The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05
".

During medinyal times the LOT Of the Jews In
France was, II anything. worse than that Of their
co religionsts across the Channel The Israeli,es
In that country were almost necessarily exposed
10 prosecutions and banishment We see the
French kings exiting the Jews from their domin-
ions only 10 recall them few years later IN order
thnt they mig ht provide the money needed for the
administration OF government or for a crusade
Philip Augustus, Louis TX and Philip the Far
after eIpelhng the lsraelites felt obliged 10 wei.
come them back. Without the Jews indeed the
French monarchy would have become bankrupt
Philip Augustus is said 10 have ussd them as a
sponge 10 suck up the money Of his subjects, and
after the completion Of the absorbing process, TO
have squeezed out Of them every farihing they
possessed The causes Of Jewish unpopularity
in medieval France seem 10 have been much the
same as those which brought about their expui.
sion from England. The causes were ignorance
superstition and creduliy. 1t al the sane tim,
70 be borne in mind that they were the bankers
the money-lenders the sharp business men. In
the reign Of Philip Augustus they were also pos
sess~d Of extensive landed property, q form Of
wealth. however, which they did not long retain.
as popular discomfort compelled the King "a pro.
hibit the tenure Of land by Jews liwas not until
thu end OF the fourteenth century. or about hun.
dred years after the expulsion Of the lSTastes by
Edward from England that an edci Of Charles
VI irrevocably banished the Jews from French
soil Until the monarchy had passed away and
until France was laborinE in the travail Of her
Revolution. the Hebrews may he said 10 have been
strangers To her territory. although few Jewish
refugees from Spain and Portugal were tacit!y
suffered To find refuge in Bord-au1
II not u he forgotten that the modern and legal
liberation OF the chosen b-ople began in France
Its alleged that Napoleon. by oonvokinr Grand
ylatesJ both Il .,4
military advantages He Is sad To have hoped
To turn 10 bis own profit the wonderful system
Of acquiring information I,lSsessSi by the Jews,
which enabled them no, only u command sup
ply Of the precious metals, but also 10 control
much 81 the internal uatfic Of Europe However
this may be- the fact remains that TO the Initiative
Of France !s due the equitable treatment which
Jews now receive In Central and Western Europe
What is no; 80 welt known is that beiOre Napo.
leon ameuorated the status Of Jews In France
and gave them equal citizenship he invited
plies 70 twelve questions among which note
the following: VIII the French people be es-
TENED by the Jews as strangers or as brethren"
The answer was The jews Of France recognize
In the fullest sense the French people their
brethren In what relation. according 10 the
Jewish law would the Jews stand toward the
French The reply was: The relation ot
the jew TO the Frenchman Is the same as that
oi Jew 10 Jew The only distinction IS in their
religion DO Jews born in France consider IL
their native country, Are they bound 10 obey
the laws and customs Of the land The response
o. the Sanhetrtm to this query was The jews
acknowledged France their country when op-
pressed how much more mus, they when admitted
70 civil rights We note, also. the FINAL inquiry:
is II permitted or forbidden 70 practise usury
with strangers The answer was: The Talmud
allows legal interest 10 be taken from breth.
rem and strangers; IL iorhids usury- Mr White
op.nes that no impartial mind examining the
replies given by the Sanhedrm to the questions
Of Napoleon and reviewing the history Of the
last ninety-thr years would he ahic 20 aver
that the Jews as whole have kept Their SIDE of
the bargain However un,hinkIng and despcable
French Anu-Sem!tsm has become Il is our
authors conviction that - oonnoi be truthiully
alleged that there Is no ground for resentment
al the manner IN which French hospitality has
been uscd by the Jews II ia al the same time
conceded that IN France, ss IN England Aus
tra and Russia, the evil that has beeu done has
not been the work o! the religious jew IL has
been wrought by the Jew. who. while refusing 10
accept The burdens Of citizenship along with It's
rights, has renowned the faith Of bis fathers
In favor Of materlalIsm which has always ex.
cited the ungoyernabe passions Of European
them whenever the evils reach such a point as
- ne .niolGFahie
The attitude a. the French Jews toward the
Franco Russian alliance Was avoved by the organ
81 The Jewish community DorktS. RuRHd. Ry
this org an, II was declared suihor,srvely on Feb
IL, 1882 that The Russian loan Was coldly
met by French investors ard the scaniy measure
81 support that IL received was obtained under
pressure Of the nosi influential kind On q small
number OF very large capitalists and credit sDcic-
Ties WHOSE honesty may be gagged by the falls
statement the? published 10 the world that the lusa
was covered seven times over ii is poiuved
out by MI White that inasmuch as these vcry
large capitalists and credit ssc,eues were almos,
eIelusVely Jewish tits evident that the Subscrip.
uon " the RUSSIAN loan O: lhs2 VAS the tuning
p1niin the history oi modern Judaism. ~ far as
that history is Affected by the policy Of France
ana Eusaa and II is pronounced idle 10 pretend
after this admission by the well informed organ
OF jewish opinion that the loan 10 Russia could
not have been prevented had the pity and human.