Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-16
Special Correspondence of The Star


LONDON, August 6. 1908.
Israel Zangwill. famous novelist and
foremost writer of stories Of Jewish life
who erstwhile had only been known as
an artist dreamer and idealist, continues
now to attract attention as a man of at
fairs. as a politician-it is his own word
and organizer in behalf of the Jewish
cause. AS founder. president and most
active worker of the Jewish Territorial
Organization Uto), which seeks for the
establishment of the prosecuted Jews on
a soil under a government of their own.
he has for the last three years given all
his time to this work, and 1T came out
In an interview with the writer that the
noted author has almost abandoned his
distinguished literary career for the sake
Of his great plan for the establishment OF
"Itoland." as he calls it, a land for the
Jewish people under the suzerainty OF
some free government. The only new
literary work which Mr.. Zangwill has
attempted recently is a play. and that is
expected to be of especial interest to
Americans, for the piece deals with Jewish
immigration in the United States. The
work has been suggested by the activities
Of the emigration department of the Jew
fsh Territorial Organization. which has
been instrumental in directing emlgrants
to the south and west of the United States
by way of Galveston.
1t was in the London office of the Jewish
Territorial Organization on Portugal
street that I found Mr.. ZangWill on
recent occasion. Mr. Zangwill pleaded
fervently and eloquently for the need of
creating a haven of refuge for the OPP
pressed in Israel
But Jewish politics do not seem to ex-
haust your activities" 1 suggested. You
have lately been taking prominent part
in the women's suffrage movement?
Yes. and l have been asked to speak
in almost every town of the United King
dom. but the Ito limits my possibilities
of other political work. Ny interest in
female suffrage, however, is not recent:
In my very first novel, THE Premier and
suffrage. which was granted by the con-
servative party. So that II Mr.. Asqulth
does not wake up my prophecy will come
true, as several other political prophecies
in the same book have already done. The
Jewish people should take lesson from
the suffragist party. The trouble is that
the Jews are not in earnest. They do not
either care about their nationality or their
religion; If they did our problems would
be solved with as much comparative
speed as the women's suffrage problem
is being solved. In saying this l omit
neither the Zionists nor the 1tofsts. With
very few exceptions, there Is no really
deadly determination in the Jewish peo-
pie to achieve anything whatever. and
without this deadly determination, which
includes the readiness to die for cause.
nothing will ever be achieved by the
jewish people as whole. This Is the
real feeling that is unconsciously behind
the manifestations of anti-Semit1sm
which to that extent are deserved. The
Jews have not won the respect of the
world. A successful Jewish state Or an
earnest attempt to realize the Jewish
religious mission in the lands of disper-
sion is the only thing that will redeem
our people"
'One must not forget, said the cor
in the course of the CONVERSE
ton. unless you have already forgotten
books. I see that lately an edition de
luxe OF your works was brought out. but