The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-07

ment. which embraces fifteen depart.
ments of Western Russia and the depart
! laws a large Jewish population in Mos
COW and Jews by the thousands from
other cities and towns We're driven forth
in Grovts and crowded together within
the Pale. 1t is there on mere fringe
of the Russian empire that 50 per cent
OF the Russo-Jewish people are con
fined to a region naturally poor and
largely given over to a wilderness.
The jew in the Gate.
Thus the Jew sits in the very gates OF
Russia. exposing to the world MS pow
erty and his wrongs. Enter the empire
Prussian province of POsen you come
upon the western Outposts OF the vast
ghetto. Enter Russia from Austria ana
you must first cross the Austrian prov
InCe OF GalaCia. where under the banncl
OF the HapsburgS NO.Osl Jews are packed
together i'll scmi-paupcrism. Enter the
MuSCOvite domain from Roumania and
You see in that Kingdom population OF
nearly $4,000 Jews. who. though they
have dwelt among the RoumanianS for
centuries. are still aliens in the eye of
the law and denied even the most elc-
mCntary legal rights.
the Russian Jews to approach or live
near the border. they have been pushct
close against the frontier. Often they
are the hack or coach drivers on the
take care not to let their horses head
project beyond the black and white bar
Der poles that mark the Russo-German
boundary. they must draw rein IN
the middle of bridge that crosses into
a Galacian Jew.
Across the Pale.
entered the Russian Pale from the
East Prussian frontier at Wirballen.
and it is nearly 500 miles across 1t from
west TO east by the Petrograd Railroad.
revisited the Pale from Moscow, where
the railroad TO Warsaw and on to the
Neutrality-suspicious. frontier crosses it at
its greatest width. almost 200 miles.
From north to south it is nearly 1000
miles In length, stretching as il does
from Kovno clear down TO the Crimea.
1t is by far the biggest prison pen on
the face OF the earth. There really is
no lack Of room in it. Yet where liberty
Is lacking there never is room enough
A railroad journey into the Pale is
like street car ride into the New York
East Side. or into settlement of Jewish
immigrants In any other American city.
In town after town the same type. to
which Americans have been introduced
by recent immigration. predominates on
the station platforms and in the streets.
At kovno; where NAPOLEON crossed the
Jews form most of the population. At
Wilma they represent a smaller but still
large proportion of the inhabitants of
Int CITY IL Is much the
same among the people who make up the
racial medley Of the Lettish city of
DvinSk.
The Dead Line.
Not far from Dvinsk or about 30
miles this side of Petrograd the Pale
a abruptly comes 10 its limits on the bor-
ders of Holy Russia That is the dead
line which may be crossed only by the
privileged few among the people Of Is
racL There the Jewish passenger must
choose between leaving the train or
leaving the faith OF his fathers For II
he but rencunce his religion he is as
free as any Slav to go on to the capital
Of the Cars and to roam all the Rus
sas.
There are Jews even in the shadow Of
the castle walls of Peter and Paul at
Petrograd. who will say in n most mat
ter OF fact fashion. Il am living here on
a baptismal certificate" Once, as the
story runs. a Jew wishing to do bust
ness there offered himself for the formali- |
Greek Church. when he had been duIy
instructed in the rite and creed of that !