Evening star., 1938-07-10


in Asia Minor and Greece for the
poor Of the church in Jerusalem.
Now again communism is being
tried in the Holy Land: and 50, or
about one-fourth, of the Zionist
colonies are on communistic basis
They vary in degree, but some have
kept to q purer standard OF Com
munism than Russia exhibits.
1t is freely charged, and hotly
denied. that certain settlements even
practice Communism in the marriage
relation. have found no credible
evidence Of promiscuity. On the
contrary. because Of the closely knit
rela tionship of these small commune
ties, with everybody constantly under
his neighbor's eye, there is said to be
less moral laxity than generally pre-
walls in the world.
American Colony Experiment.
Before dealing with the Zionist set
Elements that are communistic. men,
ton should be made Of another IA
nous experiment in Jerusalem. the
American Colony" This was estab-
lished in 1881 by Chicago lawyer.
Horatio Spafford. and his wife. who
came to Jerusalem with small group
to await the early return Of the Lord.
After a few years they were joined by
large number of Swedish religious
folk SO that the colony, while called
American, is three-quarters non
American. All members pooled their
possessions, and lived simply, help
fully and Hospitality.
With the years came prosperity
and growing control Of the colony by
the children Of the Spaffords, Mr.. and
Mrs. John Whining and Mr.. and Mrs.
Frederick Vester. A few years ago
there was a split, and the property,
now considerable, was legally divided.
Since then the organization has come
almost entirely into the ownership Of
the Vesters and the Writings. They
operate a hotel. two souvenir shops, a
tourist business and sidelines The
history of the American Colony has
been that of Soviet Russia in micro
cosm. passing through the same stages.
No reader should get the impression
from what follows that Zionism Is
Communistic. although many Zionists
and colonies are The sumptuous
headquarters of the Zionist move
ment in Jerusalem and the long
roster of oficialdom are the antithesis
of Communistic simplicity.
Each Colony Has Liberty.
But liberty is granted to each colony
to develop after its own bent. In
most cases the land is owned by the
general Zionist organization Always
the colonies are helped with equip
ment to establish themselves. The
Zionist body stands in the role of a
benign and bountiful father, providing,
guiding and protecting his children.
The ultra orthodox Jews, such as the
Sephardim, or Spanish Jews, who
have been here for 400 years. receive
no help from Zionist funds, and are
opposed to the movement
Since many immigrants are Rus
sian, it was inevitable that Commu-
nism would be tried. OF the so So
called Communist colonies there are
variety Of types. ranging from the
simple co-operatives to the definitely
communal, wherein men and women
alike labor in the fields, leaving the
children to be cared for as a group
by nurses
Oldest of the Communistic type Of
Zionist colony is Daeania, along the
Jordan, just as the lower edge of the
Sea of Galilee This was founded in
1909 My first impression, as we drove
into the main entrance. through q
double row of fine cypress trees, was
Of a sea Of mud, although the country
side was dry. In front Of the house
was huge puddle, apparently a fx-
ture, for all the colonists I saw wore
boots. As I went over the colony
found only mud paths. not a single
foot of made walk, although an abun-
dance Of limestone and shells Is
as hand.
Neatness Is Noticeable,
This unfavorable impression was
relieved by the neatness of the big
communal kitchen and dining room,
and especially by the attractive ard
well-equipped kindergarten. The nurs-
cry was also well equipped and cared
for Parents with children have two
rooms in the common dormitory, for
the children are with them at night.
And such children! All were healthy
and attractive, and all were we'll
clothed There are so little children
in Dagania, out of a population Of
ITO. They are deservedly the prize
exhibit of the place.
The barns, with blooded stock, and
the chicken yards. with Leghorns, were
in excellent shape. The big creamery
at Dagania is operated in common
EDUCATIONAL.