The Denver Jewish news., 1923-08-23
tJewish Correspondence bureau,


1t is the unspOken grief that is un-
speaknbly anquishipg. The sorrow and
the sympathy accustomed by President
Harling's unexpected death may be
least given TO public utterance on such
occasions. The Jewish quarter Is such
Il one Jews. as no other people per-
hnps. are made poignanly aware by
death of the futility of the life-strug-
gle. Yet they grieve for the departed
as perhaps no other people do. Be-
cause in the orthodox sense life is
worth while only in proportion TO the
good deeds that life makes possible.
the passing Of "Tzadik" is UNIVERSAL
ly mournetl he the mourners ever so far
removed from the saint. Harding was
a .'Tzadik." man whom our sages
would have been delighted to include
among the Chassidiin of the "Gentiles.'
Nothing is more characteristic ns an
illustration of Jewish responsiveness
than Meyer I,Ondon's exclamation. oh
what calamity" Many people, in fact
sorrow. usetb the word calamity" But
1t is recorded Of none except this former
Socialist Congressman, this enemy OF
the Republican Administration. this
avowssi relel. that he spontaneously
prefixed his sense Of the loss by the
always Involuntary exclamatory "Oh.-
and suffixel 1t with the cxclama tion
point after ''calamity.''
But It IL the unuttcred grief of the
hundreds Of thOusands among the un-
communicative masses that is full Of
meaning
There b u cafe on lower Second
Avenue where emnncipate<l Jews Of NIL
i3ass4.ss meet over their coffee. WNh
sarsssn1r almost cynical expression in
their eyes fllcy. watch between the
shruhlery which screens the tables cx-
tending to the aide walk, the passing
show of life. II Ia their boast that
they are above shock. and proof against
tragedy. Ike II ever 10 violent or unex.
of that Friday morning the black-ruled
newspapers were brought to the chatter
ing guests. full-grown cynics. hardened
thinkers and vociferons takers shame
Babel of sounds subsidized as unobstru-
sively as possible swallowed the lump
In their throats. They may have joked
about II afterwards and laughed at
themselves for their sentimentaiism. hut
that lump in their threats waS what
they really felt. and what they will re-
member they had felt whenever the oc-
c,sion is recalled.
Less sophisticated men and women
were more unnshamed. Typical excla-
nations. sounds in the throat, clucking
of tongues. struggling Of shoulders. all
the wealth of Jewish expressions and
calculations were heard and seen on
the day the news flashed across the
globe that the Chief of this Republic
lay dead III san FRANCISCO.
Jews as Jews. whatever their pol
itical creed can entertain none but feel
ings of gratitude and affection for the
departed chief. AS an editor and leg
islator he was not known to have spon-
sored single measure which indirect
ly even could rebound unfavornbly to
the Jews of this country, or to their
twice went on record signnlizing his
understanding of the Jewish peoples
needs: once in his approval and sig
nnture of the Zionist Resolution car
resentative Fish in the Senate and
House; and again in his New Years
message on Rosh ha Shannah. 56S'3
when he referred to this resolution and
to the year in which it was passed as
peculiarly notable in Jewish annals.
an event of notable Significance moi
only to the Jewish people but to their
friends and well-wishers everywhere
among whom the American nation has
always been proud to he numbered.
Tributes to the departed Chief range
from appraisals of his International i'm
portance to appreciations of his person
al charm. 1t is in understanding of the
personal tragedy that Jews excel. This
feeling is touchingly summed mp In an
editorial in one of the Yiddish dnilies
which is typical of the rest. The
sorrow and pain caused by the passing
of President Harding will he genuine
among all elements of the population
and amcng all parties. :. His wife
who has been i'll almost all the time