The San Francisco call., 1904-07-03


I'll T noticed a man in a long, heavy
ulster covered with snow. MS nat
drawn down over his eyes. walking
slowly down the restaurant, keenly ey-
ing every customer. he was OF me-
dunn height, with pointed Drown
heard. lively dancing eyes that oelO'
kened shrewdness. cOnceit and suspl-
cio,n and a straight nose which gave
the owner a certain dignity OF appear
ance His eyes took me in while ne
was vet several tables away. he
passed two or three vacant places ana
stopped at my table. He took his Dls
ulster off and hung II on the BACK OF
his chair, and then, without remoVlns
his hat, sat down. ruDolns MS hdnu7
and emitting a soft sign
IT'S getting cold" he said to me IN
Yiddish.
TT is" I answered abruptly, for his
appearance had aroused my dislike anu
1 did not care to talk to him
The waiter brought me the Borsch'
and hungriIy began on the sour soup.
My unwelcome tablemate first wasned
his hands, according to the orthodox
ritual. He recited aloud the apprOpIl-
ate benedictiOn over the bread, ana
took big bite thereof. trying 10 draw
the attention of other people 10 MS
piety.
He talked about the condition OF Ia
Dor on the East Side for a while, then
very deftly shifted the One-sided con-
VersatiOn to religion: The love Tor
Judaism. the religion their fathers
valued so previously, is entirely ext1n-
guished from the hearts of the younger
generation. The RussO-JeWish intelh-
gent young men who fled-Or, rather.
have been expelled-frOm the colleges
and universities despise that old Juda-
ism with it's mystic ceremonies and alb
surd formalities. A pure mOnotheistc
belief shrouded in a cloud of cere-
monies and symbols, may be beautiful
but it is by no means tenacious on the
human mind. 1t may be good philOSo-
ply, but it is poor religion. At least,
it is too remote for the average brain
to- grasp. 1t is belief in something OF
which We have no conception at all.
Don't stare at me so wildly 1 know
my people. I have lived and suffered
with them and for them and from
them. I once shared their hopes, their
ideas, their beliefs"
He paused and looked at me steadily
for a few seconds. His last words were
enigmatic, being so contradictory. to his
actions at first.
Then he resumed in a low tone:
These Russian-Jewish students de-
spise their ancestral belief; but to ac-
cept the more liberal and more human
Christian religion in the land Of ty-
ranny would be degrading. The Jew
likes to do everything voluntarily, but
nothing under compulsiOn- He pos
sesses the true spirit Of the poet and
the martyr. Coming over to this cOun-
try and finding most Of their country
men in a deplorable condition, and on
the other hand the reform Jews. who
are of the wealthier class, repelling
them, these young Russians have
drifted away from both. The former
would not assist them because they are
Tg1rf,~ T,No
selves because they claim those Rus
slams have too many ideas. Besides,
reformed Judaism cannot attract these
enlightened young men. That creed
has no life, no vitality, neither as a re-
Hgion nor as a philOsOphic theory; and
it's professors adhere to it from sheer
fashion or perhaps because they fear
the aversion of their Christian neigh
bors, who dislike infidels. Some of
these young men, in fact, find some So
lace in socialism. What are anarch-
ism and socialism If not the impulses
of ambition that fall short? Anarchism
is no idea at all; it is merely the hatred
that springs up in the breast Of
stripped rival. When one loses in a
race he is more likely to find fault with
the winner for his own defeat than
with himself. Hence socialism and
anarchism.
THE only remedy for these intel1-
gent young men is to adopt new
faith that will stream fresh blood, so
to speak, in their veins and resuscitate
them-I mean Christianity. They
would also get some help from Chris
tian philanthropists, and would con-
tinue to lead the life they had dreamed
of in their native land"
He stopped talking and cut the meat
the waiter had set before him.
You were innocently convicted sew
eraI weeks ago." he went on. Who
was at fault but the naughty rabbi ?
1t was not because he hated you indi-
vidually; he hated your nationality.
The wealthy American Jews are retail
ating on their own poor co-religiOnists
for the prejudice they suffer from the
gentiles. They look down upon you
Russians, with all your intelligence,
unsurpassed hberality and broadmind-
edness, and, II possible, ostracize you
from their clubs and societies. But the
American gentle has no such feeling.
He would be willing to accept your
company and friendship. In short, my
friend, I can help you," he ended sig
nificantly, "and you will be able to
earn your livelihood easily and pursue
your studies besides II you like"
He now arose to leave, and finding
me silent said: Think it over. My
name is Gavniack. I'll see you to-mor-
row."
Saying this he threw a SO bill upon
the table and hurried out OF the res
taurant before could stop him. I ran
after him to return his money, but he
was lost in the crowded street
CHAPTER TX
THE MISSIONARY AGAIN.