The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-05-23
RESPECTS IE.R
Arp's Reply to Lester fIom &
brew Lady
ghe 0b5eatea u.s. couHle efH
aatea-A NaIatfo Frkenu
MEsstntementa wHleR mna
elndty AeEnpwleaHea

A good lady, q neighbor and friend,
bought one Of my books and express
ed her pleasure at its perusal, but
found one fault that did not har
monte with her Hebrew feelings for
she is a Jewess. Tn two places she
found d sportive anecdcte that re
Elected upon some Of her people, bub
they were too good TO be suppressed,
and would have been told on Gentfies
as well. My respect for the Jews has
been too often expressed I'M my LETT
tiers to be questioned. II IS not mere
respect, but IL Is wonder and admira=
tion. I rejoice with them thai the
ages Of persecution have passed. and
that they can now worship God ac-
cording to their conscience and the
faith Of their fathers. Their ances-
tors appeared at the very dawn OF
creation. They have been brokea
up and scattered time and again, but
have preserved their sacred literature
and customs and religion, and have
outliyed every nation that oppressed
them. They have had no king nor
ruler o political head. and have
been scattered among al chimes and
peoples, but have never lost their ma
tionality nor mixed their blood with
any other people. They have for ceP-
turtles struggled against the Egyp-
tians, syrians and Romans, and sur
vived them all. They were in later
centuries prescribed by the Catholics
Of Spain, the Protestants of Norway,
while their prosecutors sang the
songs Of the Psalmists and taught
the wisdom Of their prophets. We re-
joice that their d%eliverance from per-
secution came along with that of
own when we proclaimed religious
liberty and civil equality to all who
made America their home. | have
long admired that people, who have
exeelled in domestic virtue, in obedi-
enee to law, whose children honor
and obey their parents. Rarely
among them are found convicts or
criminals or drunkards or suicides, or
divorced men or women Their names
seldom appear on the dockets of the
courts. And yet they are patriots
when patriots are wanted. KosciuskO
had no drawer troops than the Pol
, ish Jews who followed his banner,
and if I had to name the most faith-
full soldier I ever saw in u civil
war / would name Jonas, of our town
Of Rome, a Jew who v shirked a
duty or avoided a battle o. l@oitered
J on a march. We have not forgotten
how he came to time after Q long
days march from the Chicahominy tc
E Rapidan, and when the colonel said
4 "Mr. Jonas. where is your company
2 the tired soldier came TO a salute ans
> said, II ish der komp'ny" That Iona
was an uncle to Israel Jonas, WHO az
y Atlanta knows, and who is nov
prominent in New York eomPercia
circles.
With great reverence d. 1 recal
our own Judah p. Benjamin, GU
secretary Of war. and on whom MI
Davis leaned for counsel more tina
upon any member Of his cabinet. II
was a very great man, or he coul
not have gone to England and wOrke
n. his way, unaided, to the very top 9
ID the English bar, and within eigh
years be appointed queens cOuns'
over the most learned members c
the profession. I have not fOrgOtte
the perfect loneliness of the Jewes
Rebecca in Scott's story Of Ivanho0
You nay find broken VOWS and sep'
rations and Opponents in fact and
fiction, but not among the Jews. The
are in every town and city and aT
more Of an example than a menaC
to people and u institution
Their names are found responding I
eyery charity, and I noticed that tn
university fund was materially aide
by their hberalfty, and | could NJ
help wondering how much u Chri
tian people would have given to a
some great Jewish school or charity.
I would like to write more abo'
these Hebrews, for, as St. Paul said
the Romans, with them was col
mitted the oracles of God" But I a
not well to-day, and must defer to
more propitious season.
In my last letter I made a mistaI
Use that must be corrected. I said tn
there were but ten months uni
Julius Caesar and Augustus Caes
81 put in two more and named the
July and August. Somehow 1 ha
N had that impression all my matu
life, agd. strange to say, 1 was &C
rected a few days ago by my go
NJ friend Gassett, q mulatto mercha
of our town. who is well educat
and a student Of ancient history.
~ wrote me a resnectful letter and St
that Numa, a Roman emperor. "
reigned $50 years before the Caesa
= put in January and February for t
two months, and the Caesars 81
changed the names OF Quantities. q
SETTLES (the fifth and sixth to j.
and August. So I make the corr
in ton with pleasure and give the ere
SON to friend Gassett.-Bfu ARP, in
lanta Constitution.
New Imposition.