New-York tribune., 1918-03-03

Spiritual means that this relation of
centre and circumference between
Palestine and the lands Of the Diaspora
VIII oe limited of necessity to the
spiritual side of life. The influence of
the centre Will strengthen the national
consclousness in the Diaspora, will
wltc out the spiritual taint g.. exile
and will fill our spiritual life With a
national content which Will be trua and
natural. not like the artificial content
N'th which we now fill UP the void
out outside the spiritual side of lie,
- al hose economic and political re
atoms which depend first and fore
most on fhe conditions OF the imme-
dlate environment, and are created by
that environment and reflect its char
acter- milo It !s true that IN all those
relations the effect Of the spiritual
change such as the STRENGTHENING of
national unity and increased energy in
the struggle for eXistence) will show
Itself TO some extent. yet essentially
and Fundamentally these departments
OF life the l}iasporA viii not bo
hound q She life of the centre
and the not Fivld imagination canno
picture = .a Low economic and poli,
cal influence viii radiate from Palos
tlne inrouc1 q. thc length and breadti
OF tha D:asyora. which is co-extensiv
with the globe, IN such manner and to
pch degree as would entitle us to say.
without ineNa"t Use Of language, that
l'alest1ne is tho centre of our people
IA these departments also
Who Knows What
lie Can Give the World?
IN ways that were at nrst not fore
seen even By himself Ahad Ha-Aln 3
hopes for u cultural revival nave II
ready been partly realized. The coming
back to life of the Hebrew laaruace In
PALESTINE, the new growth cf tho He
brew literature, the establishment OF
the Bazalel School of Arts and Crafts
IN Jerusalem, the foundation of t,e
hrst Hebrew high school in thc world
at JANA. the organization of i VII ole
chaln of other educational and cultural
institutions testify sufficiently to TIL.
new efioresccnce of the Jewish spilit
which is attending the rebirth Of the
land Already Palestinian writers and
artsts are winning fame. Professor
Abraham Solomon Yehudah, a product
OF the new Palestine, now occupies a
char at the University Of Madrid
Joseph Herboni is native sculptor
f.u
ropean countries; DR.. Aaron Aaronson
is the Palestinian agronomist. whose
work has been commended by the
United States Department of Agri-
culture.
But renewal in art and literature
without a revival in life itself would
be an empty achievement The great
ness of Hebrew letters consisted in its
power to mould the forms of human eX-
lstence, and a return of the Hebraic
spirit manifesting itself in the revival
or Hebrew literature must bring us
back to the early conceptions of social
justice first propounded by the
prophets. In this sense, too. the dreams
of Ahad Ha-Am and other eXponents
of Jewish ideals are beginning to be-
come realized. The plans of CO.
operative colonization, the system OF
mutual help among the colonists and
projects involving special consideration
to be given to labor which have al
ready been introduced in Palestine
and now the new proposals for nation
alizing the land of the colonies and for
inaugurating further reforms that Will
prevent the concentration of wealth
these plans and proposals give promise
OF new experiments in democracy based
upon the old Biblical laws which may
shed new light upon the problems that
now confront the world Returning to
his ancient home with the experiences
of the ages and of many lands, thrilled
by the wonderful reawallening of the
Hebraic snirit-who knows what the
Jewish wanderer may give to the new
world emerging from its present
throeS'