The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-12


nl2es that elsewhere their chances are
better, Jews from Russia, Hungary, and
/ Austria, for Instance, make UP q large part
| of the Immigration w this country, though
the Journey hither Is 10 much longer than
to Palestine. They do not go 10 Palestine,
for the good reason that there " no chance
for their prosperous development there.
Nr EORDAUs remedy for oonquering the
evil OF anti-Semitic prejudice by conoen.
tratIng the Jews In Palestine as a country
peculiarly their own, which they will con
troll rs II majority, IL therefore manifcstly
impracticabic. They have prospcrcd too
much, even In the countries whors that
prejudice IL strongest. To be willing 10 exila
themselves to Palestine ut the sacrifice Of
far superior material advantages else where,
Tho many signs of prosperous Jewish mer-
camille houses In Broadway, for instance,
are not likely to DO transferred 10 Jcru.
salem, nor will tho multitude Of jew
brokers IN Wall street lenve the tickers In
that financial mart to set up u stock exc
change In the Holy City. OF course they
will not 2onism is a mere dream; the
Jews will never accentuate still further
their popularity a. a people by putting
themselves outside Of the current Of affairs
In which they nro swimming to extraor-
binary prosperity, though that very pros
perity serves 10 intensity the auti-Scmitlc
prejudice.
II the Jews did not have II way OF getting
TO the front In ali the departments OF trade
in which they engage, in the exchanges
and the professions. the sentiment against
them would be lose emphatic but prosperity
acts as IL salvc for tho wounds II innicts
upon their sensibilitiss Here In New York
children of Jews arc the foremost pupils in
the public schools and Columbia University
iscrowded with them They are not going to
give up all this gain to follow Zonlsm to
the prViltlcss fold of Palestine. 1t may DO
set down, therefore. as established beyond
the possibility Of change that the jews will
continue to be Dispersed among the peo-
pies Of the earth according as their inter
csts lead Them and that IN this country
especially they will be collected most nu-
merously under the impulse of desire for
self-advancrmcnt
SO long. however, as thoy persist In pre-
serving th"irracc popularity the sentiment
Of the surrounding peoples against them
will continue and probably become more in
tensiIied because OF their very prosperity
in spite OF it, II they remain distinguish
able In physlognomy they will always be
Disseminated against by other races.
So far us religion goes, the limos of separa-
ton are steadily fading away. Many Jews
have Joined many Christians In passing
over to agnostcsm, and the changes In
religious conviction produced by what Is
called tho higher criticism OF the Bible
are bringing together Christians and Jews
more than ever before in history. The past
broud gulf OF separation created by bit
ter religious prejudice has bcen brldged
over by present Indifference or by an
increasing community of view and feel
ing in the revolutIonizcd Professionalism.
The barrier that remains Is created by
race prejudice inherent in human nature.
So long as the Jews continue "A peculiar
people. anti-Semitism will continue, and it
will tend rather to increase in intensity
than to lose any OF its force. Where ind-
vidual Jews have broken down this barrier
and blended their blood with that OF the peo-
pie OF other races among whom they lived,
their descendants have escaped from the
prejudice and have been absorbed into the
mass Of the majority. In this country and
in England thore nre many such examples,
strain Of jewish blood in English and
American families being far more frequent
than Is commonly supposed.
1t rests with the Jews, accordingly, to
say whether anti-Semitsm shall continue
or disappear.