The Denver Jewish news., 1919-07-16
The Heritage Of
Centuries
1. G.. l..

Harriet Roses looked at the, clocl:.
1t was twenty minutes past one.
She had ten minutes to wait, SO she
took off her furs and loosened her
coat She took up 6 book which lag
on the table, and opened it at random.
For a moment she read, then she clos
ed the volume listlessly.
She went to. a window and stood
there, resting her forehead on the
glass, her eyes staring vaeantly out
on the street. A queer smile hOyered
about her lips.
Harriet was in a strange mood that
day. The airy, happy spirit. which no
annoyance could render long clOuded.
remained strangely troubled by an I'M
expected occurrence She was even
ashamed to confess to herself that a
social slight-it was no more than that
could disturb her SO much. Because
she was a Jewess she had not been
invited to q party which she had ey-
pected to attend.
The emotions which Harriet first ex-
rericnced were regret for the lost
pleasure and humiliation ut the social
snub. But by degrees she found her
self thinking of the reason for her
exclusion.
She knew vaguely that the Christ
imns .dcpisesl tie Icws.! 1t WAS not
clear to her how the latter had for
feited the respect Of their. Gentle
i.eighbors but she was sure that those
Jews were not her kind" Never be-
fore had religious prejudice been act
ually brought home to her. Her par
ents had always mingled freely with
Gentiles, who received them on a social
equality. As child she had not beer
taught to discriminate in the choice
of her playmates, and her home life
WAS not such as to raise in the child
mind questions of dissimilarity. Now.
us a young woman there was little, if
any, difference between her life AMI
theirs. The future would bind her
still closer to her Gentle friends. for
she loved Christian who returned her
love.
She wondered, therefore, that she
should now be made to feel like an
intruder, to be received or rejected at
will in the society where she had hitl-
eruo epme and gone without ques-
ton.
Then this wonder iInperceptibly
changed into feeling of resentment. n
sense of injury more comprehensiy.
than a personal slight, which she couli
not define. There stirred within her
an inexplicable something never ex-
l.crienced before. as of life renewed !;
the strange renascence of "A buried
sense. vague and unfathomable; con-
fused consciousness of an insistent
spirit, new, yet dimly familiar as u
l,alf-fOrgotten dream. She grew SEN
sible of conflict between this new
voice whose message had not yet be-
come clear, and her old life. She
seemed to breathe an atmosphere sur
charged with suspense that craved re-
lief, such relief as only severe shock
could afford. She smiled as size
thought that so nations must feel on
the eve OF revolution.
The ringing of the bell awoke her
from her reverie. The troubled expires
sion left her face. She took up her
furs again and left the room.
At Fifty-seventh street Harriet and
Mr.. Burdett, her companion, boarded
n Second avenue train.
Once seated in the train her former
temporarily dispelled,
eturned. With elbow propped on the
window ledge and chin sunk in her
hand, she gazed at the .nonotonous
length of teneInents stretching endless
Iy before her. Despite her friends
gentle raillery she again and again re
lupsed into silence.
The train had Just pulled out "f
I'wenty-eighth street station when a
boisterous laugh behind her made Har-
riet turn around. A tableau. never 10
be forgotten, met her eyes.