The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-04-23
BILL ARP.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A good lady, nerSEDor anu iIieHu,
bought one of my books and expressed
her pleasure at its perusal. but found
one fault that did not harmonic with
her Hebrew feelings, for she is a
Jewess. In two places she found a
sportive anecdote that reflected upon
some of her people, but they were too
good to be suppressed. and would
have been told on Gentiles as well.
My respect for the Jews has been too
Cften expressed in my letters to be
questioned. 1t is not mere respect, but
it is wonder and admiration. rejoice
with them that the ages OF persecu-
ton have passed, and that they can
now worship God according to their
fathers. Their ancestors appeared at
the very dawn of creation. They have
bean broken up and scattered time
and again, but have preserved their
sacred literature and customs and re-
ligion. and have outiived every naticn
that oppressed them. They have had
no king nor ruler nor political head,
and have been scattered among all
climes and peoples, but have never
lost their nationality nor mixed their
blood with any other people. They
have for centuries struggled against
the Egyptians, Syrians and Romans.
and survived 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 .deliyerance from per-
secution came along with that of our
own when We proclaimed religious
liberty and civil equality to all who
made America their home. have long
admired that people, who have eX-
cellei in domestic virtue, in obedience
to law, whose children honor and obey
their parents Rarely among them are
found conviGts or criminals or drunk
ards 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. Kcsciysko had no braver
troops than the Polish Jews who fol-
lowed his banner, and if l had to
name the most faithful soldier | ever
saw in our civil war | would name
Jonas, Of our town Of Rome, Jew
who never shirked a duty or avoided
battle or loitered on march. We
have not forgotten how he came to
time after n long days march from
the Chicahominy to Rapidan,. and
when the colonel said. 'Mr. Jonas,
where is your company" the tired
soldier came to a salute and said, Il
ish der komp'ny." That Jonas was
an uncle to Israel Jonas, who all At
lalta knows, and who is now proEl-
rent in New York commercial circles.
With great reverence do | recall
our own Judah P. Benjamin, our
secretary Of war, and on whom Mr..
Davis leaned for counsel more than
upon any member Of his cabinet. He
was very great man. or he could not
have gone to. England and worked his
way unaided, to the very top OF the
English bar, and within eight years
oe appointed queens counsel over the
most learned members Of the profes-
sion. have not forgotten the perfect
loyeliness Of the Jewess Rebecca in
SCOTS story Of Ivanhoe. You may ind
broken vows and separations and
eiopements in fact and in fiction, but
not among the Jews. They are N eV-
cry town and city and are more OF an
example than e menace to or peo-
pie and our Institutions. Their names
are found responding to every charity"
and noticed that the university found
was materially aided by their liber-
ality, and | could not help wondering
how much our Christian people would
have given to- aid some great Jewish
school or charity.
I would lIl1e to write" more abous
these Hebrews, for, as st. Paul said
to the Romans, with them was CON-
mitted the oracles Of God But I am
not well today, and must defer to
more prcpftfous season.
In my last letter I made mistake
that must be corrected. said that
there were but ten months until
julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar
put in two more and named them
July and August Somehow have had
that impression all my mature life,
and, strange to say, I was corrected
a few days ago by my good friend
Gassett, a mulatto merchant Of our
town. who is we'll educated and stu
dent of ancient history. He wrote me
a respectful letter and said that
Numa, a Roman emperor, who refgned
two hundred and fifty years before
the Caesars. put in January and Feb
ruary for the two months, and the
Caesars only changed the names OF
Quintiles and Sextiles (the fifty and
sixth) to July and August. So / make
the correction with pleasure and give
the credit to friend Gassett.-Bi Arp
in Atlanta Constitution.