The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-09
UNFORTUNATE IDENTIFICATION.

Recently there appeared in the col- umns of The Journal Courier an ac- count of collision between trolley ear and a wagon conveying q load of ice cream to its destination In the course of the article the statement was innocently made. that the wagon was driven by "a Jew" Since the article appeared the impropriety of the identification has been brought to our attention and presentation of the other side of the case made in ef- fectIve manner
 Obviously it was not the purpose of The Journal-C Courier to give of fense. A newspaper. like an lndvid- ual in the community, must depend for its standing upon the good will Of its readers and patrons. No one has discovered a quicker way to drive away ones friends and to organize an army of enemies than to be delib- erately intolerant of the views of others and inconsderate of the feel ings of others. Such an attitude, if ever justifable, is alone justihabe when great principle is at stake af- fecting the welfare of the greatest number Then a newspaper must take it's risk and fight for the better cause The use of the term Jew" in describing the driver of wagon, must then be accounted for on some other ground than either a desire to ] give offense or a fight for q great principle It can be accounted for on the ground of an unfortunate usage among people of all races, including the Hebrews themselves The exact meaning of the term has popularly l been lost sight of, If 1t was ever un- l derstood, and 1t has come to be view ed as a term describing the people of i ths Hebrew race. Into this error The Journal-Courier unfortunately fell in 1 describing the collision.
 The moment the exact meaning of the term is understood 1t becomes further understood why its use in any such connection, or In fact in any can nection not specifically religious, Is to say the least supernuous. The race one has in mind when the ob-
 iectionable term is used Is the Hebrew
 race. The religion which the Hebrew embraces is the Jewish religion, SC
 that while 1t Is proper to refer tC
 the worshippers in any one of the synagogues as Jews, the protest i'
 well made when the expression is
 used to Identify tho driver of a de.
 livery wagon Equally distastefu
 would it be to describe him as Cath
 ollie, Methodist or an Episcopa
 driver, More than anything elst
 which tends to make the use of tho
 expression Jew" objectionable, ai
 representative Hebrews view 1t, is tht
 imputed significance that the persol
 thus referred to is not an American
 before he is either q Hebrew or
 Jew. The mere fact that the use 0
 the term does appear to question tn
 patriotism of American citizens, wh' are in the forefront of society in tn possession of those civic, domesti and philanthropic virtues, which Ii
 at the very basis of law and order 1 quite enough to make its discontinu ance through a lack of usage desir able
 The Journal-Courier makes n heavy burden of apologizIng for tn unfortunate use it made of the eX precision, if apology Is needed, nor o - promising to beware of using if agai - except in it's proper relation, It is however a matter of interest to real ize that the term has crept, into nor or less general use US signifying wha 7 it does not actually signify and d mat 3 ter of greater interest and justice { , realize the necessity of substitutin