The Denver Jewish news., 1922-12-06

orable law, which lead me to believe
that the Jews Of Russia are destined
70 play q still more important role
iAn the history of the art Of that coun-
try. The fact or condition is the de-
IclIRe " the spirit Of Rationalisp; the
liaw n th&x NJ the inevitable expan-
sion Of compressed forces.
In ancient tines artists drew their
inpiration from outstanding human
events and from the improviset atoms
a .nationsl esqAns. In every artist
a combination Of .AeHiperament and
ethical structure was the mainspring
ef tte power which led him 70 i'm
xoFtalise distractions like heroism
and suffering as well as the iRdivid-
|,nal accidents which made up the his
tasy Of hi people or their nation.
TAia particular spirit has passed
out completely from the world of art
o1 today. The ~GreAi" war-gneat as
peaaeds the calibre Of guns, the In
teasdve concentration Of physical eff
fort and shock. apd shove all the IL
lusions which compose its spiritual
textMre=ahas not been a source Of in
spiratlon 10 artists. Nor have &C.
companying ard subsequent disturb
Aness ~ politiosl adjustments, shot
fhroueh as they are with a spiziA Of
meappess and egotism, been more
sueeessful In providing n0uriahment
for che artist OF in satisfying our
|gifitpal ANsGer for heroic ideals.
Rpt the Law .ef the Stomach is
mean in its extent and application. 1t
apsvers 2 physical need. not an ideal.
And the greatest and most disastrous
mistake that we can commit IL to con-
found the workings Of the Law Of the
H&each with these of the Law Of the
Human Soul. And It IL 20 Longer u
secret that the motivatinS forces Of
these latter days have bten vulgar
and brual interests. the interests Of
persons-and even the interests OF
periodicals
1t Il an unleniable fact that despite
the outhnrst Of nationalism and chau-
vinism which was the accompaniment
to this war, we NO longer see national
figures of such individuality and
typicalness, Of such clear-cut authcn-
ticity ss once we saw. The peculiarly
national physiognomy Of peoples IL
passing slowly away, at least in Eu-
rope. That continent Ia moving slow
ing towards an increasing homogenety.
This is Fundamental movement, ana
NO changing and evanescent sur
face reactions can reverse or divert
1t. This movement Is the result not
only of inner psychological compul-
sion. but Of exterior causes which
will continue to exert an increasing
influence ip the same direction.
The Jews, both as religious and a
national unit. have been compelled. ny
the force Of circumstances, by his
tory of sustained persecution. OF un-
relenting hatred In livery form, from
the brutal apti-Semi ism to the hOoit-
Ran to the refined variety of the
aca cademician. to place themselves In
the very vanguard of the modern
movement above described. There IL
nothing surprising In this fact, for
when we remember that the Jews are
scattered throughout he world. are
deprived Of their country. the natural
basis for normal development. lack the
healthy stimulus to productive natioa-
aiism, and were robbed even of the
hope Of true and literal national
restoration, we see how inevitable 1t
was, particularly In Russia that they
should identity themselves more and
more With those movements which
were of general llumap import, should
fall in with divisions which pointed
to the individual and to the species
as whole rather than with those
which were of general human import.
should fall In with divisions which
painted to the individual and to the
species as a whole rather than witA
those which are the outcome Of the
life Of groups. The human person
ality and the human kind hecame for
them the two loadstars that guided
| their movements, the two realities TO-
ward which they were inevitably pro
PEELED.
This ideal ripened slowly toward
realization, and these two component
factors, the individual and the kind
so opposed to each other and yet 90
(; united, became the permanent actuaIi'
ilties for the Jews; here they found
again the hope of that atmosphere
and circumstance which would permit
them free development for their life
and for he artistic faculty which was