The Denver Jewish news., 1919-08-20
THE JEW IN ENGLISH LITERA
TURE SUBJECT OF DISCOlfRSES
AT U. OF MICHIGAN.
NARROW. Shakespeare. Browning and
Eiiot's Treatment Of jew, Reviewed.

|
The Summer schools of the Universities
tlruout the country. has been COM
pleted. These lectures are dissipating
ignorance and undoing prejudice. The
appeals are made, not alone to the IN
tclligent and educated, but to men and
women who are centers of intellectual
influence in their respective comnluni-
lies.
These lectures were designed to give
specifically Jewish Interpretation. TO
show the essentially Jewish basis oil
each subject. the Jewish message which
they convey and the Jewish doctrine
they illustrate.
Rabbi Louis wolsey, OF Cleveland,
Ohio, delivered three lectures at the
University of Michigan, on THE Jew
| in English Literature"
A-Christopher Marlowc. william
shakespeare and Richard Cumberland
B-walter Scott and Chas. Dickens
c. benjamin Disraeli, Robert
browning and George Eliot.
In The Jew of Malta Marlowe
presented an utterly impossible coz
ccption of the Jew. Barrabas is no,
the typical jew. How could Marlowe
naint any kind of Jew when he never
lad seen one, when there were no
Jews in England at that time? Barra-
las is painted as ficnd, with lust
for bloodshed and human life. and any
,.ne who knows anything about the
Jew will know that this is untrue
The Jew has never cared for wars, and
only fought when 1t was necessary for
self defense. The Bible proves to us
that the Jews were primarily agricul'
turalists, and peace loving people.
.As for Shylock. he is also far from
heing q typical Jew. Why should
Shakespeare take 1t upon himself to
criticize the practice Of moncy-lend-
ing, when he himself made living
at it. The trial Of shyiock is n pure
farce. In the first place II was not
at all unnatural for the pound of flesh
clause to be inserted In bonds of that
day. And as for Portals allowing Shy
lock to have the flesh but not the blood.
any lawyer will zee that it is absurd.
Ii the law gives the right to do an act.
it also gives the right TO do all ac-
cessOry to that act.
THE Jew is not perfect. He has his
faults like other men. He is simply
normal human being. with normal
feelings and normal imperfectiohs.
And that is how he wishes to he look
cd upon by his fellow beings-not bet
ter, but also not any worse than the
rest of mankind"
DIR. wolsey was scathing in his de-
nunciation of those who charge t'.e
practice Of usury to the jew fhe
Jew is money lender. no doubt. nut
so are a great many other people. III
medieval times the Church itself prac-
ticed it, and at the same tine damned
the individual who dared TO do so HIM
self" He pleaded for more earne
study and understanding of the Jew.
calling a boy bad and helpless boy
is the surest way to make him one.
The state that calls the Jew Barra-
las, or Shylock, is doing its best to
keen him down. But more toleration,
more faith and trust, will do the OPP
posite, and make the Jew credit ana
pride to any country.
"The Christian world has shown IN
tie of its Christianity in its dealings
with the Jew. 1t has shown little OF
its Christianity in its relationship TO
Christians. Had it shown more. the
world would not so often have writh-
ed in agony 1t is the Jew who must
teach the world tolerance. And NOT
till the Jew treats the world as he
would have the world treat him. will
the world treat the jew as he should
he treated. l am optimistic. 1 be-
!ieye the world is beginning TO under
stand that the Jew is more of a think
er and more of philosopher more
If a doer of good deeds. less or
money grubber, than it has claimed
for him In the past. 1t is beginning
to understand that the Jews passion is
education. not gold.
Does it matter what our falth, on
" that it be sincere? Is it impos-
sible that the Jew and the gentle shall
stand together, working for better
world, better understanding between
all peoples and all races? And stand
ing thus, and working together, does
il matter whether we work in the pape
Of God the Father. or in the name OF
Jesus, good man whom we NIL lore.