Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-09-19

preach to the Jews In the most con-
gested Jewish quarter in order to con-
vert them. The mayor answered as
follows:
Reverend and Dear Sir-It seems to me
that this work OF proselyting from other
religions and sects is very often carried
too far. Do you not hin the Jews have
a good religion? Have not the Christians
appropriated the entire Jewish sacred
scriptures? Was not the New Testament
also written entirely by Jews? Wal not
Jesus also born of the Jewish race, IL 1
may speak of it with due reverence? Did
not we Christians get much or the most of
what We have from the Jews? Why
should any one work so hard to prosely-
tie the JewG His pure belief in the one
true living God comes down to US even
from the twilight of fable and is the one
dnbroken lineage and tradition Of the
world. l do not think 1 should give you
a license to preach for the conversion of
the Jews in the streets of the thickly set
tied Jewish neighborhoods which you des-
ignate. Would you not annoy them and
do more harm than good? How many
Jews have you converted so far7 Very
truly yours. W. J.. GAYNOR. Mayor.
Perhaps this letter also displays the
mayors own profound belief In God,
which seems to be his whole creed.
His use of pure Anglo-Saxon In his
oral and written speech is remarkable.
Attempt to Kill Him.
In August, 1910, a discharged city
employee tried to assassinate Mayor
Gaynor. He came up behind the may
or on the deck of an ocean steam
er, where the mayor stood talking with
friends who had come aboard to see
him off to Europe, and, placing a pis-
tol close to the back of the mayors
head, fred. The bullet entered back
of the right ear and, changing It's
course two or three times, passed
through his throat. 1t was never ex-
tracted. At first 1t was thought that
the mayors voice was permanently
gone. But 1t came back by degrees,
and during the past two years he made
many public speeches.
This assault on the mayor revealed a
new phase in his character, a most I'M
usual physical as we'll as mental cour-
age. The concussion rendered him I'M
conscious momentarily. but he strug-
gled to his feet and kept perfectly cool.
He did not manifest the slightest fear
of death. although he and every one
thought he was dying. He never
spoke of the matter.
In the fall of 1910 the Democratic
party called on Mayor Gaynor to run
for governor. He carefully considered
everything and then sent a letter to
the waiting convention saying that as
a matter of duty to the people of New
York city he could not resign as
mayor to accept another office. He
had since often said the office of mayor
was larger than that of governor and
second only to the presidency. Con
sidering the immense powers vested in
the mayor of New York. this is true.
The mayor had all along taken q
deep Interest in national politics. and
nothing in that field escaped him. His
speech on the tariff when Cleveland
first ran for president was widely cir
culated. 1t was one of the best. He
was a close student of national ques'
lions. FOR years he sp0fe-of favUfh'
ism in freight rates as the grossest
wrong of the age.
Fond of the old Farm.
Every year Judge Gaynor used to
visit his sisters, Miss Mary G. Gaynor
and Mrs. A. V. Lynch, who live in
Utica. From Utica he used to trolley
to Oriskany and then walk four miles
into the country to Skeeterboro, to