed, ! know Il,
can stand any society. All that care to
know is that man Is human being-that
Sc enough for me; he can't be any worse.
j have no special regard for Satan; but
can at least claim that ] have no preju-
dice against him. 1t may even be that /
lean little his way. on account of his not
having G fair show. All religions Issue
bibles against him, and say the most in
furious things about him. but we never hear
his side. We have none but the evidence
for the prosecution, and yet we have rem
dered the verdict. To my mind, this is ir-
regular. II 10 un-English; Il is un-Ameri-
can; II is French Without this precedent
preyfus could not have been condemned.
In the present paper ] shall allow
myself TO use the word Jew as IL It stood
for both religion and race IT Is handy;
and besides. that ,s what the term means
10 the general world.
In the above letter one notes these
points:
First-The Jew is veIl-behayed citi-
zen.
second-can ignorance and fanaacism
alone count for his unjust treatment?