Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-27
INVADE MEXICO IF
We WISH TO ADD
TOOUR TERRITORY
This Is Only Justification for Prosecut-
ing War Against Country Says
Rabbi Messing.
GIVING HELP ANOTHER MATTER
Chicagoan in Lecture at Chautauqua
Points to the Many Accomplish
mentS of Jewish Race

That a desire to conquer and annex
the Mexican republic is the only
thing which can possibly warrant max
ing war upon our southern neighbor
was the assertion made last evening at
the chautauqua by Rabbi A. ]. Messing
of Chicago. The rabbi is one of the
best platform orators among members
of his profession and his logic carries
conviction with it If we wish to take
the property of Mexicans of course
there is but one way to get it, he held,
but if we wish to help them as a peo-
pie that is the last thing we should
consider
The rabbits subject was The Jew
ish Contribution to Civilization" Pur-
suing this topic he said in part:
To mankind in general the Jew is a
riddle, a sphinx. Shakespeare pictur-
ed Shylock as very rich and his daugh-
ter, Jessica, as very beautiful, and
for a long time people thought that
every Jew must be rich and every
Jewess beautiful.
Race of Broad Experience.
The Jew, in the course of time has
seen everything and has been every
thing, except the pope at Rome and
one Jew came near filling that Office.
Yet for a long time people thought
that the Jew could do only two things,
well. lend money and win it back, and
buy and sell old clothes.
On chautauqua platform the speak
er was once introduced by an Irishman
in these words: THE Lord loves the
Irish but he gives the Jews the money"
But the Irish have their cOmpensations,
the rabbi commented in reply, for they
have nearly every office in the gift of
the people of the state. There are
~
O'Hara, Auditor James Brady and At
torney General Lucey. What chance
has a Hebrew got in a crowd like that?''
asked the rabbi.
IF l were a painter" exclaimed the
speaker Il would make the canvas
eloquent with the deeds of the bravest
people who ever lived, whose proud
spirit no tyrant could conquer, whose
loyalty and devotion TO the hopes of
free government no despot could ever
crush and I would write beneath that
picture-'Ireland.'
Has Given Scriptures.
The speaker said he did not ask the
world to like the Jew, but he did ask
that the world cease to misunderstood
him. One book, snatched from the
fire Israel lays as a gift upon the
birthday fable of true manhood and
womanhood. Not only is the Hebrew
scripture read in all Christian churches
but it is the golden link which binds
( Christian hearts together at the mar
riage altar and all through the valley
of the shadow of death it is the Chris
tian'S only safeguard and his strongest
defense
But not only through the bible, but
infinitely more through the characters
it portrays has humanity been enrich
ed by the Jewish people. The speaker
named some of the heroes Of the bible,
the prophets of Israel and coming
down to modern times mentioned dis
tinguished Jews in art, science, liter
ature, etc.
Among Jewish contributions to the
civilization of man the speaker pointed
to the prophetic doctrine of the father
hood of God, and the brotherhood of
man. In eloquent words he pictured
the ideals Of brotherhood in the mod
ern world. He said the word brother"
was the same in all languages, in Ger
man bruder, in. French, frere, in Latin
frater, and in@RlI languages it means
the same thing, a helper True broth
ers, he said, are helpers to each other
in all the changes and chances of life.
Here in America men of different races,
languages and religions may be as sep
arate as the fingers of the hand in mat
tiers pertaining to the individual con-
science, but they must be one, as the
hand itself in the things which helps
to build up a strong, unified American
citizenship.