The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-12-13

Jerusalem from the Turks and Hun,
by a Christian power opens up the
broadest historical background fol
the war that has yet been revealed
Behind it we see the romantic adyen
lures of the Crusaders, centuries be
fore the Sultan found a worthy ally
in the Kaiser. Beyond that again
we look to the first dim pages of Med
iterranean history in the Book of Elk
odus, with which the events of today
afford parallel even more striking
than with the Crusades
New Moses Found.
DR.. c. ii. Weizman. the noted Zion.
list, is the Moses of the new repatria.
ton. Mr.. N. Sokolow may well be
termed the new Aaron; he has been
the spokesman of the Zionists in all
their dealings with foreign powers.
His was somewhat diierent mis-
sion, however, from that of Aaron to
Pharoah, In the long and delicate
negotiations which led to the adoption
of Zionist policy as one of the war
aims of the Allies, and particularly
of Great Britain, Mr.. Sokolow sue
cessfully visited all the allied CAPT
tails to enlist the interest of their gov
ernments in the cause of the Jews.
1t was agreed that the holy places Of
Palestine should be in Christian
hands.
Pope is Friendly.
nao - ~, ,,oaet ;poynrfauf mt c;onc
of Mr.. Sokolow was his visit to the
Pope. Nothing was reported of this
at the time and little can be told to-
day about this most interesting meet
ing between the representative of the
Jews and the head of the Catholic
Church, in itself an event Of world
wide significance. His Holiness
seems TO have shown a thoroughly
friendly interest in the case; it has
been made known recently that the
project had the good will of the Holy
See. At the termination of the in
terEiew between Mr.. Sokolow and the
Pope, His Holiness said, in farewell:
well, / hope we shall be good neigh
bors in the Holy Land"
unselfish Reward.
There is touch of quite modern
romance about the finding of the new
Moses; before the war DR.. Weizman
was an eminent chemist. In the early
months of the war he made an inn
portant discovery of great value to
the manufacture of high explosives.
His invention was accepted by the
British Government without any men
ton of compensation. Later on when
the full value Of the new chemical
process was realized DIR. Weizman
was asked what he would consider a
fair reward For myself, ask
nothing" he said. "But, if you will.
give my people Palestine"
FuIfilIment Of Prophecy.
When the Turks attacked Egypt and
a counter attack on Palestine had to
be undertaken, there was naturally
much discussion in government cir
cles of the political policy involved
in the campaign. A certain young
statesman, now on an important for
eign mission, when approached re-
garding the Zionist policy, said that
he fully believed in the scriptural pro-
phecy of the return of Israel to Pal
estine, but felt that it would be some
what presumptuous of the British
Government to undertake to become
the agency of fulfillment On the
other hand. Mr.. Balfour was one of
the early converts to the project, ac-
cepting it as consistent with the gen.
eral principles OF British foreign pol
icy and as an act of justice to the
Jews. In this, as in his relations
with the United States, this aristoerat
of the old school has shown an ap'
probation of the principles Of democ.
racy far more penetrating than that
of any aYowed democrats. The es.
Establishment of democratic nation in
Asia Minor is not regarded with favor
by all; to some it seems to be plac
ing seed whose growth cannot be
foreseen in that region. Presum'
ably it was on this account that Mr.
Montagu, Secretary for india. was al
FIRST opposed to the setting UP of 8
Jewish Republic there under British
protection; it was too near India. Il
may have been only coincidence
that the Zionist policy was formal,
adopted during Mr.. Montagu's alb
sence in India; he has himself gone
to the East on mission Of democ
racy.
New Nation Arises.
The British army has opened thu
gates of the ancient capital to its owl
people. IT is now only a matter o
time and organization for its re-estab
lishment as the administration centr'
of a Jewish national government
When the peoples and government
CT Belgium and Seryia and Roumanii
return from their enforced exile. thu
Jewish Republic also will call its PEG
pie home from exile of many centur
les. AS TO the constitution of tina
Republic. It Is too early to ask who
IA "a .t1