ea' b' I 1115uIvz511
EDI:MOM/MOM CIRONIGLE
Published Weekly by The Jewish Chroakie Puhliehing Cc, Ins.
Entered as Becond.clewe matter March I, 1914, at the Post.
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Sabbath Shevuoth Reading of the Torah.
Pentateuchal portion—Deut. 14:22.16:17; Num.
20:26.31.
Prophetical portion—Hob, 3:1-19.
May 22, 1931
Sivan 6, 5691
Shall Michigan Revert to Czarism?
If;
The passage by the State Legislature of
the bill requiring aliens to register with the
state police is one of the most shocking bits
of un-American legislation to come from
Lansing. Hurriedly rushed through the
two Michigan legislative houses, without
offering the opponents of the measure the
chance to present their views, we plead
with the chief executive of our state, Gov-
ernor Wilber M. Brucker, not to permit the
measure to become a law and thereby
brand this commonwealth with a horrible
stamp of reaction and inhumane legislation.
The measure adopted by Michigan's leg-
islators means nothing less than the adop-
tion of an espionage system and of passport
rules worthy only of the darkest days of
the Russia that typified the rule of the
Czars. It is a measure that aims to do a
grave injustice to the non-citizens in the
state in that it compels employers to deny
them the means of a livelihood. It is tant-
amount to saying to all those who are not
yet citizens that they have no moral or legal
right to live on God's earth.
We plead with Governor Brucker to
place a stamp of disapproval on this meas-
ure, unless he is ready to bring tragedy into
thousands of Michigan homes.
Another Communal Triumph.
TiffiCILTTreeff
1;.
ot'o'
'ARONICLE
to
The Feast of Weeks.
The three major Jewish festivals, be-
sides the Holy Days of Rosh Hashonah and
Yom Kippur, are Passover, Shevuoth and
Succoth. All three have agricultural sig-
nificance, Shevuoth, the Feast of Weeks,
being the time of the year when Jews
brought the first fruits to the Temple in
Jerusalem. The custom of serving dairy
foods during this holiday and of decorating
the synagogues and homes with flowers
serve to remind Jews of today of the agri-
cultural significance of the life of Israel of
old.
But while Passover and Succoth have
great national significance, Shevuoth
emerges much more supreme in a spiritual
sense. The Feast of Weeks is identified
with the giving of the Torah to Israel and
with the handing down of the Law, of the
Ten Commandments, to the Jewish people,
and through the Jews to all mankind. The
awe-inspiring significance of the accept-
ance of the Decalogue by Israel is described
in the beautiful "Hymn for Shevuoth" by
Judah Halevi, translated from the Hebrew
by Mrs. Henry Lucas:
When Thou didst descend upon Sinai's moun-
tain
It trembled and shook 'neath Thy mighty
hand,
And the rocks were moved by Thy power and
Splendor;
Are ranged before Thee, a shining band,
On the day when darkness o'erspreads the
heavens,
And the sun is hidden at Thy command?
The angels of God, for Thy great name's wor-
ship,
Are ranged before Tee, a shining band,
And the children of men are waiting ever
Thy mercies, unnumbered as grains of sand,
The Law they receive from the mouth of Thy
glory,
They learn to consider and understand;
Oh, accept Thou their song, and rejoice in their
gladness
Who proclaim Thy glory in every land.
With the Shevuoth festival is also con-
nected the beautiful story of Ruth and Na-
omi, which has inspired poets of all nations.
These all-embracing elements make She-
vuoth tower among the great inspirational
festivals of all time.
The American Legion Convention.
The refusal of the nationl executive com-
mittee of the American Legion to comply
with the request of its Jewish members to
change the opening clay of the convention,
to take place in Detroit beginning with
Yom Kippur, September 21, is a blow at
every tradition which previously played in
favor of such change when it interfered
with the religious observance of a large fac-
tor in the Legion membership. The nation-
al executive committee shows only half the
respect it should to its Jewish membership
when it insists upon holding the first ses-
sion of the convention on Yom Kippur
morning, and by deciding to adjourn only
the afternoon session on that, the holiest
day in the Jewish year.
But the failure on the part of the Jewish
Legionnaires to secure a change of date
should serve as a lesson to the Jewish mem-
bers of the Legion's executive committee.
They should have been on the watch when
the original date was set. This should be a
lesson to other Jews in other enterprises.
Only too frequently do Jewish spokesmen
wake up too late to discover that examina-
tion in schools, or convention dates, or other
events, have been set for important Jewish
holidays. An ounce of prevention will save
a pound of cure. By watching out in ad-
vance against such mistakes we will, in the
future, avoid the unpleasantness caused by
the American Legion convention and other
similar events.
BY-THE-WAY
Tidbits and News of Jew-
ish Personalities,
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
THE NORDIC BENJAMIN
There is an old saw to the effect
that "anybody can be a fool, but it
takes a genius to be a blank fool."
Of.course, blank is something of a
polite euphemism. I am reminded
of that old proverb just now after
dipping through a book on Jeffer-
son Davis. the president of the
Confederate states.
The author of the book is a his-
torian by the name of Eckenrode,
a man who is competent in his
field. Yet he sees the old battle
between the North and South as
merely a struggle between the
Nordic and non-Nordic elements
for survival. To him, the stand
of the South was one of the last
stands of the Nordic.
Ridiculous as this is, the author
makes himself more ridiculous by
criticizing virtually all of the mem-
bers of Jefferson Davis's cabinet,
all save a few, one of whom is the
Jew, Judah P. Benjamin.
In other words, according to
this author, Benjamin became one
of the mainsprings in behalf of
Nordic civilization.
—*—
WAGNER'S FANTASTIC
THEORY
Education, which explodes
myths, seems to he able to breed
quite as many as it explodes. Noth-
ing is so absurd, but a good ration-
izer can turn it into plausible phi-
losophy.
As Eckenrode turns the South-
ern fight into a Nordic fight, so
Wagner developed a fantastic idea
of the incapability of the Jew in
music. Yet, almost all of the
orchestra leaders that produced
his works were Jews.
ISN'T LOGIC WONDERFUL?
Yes, logic is a powerful thing.
My favorite illustration of its
powers of distortion is that offered
by Montaigne. The great French-
man showed that you can prove
that pickles are thirst-quenching.
Pickles, he argued. make you
drink.
Drink is thirst-quenching.
Therefore, pickles are thirst-
quenching.
PURE BLOODED JEWS
With the king of Rumania ap-
parently persisting, according to
the papers, in his intention of
making Mme. Lupescu his wife,
and with the Abyssinian king mar-
rying a Jewess, we Jews will soon
be swimming in royal blood.
The truth is that in the royal
veins generally there is quite a bit
of the Jewish red. The Austrian
house, according to some, is the
offspring of a Sephardic Jew.
And the Spanish royalty has
quite a Jewish mixture. Old Fer-
dinand, the spouse of Isabella, was
the son or grandson—I don't recall
which—of a Jewish mother.
The success of the Allied Jewish Cam-
paign is another triumph for the Jewish
community of Detroit. At a time when all
other communities in the land are failing
in their philanthropic, educational and re-
construction projects, the Jews of this com-
munity have emerged victors in the chal-
lenges hurled at their hearts and minds.
This was a truly remarkable campaign
which has helped to solidify the unity
wrought among the many factions in the
city by the Jewish Welfare Federation. And
NOT A L ESTHERS
it was an unusually interesting and spell-
I suppose the average Jew takes
delight in thinking of these Jew-
binding campaign, warranting the citing
ish queens. He immediately begins
of Browning's: "It was roses, roses, all
to think of Queen Esther, who
the way."
saved her people by marrying the
Persian monarch.
The campaign being over, the commun-
I personally lack this consola-
ally-minded must begin to think of the fu-
tion and assurance. I cannot but
ture. What about Jewish activities in this
help think of Ferdinand. Jewish
grandson, who stood by and even
community for the balance of the year?
approved of the terrible Spanish
Surely, a community does not function only
Inquisition.
—4 --
three or four weeks in the year by merely
CHAPLIN AND NATIONALISM
conducting a charity drive. In the pres-
The Jew has been accused of
being an internationalist. Many of
ent campaign were assembled so many dif-
us have tried to deny it, because
fering groups of Jews, among the volun-
internationalism seems to conflict
teers were enlisted so many young men and
with patriotism.
Mr. Chaplin in London has just
women who have never before participated
p
created something of a sensation
in Jewish activities, that to fail to retain
by attacking patriotism as "in-
their interest in things Jewish would be
sanity." and contending that it
will soon lead us into anothe r
tantamount to inviting even greater indif-
war.
ference in Jewish ranks by the failure to
There is no question that the
common, garden variety of pa-
make use of an unusual triumph.
triotism is narrowing, selfish and
It is well to remember that while a cam-
something that we'll have to out-
grow.
paign can, as this one was, be won by
A Tribute to a Jesuit Priest.
There is, however, a form of
stunts, by excellent organization, a good
French Jewry will be joined by Jewries patriotism—th
e natural love of a
spirit of camaraderie and fine sportsman- of other lands in paying honor, on May 28, person for those
nearest to him,
ship, the life of the Jewish community de- to the memory of Henri Gregoire, Catholic which is quiite natural and which
will
probably
always
endure.
pends upon the type of leadership we de- bishop, on the occasion of the centennary
—4—
velop• the kind of content we give to our of his death. This unique honor has been
INTERPLANETARISTS
But what I am thinking about
Jewish activities, the extent to which we earned by this Jesuit priest of a century now
is another thing. Here, we
are able to make culture, respect for learn- ago because he, more than any other indi- have been accused of being inter-
ing, Jewish idealism command and rule the vidual, was responsible for the emancipa- nationalists. I look at Michelson,
has just died-1 think of Ein-
conduct of the community. Perhaps it is in tion of French Jewry by the Revolutionary who
stein—and I am afraid that soon
place at this time to recall the ancient warn- Assembly 142 years ago.
the charge will be that we've gone
even beyond the international—
ing that was issued to Hannibal, one of the
Henri Gregoire was the maker of the mo- and
become cosmic.
world's greatest generals, anent his victor- tion for the emancipation of the Jews.
Calvin Coolidge at one time
ies: "Hannibal knows how to gain a victory, When a special clay was set aside for the made the statement that if Michel-
son had put his mind to applied
but not how to use it." The question at deliberations on the bill for the granting of science,
he could have become as
this time is whether this community, equal rights to Jews, this Jesuit exclaimed: distinguished in that field as Edi-
son.
through its leaders, will know how to make "Fifty thousand Frenchmen arose this
Michelson, with the excep-
use of the present truly significant cam- morning as slaves; it depends on you tion But
of some things in optics, con-
paign triumph.
whether they shall go to bed as free peo- fined himself to measuring things
millions of miles away from the
For, be it remembered, this drive was not ple."
earth. And Einstein, too, thinks
Gregoire wrote a book advocating the of the Milky Way—and all of
for relief alone, although "Relief, Relief!"
was the central cry. Ancient and inde- physical, moral and political regeneration those other things in the neigh-
suns, stars and planets.
structible traditions were involved in the of the Jews. The Jewish Encyclopedia, boring
I wonder if some day we Jews
campaign appeal. Jewish education played commenting on this book and on the senti- won't be accused—not of being
internationalists, but of being in-
an important part in the campaign budget. ments of this Catholic bishop, states:
ter-planetarists, or cosmecists.
The arguments advanced in his book in
Ordinarily, except for the present critical
a
favor of the Jews are in no way original; they
MICHELSON AND GRANT
times, that would and should come first.
repeat the often-advanced statements that the
They told Michelson at Annap-
There were other educational items, and
Jews are not worse than the average, and that
olis. when he was studying at the
the injustice of medieval legislation was largely
Naval Academy, that if he attend-
among the leading causes was the ideal of
responsible for whatever faults are peculiar
ed
to his "gunnery" instead of his
a rebuilt Palestine. There is sufficient ma-
to the Jews. He therefore demanded for them
other scientific thingamajigs in
full enfranchisement, including political rights.
terial for study, thinking, communal inter-
which he was interested, that he
What gave special weight to Gregoire's pamph-
might in time be of some service
est included in the campaign's causes to
lets was the fact that he spoke as a professing t 5 his country.
make this community thrill in Jewish liv-
Catholic priest who advocated the enfran-
Michelson got his appointment
chisement of the Jews from the point of view 1 o Annapolis through the special
ing, and to lead it on to even greater
of canonical law, and desired to prove that the
favor
of President Grant, and it is
achievement. But will interest in these
Church had always been favorable to the Jews. a n odd fact that Grant himself
causes die with the excitement of the drive,
Henri Gregoire's sentiments, therefore was looked upon rather askew
the campaign only to be recalled in the de- were those of a simple, truly religious and while he was • student at the mili-
ary academy.
mands for the payments of pledges?
very human person who battled that those
And Grant liked the military
Let our leaders give thought to this im- who did not possess them might enjoy the a cadta,:y, as little as the military
cademy relished him.
While
portant question. They are building a com- same rights that he had acquired. What-
rant was • student there some
munity. Let them build a great commun- ever honors are accorded his memory were member
of Congrese introduced a
ity by utilizing wisely the wonderful man- therefore honestly earned by a man whose t b ill for the abolition of the milt-
academy, and Grant watched
power that has been assembled in the pres- name goes down in Jewish history for his e ary
he papers anxiously, hoping that
ent campaign.
honest political and social views.
04 ,1
(Turn to Next Page.)
• A . A9A9A te-I TZ7444iTZ,!
RUSSIA'S MAN OF STEEL
t:1 ;17,1, 1!::" ."1.31?;! 1
Charles If. Joseph
ACCORDING to "Who's Who in American
Jewry," the late Albert Michelson has a brother,
Charles, and a sister, Miriam. The former is the
gentleman who h•.s given Mr. Hoover and his ad-
ministration some unpleasant moments. He was
engaged by the Democratic Committee or by Mr.
Raskob, if you prefer it that way, to shoot the
Republicans full of holes. And it must be con-
fessed that he succeeded. At one time he was the
Washington correspondent of the New York World.
His Sister has written several books, some of them
rather well-known. But I have never heard that
Michelson the scientist or his relatives ever took
much interest, if any, in the affairs of their co-
religionists. I may be doing them an injustice, but
I ant merely giving my opinion based upon my ob-
servation and reading. Albert Michelson was a
great scientist and Einstein gave him full measure
of appreciation and gratitude for having, through
the measurement of the velocity of light, given
him the tool with which to develop his relativity
theory. While Jews are great in the realm of
science it is only in the domain of religion that
they are supreme.
RABBI MAX CURRICK, of Erie, Pa., writes a
column called "Second Thoughts" in the Ob-
server of that city. The other day he had occasion
to comment on a meeting of the Hebrew Christian
Alliance in Erie. He has these very interesting
statements to make concerning our zealous con-
verters.
About a half-dozen interested friends have
spoken to me about the Ilebrew Christian Alli-
ance which has been meeting in Erie this week.
They are mystified both by the name anti by
the object of the organization. The movement
is one whose object is to convert Jews to Chris-
tianity. The name is, therefore, not very clear.
The object as put forth in the literature is also
not clear, for no many people took it to be
an inter-religious movement. It is not so very
important, to be sure, but then some people
might have attended the meeting under a mis-
apprehension. I suspect just a little that the
cloudy phraseology is intentional, the desire
being to lure some Jewish listeners who cer-
tainly would not attend if they understood the
real object of the society. For Jews are about
as fond of professional apostates as Christians
are. My only regret is that the convention
met under such respectable auspices, for a
good many years ago one of Erie's most promi-
nent clergymen assured me that if ever any
of these missionary-to-the-Jews people came
to Erie he would ask the Protestant churches
c,f Erie to withhold their endorsement of them.
After the work and experience of the Fed-
eral Council's Committee on Good Will be-
tween Jews and Christians one might have ex-
pected a better understanding of the essen-
tial insult in such an enterprise, let alone its
futility.
The sponsors of the movement are certainly
sincere and perhaps some of the missionaries
are. To people interested in my spiritual wel-
fare I should be grateful. So I shall not quar-
rel with them. In fact, being myself inter-
ested in my own spiritual welfare, I ought to
help them. They want to know how to make
Christianity more attractive to Jews. After
all, they have had 2,000 years in which to dem-
onstrate the faith to us, and its superiority
over our own, and, no far, the synagogue still
thrives. There must be a reason and the
trouble seems to be that the most zealous
missionaries to the Jews have always ignored
the reason. The reason lies not in theology, to
which people pay little attention in these days,
but in life. Unfortunately, Jews have always
judged Christianity by the behavior of Chris-
tians to them. If you want a good sample
read the article in this month's Harper's Maga-
zine on "Unchristian Christians." It is not
pleasant reading but it will be wholesome for
such as read it with lore and humility in their
hearts. As regards the truth, however, it is
pitiful to put so much effort and expense in
expounding to Jews a form of theology which
progressive Christians are themselves discard.
ing as obsolete. Then, finally, religion is not
a theory but a way of life. Its forms lie deep
in the sociological past of a people. It cannot
be put on and off like a coat. That, too, may
have a good deal to do with the subject.
THERE is a report, how well founded I don't
know, that we are about to have another era of
hate sponsored by an organization known as the
"National Order of Protestant Clubs." It is said
that it has arisen or is about to rise from the
ruins of the old Ku Klux Klan. I sometimes won-
der why the representative, liberal Protestant lead-
ers in this country don't come out at the very be-
ginning of such a movement and denounce it. There
is and there can be no objection to our Protestant
neighbors organizing when and how they see fit.
But some of our Protestant friends have told us
personally time and again that they despised the Ku
Klux Klan and held it to be a menace to the nation.
Yet carried away by a lot of hocus-pocus and cheap
mystery many earnest-minded Protestant men and
women were induced to join the movement, only to
withdraw later or ashamed that they had ever af-
filiated themselves with such an intolerant and
commercial group. Now for what purpose can
such an organization as the "National Order of
Protestant Clubs" come into being? It looks to us
at this distance as if it was merely another excuse
for anti-Catholic propaganda. The Ku Klux Klan
was definitely an anti-Catholic order. So far as
the Jews were concerned they didn't bother them
very much. Here and there someone might show
his prejudice against the Jew, but generally speak-
ing, the Catholics were the targets aimed at. It is
to be hoped that we shall not see again a revival of
the old hatreds that are sponsored under the name
"Protestantism."
IN VIEW of the fact that a Jew, Albert Einstein,
was publicly scolded by an American Legion
group in California because of his attitude toward
war, and because peace effort in face of such an-
tagonism is merely so much social conversation we
might read with interest this statement of Alfred
Lief on the lesson on pacifism contained in Re-
marque's new book, "The Road Back." Ile is
writing to Harry Hansen, literary editor of the
New York World-Telegram:
We cannot rely on governments, because
governments embody the principles of force.
We cannot pin faith to internationalism so long
as that term implies a collagoration of nations
instead of peoples. Peace endowments culti-
vate scholarships rather than war refusal.
Peace societies are useful insofar as they get
publicity. The individual war register is our
only reliance—the conscientious objector who
practices pacifism daily, hates every form of
violence, looks on no man as a competitor . .
Einstein's utterances in New York last winter
converted many a minister. Chaplin has
probably prodded other minds by poking his
bamboo cane into patriotism.
you have a sermon in a few paragraphs.
T HERE
We talk peace, but we resent stressing too
much. We have an organization of ladies known
as the Daughters of the American Revolution who
seem to be opposed to anything that is likely to
promote peace, good-will and amity among the
nations. They shout loudest for armaments and
blacklist those who may be liberal and CHRIS-
TIAN in their attitude. Of what use are peace
petitions and peace hymns and all the rest of it
when we find such groups placing every possible
obstacle in the way of maintaing permanent peace.
Isaac Don Levine's Biography of Joseph Stalin De-
scribes the Present Ruler's Battle for Su.
premacy With Leon Trotsky.
A Review by Philip Slomorits.
Isaac Don Levine has previously
distinguished himself with his
books dealing with the Russian
Revolution and with the Soviet
leaders. His "The Min Lenin,"
and "The Russian Revolution" are
important in the bibliographies on
the subject of present-day Russia.
By unearthing the famous "Willy-
Nicky Letters" he revealed much
that was enacted behind the scenes
of Russian and German imperial-
ism.
Mr. Levine's "Stalin," just
published by the Cosmopolitan
Book Corporation, 572 Madison
avenue, New York ($3.50), must
not only be ranked as a great
biographical sketch, but is also
his crowning work on Sovietiana.
It is not only an able biographical
study of one of the most interest-
ing personalities of this day. It is,
because of its thoroughness, virtu-
ally a history of the rise of the
Soviets.
The Battle With Trotsky.
It is impossible to do justice to
Mr. Levine's "Stalin" in this brief
review. There are many points of
such unusual interest in this vol-
ume to make it stand out among
the very best of modern works.
The chapter, "The Cradle of Bol-
shevism," to quote just one in-
stance, is a fine outline of the ori-
gin of Bolshevism, giving "an his-
torical survey and interpretation
of Leninism—the creed of Stalin."
Levine, in his study of Stalin,
takes the reader to the Caucasus,
"the cradle of Stalin," and de-
scribes minutely the activities of
the ruler of the new Russia from
the time he was born Joseph
Djugashvili until this day of the
"Five Year Plan" and the dictator-
ship of this secretary-general of
the Communist party.
Of particular interest in this
book is, of course, the description
of the battle for the scepter, on
the death of Lenin, between Stalin
and Leon Trotsky. The rise of
Stalin to power as a result of his
victory over Trotsky, forms so im-
portant a chapter in Russian his-
tory that it is natural that most
of this biography should be
monopolized by a description of
events and clashes of ideas that
led up to and illumined this his-
toric squabble.
Stalin Versus Trotsky.
There are many terse, interest-
ing and fascinatingly penned de-
scriptions of the differences in
the personalities and opinions of
Stalin and Trotsky. Thus, Levine
writes:
"Stalin was strong with the ma-
chine, Trotsky was strong with the
masses. Stalin had with him a
band of hardened and rough poli-
ticians. Trotsky was followed by
a group of brilliant intellectuals.
Stalin staked everything on the
status quo. Trotsky sought to up-
set the apple-cart."
Levine describes
Stalin as
always having stood in the very
center of Soviet activities. "Ile
had been there from the begin-
ning! He had done his work on
the quiet." Ile realized that the
dictatorship of the proletariat
"must eventually be wielded by
one human being." And although
later disowned by Lenin, Stalin,
having rooted himself in the cen-
ter of the party, by his consistent
grinding and through his experi-
ences in underground revolution-
ary machinations emerged the vic-
tor in the battle with Trotsky, and
after Trotsky's exile to an island
in Turkey, Stalin adopted his eco-
nomic views! What political
irony.
Isaac Don Levin's book is im-
portant for other reasons. It
helps the reader to understand not
only the development of the dic-
tatorship of the Soviets but also
the individuals responsible for the
dictatorship and their economic
platform. It is a book well worth
reading and studying. It is a
very fine biography by a very able
writer and we predict for it the
popularity of one of the best sell-
ers of this year.
-1
;4
NF
-L4
A GREAT GERMAN
JUVENILE VOLUME
.
3
44+
There are few volumes in all
the existing libraries of juvenile
books to rival in beauty, in fasci-
nation, in its spell-binding story,
the excellent tale of "The Nut-
cracker and the Mouse-King." This
classic story by Ernst Theodor
Amadeus Hoffman. now published
in Louise F. Encking's fine Eng-
lish translation from the German
by Albert Whitman & Co., 323
West Randolph street, Chicago
($1.50), is a gem, and the present
English translation is as beautiful
as the original. And the attrac-
tive colored illustrations by Emma
L. Brock certainly help further to
recommend the book.
The plot wound around the Nut-
cracker and the Mouse-King con-
tains no many thrills, so many en-
volved and fascinating situations,
such a great variety of intriguing
scenes, that this book, in its beauty
and wholesomeness, must be given
a position of prominence among
the classics in children's literature.
By introducing in the cast of
this story fairies and dolls and sol-
diers and comic characters, as well
as castles and gardens and candies,
the author created something
which will thrill and fascinate and
hold the attention of the young
reader. We recommend this as a
great juvenile book.
:4+
7.f
cy
4+
*4 1
THE TORAH AND NATURE
N-
A Sermon for Shevuoth.
By RABBI SAMUEL M. FINE
The Torah soya: "I was the
architect for the Holy one, blessed
be Ile. It is the way of the world
that when a king of flesh and blood
builds a palace he employs an ar-
chitect, and this architect does not
build the palace without definite
plans and specifications for each
room and for each door. The
Heavenly King did likewise. He
consulted the Torah and accord-
ingly He created the world (Mid-
rash Rabbah, Breshith, ch. I)."
In the short span of man's life
he must struggle bitterly and in-
cessantly with himself f or his
existence; i. e., for his moral exist-
ence. For those who are spirit-
ually developed and morally secure
are not disturbed in their inner life
by their good or bad material cir-
cumstances. On the other hand,
there are many who are materially
well provided and still they feel
unhappy and miserable and are
very pessimistically inclined. This
is a result of not having the firm
spiritual and moral ground under
their feet. Their souls are deso-
late and void without any spiritual
food to nourish and invigorate
them. They are cut off from the
right course that would lead them
to a happy aim in life.
Laws of the Torah.
Moreover, not only individuals,
but even groups of various tenden-
cies are not able to find the
straight and righteous course with
their mind and intelligence. Even
they are at a loss in finding the
course that should lead humanity
to happiness.
The human mind is very limited,
and man can only think and create
with himself as the center of his
mental activities. For this reason
he fails completely when he desires
to create laws and regulations for
the world in general, for different
ll
races and nations outside of hi
vision and comprehension. Law
are feasible only when they are in
accordance with human nature ant
character and in harmony with the
laws of nature. This is the reasm
why many ideas and programs
with right or left tendencies, hart
collapsed in actual life.
This is not the case with the
laws, and judgments of our Torah
given by God to the Jews on Noun
Sinti. When the Decalogue wa.
rejected by the ancient nations, i
was accepted by all modern and
cultured nations. The Torah is
eternal, and it will never go down
from the world's stage. This is
one of our thirteen creeds. All
those who walk in the way of the
Torah never fail. They are se-
cure against all misfortunes for
"those who seek Thee will never
stumble."
i
CS
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Secret of Jews' Eternity.
Our answer to those who digress
from the path of the Torah, even
partly, is that to digress from the
path of the Torah means to digress
from nature and life, and whoever
plays this hazardous game will pay
dearly.
This is also the secret of the
eternity of the Jewish people,
while other nations have been
swept away by the floods of time.
They have observed the laws of
the Torah, which means that they
have followed the laws of nature
and they were strengthened and
sustained by them.
This is the deep meaning of the
Midrash, which states that God
used the Torah as a guide in creat-
ing the world. It seems that the
laws of nature and the laws of the
Torah are one and the same, and
they represent everything good
and beautiful in the universe.
•
IN THE PUBLIC EYE
Luigi Cesana of Rome well-known Italian-Jewish journalist and
a political leader, celebrated his eightieth birthday. Cessna comes from
famous Jewish family long resident in Torino. Cessna established his
reputation as editor of the influential Roman daily, II Messaggero.
Numerous telegrams from all parts of the world poured in on Cesana
congratulating him on reaching four score years.
•
•
•
Leon Mann, philanthropist and welfare worker, was chosen the out-
standing citizen of Mount Vernon, N. Y., for the year 1930 at the
annual banquet of the Welfare Council of Mount Vernon. Mr. Mann
was chosen after a city-wide contest had been conducted
by the
council in which scores of other candidates, of all races and nation-
alities, were entered by
supporters. The distinction of being picked as
the outstanding citizen was accompanied by a gold scroll, presented to
Mr. Mann by Charles W. Miller, treasurer of Westchester county.
Two Jewish non-commissioned officers of the United States army
were among the eight to whom the first Soldiers'
Medals to be pre-
sented since Congress added the award to
the army Major-General
of decorations
in 1926 were given at Governor's Island, N. Y., by list
Hanson E. Ely, commanding the Second Corps Area. The two Jewish
soldiers decorated are Master Sergeant Benjamin Roth of the Air Corps
and
Sergeant Maxwell Weinstein of the Eighteenth Infantry, both of
Brooklyn.
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