The Denver Jewish news., 1924-06-12


"Hazupheh Bcrctz Hn'Ehndacha. q"
| tThe Observer In New Lnndl Soon
the entire family came over and the
young Herman had TO assume part OF
the fumilyS responsibilities.
] Changing jobs and professions as
many times as il Imaginable in the
course Of five years. he finally landed
on Division street, New York, Ia a
clothing store where the position OF
booLEeeper seemed TO offer him a llyli.
hood with the possibility Of continuing
his education and his literary work
Having mastered the English Language,
his old literary ambition found expires.
sion In continuous attempts at Russian
poetry. trnnslations into the English
from the Russian and numherlcss short
stories In English While some Of his
poetry and tranSlations We're published
in weekly Jewish magazines. his short
story offerings We're always returned to
him; until one day, quarter Of a
century ago. the young Bernstein found
to his own surprise that story Of his
pen had been published in the literary
section of the then widely read New
York Evening Post"
The name of the story was "Sarch
Rivke'S Vigil" II was a sad story OF
a Jewish mother watching over her
/ son who In her hrooding. seemed to he
/ in danger Of being led aStray. Herman
I bernstein has been ever since yigilant
! nf the important problems in the life
/ of America and in the life of his people
/ migrant Of not more than five years
residence. BcrnStcin's stories. which
had been sent back to him time and
again, We're now in great demand by
American editors and publishers. Al.
though unrecommended and unspon
sorcd, Herman Bcrnstein's journalistic
and placed him, in short period OF
time, in the rank Of those who form
American opinion on international af-
| fairs, and one Of the molders of the
Jewish public opinion in this country
and many others.
II is hard to choose from the multi.
| tude of problems which attracted the
| attention of Herman Bcrnstein's pen.
those which are of greater significance.
| In fact. they were all significant and
all important in their day. II is the
tragedy of the journalistic profession
| that the greatest amount of intellect
and skill, invested in burning issues"
is Of no longer duration than Jonah's
| gourd. With the difference, however,
that while the leaves of the journalistic
Jonah disappear as soon as the sun
| rises and new day is marked on the
calendar, the work of the Jonah in
! journalism, the one. who in his sea
crossings is driven by an inner search
of truth and has at the point of his
pen n message of real value, endures
Because Of his literary activities, par.
| ticulnrly in the translaticns from the
Russian into English, Mr.. Bernstein
| found one day a short story in the
| Russian magazine. "Niestnik EurOpy."
under the name of S. Witte. Being
/ anxious to translate the story into'Eng.
lish, he wrote TO s. Witte. in care Of
the journal, asking for permission to
| do so. In return. Mr.. Bernstein re-
ceived letter from Nile. Sofia Witte,
enclosing an entire volume Of her
stories which she thought would prove
to be as interesting as her first story.
| However. some of the stories were ink.
| spotted, in n manner that indicated cen
soring. The censored spots proved to
/ Ice unpleasant references 10 the Jews.
| Without being personally known to
each other author and translator en-.
gagged in n heated correspondence con.
cerning the Jewish question in Russia.
| The somewhat bitter controversy end.
ed, however, in n sincere friendship
which was 10 lead to great change
| in Herman Bernstein's activities.
| Sofia Witte proved to he none other
! than the ariStOcratic sister of the then
powerful Count Witte, the Prime Min
lister of Russia, who at the time was
due TO arrive in the United States. Mt
the invitation of President Roosevelt.
to negotiate the Russian-Jnpanese peace
| treaty of Portsmouth.
Startling revelations of an interna-
| tiOnal character, probably still remem-
| bered by devoted newspaper readers.
were the result Of this correspondence,
and Bernstein rose to be the feared
and fearless American journalist, ex-
poser of International intrigue and cor
ruption.
Manifold and widespread were the
] polit and SDciuI connexions of Hpr