The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-01-27
Editor Pensacola Journal.

l want TO thank you for printing
my article in your paper. hope that
my article on this subject suggested
by me is sign Of the growth of hap
pier relations between creeds. Not
very long ago the consideration of the
question: How may Jew and Chris
tian cooperate for world better
ment ?" was an impossibility. No one
even dreamed of association, let alone
cooperation, between the adherents
of the synagogue and church. The
feelings which obtained between Jew
and Christians were woefully hostile.
If this feeling did not express them
selves in persecution, they certainly
expressed themselves in misrepresen-
tation. Whatever credit Jew and
Christians now give one another for
sincerity of motives and honesty of
purpose, is a recent accomplishment.
Jew and Christian did not understand
one another. For all to wish their
meagre mutual acquaintanceship
amounted, they always might have
lived thousands of miles apart, in
stead of in the same countries.
World-betterment, gradually and
constantly making for perfection, has
been the aim of humanity since time
immemorial.
No religion has ever been conceived
and formulated, which has not shared
the hope Of ultimately seeing the d.
vine translated into the human life.
Unfortunately creeds have in the past
not done as much as they should have
done, either unitedly or singly, for
the insurance of steady world-better-
ment- The strength which comes
with cooperation had to be eggplant
ed by the weakness always charac-
terizing dissension. In former times
creeds were too busy with the COM
plexities of theology, the abstraction
of doctrines and the mysteries of i'm
mortality, and were not sufficiently
occupied with compelling realities, es-
sential morals and the earthly life. In
no century Of humanity's annals were
conditions more favorable for co-op-
Grafton between Jew and Christian
for world betterment than they are in
this, the twentieth century. In no
country on the earth are the oppor-
tunities for such cooperation more
abundant than they are here in Amer
lea. Our century is the age of rapid
ly increasing and universally spread
ing knowledge. Our country is the
nursery of healthy religious fellow
ship and cosmopolitan citizenship, and
yet, even in our day and in our land,
Christians and Jews do not take adj
vantage of the favorable spirit OBJ
tanning among US, nor do they rise
to the performance of their mutual
responsibilities and common tasks.
Wherein lies the Jews and the
Christians dereliction of duty? The
lack of sanity in their relationship to
one another. Neither the Jew nor the
Christian employs the same standard
in measuring the others faith as he
does in measuring his own. They
consider the worst type of one an
others co-religionists as representa-
tive of either all Jews or all Chris
tians. They are given to useless con-
troversies, unjust determinations and
baseless prejudices.
When we speak of world better
ment let it not be forgotten that we
are employing a phrase with an ex-
tensive connotation. World-better-
ment must not be interpreted as sig
nifying either the voluntary or en-
forced adoption of any one of the
many existing creeds, however ideal
from the standpoint of present valua-
ton, creed may be. Hence neither
the Jew nor the Christian must think
of converting the other to his belief.
The moment the Jew or Christian is
obsessed by such a purpose, he de-
feats the possibility of cooperation.
There is too much of this mutual con-
version business being carried on on
the costly price Of time, effort and
funds.
When we speak Of worlds better
ment," we should have in mind the
bettermen5 of the individual, of the
social organism and the race by the
cooperation of Jew and Christian.
The race cannot be elevated, unless
society is ennobled. Society cannot
be ennobled unless the individual is
uplifted.
In the desirable cooperation be-
tween Jew and Christian for world
betterment, I would have Jew and
Christian ponder carefully and seri-
ously certain fundamental facts.
Let me call your attention to some
of these in the hope that you will with
me recognize their Importance.
We must remember that there are
distinct factors which makes the Jew
a Jew, as there are distinct factors
which make the Christian a Chris
tian. The specific religious philoso-
ply and practice of the Jew and the
Christian alike may be said to be
constitutional with them in the ma
jority of instances. Man is not alto
gether responsible for the belief he