New-York tribune., 1901-06-09
COLONIZING PALESTINE.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE RETURN OF
JEWS AS SOON AS THE SULTAN
WILL. PERMIT-wORK OF THE
AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS.
AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS


prove To be productive of concessions to the
Jews who wish to return to the land Of their
fathers those homecoming tsracliteS Will find
that the way has been made smooth for them by
The foresight Of their brethren The zionist
movement which in its latest phase is practical
IS wei as sentimental. has a tremendous fol-
lowing and is rapidly increasing in membership
"Details for the return To the Holy Land are
constantly discussed and nothing remains but
TO make il SO greatly To the Sutan's advantage
that he will be willing give the desired per
ruisss,n 10 colonize as widely as the Jews may
wish. Not only have the Zonists been busy. but
ORGANIZATIONS which are free from bias one way
or the 9th r have been working among the Jews
already resident in Palestine and have created
a leaVeI of expert farmers which would be sur
fcient To give life the whole mass of city
iwellers who would of course. form the bulk of
the immigrant population.
There are now about sixty thousand Jews in
the Holy Land. forming about per cent OF the
entire population The laws of Turkey as they
stand at present forbid the entrance into Pales-
tine If any jew except for period of six
months: not long ago the limit was one month.
However. there are many Jews who were born
in the country. and to these added the num-
her who recognize the fact that under Turkish
rule one can have about what one pays for.
/ eople with money in their pockets. and a
judicious idea of the right way of spending it.
are not likely To be denied admittance. In this
way the number Of Jews in their ancient land
is increasing rapidly. The vast majority OF the
population of the country is engaged in agr-
culture fully ~ per cent Of the whole 1t was
natural. therefore. that the foreign Israelites of
wealth should try to benefit their co-religionists
resident i'm the Holy Land by making them
practical farmers.
Assistance has come from two quarters
Alliance Isra6ite Unverseile and the Jewish
Colonization Society founded by the Baron de
IIirsch Neither OF these societies is Zionistic
in character Many prominent followers Of the
movement also members of the Alliance.
and the same is true Of the Colonization Society:
but the aim OF each is 10 benefit Jews without
regard to the eventual return to Palestine.
TWENTY-THREE COLONIES NOW
In all there are twenty-three colonies in Pales-
tine. founded by Jews for jews. and teaching
the members TO become expert growers of
grapes oranges. wheat and the like. and 10
raise cattle according to scientific principles.
TO give idea OF the size Of the viney ards
which are worked by these colonists it may be
mentioned that one colony. Rishon-le Zion
ceiyes from its own lands and those Of the
adjace five colonies sufficient grapes To make
annually three million litres of wine. which is
sold a wholesale for about 40 centines a litre
the whole amounting 10 nearly So, b.On "A year
Another colony. ZicrOn-Jacob. makes a third as
much, while another. Rosh-Pinah produces
comparatively little. Altogether the Jewish col
onies produce well over S6UDVv worth of wine
every year.
The largest and oldest Of the agricultural
schools Of the country is Mikweh Israel we'll
named the Hope Of Israel founded at Jafa
thirty years ago. This fourishing colony
teaches for the most part the Jews Of the sur
rounding country. once the most fanatical peo-
pie in the Holy Land. but receives also Mussul-
and Christians when they desire to enter.
This school. founded 10y Charles Meter,
whose name is bright in the annals Of the
movement, is under the care Of the Alliance
Israelite and has done much toward the success
of the other colonies. When the great persecu-
tions in Russia I'm lSS1 and lSs. drove Jews in
large numbers TO Palestine the graduates of the
Jaffa school proved the salvation Of the new
corners. They taught the city people the use
OF farm implements and the necessities of the
climate and made il possible for them To find
d living in land which otherwise would have
proved unmindful OF their sentimental claim
upon it. Since 1sS2. also, there has been a
trades school i'm Jerusalem. that what was
done in the of these Russian refugees will
be done again and even better should the Sultan
give his permission To the ZiOnists to send
home the hundreds of prosecuted in Ru-
mania, Russia and Gaiatia who are only too