The Jewish Monitor (Fort Worth-Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, April 22, 1921 Page: 2 of 16
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Pag. Two THE JEWISH M9NITII
Jewish Problems Viewed Through
Gentile Glasses
BY WALTER HURT
"0 wad some power the gift ie gie us
To see oursel's as others see us!"
Burns.
NOTE B It understood that this ser-
ies of articles presents Jewish questions
purely from the non-Jewish viewpoint
and neither the editor of this Journal nor
any Jew ehould be regarded as responsi-
ble for or necessarily agreeing with
any opinion herein expressed excepting
quotations of Jewish origin. W. H.)
CHAPTER II.
(Continued from last issue).
The Jew does not persecute the Ar
menian; ho avoids him. The Turk be-
cause of numerical proximity finds
him unavoidable! therefore he pro-
tects himself by the ingenuous expedi-
ent of killing him. This method of re-
lief ia slightly crude perhaps but
serves its purpose most excellently.
In this the Turk shows himself re-
grettably lacking in originality. His
quaint custom of massacre obviously
was borrowed from the Christians af-
ter observing their manner of deal-
ing with prosperous Jews its simpli-
city and effectiveness recommending
it to his practical mind. Also he lacks
thoroughness as well as Christian
thrift as it is not recorded that rob-
bery accompanies his wholesale homi-
cide. Taking the testimony of credible
Jews it would appear that the Turk
(contrary to the character imputed to
him by mendacious missionaries)
when not indulging his rather repre-
hensible habit of murdering Armen-
ians U a good deal of a gentleman
and treats the Jew as such. One of
these witnesses Herman Jacobson.
writing in the Jewish Criterion tells
of the pitable condition of Turkish
Jewry under Christian dominion and
adds:
"With Ottoman rule their lot chang-
ed for the better. Indeed a new era
for the Turkish Jews was ushered in
with the rise of the Crescent. Contrary
to popular notions prevalent in the
West the Turk is by nature tolerant
brave ever-smiling honest indulgent
His conquest of European Turkey was
a God-sent gift for the Jews not only
of Turkey but of the whole world.
Turkey became a haven of rest for
our people."
This would further indicate that the
Turk is not habitually a homicide and
strengthens the theory of economic
exigency in his Armenian attitude.
It la wrong of course grieviously
wrong for the Turk to kill Armen-
ians despite Christian example in
Jewish pogroms. Yet those who have
come in personal contact with many
Armenians may not' And it in their
hearts to chide him too harshly there-
for although the practice is not one
to be encouraged. It is much easier
and very Christianlike to sympath-
ise with the Armenian in his tribula-
tions when totally unacquainted with
him and separated from his presence
by many miles of ocean. But the Turk
has no business to borrow from the
Christians.
Although similar in its economic as-
pects the Armenian problem has not
the universal character of the Jewish
problem because the Armenians are
not universally distributed as are the
Jews. It is largely a local problem af-
fecting mainly the Turks among ex
trinsic races.
The situation regarding racial ran-
cor in its relation to economic conflict
may briefly be summed up in this
wise:
Turks unable successfully to com-
pete with the Armenian in commerce
kill him. Moderately successful in such
competition with the Jew who benefits
in this respect from comparison with
the more adept Armenian the Turk
does not kill him. Christians (except-
ing Armenians) seeing themselves
economically outstripped by the Jew
kill and rob him when unrestrained;
elsewiae. they persecute him in other
and permissible ways. It is the im-
memorial practice of all races when
sufficiently powerful physically to
make war under various pretenses on
any people that surpasses them in
economic ability.
It is a law of life from the lowest
orders to the highest from monad up
to man to war upon whatever inter-
feres with economic interest This
rule extends from the individual to
classes thence to nations and on to
groups of nations. In this respect the
hawk is not essentially different from
the human.nor the cannibal from the
collegian. This law springs from the
supreme instinct of self-preservation
is born of the universal impulse for
survival; and in the very nature of
things its processes are predatory.
For a fuller understanding of the
economic dependence of race antagon-
ism let us consider its relations to
patriotism lack of which is one of the
chief faults falsely charged against
the Jews. The irascible Doctor John-
son declared. "Patriotism is the last
refuge of the scoundrel." He might
also have said that it is the first ref-
uge of the calculating politician desig-
nated as "statesman."
Says that master satirist Disraeli
"Patriotism was a boast; now it is a
controversy." To the chauvinist this
definition may appear unduly cynical;
but the Earl of Beaconsfield as prime
minister of England the most imper-
ialistic of all nations certainly was
qualified to speak of patriotism with
a knowledge of its worth.
Patriotism is an artifical sentiment
skillfully fostered by rulers for their
own interest It is the emotional ex-
pression of national egotism and as
such is the negation of the universal
principle of altruism. The substance
of its inspiration is to "love your na-
tive land" and hate all others. It is a
development of that allegiance which
feudal lords exacted of their vassals
(called "retainers" presumably for
the reason that they were not allowed
to retain anything of value) even as
modern warfare is a development of
medieval brigandage .which itself was
an evolvement from primordial pred
ation. Conventional patriotism simply
substitutes loyalty to a locality fol
loyalty to a personage. It is purely a
matter of geography.
Roman "patriotism" fought in be-
half of Nero's tyranny. "Patriotism"
perpetuated the abominations of the
early monarchies of France and
Spain. French "patriotism" strength-
ened Natpoleon's ruthless arm when
the Corsican usurper swept the con-
tinent of Europe like a bloody besom.
"Patriotism" defended the Russian
despotism. "Patriotism" upheld the
Prussian autocracy against the recent
"patriotic" onslaught of rival autoc-
racies. "Patriotism" has fought every
war of conquest and oppression. "Pa-
triotism'' now is invoked against the
Jews in a blood war in Europe and a
bloodless war in the United States.
'Race hostility is systematically cul-
tivated by governments and held in
reserve for state requiremens. It sel-
dom is stirred to active demonstration
except for promotion of war. Occas-
ionally it is encouraged internally in
safe moderation by governments with
a populative plurality as the defunct
dual empire of Austro-Hungary. and
Great Britain with its multiplicity of
ethnic variants in order that each
blood-group may serve as a check
upon the others and thus prevent coal-
escence of intrigue.
Wars are waged for various econo-
mic reasons but always for economic
reasons only whatever the putative
purpose; for commercial advantage
when intensive competition restricts
the world market for rival powers; for
territorial expansian to relieve by col-
onization a painfully congested popu-
lation with its consequent economic
evils that breed a dangerous discon-
tent; to restrain aggressions that
threaten national industrial interests;
to divert the minds of the masses and
restore the spirit of solidarity when
economic oppression at home impels
to revolt; to afford greater opportuni-
ty for graft and from many similar
motives.
War does not come as a culmination
of irresistible influences and unavoid-
able incidents as deceptive diplomats
would have us believe. It is the pur-
pose and desire of governments to
make war offensive war when eco-
nomic advantage can be gained there-
by. This is proved even by such a mi-
nor detail as official terminology.
Otherwise instead of a deparment of
war in irenle intervals we would have
a department of military defense; or
better a department of National Safe-
ty. To go farther in consistency and
suggest a department of peace whose
function should be to co-ordinate all
the country's resources for avoidance
of war might appear as an ironic im-
pugnment of the sincerity of the pa-
cific pretensions of our lofty-minded
statesmen.
To obtain the approval and neces-
sary participation of the populace in
preparing for war rulers resort to cer-
tain specious pretexts. Whatever the
auxiliary influences invoked always
and with unfailing productive results
they appeal to the impulse of patriot-
ism alleging that the national honor
has been assailed or that national
honor has been assailed or that na-
tional rights have been violated; in-
variably providing a plausible casus
belli even to the extent of blowing up
a battleship from the inside or con-
triving the assassinaiton of absentee
citizens or deliberately inviting dis-
aster from a desired enemy.
In furtherance of militant designs
the war spirit is aroused to an effec-
tive pitch by a skillfully conducted
propaganda of race antagonism. Thus
we have the heriditary mutual antip-
athies of Slav and Hun Teuton and
Gaul Celt and Anglan and so on
throughout the entire range of eth-
nic division.
Perverted propaganda easily fash-
Friday April 22 1921.
I . t r
ions and conrola public opinion be-
cause the average person is incapable
f9 nwwiAR si Af atfiial fh nti trrs f ttia '
mind merely receives impression. He
is utterly unable to reason logically '
a posteriori from effects or causes. '
Even accurate a priori ratiocination '
for that matter is beyond his menal
powers. .
"Propaganda is slow poison based
on international envy malice ignor-
ance and hate. It has been an affair
of government directed by rulers and
diplomats iterated and reiterated by
press and platform and finally parrot-
ed by every fathead and bullhead until
the national psychology is saturated
with it. Its aim may be disguised as
concern for the safety of the nation or'
cloaked under a desire to save an
erring sister country but the purpose
of propaganda always is to foster hate
and its end is wr."
In our own United States with their
conglomerate citizenry it is found ad-
visable in the interest of domestic har-
mony to hold such methods in abey-
ance until the immediate occasion
arises when they are employed with
an excellent efficiency.
For example the courtly Castilians
were kindly people meriting and re-
ceiving our most exalted esteem un-
til the Spanish-American war when
straightway a character of amazing
atrocity was ascribed to them . as a
whole. They no longer were human
but were savage beasts spawned of
monsters fit only to be hunted down
and slaughtered. Soon after the' close
of hostilities however a resumption
of trade relations restored the Span-
iards to their former altitudinous
place in our admiration.
Likewise our Mexican war purely
an adventure of conquest transform-
ed the Montezumas into a horde of.
e
super-demons; and continuously since "
they have been alternately Mints or
devils accordingly as the prospect of
war approached or receded .
Prior to our participation in the.
World Wan the Germans were entire-
ly an excellent people and one of the
most desirable elements of our na-
tional life. Simultacnous with such
entry they became the "unspeakable
Huns" possessed of every diabolical
attribute unto the utmost exhaustion
of the possibilities of execration. With
a return of a need for their votes and
their commercial favor their superior
virtues again were discernible.
While the respective possession of
governmental power and economic
control by opposing parties wavered
in the balance of war the Russian bol-
shevik! were by turns blood thirsty
barbarians due for extermination or
lofty patriots deserving recognition
according to the various vacillations
of the commercial cat trying to decide
which way it should spring.
When desirable for the purposes of
war imaginary blood-barriers are
reared wherein ethic differences ex-
ist So long as a third war with Eng-
land was a perennial possibility our
school histories put the "bunk" in
Bunker Hill with patriotic persistence
teaching the children to detest the
Englishman as an international ogre
and his government as the oppressor
of all mankind. When military and
economic alliance with England was .
formed we were arbitrarily command-
ed from official sources to regard the
Englishman with an ardent affection
and were forbidden to speak ill of the
British government under penalty of
imprisonment With the severance of
that alliance there was a renewal of
economic friction and with war
clouds again banking the horizon the
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Fox, George. The Jewish Monitor (Fort Worth-Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, April 22, 1921, newspaper, April 22, 1921; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth296809/m1/2/?q=college+of+music+program+book+2013: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .