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DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chroniela

Detroit Jewish Chronicle

and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE

Friday, May 3, 1946

Book Review

By LEON SAUNDERS

P ► isfished Weekly by Jewish Chronicle t'ublishing Co., Inc., 525 Woodward Ave., Detroit 26, Mich., Tel. CAdillac 1040

Reply to a Complaint

SUBSCRIPTION: S3.00 PER YEAR, SINC.:;LE COPIES, 10c; FOREIGN, $5.00 PER YEAR
trtered as Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Postcffice at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3. iI379

A few issues ago I wrote a review of the autobiography of th.,
well known Jewish composer of Jewish operettas, Rumshinsky, and
in connection with it I expressed my inexpert views on music and
art in general.
A reader, whose modesty prevented him from wanting his name
in print, called me and expressed hIs opinion of me. He called me a
low-brow, a dilettante and a man who wants to use everything
meant a utilitarian) as well as an ignoramus in music.
As he sounded sincere in his indignation, I called his attention
to my article in which I admitted that I cannot distinguish be-
tween Brahnts' Second Symphony and the Livery Stables Blues. As
it was impossible to argue with him on the phone I wish to express
my further views in addition to those used in my previous article.
I am used to abuse and will allow any render to disagree with me
on any subject I write on. As he switched his arguments from
Brahms to art in general and even unearthed the venerable bones
of Plato and Aristotle (plainly: to impress met I will (in hope that
he will read this) elaborate on the subject.

Editor-in-Chief, LOUIS W. ENFIELD

Vol. 48, No. 18

Publisher, CY AARON

Managing Editor, NATHAN J. KAUFMAN

FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1946 (WAR 2, 5706)

A Great American

Blind! Blind! None so blind as they
who will not see. These are the only words
we can use in answer to the letter, pub-
lished in our letter box, in which a man
who calls himself a Jew accuses the late,
revered Franklin D. Roosevelt of being
anti-Jewish.
This is a new sort of accusation. Our
great leader, who literally gave his life
for his country, and is as much a war
casualty as any soldier who died in bat-
tle, was often accused of being too pro-
Jewish. He was a liberal, a crusader in
the cause of the common man. The people
who returned him to office for an unprece-
dented third and fourth term felt instinc-
tively that here was a man who loved
them and stood ready to fight their battle.

Few grown people will ever forget
Roosevelt's first inaugural address. In
the depth of the depression, when all
the banks had closed and the nation
was on the verge of panic, that gold-
en voice of his rang out to a listening
world,
"We have nothing to fear but fear
itself," he said and almost immediate-
ly the panic in all hearts was stilled.
Every listener somehow felt assured.
The leadership of the country was in
safe hands, in competent hands.

History will accord a place to Franklin .
D. Roosevelt. That place will be high up
on the rungs of the ladder of fame, shar-
ing great glory with the recognized greats
of our country, Washington, Jefferson
and Lincoln.
Not only were his accomplishments
great. He had a noble heart. Not only did
he have a great plan for all the people.
He had a vision. That vision gave rise to
the Atlantic Charter. That vision gave rise
to the present United Nations. The name
Roosevelt will be forever synonymous with
freedom and tolerance, with world peace
and world hope for the future.
He fought tyranny and hated injustice.
He stands as a symbol of Americanism in
its truest sense. The whole world lost a
real friend when death brought his lead-
ership to an end.

If ever Jews had a friend in high
places, they had one in Franklin D.
Roosevelt. Not only Jews, but all op-
pressed minorities in every quarter of
the globe. Even those who hated him
and fought his policies because they
interfered with their own selfish aims
were forced to recognize and pay
tribute to his genius.

If to merit your subscription, Mr. Ben,
it is necessary to refuse credit to a truly
great man, we will have to do without
your subscription. For we can state un-
equivocally the position of this paper. We
regard Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of
the greatest AmericaKs who ever lived.

Non-Jews in Texas

From Dallas, Texas, comes one of the
most inspiring stories of the United Jew-
ish Appeal Campaign. It is the story ,of
how the non-Jewish population of the
city contributed $70,000 to the UJA, more
than one sixth of the entire quota of the
city.
This was an act of true religion. All
faiths were represented. Leadership came
from those souls ayho felt that suffering
knows no bounds of creed. Contributions
came from people in every walk of life.

Jews everywhere in America will
welcome with gratitude this gesture
of friendliness and sympathy. Too
long, far too long, have the non-Jew-
ish people looked on the Jewish prob-
lem abroad with comparative indif-
ference. When the German excesses
were at their savage worst, America
looked on with pity but without hor-
ror — and did nothing. Even now,

Detroit 26, Michigan

with but a pitiful remnant of a proud
vigorous people left alive, America
still does not rise to the rescue.

One-sixth of the quota of any city is a
large sum. But far more important than
the money is the good will behind it, the
realization that the suffering and hard-
ship of any people is the problem of all.
We earnestly hope that non-Jews through-
out America, throughout the world will
at long last open their hearts to misery
and wretchedness and the ultimate cure
for our evils will be in sight.
This week sees the formal opening for
the Allied Jewish Campaign here in De-
troit. The need is great, greater than it
has ever been in the memory of man.
Lives are dependent on the giving. Hu-
man happiness is at stake. Let your own
giving reflect the measure of your grati-
tude for what you have here..

It would be ell for non-Jews also to
reflect on tilts- campaign and its real
meaning. Jews in Europe, six million of
them, were a sacrifice on the altar of
America's isolationism. That must never
be again. It cannot be again. For another
holocaust such as th u g one we have just
ended means the finish of the world.

America did not prevent the de-
bacle when perhaps it could have.
Let America now take cognizance of
the result. Let America keep up its
well known habit of opening the
heart to the needy. And let non-Jews
follow concretely the pattern of the
non-Jews in Dallas. It will pay off in
the long run.

Liberal Judaism

Among the very fine Ango-Jewish pub-
lications in this country is the pocket size
"Liberal Judaism," the official organ of
the Union of American Hebrew Congre-
gations from which was taken the article
"His Appointed Share," by Alfred Wolf,
which appeared in the April 19 issue of
the Detroit Jewish Chronicle.
Not only are the articles well written
and full of useful and authentic informa-
tion, but the spirit and philosophy back
of them are liberal and progressive, mean-
ingful in the furtherance of true religion.
The Jews of this country have need of
the kind of intellectual leadership and
inspiration shown in "Liberal Judaism."
We wish them every success and in time
we hope to see other Anglo-Jewish pub-
lications reach their high standard.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Sams Incorporated
on the opening of their new store. Detroit
Jewry may take pride in this store and the
way it is run.
Families who own large businesses are
charged with a special social responsibil-
ity. They are charged with using their
money wisely and at least in part for the
benefit of the community.
The Osnos family, owners of Sams, are
well aware of that responsibility and have
lived up to it. Max Osnos is known
throughout Detroit and its environs for his
charitable works and for his active inter-
est in all communal works.
Not the least of his interests is the Jew-
ish Hospital Association of which he is
president. He is an active leader in the
present Allied Jewish Campaign. Wher-
ever money is to be raised for charity, the
Osnos name is sure to be mentioned.
It is to be hoped that other Jews who
are fortunate in acquiring worldly goods
will be as understanding of the strong so-
cial responsibility their wealth carries and
will follow the pattern of the Osnos
family.
We wish them success in their new
venture.

Against "Art for Art's Sake"
In my article I declared myself definitely against "Art for Art' ,;
Sake," which seemingly aroused my reader's ire. I am against verse
for verse's sake. Years ago Ibsen disowned verse in favor of drama.
The great Russian satirist, Schedrin, declared in a moment of exas-
peration, that those who wrote poetry seemed to him lunatics trying
to walk along a string stretched on the floor and half-sitting down at
each step. Any artist lacking moral responsibility belongs to the path-
ological class of the morally indifferent, known as Neronism. To a
Neronist a living human with his suffering soul is only an object of
aesthetic contemplation. He does net cry or laugh, he only contem-
plates. Nero contemplated the fire of Rome. Pliny the younger lookim-;
at the eruption of Vesuvius wrote down his impressions. Luke Signor-
eli, the artist, learning of the tragic death of his son, seized a brush
and painted his body without shedding a tear. The artist, Tintoretto,
painted his dead daughter, as is told in Suderman's drama: "The Pali
of Sodom." When the creditors of Rubens were taking away all his
belongings, he became interested in one of the auctioneers and started
to paint him. Renan tells a story that when the sculptor Nanni
was dying he was given a crucifix of rough design, and he pleaded
that he be given a crucifix by Donatello or he would die in agony.,
Jr. all these facts, the phenomenon of moral indifference becomes see-
ond nature.
Emanuel Kant explains beauty as a free play of our imagination
and our understanding, indicating the unselfish character of the aert-
thetic contemplation. "That is beautiful," he says, "which is pleasing
to us without any profit."

Beauty Is Profitless
One must admit that in itself, beauty, artistic creativeness is
profitless. Not that artists despise money. But the poet Pushkin
claims, "'We, i.e., the poets, were born not for worldly worries,
not for profits, not for struggle. We were born for inspiration, for
sweet sounds and prayers." Another Russian poet, Nerassof,
claims that, "You may not be u poet, a citizen you must be." In
fact, the history of the struggle for justice and freedom shows
that all the great men and women with conscience could not and •
did not separate themselves from the fight for righteousness. Even
a romanticist like Victor Bug° objected to being called "just a
poet." In his writings, 'he says, "I have intended to rehabilitate
the pariah whatever form it may; take, whether he be a buffoon
like Triboulet, a courtestan like Marion Delorin, a poisoner like
Borgia or the oppressed people in general."
The clever George Sand used to say, "Art is not such a gift
which can get along without life, without knowledge in all fields.
One must live, digest, love and sullen"
1Vhat for? Should a few get the fruit of inspiration or genius?

Artist 1Vants Appreciation
It is true, the artist prefers to be appreciated by the elite and
those who can appreciate him. And what does he prefer? The knowl-
edge that another artist appreciated him or the knowledge that his
art benefited thousands of people; that his art is one form of human
energy which really works for union and destroys the barriers be-
tween man and man.
Everything that is or happens in the world belongs either to na-
ture or to art. Everything that is not nature is art. And if we drop
the high-brow phrases like "aesthetic predilection," "psychological as-
sociations," "primal urges" or "subsconscious phenomena" it boils
down to this. When man's brain first began to work at "putting to-
gether" material nature supplied,•ART was horn into this world, and
the putting together goes on either for use or pleasure, for Useful
Arts and Fine Arts, and both arts exist for the use of and pleasure
of everybody. The struggle of humanity goes on for the purpose that
all the material goods and the goods of spirit should belong to the
whole of humanity.
`All facts mentioned above are taken from Professor S. 0. Grusen-
berg's "Genius and Creativeness."

Hebrew, English and Jewish books available at the Zion Book Store,
9008 12th Street, near Clairmount.

One of the "Four Freedoms" Calling

