The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-03-30

WoiuSu III various f0DuC ACIlVlCles.
Ia the personnel Of the officers of
this Council .of Jewish Women are
some of the foremost women Of any
race in their communities. AS a lead
er IN Pittsburg, for instance, there is
none superior TO Mrs. Enoch Rauh. In
philanthropy she is specially noted for
her juvenile court work, but she is
an officer IN twenty city, county and
state associations and commissions
founded for benevolent works Of one
sort or another.
The same is true of Mrs. Joseph
Friend as TO leadership in women s
activities in New Orleans, and Of Mrs.
Eugene Friend in Milwaukee, and OF
Mrs Max Thaleimer in Syracuse, who
is one of the country's most effective
Juvenile court workers, and of Mrs.
Solomon Hirsch in Portland, Or.
Solomon Hirsch did notable service
as American ambassador to Turkey.
sharing the honors of that position
through the span of generation with
another of the nation S foremost Jews.
Oscar Straus Of New York And a
good share of the time another Ameri-
can Jew, Simon Wolf, was ably looking
after our country's affairs just across
the way as consul general in Egypt,
Mrs. Oscar Straus, by the way, has
had no superiors as leader among
been 7 leader among men, and that
has been often. a woman Of great
wealth of her own, she has been lavish
in her charities, as have the wives of
each of those three remarkable Straus
brothers, Nathan and the late lsador
being the others. While ''lady of
the cabinet in Washington. Mrs,
Oscar Straus was famous for her enter
tainments. She has been president of
10 ri
since the death Of tho Baron dc Hirsch.
The managing head Of that richly en-.
dowed and most practical of it's kind
among Jewish charities is one of the
ablest social workers in the country,
Rose Sommerfeld.
Reverting to the Council OF Jewish
Women. the guiding spirit OF the or
ganization is Miss Sadie American,
who was one Of its founders in 1893,
and is now the executive secretary.
Miss American has been a considera-
bic founder in other lines, too. She
was one Of the founders and still is
director OF the National Playground
association, She was the founder of
vacation schools In Chicago. She Sc
cured the first city appropriation for
public Fairgrounds in Chicago. She
was on the committee which drew up
the first juvenile court law.
Right here I go on record as say
ing that american is a perfectly APP
propriate Jewish name, for history
proves that the Jews have a mighty
good right to be in America. Some
are prone to look upon them as in
truders, whereas the truth Of the mat
ter is that they were here first.
First European in America Was Jew.
The first European to set foot upon
American soil was a Jew, Luis dc
Torres, the Interpreter that sailed with
Columbus. And the first sailor that
sighted land on that memorable voyage
was Jew, Rodrigo de Trana. Also, tho
Columbus expedition probably would
not have been possible if it were not
for the financial aid given by Luis de
Santangel.
The accepted school history story to
the effect that Queen Isabella pawned
her jewels to raise the necessary
money Is very pretty, bat that story
has been exploded by finding that her
jewels were already in pawn to help
pay one Of King Ferdinand IS war debts
Santangel advanced the equivalent of
Sl6O,O0O, the money necessary for the
enterprise, as a personal loan to the
king and queen. He was rich mer-
chant and, true to the instincts Of his
race, he "took long chance for, aft
er hearing Columbus story he deduced
that one who could sail ships by
shorter route to the rich Indies would
be In position to control untold pos
sibilities Of profit.
by which Columbus navigated The
discoverer's astronomical tabIes were
complied by Abraham Zacuto: hts sup
erintendcnt was Rodrigo Sanchez and his
ships physician was Bernai, another Jew
So. I say, Miss American IS not a mis-
nomer.
First in Business on New Continent,
II has been said that Columbus dis
covered only the land, while a Jew dis
covered the commercial, the business,
possibilties Of America
There Is truth In that, for when Co.
lumbus announced his success. Gabriel
Sanchez. a Madrid Jew. lost no time in
getting from King Ferdinand the first
world. franchise authorizing him to
sell grain and cattle to the Indians
Jews were developing the sugar trade
in South America before the Mayflower
north began. twenty-four Spanish and
Portuguese Jews came TO New York
from Brazil Governor Stuyvesant funned
and tried to drive them out, but the race
had been cursed in every language for
centuries and was used TO it, so these
first New York Jews did not mind. Stuy-
Vesant Kept on running. but before long
he got orders from the West India COM
pany TO let the Jews alono. for some OF
the influential shareholders In the COM
pany back in Europe were Jews.
Yes, the Jew seems TO have a good
right 10 the name American and there
are now no Americans who arc prouder
Of their ancestry than arc the descen-
dants Of those early Spanish and Portu-
guese Jews. Their names still linger
prominently In the De Cordoyas, the
Peixottos. the Carvalhos. etc
The original John Jacob Astor be-
gan the foundation OF the Astor for
tune by working for Jew. Hayman
Levy. dealer In furs IN New York. \
Jewish rabbi named SeINas was one OF
the incorporators Of Columbia college
now Columbia university. and there were
four Jews among the few organizers OF
the first American stock exchange.
But I diRTess from that dcpa rtment
store idea with which 7 started.
Painters, Sculptors. Authors,
Ask for an artist and you WIN find
women prominently displayed IN that de-
partment also There IS Katherine VI.
Cohen, noted as both sculptor and paint
CT. Her home is In Philadelphia. She Is
an honoTary member OK the American
Art association Of Paris and OF the New
"a ct,g nf "a