Washington sentinel., 1899-02-11
London Spectator.

We must refuse absolutely to believe
that there is any real danger of new
St. Bartholomew in Paris in which the
Jews primarily, and the Huguenots and
Protestants in the second place, will be
the victims Of massacre. The notion is
one which is quite unthinkable in a
civilized country like France. Yet we
are we'll aware that there are plenty Of
I people In Paris at this moment who
regard the danger as something more
than possible. That they have some
excuse for ther opinion we do not deny,
for the baseT portion Of the French
press has Of late reeked with attacks on
the Jews. Not only does NJ DrumOnt
IN the Zi5vs Parole, a paper which, we
believe, circulates by the hall million
daily, incite the mob to attack the Jews,
but a number OF other papers, some Of
which, we deeply regret to say, profess
a religious complexion, hound on the
mob to what is, in fact. massacre. No
doubt Frenchmen are excitable and
mean less by violent language than
Englishmen When they talk OF it being
| necessary that blood should flow they
do not always mean murder. At the
same time, we cannot forget that history
has always shown that in France vile
words are always the precursors OF vile
deeds. Again, we must remember that
the outbreak OF violence against the
| Jews and the Protestants is not now
merely an affair of "heady" newspapers.
There is large Anti Semitic literature,
which is apparently printed, published
and sold at what we should call here
religious bookshops. In the Temps OF
December last there is an article by
NJ. CASTOR d Deschamps which shows that
the delirium from which France is suffer
ing is being shared by a section, at any
rate, Of the Roman Church, and that the
men who ought as Christians, to be
doing all they can to allay the outbreak
of cruelty and injustice, are actually
tanning the flames. We do not, it is
needless TO say, blame the Roman Cath
olic Church'as an institution for this. 1t
merely shows that a portion OF the
French Roman Catholics have taken up
what we do not hesitate 20 describe as
a wicked and absolutely un-Chrlstian
attitude. We must add, also. that the
higher ecclesiastical authorities appar-
emily as a whole have not cared, as they
ought to have cared, to take upon them
selves the duty of a crusade against the
vile monster of Anti-SemItism. The
Church has, in fact, missed a great
opportunity for standing forth and show
ing France the duty of the followers Of
Christ when such questions are involved
as those which arise over the thre itened
persecution of the Iews,
Even in case like that OF an Anti
Semitic movement, which by its cruelty
and wantonness causes a sort of
horror Edt4yaHs, it is very often as
well to try to see the case OF the other
side, and not to assume that there can
be no defence. Why do so many
Frenchmen hate the Jews2 How is it
possible that newspapers can be read
that gloat over the prospect OF Jewish
corpses choking the sewers? What IS it
that has caused this outbreak Of barbar-
Gus ferocity IN a civilized nation2 These
are questions easier to ask than 10
answer. No doubt the Jews have come
to the top in many professIOns-but then
that can only be because the Jews have
services to sell which Frenchmen as
whole consider worth buying. The
Jews cannot give a man great practice
as a doctor or an engineer. He gets his
wealth by obliging Christians in some
form or other. 1t is said, too, that it is
naturally maddening to Frenchmen to
see so manv official posts held by Jews
at one time we are told half the projects
! in France were Jews. But surely the
remedy for such state Of things is not
to Persecute Jews and to talk about the
necessity for bloodshed to redress great
wrong, but to put such pressure upon
the Government that they will not
appoint any more Jews. Again, il is
said that the Jews are very rich. which
is no doubt true; but that is hardly a
reason for attacking them unless the
assailsnts are Socialists. Lastly, it IS
often urged that the Jews are too insolent
to be born, and that their overbearing
ways are Intolerable. But even granted
that this is so, how can any one seriously
regard it as an excuse for an Anti semitic
crusade of the kind that is going on IN
France?
No one can pretend that Jews in
France have proved bad citizens in any
real sense, They have not shi-ked
service In the army. They have not
avoided paying taxes. They have not
attempted to undermine any of the
institutions Of the country. They have
not, as a class, dealt any blows against
public morality or public order. The
Jew, as a rule, is a good son. a good
father, a good husband, and a good
patriot-i. e, a man willing TO stand or
fall by the country in which he is citizen.
AS far, then, as we can see, the Jew IS
prosecuted in France simply because he
is supposed to be a disagreeable person
| because. in fact, he Is DIR. Fell to most
l Frenchmen. He is not hated,In Eastern
| Europe, because be is a small money
lender, or because he has cOme-largely
owing to opersecutiOn--to practise certain
bad trades, but simply and solely because
he is a lew, and so a person about whom
IL is always safe TO believe the worst.
4 With such a prejudice It IS Of course
useless to argue, but it is impossible not
TO take the Anti Semitic feeling IN
France into account when one is gauEing
L h.a=