The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-09-05
OSCAR STRAUS TALKS OF
JEWS IN AMERICA.

q
Russia Rather than to do that he win
walk into the jaws Of he'll.
"The Jew, denied his civil rights,
despoIled Of his property, seoureed,
and murdered, has only been made
tougher and Ionger.lived. His enemies
have given him strength and trained
him most admirably for the battle of
life, no matter in what part Of the
world fortune may lead him.
Years ago Americans did the
rough and heavy work of the nation
Then came the Irish, and the Amert
cans moved up. BY and by the 1tat
ians swarmed in, and the Irish grad.
uated from the trenches. When Broad
way was much shorter than 1t is now
all Of the names on the signs were
American. But those old-time mer.
chants became opulent, they no long
er desired to be small shopkeepers.
and so they went into the banks and
manufactures. Now the Jews have
their stores.
"In a generation the signs which
hang and. swing to-day in Broadway
will be down and others will be up.
Perhaps the names will be Italian.
No race goes.back in this country, but
EACH being prudent, Industrious and
ambitious. goes onward to better con-
dittons."
Conversion Among Jews.
Are many Jews becoming Chris
tians?"
mo. The very few who change
their religion do so from unworthy mo-
tfves l have known but one Jew
who embraced Christianity. He mar
ried a Roman Catholic, and was hap.
ny with his wife. On her deathbed
his little daughter asked him to &C.
cept her religion. He promised to do
SO, and thereafter was an earnest and
consistent Christian. He did right. I
would have done the same under sim
liar circumstances.
II have spoken of the spirituality
of the Jew, characteristic for which.
in my opinion. he is particularly dis
tingulshed over some OTTER races, but
generally he is like the rest of man.
kind. 1 believe, however, that he is
intensely patriotic, and I am proud
of the part he has taken in the de-
velopment of this country. think
the Jews tolbe equal in patriotism to
any class of Americans.
"You hear that the Jewish mind is
exceptionally acute. That is an ex-
aggention. All of us want the things
which are withheld. The Jew, depriv-
ed OF an education in various parts of
Europe, comes here, and, finding free
schools. satisfies the hunger from
which his mind and heart have Ian
gulshei. His intellect is the average
and no more"
Mr. Straus then spoke of his SER
vice as Minister to Turkey.
Trouble Over Missionaries.
ave got into trouble there because
of the missionaries" he said. There
were $50 Christian schools in Turkey.
Fifty of them had been forcfbly clos
ed. and unsuccessful efforts had been
made to open them. Colporteurs were
prevented, also, from distributing Bi.
bles and tracts.
II wrote a lawyers brief, based on
our commercial treaty with Turkey.
Parts of the Bible, you see, had been
sold by the colporteurs. and I took
the ground that interference with the
business of selling Bibles was a viola
tton Of our treaty rights. The schools
were opened and the distribution Of
Christian literature went on as before,
President Cleveland thanked me for
what did, and the Evangelical ALL
ance of England. through Lord Sails
bury sent me its Acknowledgement"
Minister Straus returned to Turkey
under Mr.. McKfnlay's first admins
tration.
81 had gone to the President" he
explained, "to suggest way out Of
the perplexities into which Cuba was
entangllng our government. I thought
the United States could bring about
the suzerainty Of Spain over Cuba,
precisely as Turkey had nominal au-
thorlty over Egypt, with Great Britain
in actual control Cuba could have
had It's own money, flag, army. and
government by paying an annual trib-
ute to Spain, and the United States
would have seen that each country
observed the arrangement. Such
things are done in Europe to save the
face Of the larger nation. thought
we might prevent a war with Spain.
although, as told MIR. Mckinley. |
was not a peace-at-anycost man. I'll
do my part said, and shoulder a
musket IL necessary
wnrk TO be Done In Turkey.