The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-29

nigh OF the soil tsc,f There. as 4
nucleus the Jews can again be them
selves in the best sens a. the term,
and once more the ancient religion mas
flourish rooted in the land dear 20 II
and drawing vitality from the atmos-
phere that Is OF right its own.
Just as the Roman Catholic Church
has its physical home in Rome, serving
as a handspring for its commandments
the world over, 80 Xionists hope TO give
to Judaism the same stablizinG force
10y a home in Palestine. VA ther the
necessities of life take our people far
from that centre, whether they move
with varying degrees of CELEBRITY in the
onward sweep of civilization. still. like
the spokes OF wheel. they will all
tend toward the common religious ana
national hub in the Holy Land.
This, as you can readily see. is not
to win the Jew away from his al
lcgianCe to the land OF his adoption 81
to make him less patriotic citizen
no matter what the flag that protects
him, but that he can feel that his peo-
pie have a national standing and that
he has standard therefore To- main
tain the world over. At the same time
there VIII he "A tangible bond with the
past and a wellspring of announcement
to the Jewish mind in every field 0f
endeavor, be 1t art, science, literature
or any other direction OF human effort.
In short Zionism seeks to hasten 20
fulfllment by mans own work what the
strictly orthodox dew prays shall come
to pass through divine intervention
alone. This we cannot expect 70 do by
colonIzlng efforts IN alien lands for rea-
hat pal
on the other hand a sufficient number
of our 100000 can revive Jewish life
in the moral national, aesthetic and re-
ligious sense which is additionally
theirs
The world war of to-day may wei.
make the Jews ponder, at least that
part OF them that stand back of Zion
! ism and the allied aims. Our move
ment in Palestine, which looks toward
the establishment of a physical, INTEL
! lectual and spiritual centre there for the
Jews scattered over the whole globe
cannot help being profoundly concerned
about the events that are now taking
place in the Turkish Empire Because
of its physical position, midway oetwee n
Asia Minor and Egypt on the one hand
and on the other between Mesopotamia
and Egypt, and because Of the unique
hold II has upon the religious magma.
ton In nearer Asia, Europe and Amer
lea, the fate OF that country in the
shuttle OF cards that Destiny is now
carrying out IL a mater of much con-
Germ to us Jews.
We have much to thank the Otto
man Government for in the past: we
have had much sympathy with the
Mohammedsn system OF government
which, built upon democratic founda =
| tons, permits the free development of
individual groupings under the over
lordship of a sovereign power. our re-
gret is all the greater to see that the
cooler heads in Constantinople have
not prevailed. but have been forced to
give way TO those who have been either
! induced by specious promises or brow
I beaten by open threats 10 throw the
! Ottoman Empire into tho turmoil 50
artfully prepared by the two central
| European Powers. For under no pos
sibse consideration can any real and
J material advantage issue to Turkey
from active participation on either side {.
and. considering the past experience of
| The Porte and the peculiar tenure I'M
der which parts of its suzeranty lie il
would have seemed 10 he the fun meas
ure OF prudence to remain in the strict
est neutrality.
However, the die has been cast--and
| the pity is that It has been cast on the