Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-20
LIFE WORK OF T. HERzL.
Palestine Would Be a Jewish Coun.
try Had He Lived.

Herbert y. Casson, in Hampton's Magazine
Palestine would be a Jewish country
today If Theodor 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 and magnetic, he
became leader among the Viennese '.in-
telectuals." 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 Viennese theaters, and clever quibs
for the papers and magazines
linen came the tragedy of the Dreyfus
case. HerZl went TO Paris and saw with
his own eyes how the Jews were hated
and thrust to one side. TO high spirited
Jew such as HerZl this was intolerabIe
He realized with sudden amazement the
humiliation Of his race-how they were
everywhere homeless tribe of interlop-
ers and intruders.. living only by suffer-
ance of foreign nations who were all
more or less hostile at heart
Being a writer, he naturally put his
feelings into d bookshelf book as the
Jews had not seen since the DAYS of
Isaiah lie wrote 1t in eight weeks, and
it startled Europe like an explosion Since
then it has been translated into many
languages. You will find it in most of the
larger American libraries under the title
of 1.-The Jewish State
The Jews are people-one people
They want country of their own and
| they shall have one" This was the motif
of Herzl's book 1t was the war cry OF
new crusade: and Herr, against his
Will and greatly to his surprise. was
n &c h,,
his fellow-Jews and transformed into a
second Moses, who had arisen to lead his
scattered people back to the promised
land.
Greatness was thrust upon him. with a
vengeance; 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 Herzl went straight
to the sovereigns of Europe with the
He convinced Emperor William of Ger
many and became his intimate friend He
won over the King of Italy. He Impress
ed the British government 50 favorably
that Joseph Chamberlain. the prime min
lister. offered him a new home for the
Jews in Africa. He got the Russian gov
eminent to approve his plans; and even
the sultan himself surrendered.
1t Is said that there was one meeting
between Herzl and the sultan when the
sultan agreed to give Palestine a char
ter of self-government. 1t was to have
it's own ruler, army, flag and congress
in return for yearly tribute. To bind
this bargain the sultan demanded $500
600. This amount was a bagate1le to the
~ 100000 Jews of the world 1t was
about GO cents apiece. 1t was less than
Daniel Guggenheim's shelters produce in
couple of weeks. But 1t was too much
for Herzl. He would have given his
hands-his feet-his head, If the sultan
had asked him; but he was not a Roths-
child or Schiff or 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 coun-
tries-Zionists they call themselves. They
are supporting a few small colonies of
Jews in Palestine. and planting 'Herzl
forests of olive trees. But their great
leader is dead. There is no one now to
go TO the kings. or better still to the He
brew money kings. and to finish the work
which .Herzl SO magnificently began.
Who will be the millionaire Moses of
| the Jews? This is today the question of
questions.