The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-10-07
TREND OF WORLD AFFAIRS
Prepared by
Lucy Meacham Thruston

Palestine Is just about as large as
New Hampshire. 1t Is smaller than
any other area of trouble upon the
world map. Czehoslovakia with its
tragic possibilities, Spain torn with
civil war, China blanketed with mis-
eries-compare their areas, but COM
pare their bepuzzlements also. That
Of Czehoslovakia is straight cut:
shall we continue as a country
That of Spain; which will be victori-
Gus and govern our land, loyalists
or rebels. That of China Is most
probably linked up with third
question: which shall be the super
nation in Aisa, Japan or Russia
But the completely Of Palestine.
It is of area, of nationality, Ian
guage and religion. Crises in Europe
and the Far East come and go, those
of Palestine fare and shoulder. but
persist. Caesar with his comma
Gsllia" and his tires parties" there
of had an easy job. The area was
great, the boundaries indefinite. 1t
was a new land. Palestine is old,
was old when history came up to its
dividing line between B. C.s and
la. DIS. Assyria, Babylon, Persia
played their parts in its ruling be-
fore the Pax Romano and the COM
| ing of Christ And since then Ro-
man, Tartar, Crusader have added
their part to the strife. And Great
Britain.
When in 1876 A. d. Jerusalem was
destroyed and the Jews scattered
abroad their prosecutions began and
their dreams. They would return as
they had done from Babylonian cap
tivity. English sympathy with this
dream was deeper than that of other
countries. 1t can be traced through
dusty pamphlets and records back
| to 1900. 1t was openly preached in
Cromwell's time and still more pub
| licly in Queen Victoria's reign. At
ter the horrible pograms in Russia
| in 188O-191O plan for establish
| ing national home for Jews in
their homeland of Palestine became
more definite. A Viennese Jew,
Thedor Herzel, called congress of
Jews at Basic, Switzerland in 1897
and the Zionist Organization was
| founded.
But the Arab and the Turk had
now owned the land for centuries.
| It had become not only their home
| land but 1t was sacred land also.
Jerusalem ranked in sanctity with
Mecca and Medina. And to England
the land now claimed their interest
not only humane and religious lines,
but it had become of practical I'M
portance: control of land about the
zone of the Suez canal, of transport
alton lines, old and new, of termin-
ais for oil shipment from Iraq-all
of these leaped forward for recogni-
ton. Turkey, master land of Arabia,
came into the World War on the
side of the Allies. The Arabs, hav-
ing had promises made them by the
British. revolted. At the end of the
war Palestine was in the hands OF
the British. According to arrange
ments between France and Arabs
and British, (secret for the most
part) the Arabian peninsula Was d.
vided and subdivided. Palestine came
under the British, British man
date granted by Geneva. Clashes be-
tween Arab and Jew in this Holy
Land became more frequent and
violent, England finding it increas-
ingly difficult to keep peace and in
sure progress. The Jews were re-
turning in such numbers that 1t be-
came necessary to establish an an
nual quota. The burning question
became-and is-Who Shall Control
the Future of this National Home?
On this issue the two parties have
locked horns. Commissions, Com
mittees, statesmen have studied, in
vestigated and reported. Palestine
which is as small as New Hamp-
shire may be reduced to Delware