The Washington herald., 1908-07-12
"Justice to the Jew

Justice TO the jew"
How came they he4eg What burst Of Christian hate
What prosecutions. merciless ard blind.
Droyo DER the scu-that desert desolate-
These lshmaels and Hagars of mankindl
They lived in narrow streets and lanes obscure,
Ghetto and Judcns,rasse in mirk and mire;
Taught IN the school Of patience to endure.
The life of anguish and the death OF fire.
Pride and humiliation hand IN hand
Walked with them through the world Wheroer they
went:
Trnmpled and beaten were they as the sand.
And yet unshaken as the continent
For IN the background figures vague and vast,
OF patriarch and of prophet rose sublime.
And al the great traditions II the past
They saw reflected In the coming time.
And thus forever with reverted look
The mystic volume Of the world they read.
Spelling Il backward like a Hebrew book.
TIL life tec0mcs n legend Of the dead
But ahi what once has been shall BE- no mOrel
The nnaning earth in travail aud IN pain
Brings forth its nccs but does not restore
And the dead nations never rise again
-Longfeow.
Thus the poet crystallizes the history
of the Jews. but the Rev. Madison
Peters uses more argumentative. II less
poetic. method I'm their defense. In the
new and revised edition or Justice 70
the jew" which he has lately issued. he
resorts 10 every familiar fact Of history.
and some, perhaps, not so well known. IN
his endeavor TO place the Hebrews In
tellectually. morally, and socially. on a
level with the other races OF the earth
We might say nation" but feel that
Longfellow's position in this respect IS
well taken. for as political unit they
have ceased 10 figure in the annals OF
mankind. but wherever scattered-and
like the Irish, they are everywhere-they
still preserve, 10 a remarkable degree.
their racial integrity This Is a point
upon which poet. "knight-errant." and
general observer all agree.
The learned author seems 10 have con-
stituted himself a veritabIe knight-er-
rant, vowed to right the never-ending
wrongs OF cruelty prosecuted and much
maligned people; incased I'm a seemingly
impenetrable armor of historical facts
leyeling HIS lance especially al that
species OF prejudice that come from gem
eral racial dlstrust. without regard 70
general truths, and an utter disregard
OF personal worth. He states. clearly and
forcibly. q series OF reasons why what he
terms this unreasonable persecution of
the Jews should cease, setting forth the
tremendous influence for good both col
leCtively and Individually. they have ex-
crted upon the history of the nations;
but he omits 10 clearly state. or dwell at
length upon, the causes which have led
up 70. and still serve 10 perpetuate. this
racial antipathy.
He begins his discourse with the splen-
did essay OF oscar S Straus. Secretary
or Commerce and Labor. upon "The in
huence Of the Hebrew commonwealth
upon the origin Of republican government
IN the United States" and then GOES on
10 show the accomplishments Of the race
under the captions, Jews. Not Jewels.
In the Discovery Of America. - The Jews
In Early America. The Jew as a Sol
der and Patriot" What the Jew Has
Done for the World" Money and the
Jews. Jewish Traits and Character
istics,' and Justice 70 the Jew
enumerating the attainments OF race in
war, statescraft. art. literature. science.
benevolency, commerce. and social up
rightness. and by this means he Ger
tainly builds up a powerful argument
making a book OF absorbing interest 10
Jew and Gentle alike.
Departing, however, from a mere OBJ
servation Of Mr. Peters work We feel
constrained 20 believe that his structures
cannot fall with such severity on Amer
leans as upon other nations. for surely
by no other country has the Jew been
- accorded so much freedom Of individual
action. nor accorded so universal an ap-
probation, both politically and socially.
for his individual attainments: and as the
writer's efforts seem 10 take the form. at
least I'm places, Of a plea for individual
judgment we feel that his remarks
should not he taken too much at heart
by the intelligent masses OF the United
States. In this country, yea. IN this
-..v. we know men OF Hebraic extraction
who are Considered worthy OF the high
est places and the most profound respect.
occupying the highest rank politically.
socially. and morally. Under our insti-
tutlons the old feeling IS gradually dying
out. but, like Mr.. Peters, we feel that It
will be n long time before II will utterly
disappear. Only time. and a very long
time. can completely accomplish such a
thing. CNew York: The Mcclure Com
pany)