The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-07

during tho Thirty foAr0 war; Inc "o"S
purchased the soldiers loot, and thus null
tiplied ts,sir capital. From pawn-b oker.
ase they naturally turned TO peddling. and
the petilers often developed into travel
ling traders, purchasing the products OF
whole villages. especially furs and leather
Eventually, the great fair at Ieipsic be-
came q clearing house for the wares OF
north Germany. 1t was computed that
during the last quarter OF the seventeenth
century the three annual fairs at lRipeic
were visited BY 1880 Jews. The Frank
fort fair became the centre Of the Hebrew
book trade In the seventeenth century.
The fur trade was monopoliHed by Jews.
owing to their wide connections, which
ranged from Novgorod 10 Nantes.
In our own day. owing to variety Of
circumstances. the number Of Jews applying
Themselves 10 commerce Ia greatly in ex-
cess Of their proportion TO the general
population. Thus, among adult worker
In Prussia In 1891. no fewer than IS per
cant. OF the Jews were engaged in com
merce, a aSainst per cent. Of the rest OF
the population. In Italy the proportion
waa 20 IS to s. Mr.. Jacobs Oonstders 1t
fair to sAy thss twioe a. many Jews a.
Christians In proportion 10 their numbers
adopt commercial pursuits, Tho particular
branch Of commerce Ia which Jews seem
to excel IL dealing with money per 90. but
they arc also very successful a. factors
and shippers. The clothing trades appear
to b largely In the hands Of Jews. both
- regards manufacture and the whole
sale and retail trade. The tratac In furs
and feathers IL Also largely in Jewish hands.
The fancy goods trafic Ia almost Invariably
trade In imports, and here the cosmopoli-
tan connections OF the Jews have helped
them. In England tho fruit trade is wholly
in the hands Of Jews, because fruit can
be sold on Sunday. In the United States
the most striking characteristic OF Jewish
commerce 10 tho largo number OF depart
mont stores operated by jewish firms.
Before leaving this subject, We should
note that to jewish commercial activity
has been ascribed the introduction into
commercial law OF three important in
Dovations, namely, the making OF loans
on interest; the retention Of goods bought
bona fde. which has been applied In later
commercial Law to bonds and other securi-
ties payable 10 bearer and the introduction
or, at least, the extensive use Of bills OF
exchange. II Il still, however. a moot
point whether bills OF exchange we're not
introduced Independently Of the Jews.
'.
DR.. Kohler's article on Conversion
deals both with the conversion Of Gentiles
TO Judaism and With that OF Jews to Chris
tianity. II Ia pointed out that the whole
propAsandist literature Of the Hellenistio
Jews bad for ito object the conversion OF
the sentiles. though ito intention was
rather 10 make them observers o! the
Noaohidic laws, which included the worship
OF Jehovah - the only God, than members
Of the Abrahamitio Covenant, or full prose-
lytes. Attention 10 directed to the fact
that q prayer for the conversion Of the
heather Is offered At the close of every
service In the synagogue. In pre-Christian
times worry determined efforts were made
70 proeelyti1e the heathen: thus We read in
Matthew. 'Ye compass sea and land TO
make one prosaly,e.' A soon, however,
- the Christian Church took up the task OF
propAsandisrn, following the methods Of
Paul, who vas eager to h, 'the fulness OF
the sentlles oorne ln,' the zeal OF the Jews
diminishcd, and "the conversion Of the
gentilss.. which in Acts h represented ~
causing great Joy unto Ill TIE brethreh. >
became obnoxious 10 the synagogus.
No sooner had the Roman world been
conquered by Christianity than the con.
version Of the Jews became its ever-present
aim. TO many prosslytzers no bsrbarity
seemed too cruel TO he used ~ means OF
compelling tho Jews to join the Church,
although Pope Gregory l., Bernard Of
Csirvaux and otiser prelatss deprecated
harsh measures. Tie Roman pontihs
habitually compelled the Jews to attend at
least once . year the Catholic service for
the purpose Of hstsninS to oonveTionistic
APPEAL. The practice was followed also in
England, where . legal enactment for
bidding Jews to disinherit their baptized
children WA enforced. Early in the ,hir.
tsenth century England had IT, Hospital Of
Converts and House OF Converts In London
! and Oxford; in 1850 Pope Paul Ill. founded
! an institute for the conversion Of Jews.
! The outcome Of such efforts was unsstis-
factory. Luthsr's comment wss: 1t IL ~
easy 10 convert Jews as to convert the devil
himself"
| Tho modern era Of culture and reason
slgnally changed the attitude Of the Chris
tlan toward the Jew. No longer could the
broAd-minded Jewish man Of affairs such
~ Spain had produced In the period pre-
ceding the end Of the fifteenth century
look down with distiain upon hin intellec-
tually inferior Christian antagonist. The
breadth Of Wow and tho larger knowledge
WAS now on the side OF the Christian. while
cooped In the narrow Ghetto, the mind Of
tho Jew had become crsmped and his life
and thought were cireumscribed by the
Talmud. It was frequently from sincere
sympathy that Christian statesman and
religious leaders looked forward to the
day whom the veil OF Moses would be taken
from tho jewish people no that they should
no longer appear A. mere wreck and ruin
Of the past, . mummy preserved by the
centuries, only TO testify TO the living truths
Of Chrstianity.s Their conversion was one
Of The motives which led mon like Crom.
we'll, Sir Harry vsne aud Roger Williams
TO grant liberty and civil rights 10 tlse Jews
TN his side. the Jew came to regard Chris.
tianity In 4 different light, especially whore
Q return 10 the simple teachings Of the New
Testament became the aim Of many Chris
tians, snd whore the growth Of friendly
relations disclosed TO both Jew and Chris,
tiAn the fact that they had many moro In.
| terests to unite them than differences Ia