The Denver Jewish news., 1925-09-17
The Jewish Writer'S Club Peretz Society
Celebrates Its Tenth Anniversary

10 no one else under the sun Add to
this fact that most of these literary
workers had been accustomed. In their
old homes. TO standard Of comfort and
social standing that was fairly high
and In keeping with that enjoyed by
their brother Journalists and literary
men of Europe.
The question that arose was, besides.
how was man to produce the best of
which he was capable Of producing:
write his best editorial. his best political
article. his review or story when he
was so mlserably paid for them and.
Furthermore, his job always hung by
a slender thread. ready to snap at any
moment? So that the Jewish writer's
finally decided to take leaf out of
the Trade Union book and to organize
for mutual safety and protection The
result not only justified this step, but
even exceeded by far all anticipations
Of the planners of this novel move in
the domain of Jewish letters.
The seven men of vision had launch-
ed movement whose scope soon out
grew the modest original plan of the
founders, n movement whose reverber.
ations were soon heard around the en-.
tire Jewish literary and journalistic
field. About % or so Joined the Peretz
Society ranks during the first year OF
its existence, while at the end of the
2nd year the society could proudly point
to membership of sixty. Now. on
the threshold of the completion of the
10th year Of Its activity, II can point
with pride to n membership of nearly
go, or practically all men and women
who labor to produce the written Jew
ish word in the great city of New
York.
As n result of this, not only have
salaries and other forms of remuner.
alton for literary work in t1le Yiddish
journalistic field been considerably in.
creased the standard of living and com
fort of the workers greatly enhanced.
and their social and communal stand
ing raised proportioally, hut 1t has re.
suited in a complete transvaluation of
the Jewish literary worker of Ameri-
ca.
When one recalls that the literary
worker is essentially individualistic.
that the nature of his work as well rs
native disposition make him the most
difficult man temperamentally to he
herded with his fellows and to walk In
double harness with them, the magni.
tude of the task achieved will not he
underestimate. 1t will be accounted
a great achievement indeed
Up to within recent years. the Yid- |
dish writer of America had been look
ed upon with but scant respect And
neither did one look with any more
respect upon the Yiddish daily and
periodical press published in this land.
Newspapers and books, one knew, were
published only abroad, while real and
talented writers lived only in the old
Holne. No Woih WITH iuhihs uccouHl
of was being done here. 1t was all n
pale and lifeless echo Of the work being
done abroad. The Jewish Writer'S Club
has changed all this. 1t has duly
proven to the readers of the Yiddish
Press that the center of Jewish in
tellectual gravity is here; that the
praoter numbpr of talentpl men ,,f lpt-
ters now live in America; that we
can establish far better and content
richer press and a better book market
here than in our old home. In brief,
that we do not live any longer in the
REFLECTED glory and by the guidance of
our elder brothers abroad.