The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-02-01
RABBI ZIELONKA'S FAMOUS
LECTURE THE MELTING POT

The interesting lecture on "The Melt
ing Pot by the scholarly Rabbi. DR..
ZieloSka, fulfilled the purpose Of all
useful lectures--it made one think.
The object Of this little critique-Rev.
+. J. Hoering--is to take few of the
lecturers leading thoughts, and to
cursorily analyZe. discuss, and apply
them to existing conditions in Amer
lea.
All the world knows that we Amer
cars are tremendously sentimental
people. The sentiment of Freedom
and justice brought US into existence
as nation. That same sentiment,
combined with reason and righteous
ness. may make us world-power for
good; deprived of these accessory vir-
tues. IL makes US power for evil,
Freedom without law becomes license,
Justice which discriminates becomes
injustice. Sentiment may make US in
dignant over the fate Of poor little
Belgium. Sentiment may drive us in
to that crime against civilization and
justice--lynching. This is the thought
that came into my mind when DR..
Zielonka stated. with the authority of
Truth. that "there is no such thing as
hyphenated American" True Amer
icanism consists in the desire for Free
dom and Justice. A man may be born
in Russia, and never leave his native
land. and yet be true American. be.
cause the ideal Of Freedom and JUS
tice lives forever in his heart. On the
other hand, man may be born under
the stars and stripes; or he may come
to America as worthless, degener-
ate European aristocrat, and because
he can pass the literacy test, become
n citizen Of the United States. though
he ever remain an alien to the true
ideal of Americanism. Americanism,
Is n matter of heart rather than of
country. II consists in potential pos
sibilities for the future. and not in OPP
portunities of the past.
Rabbi Zielonka made beautiful and
touching reference to the heroic death
Of FL Paso's health officer. DR.. Klutz,
who lived and died hero in the cause
Of science and humanity. Here was a
man. his race or creed mattered not,
whose death was rs glorious as that
Of any hero who died on the battle
field of Europe; more glorius in fact,
for his was not the inspiration Of the
glory of war, or the excitement that
sustains masses of men fighting for
Ia selfish patriotism. His was the heart
of true Americanism which lives and
dies to serve humanity, to realize the
.,c hrA Af
and the Fatherhood of God.
And yet, rabbinical scholarship in
searching the Talmud for the great
est single expression of truth did not
select the Levitical utterance, "Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," as
indicating the spirit of the brother
hood of man. The deeper and more
fundamental truth is found in Gene
sis: This is the generation of man."
DR.. Zielonka emphasized the singular
number, although my Hebrew version
renders it generations" (toledhoth). .
and his Interpretation makes clear the
ncontrovertible fact we are all de-
scendcd from one common stock. cre-
ated in the image of God. Herein lies
the salient point. to my mind, that all
men are born with equal rights, priv
ileges and responsibilities. In the spir
il of unity in diversity" all must
strive for common ideal, Freedom
and Justice" in one word, "Ameri-
canism." America is the Melting Pot
which Jehovah has chosen, the cru
chile which must produce the unalloy-
ed product of the true brotherhood Of
man, the precious offering to be plac-
ed upon the altar Of Americanism, as
an offering acceptable to God the
Father of us all.
I would add one closing remark, as
the summing up in my own mind Of
the profound thought so ably express
ed by Rabbi Zielonka, America First"
must henceforth mean, not America
first in selfshness and exclusiveness,
but America first in justice to human
ity and service to God. The heart Of
the world must be united in the ideal
Of Freedom and Justice, the world
wide Americanism for whose attain
ment our flag came into existence.
Edward J. Hoering.