The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-21
rHE RussrAN sAvAoERY.

THE RUSSIAN sAvAGERY. In all the history of human barbarity of modern times, there is nothing to compare with the damnabie atrocity. of the Russian massacre of the Jews. Many of the large newspapers of the country give particulars. but they are too horri- ble for detail. In the early history of our country there were many instances of barbarity committed by the Indians, but the latter were what we are wont | to call savages, and they were incensed in many cases by mistreatment, and by the belief. too well founded. that their country was to be taken from them. Their crueities were the result of their I life training, and were too often in re- taliation for injuries inflicted by the
 whites. Then, too, they fought in defence of their homes. and of the graves of their ancestors. as all races of men have fought l since time began.
 The Russian murderers can plead no such palliation for acts which make civilization hide its head in shame. The Russians claim to be a civilized people | and a Christian people. They would re- | sent the implication that they are sav- ages, if the term should be applied to them. Really. those who were guilty of the recent acts are below the savages. of Africa or the islands of the sea. As Poe says: t They are neither brute nor human, They are neither man nor woman,
 They are ghouls.
 We are told that the Russian Govern | ment has forbidden the Jews to defend | themselves against their prosecutors. They are not suffered to bear arms or to | take any measures for protecting them- selves. They must passively submit to | whatever their enemies do. And, read
 ing from these things, we are forcibly re- minded of another country and another event in which this same race figured all
 most five centuries before the Christian
 era. Then the Jews had given offence | to one Haman, and he obtained from
 Ahasuerus an edict that they may be
 destroyed" This edict was issued by the King and sent out to all the provinces | of Medea and Persia ito destroy to kill, I and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and wo-
 men," But Esther, it will be remem- | bered, found favor with the King and
 pleaded with him for her people til he
 relented, but, because no law of the Medes and Persians could be recalled or abrogated, the King issued another or der granting to the Jews throughout his dominions the right 'fo gather them- selves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay. and to cause to perish, all the power of the people that would assault them," etc. The result of I this order was that the Jews in all the provinces, thus privileged to defend them selves, turned on their prosecutors and slew of their foes seventy and five thouss and" one statement reads, though that is probably only a part of the slain in all parts of the kingdom
 This beautiful story of Esther is pecu, liariy appropriate just now, because of the similarity of circumstances. The persecution of the Jews there was because they were different from the Medes and
 Persians. especially in their religious
 observations, and for that they were to
 be slaughtered, just as the Russian Jews were slaughtered because of their relig-
 ion. It is a thousand pities that there
 was TO Esther there who could have
 pleaded with the same effect that the | fair cousin of old Mordecai plead with the I L( i0u aP he Mada
 with the same effect. It might have i taught to modern brutes the same lesson
 that was taught to the ancient ones.
 We have several times seen the sug
 gestion from our contemporaries that our Government should do something"
 such advice. Neither our own nor any
 other Government can interfere. The
 United States. for example, might send
 solemn protest and it would have the
 same effect that pitching feathers would
 have on a grizzly bear. The civilized
 Governments can express their horror and condemnation of such brutality, but
 they can do no more. If other Govern
 ments wish, they can offer inducements
 to the persecuted Jews to emigrate to countries where they will receive justice,
 but that Is all. The good people of the
 United States can send money and other
 material aid to the sufferers, and that
 is being done. Our Government can pro-
 test and private individuals can send aid
 and nothing more. The cruelty and hor-
 TOT of the deeds of Russians will fade
 from public notice and be forgotten un-
 til some ne act of devilish persecution
 again arouses the indignation of civili-
 zation. As Burns writes
 Mans inhumanity to man
 | Makes countless thousands mourn,
 and while humanity shudders and civili-
 zation shrinks ashamed before the de-
 tails of such horrors mo outside interfer-
 ence can do good. Any attempt of an- other Government to interfere might
 really make matters worse, for Russia
 is largely law unto herself and is not
 to be turned from her savage ways by
 protests or remonstrances. The rugged
 Russian bear" as Shakespeare writes.
 is not an animal to be intimidated or
 turned aside by written or spoken words.
 We can only express our disapproval and
 uf1 Nl.n A-rN