The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22

In the Russian-Jewis tea and coffee
cafes Of the East Side gather an earnest
crowd Of men, who discuss with passion
all the great. unsolvabie questions Of hui
mainly Literary men. poets, actors. bust
ness men. most of whom were driven from
Russia. delight in expressing at these cafes
the ideas for which they were prosecuted
abroad. Enthusiasm for progress and love
Of ideas is the Characteristic tone Of these
gatherings and an entire lack Of practical
sense.
Very striking. therefore. was the attitude
Of a Russian-JeWish inventor who took his
lunch the other day al one Of the most lit
erary Of these cafes. Near him were a trio
Of enthusiasts. gesticulating over their tea,
but he sat aloof alone He listened with
a cold, superior smile. He neither smoked
nor drank. but sat with his thin, shrewd
face. chilly thinking.
IL is common report in the community Of
the Intellectual Ghetto that MIR. - made
a great invention connected with the cleo
trio arc lamp. It resulted in lengtheniug
the time before the carbon was burnt OFT
from four or five hours TO $50 hours or
Whereabouts. He might have been mil
lionaire today, both he and his acquaint-
anCes maintain, but with the usual IN
practical nature OF the Russian Jew. he
was cheated by INSCRIPTIONS lawyers. He
was shtrt-maker, and for six years saved
from his so a week to buy the apparatus
! necessary for the task. At last it was com
pleted, but he was robbed of the fortune
4 Of the fame, OF the prestige to which his
/ great idea entitled him As it is, he gets
only $3.50 year for the great deed
spends much Of his time silently in the
cafes, and dreams Of other inventions when
not engaged with criticising his kind.
An American, who sometimes visited the
place for color and for the impractical
enthusiasm which he missed among his
own people, sat down by the inventor.
whose face interested him, and entered
into conversation. He spoke of a Yiddish
playwright whom be admired
Il do not know much about him" said
the inventor. Il am not a genius. like the
others"
He sneered. but it was so nearly imper-
ceptible that il did not seem ill-natured
But l am told said the American.
that you are a great inventor. And that
is kind Of genius
Yes. perhaps" he replied. carelessly
1T takes talent. too 10 do what l have
done. But I am not a genius like these
people"
Again he smiled. sarcastically.
Il find, said the American. "a great /
many interesting people in these cafes"
Yes. they are what you call characters. /
l suppose" he said dispassionately; but +.
I find them interesting only for one reason /
no, no. / wont tell you what that rea- /
son is
You don't seem to be as enthusiastic .
about the people as l am" said the Ameri-
can. but whenever l come into a cafe
down here find serious men who will talk .
seriously. They are different from the .
Americans who amuse themselves in bars
at horse races. and farces"
The inventor smiled cOldly
Il do not call serious what you call
serious he said. 1T is not necessary 10 .
talk seriously to be serious. Serious men
DO things The Russians don't do things
II they were gay and did things. they
would be more serious than they are. But
they are solemn and don't do anything
4 don't agree with you said the
American. warmly Doesn't Blank. who
writes so many excellent novels. do any
thing Don't the actors. who act so truth
fully. without consciousness. do any I
thing? Don't the journalists, who spread
excellent ideas, do anything"
The inventor nodded judicially and re-
marked that there were some exceptions
But" he added, You are deceived by
the surface There are many men in our
ally than they really are. In Russia a few
men. really cultivated and Intellectual.
give the tone. and everybody follows
them. In America, however the pubic
gives the tone and the playwright, the
literary man simply expresses the public.
So that really intellectual Americans do
not express as good ideas as less intel
lecual Russians. The Russians all imi-
tate the best. The Americans initiate
what the mass of the people want But an
intellectual American is more intelle tual :
than these geuiuses around here whom you .
like. OF course. they have some coed
things in them, as everybody has"
What is it that you find to like in this
Russian colony2" asked the American.
81 find replied the inventor. that q
when they come over here they lose what
is best in the Russian character and ac
quire what is worst in the American char
acter.'
And what do you deem best in the Rus
sian character"
Well in Russia they are warm hearted [
and friendly. They are envious even there I
but not nearly so enyious as the; are
here"
And what do YOU find that is worst in
the American character
oh you know; they do everything for
money. But yet there is more greatness
IN the American character. They are me I
chanical. They are practical They don't
get cheated by inscriptions lawyers.
Are you married." asked the Ameri-
can. sympathetically.
NO. thank God. he replied. with more
energy than he had yet shown.
But you have no friends"
No"
Some men commented the American |
find a friend in a wife"
That depends on a mans character. |
II increases the loneliness of some men"
replied the inventor smiling in spite Of
what he was saying.
You seem 20 me to be rather pasaimis-
tic" remarked the American.
No. I am not pessimistic. ! understand ]
that pessimist thinks life Is worse than
it is but I see things just as they are,
that is all. When ] came to New York I
was enthusiastic. too, / was an optimist \
! saw life as it is not. But the mists
have passed from before my eyes. and |
see things just as they are. New York
Observation-Disclosures