The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-02-20

not Palestine belong to the Jews?. Hal
not God given it to them? Did they
not have the right to become ma
ton again in their own land? So
questioned and believed; and along
with my thinking / always linked GER
tain prophecies which seemed to fore
tell the return of the Jew to Pales-
+ine. And more, never dreamed but
mat the Jew would be welcomed
home when he concluded to return.
But 1 have been learning some other
things since / came here. The Zion
list Jew is not wanted, not wanted by
many of the native Jews, and any
thing but wanted by the others. And
the others are the people who now
are the people of the land. They have
been in possession of it for some
fifteen hundred years and suppose
that they have about as good titles
to their homes as a people could have.
All told there are only about 100000
Jews in Palestine and of the others
there are more than 100000; and the
seven hundred thousand feel that
their country should be administered
primarily in their own interest. They
detest Zionism and would perhaps
wipe it out if it was not for the fact
that back of it is the strong arm Of
the British government.
Why do the natives detest Zionism?
It is not merely another manifesto
ton of anti-Jewish prejudice. There
is something in addition to this. The
avowed purpose of this movement is
to take peaceable possession of Pales-
tine and ultimately to turn it into a
Jewish state. With this in view the
Jews from many parts Of the world
are coming here, not as immigrants
to become part Of the country, but
as colonists to maintain a separate
Jewish life until they have the ma
jority and can take over complete
guidance of things. The seven hun
dred thousand natives are looking on
a movement whose avowed purpose is
to supplant them. 1t is not difficult
to imagine how they feel.
But there are many very fine things
that can be said of Zionism as it is
seen in actual operation here These
Jews are bringing with them far
higher civilization than they find in
Palestine, and a better religion. They
buy the large tracts of land they oc-
cupy, and turn them from waste in
to g garden. Whenever ycu find a
.Tev;eh colorv, and you find many
here and there, you find a little patch
OF our Western civilization set up
here in the dead and dirty East.
But what of Zionism? l do not be-
l;eve that it is the settlement Of the
Palestine question. Among other
things it is intensely anti-Christian.
But apart from this it is sure to in
troduce further confusion in this land
that is already chaos. Zionism is
making no pretension at the conver-
sion or improvement of the seven
hundred thousand Mohammedans who
are here. 1t aims at supplanting.
And this spells endless trouble for
Palestine. The English are already
unpopular solely because England is
believed to be supporting Zionism.
Many say plainly they would rather
have the Turk. Of course they would
not; but they would certainly prefer
the Turk to the Jew. I understand
that in the very near future the Eng
lish authorities will issue a proclama-
tion in which it will be explained that
there is no intention of setting up a
Jewish state in Palestine. This may
be temporary oil on the waters that
are already becoming disturbed, but
it will be only temporary, for what
ever England may purpose, Zionism
does not hide its intent and aim, and
the more it increases in Palestine the
more it will be hated. When the heat
will flare into flame is only matter
of time.
The one and only solution to the ills
of this unhappy land is he whose foot
prints have made it sacred to Christ
ians. He himself said ''Behold your
house is left unto you desolate-un-
til the time come when ye shall say,
Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord"