The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1915-03-27

The prophets and sages Of ancient
Israel were neither scientists nor
philosophers. Yet sublime religious and
moral truths.f flashed upon their minds,
which neither phil losophy nor science
have been able to improve upon. Such
Q sublime moral truth Is that which
Of the Bible, the chapters containing
the old oriental legends Of the creation.
Adam is the ancestor Of the entire
human race, and he Is made in the
likeness of God. All races and groups
of humanity are alike. so far as they
are all descended from one progenito3rr,
and are all equally endowed with d.
vine capacities and powers.
The old writer of the creation story
is familiar with the fact OF racial al;
visions. He distinguishes three racial
groups, the descendants Of Shem, Ham
and Japheth respectively, and he
enumerates their various branches, ac-
cording to the best knowledge OF his
day. He knew that certain groups OF
human beings occupied separate ter
ritories, were distinguished by certain
physical characteristics, and differed
in speech, manner and habit from one
another. Yet. In spite of 1t al, he
claimed a common descent for them,
an essential equality beneath all
minor superficial differences, all being
equally endowed with the same divine
powers of soul, heart and mind. Well
do the old rabbis declare, In comment
ing on our text, that it contains
Fundamental doctrine Of Israel 8 Law,
equal to that other basic precept, land
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
self.'
Essential Unity and Equality.
Man 10 essentially tho same, no mat
or Sroup M we NAV find him. his soul, his
innate powers of heart and mind, are
the same; his capacity for progress, for
intellectual unfoldment, and moral
growth is the same. True, there have
always been, and there are at the pres,
ent time, advanced races and backward
races. races that stand in the forefront
of modern civilization. and races that
are still found in the stages OF bar
barism. But these differences are due
TO geographic and historic conditions
and circumstances. The location and
environment of q human group un-
doubtedly have their marked influence
upon it. The conditions of the soil
and the climate, the facilities or dit''
ficulties of communication and inter
course with other groups. are all de-
velopment Of human group. But the
power of development, the capacity Tor
progress is possessed by all. Change
the outward conditions, and the so:
called inferior. or backward, race will
step to the front, and show its innate
powers by its new activities and
achievements, at least the achieve,
ments of its best elements, Of It's most
capable and best endowed individual
differences and variations, physical,
mental, and moral, Of its individual
members are considerable. But the
capabilities Of race or group should
not be Judged by it's weakest. but by
Its strongest members. What rapid
progress a so-called inferior race may
make when the opportunity offers itself
Is best shown by the rise and advance
Of the yellow race Of Asia, especially
the Japanese. and the achievements OF
the black race in America after RfN
years Of emancipation.
Pseudo-scientifc Ideas.
There is a great deal Of pseudo
scientifc thought that has gained cur.
rency in modern times. which runs
counter to this Fundamental religious
doctrine of the essential unity OF the
human race A good deal OF stald
scientific nonsense Is being said and
written about the peculiar mental and
moral characteristics Of different races
and groups of human beings. Their
or soul differences and
divergences are pointed out. We are
told that a certain race, or even branch
of a race, is endowed by nature with
certain gifts, or deprived by nature OF
certain other endowments: that nature
herself has selected certain races to
rule and to lead. and certain others to
follow and to serve: that the supe-
rioritv or inferiority Of certain races
is fixed by natural law. Race distinc-
list. Thus the preiudices and antag
onisms that exist between. different
human groups are scientifically ex-
planned. And the domineering, the ar
rogant, the evil-minded and tho prelu-
diced eager to find some excuse for
their offensive and malevolent attitude,
have pounced upon this pseudo-scien-
tific idea as a veritable godsend. Now
they can scientifically explain why they
are prejudiced against, and hostile to,
their fellow men. why they oppress and
persecute them.
Is the Jew Of Different Racer
The fiendish persecution Of the Jew
during 100 years, and the present-day
social prejudice against him that still
exists even in the most enlightened
and humane nations. are explained on
such grounds The Jew is a Semitic.
All other white people among whom
he lives are Aryans. These two
branches of the white race differ in
certain mental and moral traits; are,
mutually antagonistic and
repellant. These two branches are gen.
orally spoken Of as two DISTINCT races.