America gewish Periodic
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
What Does the World Owe to the Jew?
By E. C. Benjamin
(Concluded)
Such, then, is the relation of the
Jew to the Christian nations. The
former has been the spiritual . ad-
visor, the moral giver, the writer of
inspiring tales, the latter pre-emi-
nently the doers of the deed of
modernity. Obviously, to settle on
the strength of the value of their re-
spective contributions, just in whose
favor the balance lies, would be a
very difficult task.
But there still remains a debt un-
paid on the part of some Christian
nations and this debt these nations
owe . first and foremost to them-
selves. It is a debt with which we"
are all fully acquainted, the debt
of barbarism to civilization. Be-
fore Christianity can ever realize
itself, persecution of the Jew must
finally cease. Cruelty and massa-
cre are hardly compatible with
those virtues the world has come to
call "Christian." Indeed just about
the most ridiculous picture a person
could conjure up would be of Jesus
looking on a Russian pogrom.
The ground for a plea for re-
• ligiouS toleration of the Jew rests
on the fact that at the present time
there is no ethical difference be-
tween Judaism and Christianity.
Whatever real difference exists be-
tween the two religions, exists,
merely, concerning the origin of a
single man ; and the most educated
have come to favor the Jewish atti-
tude on the subject. The difference
for the most part ceased to be an
ethical one shortly after Christ's
death, when on the conversion of
rude non-Semitic tribes the im-
practicable and ethereal nature of
Christianity was dispensed with.
Then when one of Jesus' most ac-
tive reforms, that against the mate-
rialism of the old Jewish ritual, was
adopted in framing the Reform Ju-
daism, the last ethical difference
dropped out. True, the Judaism of
the Hebrew population in the coun-
tries of dire oppression is not the
Reform type ; but even the crude
orthodoxy of its ritual cannot com-
pare with the orthodoxy of the par-
ticular Christian creed in vogue in
those countries. Generally speak-
ing, if Christ himself were to return
to earth today he would find the
morality of the Jew the morality
of the Christian, and the same need
of each for reform.
The real ground for a plea of
fair-mindedness towards the Jew is
that4here is nothing asically wrong,
and Nluch that is good, in the He-
brew element of any nation. If we
are crass materialists, it is, I think,
an artificial trait, the fault of
Christian Tersecution and restric-
tion. If we are unrefined, it is the
unrefinement of the poor or nou-
veau riche of any people. Even the
so-called proud exclusivism of the
Jew is largely due to his environ-
ment, because while it is true and
perfectly natural that immediately
after the dispersion he continued to
look upon himself as an exile, still
it was only as the result of religious
prejudice against him that he clung
to this attitude. This is the case in
Russia today. On the other hand,
wherever the Jew was well re-
ceived he fitted in, as was the case
in Spain before the expulsion and
as is now the case in America and
England. We make splendid and
loyal citizens and the charge of dis-
loyalty is, for the most part, en-,
tirely untrue. Five thousand Jews
took part in our Civil War on both
sides, and in Europe today many
hundreds of thousands more are
doing their share for their respec-
tive countries.
Often it is thought that peoples
need fear its because we are so
shrewd and intelligent as to drive
them out of their professions—an
argument which has been used
against its with great effect. After
Jewish Rabbis Forced to Clean
Streets
(Continued from page 4)
Rigid ruleS' were proclaimed against
robbery by civilians and soldiers
and in four instances death penalties
were carried out upon culprits who
violated these.
Off the Streets by 9 P. M.
All civilians were compelled to
be in their homes by 7 o'clock at
night during the early period of
Russian occupation. Later, upon
urgent pleas, this time was extend-
ed to 9 o'clock. Only for extraor-
dinary reasons and with special mil-
itary permits was any one allowed
in the streets after the fixed hour
without severe punishment. The
exception which was made affected
only clergymen on their way to visit
sick or dying. They were by a spe-
cial military order given the priv-
ilege not accorded others.
All religious institutions and
places of worship were respected
and protected by the Russians. The
beautiful principal Jewish syna-
gogue in Jaglelonska street, built in
renaissance style which is one of
the landmarks of the city, was given
special protection during the period.
As a conqueror the czar of Rus-
sia came and made a two days' stay
in Przemysl, during which time
there were special manifestations
and demonstrations arranged by the
military and by some of the Russian
sympathizers in the city. The
Ruthenians gave the czar a splen-
did ovation and he in turn upon
leaving made a contribution for the
aid of the needy people of the city,
just as he had done in Lemberg.
THE OFFICE,
THE PARTY,
AND THE MAN
all it is rather to be expected that
centuries of persecution should
have over-sharpened our wits, but
at the same time it will be found
that wherever and whenever the
Jew is treated fairly, such preco-
ciousness dies out. The children
of our established Jewish families
are, as a rule, no more alert men-
tally than those of Christian birth.
In short, we are human beings
like every one else, gifted with
pretty much the same capabilities
and the same potentialities. • Our
treatment at the hands of our fel-
lows must conform with these
facts ; it will conform in time.
what we are now concerned with
is the precise length of that time.
Of this we must take account ; that
until the day of toleration and fair-
mindedness arrives, a Christian
world will neither rightly be able
to call itself Christian or civilized.
In other words, the debt the world
owes the Jew is, in the last analysis,
the debt of hUmanity to itself.—
The American Israelite.
"War Booty" in Buildings.
A number of buildings in Prze-
mysl were left without owners, be-
ati3e many, before the terrible
seiges around Przemysl began, fled
• to places of safety in the interior
of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
The Russians considered these
buildings as belonging to avowed
enemies, who confessed their en-
mity and hostility by running away.
It was stated on all sides in Prze-
mysl that there was not one of the
abandoned buildings that was left
furnished when the Russians left
the city. Every piece of furniture
and everything useful and available
that could be removed was carried
away without interference, on the
contention that it was legitimate
war booty because it was aband-
oned. The more pretentious of
these abandoned residences were
used by prominent Russian officials
and army men.
Regulations were issued forbid-
ding civilians to go upon Castle hill
and it and other elevated points of
the city were placed under military
guard. A disregard of these regu-
lations is reported in three instances
to have resulted in the soldiers fir-
ing upon the approaching persons
and killing three men.
With reference to stories that
Russian soldiers had enterod con-
vents of nuns and committed out-
rages therein, which Iv,
;ed
following the Russian cal) L e of
Przemysl, I inquired of Rt.-
Rev. Karol Joseph Fischer. auxil-
iary bishop of the diocese of Pr ze-
mysl, of the Roma- ( .:Itho'ic
church, who throughout ,
and Russian occupations and ••
WILLIAM H. HILL
Candidate for the Republican Nomi-
nation for United Stltes Sena-
tor August 29th.
William I I. I fill is a Republican and
it is as a thorough-going, uncom-
promising Republican that he oilers
himself at the Prinear;es August 29
for the Republican nomination for
United States Senator.
But there are certain characteristics
of 11r. Hill's Republicanism that he
wishes thoroughly understood. Ile is
neither a radical, nor a conservative;
least of all is he a reactionary.
By radicalism Mr. Hill understands
action not based on good judgment
and common sense; by conservatism,
a lack of action that amounts to
timidity, failure to grasp new condi-
tions; by reactionisin, no action at
all—stagnation.
Mr. Ilill is progressive in his prac-
tice and application of Republican
theory and doctrine.
By that he means that he recog-
nizes new facts, new conditions, when
they arise and believes that theory
and principles of government should
be adapted to fit these new facts and
conditions.
There should always be progress.
One cannot stand still. One should
advance with the times—molding and
adapting principles to the new prob-
lems that arise, but never altering the
fundamentals. It is this sort of Re-
publicanism that 1i r. Ilill practices
and will practice.
That he has the courage of his con-
victions was proved in 1912 when,
believing that the conditions of that
hour demanded it, he followed Col-
onel Roomvelt. He ran for Con-
gressman-at-large and polled the
largest vote, next to Roosevelt, run-
ning ahead of his ticket 20,000, and
exceeding the vote of the Republican
nominoe for governor by 5,000.
Mr. Hill remains unshaken in his
belief in the soundness of the pro-
gressive Republican theories. Those
w ho believe in progressivism as a
necessary element in all political
theory and who supported Mr. Bill so
generously in 1912 may rest assured
that the same ideals of governntent
for which lie stood at that time will
actuate his conduct if he is nominated
for United States Senator and elected
on the Republican ticket.
Support him as you did four years
ago and it will mean that the advo-
cates of progress and humanity \HI
have a friend in court. The l'rimaric,
are August 29th. tict cut : v
place
an X before the name , •1
I.
Austrian recapture of l'rzemysl
lived in the city and looked after
the affairs of the church. I le as-
sured me that the nuns especially ,
were treated xvith consideration and
'e.spect by the Russian soldiers and
that not one of them was molested
or insulted.
is