The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-11
LOUIS PIZITZ, TO EUROPE---By Frank Willis Barnett

| A@ V V AND A. A< A A1 | Louis Pizitz is living. walking ex- ample that America is "The Land or Opportunity" If any one doubts this' just point to him as an incarnation of the fact
 l I am not writing this story because ne 1 is big advertiser. but am embarrassed on account of it, for in spite of my dls- claimer some one will accuse me of It, when I would much prefer to tell about | some one who was not a patron of the paper.
 | But advertiser or no advertiser, he is 1 my friend, and I ap not going to miss a chance to use him to 'point moral and adorn a tale,'' for fear of being misun- derstood or even suspected. I am sure that tbose who know me best will read what write as tribute to the orphan Jewish youth who landed practically pen niless upon our shores some thirty years ago rather than as an eulogium to the merchant prince.
 | I am not. 1ugging him in at this time without reason, for tomorrow night he and his wife, and Isadore, his son, and Silvey, his daughter, leave for trip to Europe. It is this which gives me my chance to hold him up before the boys of Birmingham as an instance of what was done by Jewish lad without any pull whatsoever, but because of the spirit which was within him.
 ! tender towards the Jews, for we Gentiles have been brought into very cordial and sympathetic relations with them during the past two weeks here in Birmingham I ou account of the campaign for the relief of the sufferers in the near east. We have worked with them on teams, we have sat with them at table, and we ,have contributed our money to mingle with theirs in it's mission of mercy.
 
 Together with them we share in the Holy Land, for there is no country in all the world which possesses an interest so wide and so deep as that which gath CTS around the little land of Palestine To the Christian nations, whether Protes' liant. Roman Catholic, or Greek. it's the home of their religion; but it is more thar this to the Jew; it is the land Of his hrob ba, rifched his tent and Jacob saw the ladder leading heav- enward and Joshua led his conquerorine host, and David tuned his harp, ano Solomon sat in glory, and Elijah built his altar, and Peter preached his sermon and the Son of Man lived, and taught and died.
 It is a wonderful land and out of il came a marvellous race, but I am no' now set to sing the glories of Israel, bu to tell the story of one Israelite. Louis 4 Pizitz of Birmingham, who recently cele lcitizen of this community; but before lyou can catch the full significance of his rise>in the world I ask you to go baci in imagination some thirty years or more Iago to little town in Russian Poland about thirty iVles away from Warsaw.
 It was an humble Jewish home at oess and life was hard for his parents. bu he has little memory of father ant mother because both passed away be fore he was years old. I'll not attemp
 to draw the picture of his early years O
 he saw Jewish maiden. who in aftel wears also came to America, and hoy
 they met accidentally and became the wifi
 of his bosom and the mother of his chil Idren.
 It is indeed a strange romance whicl
 makes us believe that truth is strange
 than fiction.' Let's pass by the Jewisi
 lad in his teens as he works and studio l, and broods in his heart to leave behip' l the narrowing life of Jew under tn, despotic heel of Russian bureaucrat
 and seek his fortune like many anothe
 one of his race in the great republic o : the west where liberty lures and for tune beckons. It's the brave who turl . Etheir backs on home and go out into new world to live or die.
 II A steerage passenger sailing from Ere
 men, he landed in New York. and b,
 hook crook got as far as Swaynesboro
 Ga Like many of his race, he began
 his career in the United States with pack on his back. I hope some da 1 the Jews who have made name an , fortune in America will erect in Nev York. the greatest Jewish city in tn : world, statue of Jew with pack , for some of the leaders in Israel, a , we'll as in American life converter .h
 lowly pack into symbol of pride an
 worth.
 One day Louis Pizitz and I rode tc lgether with some other friends to Mont 3 gomery ats the call of the governor [ ! have part in the state council. . 1 the way down he told me of how he ha q landed in the little Georgia town with
 pack of Boston jewelry." and was q