Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-12-02
Great Hebrew Leader Seeks
Neral Backing of American
Members of His Race
Hits Russian Bugaboo.
Frederic William Vile. Specia, Cores
pondent of The Tribune.

pondent of The Tribune
London Speciai-"Placed between
the dev and the deep sea, the Jews
of the world must hope for the tri-
umph of the allies and their cause.
Israel Zangwill said to The Tribune
correspondent today; not because they
hate Russia less but because they hate
Prussian reaction and m%ilitarisnl
more"
had been saying to the celebrated
Anglo-Jewish patriot and author that
American Jew baked at the idea Of
according their moral support to any
coalition of billigerents or to any
cause with which Russia was idonti-
fled.
1 reminded him that We of the Uni
tea States ourselves We're at this time
at l~oggerheads with cZardom in q mat
ter involving humanity to Jews m
general and our own Jewish fellow cit
liens in particular. l tried TO make
Zangwil understand that it was hard
for American Jews, wen those whose
memories did not go back farther than
kishineff and Beiliss. to generate en-
thusiasm for Russian arms.
Zangwlil required no such aSsur-
anceS from me. He has had a stream
of correspondence from America rails
ing the same pertinent point. and he
gladly embraced the opportunity. he
explained, to argue it through the col
umns of The Tribune.
Question to Consider.
The question for jews everywhere to
the interest of the higher civilization
in this war? We SHOULD not approach
the question purely from the stand
point of Jews by race. We should
weight it unselfishly from the stand
point of Jews by spirit.
My own convictions are not born of
the fact that | am either a Jew by race
or or Englishman by birth. They are
dictated by the conscience of a man
of letters who is in harmony with the
universalisti teaching OF the Hebrew
prophets and who boasts tina there is
moi a chauvinistic ~corpuscle in all the
blood that flows through his veins.
When this war began | ren1em-
bered that 1 had produced. among
many other works of art, three. at
least. which qualified me to claim for
myself utter impartiality.
During the Boer war l wrote The
Mantle OF Elijah an Indictment of the
British. Dom Pauis secretary. DR..
Leyds. told me, whers | visited KRUGER
In his exile in the Riviera. that the
mber OF Earper's containing it We're
read by the Beer soldiers in the field
and had cheered their hearts with the
thought that there were lovers of JUS
tce in England.
"A few years ago | wrote an indict-
ment OF everything that kaiserisrn and
Prussian miiitarism stand for, The
War Cod played by Sir Herbert Tree.
a drama which. in the light of events.
vas prophetic in detail of his present
attempt of Germany to impose its ar
fnored domination upon the world.
M q Ylilr yiayy s1fh1 NHAltr-~ IT,
not unknown in Sioux City, was.
among other things, q sweeping con-
1emnation of the Russian Pharaoh of
today.
Il think, therefore. l can claim to ap-
rroach the diagnosis of Armageddon in
no nyopic, bigoted spirit.
Play Teaches Forgiveness.
ITO remind ne of Kishinoff and rit-
ual murder prosecutions. as you do and
so many of my correspondents. is to
bring Goals to Newcastle. Why. my in
dictnent of Russia, The Melting Pot,
is playing in England at this very mo-
n1ent, Notwithstanding that Muscoyy is
our ally. But that very play teaches
plso reconciliation and forgiveness. and
he melting up of the past into Il finer
future.
You tell me the hope of liberty and
freedom for the Jew in Russia is dim
and dismal in the light of the cars
broken promises in the past. You say
American Jews fear that Russia's tri-
urnph in this war will spell even great
G. oppression for it's Jews than any
thing they have suffered hitherto. You
describe American wonder that liber-
allied England could have made COM
mon cause with reactionary Russia.
Influence of German Menace.
Let me deal with the last point
firs.. 1t is true that British concep-
lions of civilization find their exact
antithesis In Russia, SO far as the bu-
reancracy Is concerned. though GER
tainiy not SO far as teachers like Tol-
stoi and KrOpotkin (my neighbor in the
country, by the Way are concerned.
However, II we are strange and un-
natural political bedfellows, it is the
German menace. he military terrorism
which Germany has sought to impose
upon European mankind that has COM
PEELED Europe to organize and federate
Tor Its overthrow.
Republican rance alone was DOW
ertesS to resist 1t. 1t allied itself with
despOttc Russia in the hope that be-
tween them they might roll it back.
q q peril which had long been
merely continental and military be-
came pan-European and maritime.
That compelled England to affiliate it.
self with those others who were face
70 q with the German danger.
y admit that we have sunk below
the British level, officially viewed In
y Russian alliance. hut 1t IL q
many which has dragged us down to.
the plane Of brute force.
Effect Of Victory.
The same leveling process has
Brought all Europe to the lowest strata
l0i i,ncfviltzatlOn. war. but war waaed
Tor tho highest civilization, that is.
freedom and political peace.
sNxSkaon ahllr Ntsr.fnrxr a., .,.,- .. ,.a.A~...