Page Six
THE JEWISH NEWS,
The Epigrams and Wit of
ISRAEL ZANGWILL
By JUDAH GILEADI
I
SRAEL ZANGWILL'S WRIT-
ings reflect the soul of his people. He was one of
the great interpreters of Jewish traditions to the
vast audience of his readers—Jews and non-Jews
alike. -
He was also one of the _.great humorists of his
day. All of his works are replete with anecdotes
and with humorous stories. Even the most serious
of his novels abound in wit and humor.
By making use of wit as a weapon, Zangwill
was the better able to fight for the cause of hu-
man rights for all peoples, and most certainly for
the Jews.
A Coiner of Epigrams
"For -a couple of years," Frohman replied
promptly.
"There is nothing dramatic in virtue," Zang-
will said. "The drama lies in the conflict between
virtue and vice." Frohman described ' the great
author as a "great moralist and purist," btkt added
"he had no dramatic sense at all."
*
*
An interesting sideline on Israel Zangwill is
his explanation of his \marriage to a non-Jewess
by pointing out that Mrs. Zangwill's stepmother
was Jewish.
When Zangwill took his marriage vows, he
startled the assembled guests by booming forth
at the end of the ceremony: "If I forget thee, 0
Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its cunning."
*
*
*
The Tribute of a eriend
In October, 1936, on the occasion of the tenth
anniversary of Zangwill's death, his colleague and
He was also a master of coining epigrams.
for instance: •
' Discussing the ethical wills that were left by
pious Jews in the Middle Ages, he said: "Having
no money to leave to their children, they left
them good advice, which has at least the advan-
tage that there is no legacy duty on it."
Referring to the universality of the Jewish
people, dispersed over the earth, he said: "One
touch of Jewry makes the whole world kin."
- Chiding those who were disregarding the
dietary laws, he rem'arked that perhaps it is bet-
ter to "eat oysters openly than open oysters se-
cretly."
Friday, Augus4. 19, 1445
who specialized in presenting lions to their
friends. On entering the , drawing room of one of
these West End mansions, the door handle came
away in his hand. Down he went on the floor to
rescue the knob when his hostess hurried across
the room and asked: "What are you, doing,, Mr.
Zangwill?" "Oh," was the reply, "I am only among
the nobs."
When, some years later, I recalled this ad-
venture, he added with a chuckle: "It was odd.
When I got up and went across the room to take
a seat, the chair fell down and broke its leg."
It was at one of these receptions that his hos-
tess gushingly and patronisingly said: "Mr. Zang-
will, I did so enjoy The King of the Snorers." The
loud roar that followed closed the door of that
house to an unmannerly and ungrateful lion.
An American Story
Here is a story Zangwill told me on his re-
turn from a first visit to America. He was -stand-
ing below the stepS outside his hotel and over-
heard -the conversation of two men on the steps
above him.
One remarked to the other: "Do you know
that odd looking man down below?"
"No," replied his - friend.
"That is Zangwill."
"Zangwill, who is Zangwill?" asked
the friend.
"Don't you know? That is Zangwill,
the great pianist."
The Intrusion of Bores
Although he was the founder of the ITO-
Jewish Territorialist movement—he was one of
the pioneer Zionists and was among the first to
`encourage Dr. Theodor Herzl and to become one
of his followers. He had said that Zionism sub-
stituted the old policy of "lie low and say noth-
ing" for. the new one "fly high and say every-
thing."
*
*
*
"The King of the Schnorrers"
The proverbial schnorrer was made famous
in Zangwill's "The King of the Schnorrers."
Among the stories he related was one about
the schnorrer who came to the rich man with the
complaint that he Imcl promised his daughter's
bridegroom the dowry of ZO pounds and was un-
able to make good his pledge because all he could.
pay was 100 pounds, and he was worried that his
daughter would remain husbandless : The rich
man advised him that if he would pay down the
first 100 pounds and promise to pay the other
hundred later, the bridegroom would surely make
a bargain. "That's the trouble," replied the schnor-
rer. "It is the other hundred—the sum T can prom-
ise to pay later—that I possess. My trouble is to
secure the first hundred."
*
*
Fromhan's Advice Failed
One of the best stories about Zangwill was
told by the eminent prii d
e ucer, Daniel Frohman,
who related that he had tried in vain to rescue a
Zangwill play. It was in 1N6 when Frohman. and
Zangwill ' sat night after night at the aperture,
peering down- at Cecelia Loftus playing the lead
in Zangwill's "The Serio-Comic Governess" and
wondering - what was wrong with the show.
The play had four acts and "it was a great
success right up to the end of the second act"-
Frohman narrated, "but it fell all to pieces in the
third and fourth acts. We sat here night after
night trying to figure out how to make it a success.
"After he made many cuts, I found there was
an essential weakness from the dramatic point of,
view. I suggested that the character Mary be se-
duced by the character John in the first act—and
that the seduction react upon the character
George, the hero, in the third act.
"Zangwill said, 'I refuse.'
"I told him, 'Mary has to lose her virtue or
you lose your royalties.' He said, 'I refuse.' The
play ran four weeks."
"How long would it have lasted if the sug-
gested change had been made?" someone asked.
;
Readers of "The Voice of Jerusalem"
will recall the story of the Polish pilgrim
in the Proem of the book. This gentleman
called on Zangwill to tell him he had come
to London to discuss the subject of God
with prominent men. He had called on
Lloyd George in Downing Street but came
away- disappointed. He came to ask Zang-
will to help him in his quest.
Zangwill complains of the intrusion
of bores and beggars into his rural pri-
vacy, but this gentleman did at least pro-
vide material for Zangwill's whimsical hu-
mor.
When one day I chanced to make a
comment_ on this story, Zangwill told me
the tale of another foreign Jewish visitor
to his quiet retreat in Angmering, coming
at a time when he was busily engaged on
important work. I should preface this tale
by stating that Zangwill had no exagger-
ated opinion of the beauty of his own per-
sonal appearance. To return to the story,
Zangwill invited his visitor to a seat and
excused himself whilst. he continued with
his writing. After the lapse of a few min-
utes, Zangwill looked up, turned to the
Oriental gentleman and asked: "Well, sir,
what can I do for you?"
"I haf' seen you, Mr. Zangwill," re-
plied the visitor, "and you haf' done for
me."
The Cheeriest at Parties
friend, L. G. Bowman (M. A., B. Sc.) wrote a tribL
ute in which he stated:
"The Premier and the Painter" is the only
work written by Zangwill in collaboration. His
collaborator was a school collegue, Louis . Cohen;
though it was well known that the larger part of
the novel was Zangwill's work. Cohen was a bril-
liant and witty conversationalist and debater;
but too indolent for sustained literary work.
Cohen's home in Canonbury, where much of
the novel was written, was run by his two sisters,
and Zangwill's stay in the house' kept them in a
constant state of dread. Zangwill was known to
be careless and clumsy, especially in the neighbor-
hood of anything fragile, and the sisters had a
collection of choice pieces of glass and china
which would get in Zangwill's way. One day
Zangwill was working upstairs in the study when
he heard a loud crash. Rushing out of the study,
he called out from the top of the stairs, "What
have I broken now?"
Zangwill Among the Nobs
Here is another story told me by Zangwill, of
an encounter with a door-handle.
Following on the success of the "Children of
the Ghetto," and when newspaper references to
him no longer mis-tpelt his name, he found him-
self lionised and invited to the houses of hostesses
-1,-,..11.0•00.1411.1111.11.
Authors of humorous works are often said to
be dull fellows in company, reserving their -jokes
(and the jokes of others) and their sparkling it
for remunerative publication. Not so Zangwill.
There was no merrier gathering than when he
was present;- and always . he was the merriest and
cheeriest of the party. Fun and merriment were
the notes of his home. Hear his mother calling him
clown to his dinner: There is no reply. "Israel,
come down, the potatoes are getting cold," calls
his mother up the stairs. Comes the reply: " I can't,
mother, I'm killing a man."
Zangwill was an unsparing critic and a fear-
less fighter, engaged most often in unpopular
causes. Not surprising, therefore, that he/ aroused
criticism, abuse and even enmity. But his ..friends
and associates can recall only the human qualities
which endeared him to them and made his mem-
ory a treasured possession. May I offer a personal
example? Soon after the loss of my son in the
War, Zangwill asked my wife and me permission
to found a small scholarship at the Jews'. Free
School in the boy's memory. Many actions spring-
ing from the same deep feeling of sympathy and
friendship could be instanced by others of his
friends. Zangwill the author; the humorist, the
Zionist, the Itoist is well known, but Zangwill
the genial, sympathetic and helpful human being
is - appreciated in a- narrower circle of old friends
and associates.