The sun., 1908-01-10

A Jew's Scntlmentn ADWut the Ten MililS1
ChIIdren OG Ham and Unele Sam.


To THE EDIToR OF THE sUN-Sir: BY q
curious coincidence this mornings mail
brought mo two communications. both pro-
vOked by my recent pididoBer In your paper
In behalf of the nekro-the one was a vehe-
ment attack upon me by Yiddish New York
daily. the other an invitation 10 attend the
Carnegie Hall meeting to take place on Janu-
ary ~ next. under the auspices OF the COM
mittee Of the Armstrong Association and
with the cooperation Of Governor Hughes,
ard which promises TO be one Of the politico-
social events Of the season,
knew that I should, by my plea in behalf
OF the negro, stir up n hornets nest among
those OF my cOreligionists who like many
OF their Aryan brethren, cannot digest the
fact that there Is living in this country a popu-
lation OF about lO.OOO.OO0 l. e., considerably
larger than that Of Scotland and Ireland
combined. claiming and lighting for their
social and political rights AZ our ancestors
fought during centuries in central Europe
and as almost tWo-thlrds OF our people are
still lighting for theirs in Russia, Rumania
and parts OF the Orient.
But there Is, happily. an elite among the
Jews Of the United States who do not forget
that they also we're slaves in Egypt. taking
the defence Of their black brethren from
the pulpit, platform. the editorial chair and
through the most powerful instrument OF our
time--the check book. Paul NJ. Warburg
honors himself and his race by being one
OF the i've white trustees Of Tuskegee Insti-
tute. and DR.. Felix Adler will raise his voice
at the above mentioned meeting from the
same platform as Booker 7. Washington, the
black Moses Of the South. am sure eX-
Mayor Seth Low. who will preside over the
Carnegie Hall gathering. will gladly give the
floor TO DR.. Samuel Sohulman, the learned
and eloquent rabbi Of Temple Bethel. before
or after the negro Bishop Of Indianapolis.
the Most Rev. Abraham Grant. one OF the
most powerful and interesting figures OF the
episcopate OF the African Methodist Church
To sho* our doubling Thomases among
the Jewish theologians and my coreiRionists
at large that in taking the defence Of brother
Ham brother Shem stands on the firm ground
OF Judaism. wish to call their attention to
the following passages from a paper by Rabbi
Abraham Hirscbberg on The Problem OF
the Negro From the Standpoint Of the jew, "
which was published on April 25. 1908 in the
Reform Advocate. edited by the Rev. Dr..
Emil G. Hirsch Of Chicago. the leading Reform
rabbi OF this country, whose profound Sem
itic scholarship almost equals his unpaT-
alleled Oratorical gifts:
The negro 10 still a slave serf to the expressions
OF Inherited prejudices. Abraham Lincoln emsn-
cipated him, but we still deprive him OF his man
hood. When we say This is a white mans land"
we not only utter a fslsehood but We do violence
10 the Constitution OF the country and the higher
law OF God. THIS Is none but Gods country: all
men are HIS children. Who can say Have we not
all one Father. has not one God created us all 4"
and then In the very next breath deny TO the negro
hts patrin,ony and his humanity
In the present crisis there Is given To the Jew
Of to-day glorious opportunity to show that tne
protestatlons which he has been making for cen .
turtles are not ephemeral. but honest and sincere.
He has claimed to he the champion OF humanity
and the banner bearer OF truth. Where
fore, above all others. he must show and now come
into the open and demand that Justice be done to
the negro. Only those who have experienced
persecution can fully and deeply sympathize with
the prosecuted. Misery makes brothers OF stran-
gers. and we with tho tradition OF centuries OF sur
ferng behind US. would be unfsthful to such memo
res were We now to turn deaf ear To the appeal
OF a prosecuted and struggling people.
The uplifting OF 1900 OC0 black men Il indeed
a noble tesli 70 which any man may well conse-
crate his hOlest cadcavors. Let US, as Israeites
prove ourselves worthy Of our inheritance and be
the leaders In the great and glorious Victory which
some day viii be won when reason conquers preju-
dice. Justice tTiumphs over might and truth ilum-
Ines the whole world.
II is now up to Rabbi Hirschberg's col
leagues to show whether they mean it when
they speak in enthusiastic terms Of the great
world religion OF Love founded by our proph-
cts OF old, or whether they wish to stand
by silent and Indifferent while under their
eyes, under the pressure OF prejudice 10, 600, =
900 children OF Uncle sam are forced 70 have
their separate churches secret orders. news
papers. banks. social organizations. yea
their separate towns, and are thus rapidlv
developing into a nation within a nation.
with their own racial heroes and martyrs and
saints. We Jews know the tragic signifi-
cance Of the Russian Pale. Is il not our duty
to show to the American people the dangers
OF Black Pale in the South and its Inelan-
choly branch offices in the North. East and
West?
There is happily no Jewish problem in
this country for those of US who have Rrasped
the spirit OF our time: We are free men in a
free land and can AFFORD TO leave 10 their
fate the few pharisaic ROmanticsts and
their moral and financial hackers who prefer
the imaginary flag Of Zion to Uncle SANS
| powerful banner. We liberal minded Jews
have therefore our elbows free to help men
like James Bryce. Andrew Carnegie, Seth
Low. George Foster Peabody and their CO.
workers in their heavy task OF uplifting a race
| of 10000, 900. who only ask the opportunity
| to develop freely their moral, political and
| intellectual faculties. to be Judged indi-
vidually and not en- masse.
In doing this we shall not merely assist I'm
the performance Of an important public
| service but also confer an honor upon our
selves For. as Booker 7, Washington rightly
says. there s no work that so strengthens and
builds up a community as well az an indi-
vidual as that Of helping some portion Of
humanity that is humber and weaker than
themselves. IsIDoR SINGER.
NJ