The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-19
THE JEWS IN GERMANY.
In Spite Of Their Great Services Anti
Semitism Persists.


To TIE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sr. I
have read with much interest the re-
port of the interview given out by the
German Ambassador at Washington rel
alive to the possible position Of the
Jews in Germany at the close OF the
war and reproduced from the NeW-
Yorker S~tddts-Ieitung in THE Sun Of
FEBRUARY IL. The expression of Count
Won Bernstorff's personal opinion upon
the subject of anti-Semitlsm has been
read by all Jews with pleasure and
with satisfaction. Unfortunately, the
rest OF the interview deals with sur
mises only, and not with facts, Had
II dealt with the latter. 1t might per.
haps have explained away the very
damaging evidence published In Har-
per's weekly on February 8, which
shows, with much precision. how tho
anti-Semitic campaign continues In
Germany even during this war period,
when all distinctions, real and fictitious,
were supposed to DO obliterated by the
fiat of tho Kaiser.
! have reread with care the article
In Hdrper's Weekly, and 7 cannot find
That the facts adduced bear out the Am
bassador's contention that the "nobil-
lty' Is chiefly to blame for the lamcn-
table attitude of the German people to-
war their Jewish fellow citizens Their
must be other factors at work In tho
Fatheiland which, also. do not think
along historic lines IN this matter"
20 use the Ambassadors own words. |
have the suspicion tina; Count Won Bern.
storf himself knows OF these other fac
tors. lie speaks Of the German people
as being now convinced OF the loyalty
Of the German Jews to the empire"
II II has taken all these many years
20 force this conviction home to the
German people. whN; warrant have we
that when the present war is at an eni
Il will have penetrated any deeper
than II has lone In past years?
In the Irussiln "Befreiungskriese'
Of the years l~Ni3-l5, the Jews con-
trlbuted volunteers In a quota fully
equal 10 that OF their Christian fellow
citizens, though their political and civil
status had hardly been much advanced
by the edict of 1872. In the franco.
prussinu war Of 1S7O-71. i.7O3 Jews are
known ny name 20 have don't service
on The prussinn side. OF whom All
were decorated for bravery. Yet. In
despite OF this iat,er fact. antl-Semitism
broke out iu Germany some seven years
later and !: paid little heed to that ser
vice or to any other services rendered
TO the Fatherl4ud - IT, Jewish inhab.
ltants. Has not tho Stddt>bWOor-2et-
drO stated expressly that Il will re-
4 fNllUl'ICc is tifnIt4EU hEh4ISL kle jews
"a soon as the war is ended
The German Ambassador has much q
sHv In regard 20 the goo Jewish officers
now reported to be In the German
army. War times make peculiar bed
CLOVIS and we have vet TO see whether
";he question Of Jewish officers IN Ger
many may I've regarded AS solved n,
lr SO confidently pgcd!c'E. Former eX-
pericuoe seems 20 point to the probn.
billy that N" attempt will he made 70
regGcr tho o'ii'Cr corps 'JIlenre'n.
y rs strange however, that tho Am
hlsstd1r has nothing to say about other
state f~unS'tuNlr!os IN Prussia. / douh:
whether there - a single Jew IN any
o'''e % importance Nor has the ban
IH.I upon Jewish "~o-ieatlche" pro-
:essors az the universities been lifted,
rs Ear. nj least. as my knowledge goes
only the other day there d,d IN Benin
ore OF my own teachers. Or. jacob
Barth. who. though he was one OF the
leading authorities on Semitic unEu!s-
tcs and the author Of numerous learned
icol;.ses, was never able 70 rise above
the rank Of Observation-Disclosures" pro-
fesso~. for the single reason that he
was a Jew. Tho sauna was true OF
another ono % my teachers. Or. Herr
mann S.e!Hthal. the founder of the
sr..rss of racial psychology. who. ~ |
n SUI I'.' o o. 'fhAA fakAA'.A
as high a station, remaining 10 the end
~ his days "A single "Ptivatdoccnt."
Even the redouhtabe Adolf lasson.
whose pRreCvr.cs upon Germany ne
tho most perfect political creation thai
history has known were published soma
weeks tEo. has never got hoyo'l an
"horurury" pro, ssor,hip though d.
even passed through thr ordeal f wste~
and became a "Christ.Hu' In 1888.
AVH slfa hrtvv ~ ~, 20 "a pIfrs which
I would call 20 the especial attention
OF the Ambassador u IL true that
here are quito = number OF so-cal 81
jewish professors attached 70 the v1ri-
Gus German universities hut in nearly
everv case thsy have boo" compelled 20
forsVea- the,~ own faith and prove
Themselves 20" cradcs 10 their race no
fore receiving the coveted proferwcrt
Enforced baptism has been r-e step
ping stone. NOT only 30 tho full pCo-e'-
sorial chair. hui % all places 81 prom
trerre ard 10 al stations IN 20 icty
Tho ravagaa made among the Jews IN
Germany by compulsory baptism have
been nothing less than friehtNul, dts
graceful 20 the German Governments
that force II. lnRlorious 10 the Gcrma'
christian peorle that courtenance ~
who broke the splendid tradition han-N'
down to th'm hy thel- fathers and
sucrumbed so easily to the deductions q!
no entlcer. II tho Jewish ~eTaucipa-
ton Of which tho Ambassador speaks Is
20 he carried out In suCh fashion, l and
my friends much prefer thraldom. We
may these forced converts mediate
uuon tho splendid saving % their new
billie: what shall II profit a man
II he shall gain the whole world, and
lose hts own soul?'
In his respect, al least, we can al
recognize the great Culf that separate
tho hrazon mouthcd "Kul'ur' tina
makes such demands upon 'ts vo,arie'
from the simple ana unostentatious
freedom Of thought witch hec enabled
both France and EnGl1rd 10 throw the!T
doors open wide 70 tho elect az all race
and all faiths RICHARD GoTTHgIL,
NEW YoRK. February Is.