Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-28
LIFE WORK OF T. HERzL.
Palestine Would Be Jewish Country
Had He Lived. ..4


Palestine would be a Jewish country
today if Thcodor Herzl had not died.
Herzl was the George Washington of the
Jews-one Of the most remarkable and ro-
mantle figures of this generation. He
died four years ago of heart disease.
About the time that our civil war began
Herzl was a baby in Jewish home in
Vienna. He was well educated, and. be-
ing by nature brilliant ard magnetic. he
became leader among the Niennese 'in-
tellectuals.' Until he was thirty-five
years old he did not interest himself in
the troubles or in the destiny OF the
Jews. He was content to write plays for
the Niennese theaters, and clever qllibs
for tie papers ana magazines.
Then came the tragedy of the Dreyfus
ease. Herzl went to Paris and saw with
his own eyes how the Jews were hated
and thrust to one side. To hiah-spirited
lew such as Herzl this was intolerable.
He realized with sudden amaZement the
humiliation of his race-how they were
everywhere q homeless tribe of interlop-
ers and irtruders, living only by suffer
ance of foreign nations who were all
more or less hostile at heart.
Being Il writer, lie naturally put his
feelings into a book-such a book as the
Jews had not seen since the days of
Isaiah. He wrote it in eight weeks. end
It startled Europe like an explosion. Since
then it has been translated into many
languages. You will find it in most OF the
.arger American libraries under the title
If THE Jewish State"
THE Jews are a peope-one people.
They want a country of their own and
they shall have one" This was the motif
of Herzrs book. 1t was the war cry of
4 new crusade; and Eerzl, against his
will and greatly to his surprise. was
swept off his feet by sudden rush of
his fellow-Jews and transformed into a
second Moses. who had arisen to lead his
scattered people back to the pro,ni sed
land.
Greatness was thrust upon him, with q
vcnSance: but in year or SO he ripened
into the ablest leader whom the Jews
have ever had in modern times. AS Moses
went to Pharaoh, so HcrZl went straight
to the sovereignS of Europe with tho
same old demand-'Let my people go.''
He convinced Emperor William of Ger
many and became his intimate friend. IIe
won over the King of Italy he impress
hat Joseph Chamberlain, the prime min
ister, offered him a new home for the
Jews in Africa. He got the Russian gov
arnment to approve his plans; and even
the sultan himself surrendered
1t is stated that there was one meeting
between HerZl and the sultan when the
sultan agreed to give Palestine char
ter of self government. 1t was to have
its own ruler army, flag and congress
in return for a yearly tribute. To bind
this bargain the sultan demanded $780,
40 This amount was a bagatelle to the
12DOO,OO0 Jews of the world. 1t Mas
about 60 cents apiece. 1t was less than
Daniel Guegenheim's smelters produce in
4 couple OF weeks. But it was too much
fer He'll He would have given his
hands-his feet-his head, if the sultan
mad asked him: but he was not Roths-
child or a Schiff or a Guggenheim, and
so the bargain fell through.
Today followers of HerZl are like sheep
without a shepherd. There are several
hundred Thousand Of them in all colln-
tries-Zionists they call themselves. They
Ire supporting a few small colonies of
Jews in Palestine and planting 'IIerzl
forests of olive trees. But their great
20 to the kings. or, better still. to the He
brew money kings. and to finish the work
which Herzl so magnificentiy began.
Who will be the millionaire Moses ot
the Jews? This is today the question of
auestions-Herbert n. Casson, in Hamp-
tons Magazine.