The Denver Jewish news., 1922-07-19
Ten Per Cent.

have hung over me since l was scarce
ly six years of age-something Omin-
Gus, sinister, turks in the very sound
of the short phrase. At times it seems
to me the two words spell the name
of one of those unknown terrOrs that
on long winter night, in the semi
darkness of the nursery. prey on a
child's Imagination. At other times
they stand for the tail, husky police
captain. the dread of the street ur-
chins who scatter at his approach.
l am too young to understand the
two words and. besides, they have
such II strange ring-Diesiat Prot
zentov-Ten Percent. True, | learned
to read and write at four, and now,
in my seventh year, | can read II book
and even write letter. 1t is mother
who taught me all that But | have
not vet mastered the intricacies of
arithmetic and cannot understand the
meaning of Ten Percent One thing,
however, | am certain Often Per
cent must be something bad. undesir-
able.
As 1 grow older, I hear father and
mother speak about it more frequent
ly! and often, already in bed. | waGc
up at the sound of the words Ten
Percent coming from the dining-room
or the parlor. one evening | can re
straia myself no longer | jump out
of bed and run into the room where
father and mother are having their
tea Both regard me with surprise
whats Ten PerCcnt?" | ask.
\ sad smile comes, over their faces.
Mother pats my head and father says
go back to bed Wen tell you to-
morrow"
NO, tell me now-I want to know,
Why don't you tell me?' But they
are firm in their resolve, and l have
to go back to bed.
The next day ] keep clamoring for
an answer to my question. until moth
or explains that they We're discussing
sending me to school that they want
me to enter the government GymnaS-
ium. and that it is very hard thing
to do. Here 1 break in:
'Why, hasn't papa enough money
to buy me IA uniform?' And in my
imagination looms up the beautiful
uniform of dark-grcen cloth with
bright shiny buttons. military cap
with gold gallOons, and a coat of
arms. which | have seen the high
school boys wear Again ii sad smile
appears on mothers face. and then she
explains: In our city. counting eighty
thousand Inhabitants, thereis only one
high school-a Gymnasim-for boys,
with accommodations for four hundred
students. and of those four hundred
only forty may be Jews. such is the
Russian law-beforc one Jew is al
lowed to attend high school, nine Gen
tiles must be admitted. This is the
meaning of Ten Percent And here !
intcrpose:
why. mamma. aren't there more
Jews than Russians in our city, Can't
the Jews get toge her and buy "A few
desks and place them in the school for
the Jewish boys:" And as no answer
comes. | 90 on asking: And why
do they allow only one jew 10 ten
Gcntiles?"
Because we are, Jews. ="
"What is the difference between
Jews and Gcntiles:"
But mother grows impatient and
will answer no more questions.
IN tell you some other time. Go
and play or read. Here, take Grmm's
Fairy Tales" and she hands me II
handsomely bound book present
from my uncle Far from being CON
tent | obey nevertheless. 20 to the
parlor. take refuge in rocking chair
but | cannot read. Some hing will
Autumn comes with its dreary, rainy
days when one cannot run about and
play in the open, and with the autumn
comes an instructor to prepare me
for the Gymnasium entrance cNamin-
alton. There are no public schools to
spcal, of i'll Russia, and n private tutor
will prepare me for high school. Next
summer l will attempt to enter the
preparatory class of the Gymnasium,
and the requirements are high-one
mus pass an examination in arith-
metic through the four operations, and
also in the Russian language-writ-
ing from dictation. grammar, and
reading And my teacher is rather
strict and comes at four O'Clock sharp
every day except Saturdays. He is
slim, bespectacIed individual, with
hollow cheeks and such a Queer in o.