The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-27
RABBI WISE !. COMP ARES JEW AND CHRISTIAN Converted Jews in New York Gravitate to Fifth Avenue
 Churches, He Says.  BIGGEST BRIDGEPORT CHAUTAUQUA ENDS TODAY Attendance Has Been Largest In History of Institution
 Grand Concert For
 Finale.

Grand Concert For
 Finale.
 Timely. highly interesting and han dled in a keen and n1asterly manner was the presentation of the theme, s.The Jew and the Christian,s' by Rab- 1 bi Stephen S. Wise of New York, last
 night in connection with the fifth annual Chautauqua assembly Of Bridgeport Pastors, Association. The lecture was the closing session for the day and was attended by between S. 900 and 4, 4,00O people. The prelude was by Miss Virginia Powell ami giv- eni in her usually entertaining man
 Humor and pathos, personal obs erv- ations. the results of keen study and all handled in manner convincing and throwing light on details previous l ly not clearly understood by many icharacterized the lecture. At times the audience was convulsed with laughter; at other times solemn to the point of tears.
 He said that he desired to correct 1 by many as to the feeling of the Jews for tIe Ehrlsti1ns. TT want to re- move a great misconception, a griev-s GUS error in the hearts of some Chris tians, namely the feeling that the Jews, as a body are unfriendly,f vim
 
 of Chrfstiandom. I want to correct that nisconception if I do naught else. Men and women, say to you as a Jew that nothing could be more ! mistaken, false and wrongful to my people than to charge, as you dc sometimes. that the Jews are unfriend- ly to the Christians. ''
 | Then he took up the character of Shyleek in the Merchant of Venice lsresentIng the slight to the Jewish I -T--S. 1- transposed the actions of the charac- l ters in a Roman story and that in the 4originaI story it was not the Jew who exacted the pound of flesh. but l the person who was dealing with the. Jew.
 l One excellent way, he suggested. to
 bring about the establishment of good 4 relations between Jews and Chris
 tiaus would be to have all Jews be- 1 come Christians But, '' he asked, have us become. Methodists. Presby- 1 terians, Baptists or Roman Catholics? :? l Which denominati9n of the 257 varie- ! uess This sally was greeted with
 much laughter
 I He contended that there is but one l way to solve the problem, that being to aid the Jew ito become the finest 4 possible type of Jew. A Jew's he Il said, sis true to Israel, ready to sac rif1ce for Israel, ready to bear the II WOEldS CaIumny ana ODlOQuy3- ana, by l doing that, that Jew is ennobhng and exalting his own soul and working out his own salvation through his own religion and in his own way. We
 must bring. the church and the syna- igogue together in the great cause of humanity or the church is going to die and the synagogue is going to perish
 He advanced the argument that a person, who is once a Jew is always ts- T---~ - H. thel expense of the renegades to the faith While T do not eontehd,'. he said, that there never has been a Jew who was honestly converted to Christianity. know that there are a great many Jews who are norninaIly classed as belonging to Christian churches but who never have sbeen converted. He illustrated by quoting the result of his obse1 vationse in New :f York. ses..z The question was asked of the au- Edience as Christians, as to how it is that Jews converted to Christianity are almost always found to be veal thy Jews. He considered this point to be curious one. He wanted to know as to why it is that a Jew upon being converted in New York. never joins the Baptist church or First avenue, Methodist church on Second avenue. Presbyterian church on Thind avenue or the Congregational
 
 the other hand he somehow gets into a church on Fifth avenue. He con- sidered it rather a peculiar coincidence that Christianity seems to blaze . II the more brilliantly on Fifth avenue between 42nd and 59th streets. Much daughter resulted as he brought forth these points For more than an hour Rabbi Wise held the close attention of his audience. Rev George M Brown presided and Rabbi Wdse was introduced by Rev John MacLaren Richardson with the remark that the visitor has as many friends in Bridgeport as in New York the size of the two cities being com lpared.
 With today's sessions the assembly. breaking all records in success and I attendance. ends With a prelude
 by Miss Powell, Arthur Stanley Riggs gave his illustrated lecture s~Tha
 Real Filipino; Two Years Among the Newest Americans'' at 80 o'clock and at 4 o'clock Miss Powell appeared in one of the Powell entertainments. Her program included original piano | logues, musical monologues and inn E lipersonations. The large attendance
 that has characterized the previous fl sessions present today. The I closing session will be tonight when Il there will be grand concert pro- gram in which the Weber quartet, Miss Powell, Miss Myrtle Thorn i burgh, soprano, and Miss Flora liar T die. contra1to,i will appear. It prom | Is-.--