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Page 8 The Southern Israelite Anti-Semitism, A Healthy Influence By ARTHUR SCHNITULER As Told to David Ewen Arthur Schnitzler, the world- fatuous Jewish novelist and dramat ist presents some intcresinij views on the moot question of anti-Semitism. Himself touched by the hand bigotry, Schnitzler has some unique ideas on the problem and lima best to solve it. —Editor. More than once during the course of my life have I come into contact with anti-Semitism. The first time I stumbled against it, 1 remember today very clearly; evidently it had made a very profound impression on me at the time. I was then a medical student at the University, here in Vienna, and a few of us were handed together into a sort of philan thropic society whose mission was to give charity to needy students—not very much, just a few shillings to help them some what. Before the society was very many months old, discrimination set in. When a man was suggested for help, and his name was unmistakably Jewish, immedi ately he was subtly removed from every consideration. 1 was so struck by this unfair treatment that poor Jewish stu dents received, that for a long while I fought bitterly against it. It was a hope less fight, as l soon realized—and before long 1 was compelled to resign from the society. But after my graduation from the University, 1 was to learn that anti- Semitism was an every-day problem. As a physician I personally encountered so much of it that this, 1 am sure, more than anything else served to bring me sharply to Judaism and to an understanding of and a sympathy for its problems. However,—although when l first en countered it, 1 was alarmed and infuri ated at all anti-Semitism, however slight it might have been—1 am not one of those who today look upon it as a very grave problems. Not that I deny the existence of anti-Semitism everywhere, but, frankly, I do not think that it is a very important problem. As a matter of fact. I look upon anti-Semitism as a healthy influence in the life of the Jew. Every once in a while a Jew will come to me, his face red with anger, his eyes flaming and desperate, and he will tell me how he has been the object of some anti-Semite’s obvious discrimination. I always try to calm such infuriated Jews and to tell them that they should not, after all, take such discrimination very seriously. It is just such discrimination—more than all the legends and religious worship—I tell them, which has kept Judaism palpitantly alive through the ages. And it is true. At least, I am convinced of it. Religion, that is strict religious beliefs according to age-old customs and traditions, has with each passing century become a weaker and weaker influence in the life of the ordinary Jew. We all see, each day, how little it plays a part in the everyday life of you and me, who, not withstanding our disregard of the laws, still remain good Jews at heart. But though religious worship is becoming a weaker influence, racial patriotism per sists tenaciously in the heart of every Jew, and as strongly as ever before. And the reason it does so, is because the aver age Jew well realizes that he is envied, abused, the object of the Christian world’s scorn and contempt. I do not, for ex ample, believe that Jews were ever so racially patriotic as in these sordid years, of the past century, when they suffered the lash of persecution. Persecution, fortunately, has died out. Its legitimate offspring is anti-Semitism. And this anti-Semitism, I say, is serving a very useful purpose in constantly re minding the Jew that he is, after all, very individual; that lie is, after all, very different from his Christian neighbor; that his only salvation in this world is to recognize this difference and to openly acknowledge it. Anti-Semitism, I feel, is constantly serving the healthy purpose Buried deep in the darkness, Far from the sun’s warm light, Se you not the blind worm In his night? He was horn in the darkness. Fated there to creep. Sleepless, in the kingdom Of eternal deep. Like a worm in the darkness, Dumb and blind and frail. You pass childhood’s wonder-years, Weak and pale. Near your cradle your mother Sings no song Of a happy, quiet life-time, Sweet and long. of bringing into the heart of every Jew, far more forcefully than any other in fluence I know of at the present mo ment, a patriotism for his race, and a love for his brother-Jews. That is why l say that anti-Semitism is a healthy in fluence. And then, why should we not reconcile ourselves gracefully to something that is so obviously inevitable as anti-Semitism is? Nothing that we can do can possibly overcome and put an end to anti-Semit ism ; it is simply out of the question. Anti-Semitism is a perfectly human fail ing of a perfectly human society. When a group of people is different from the vast majority, that group of people is certain to be scorned and held in con tempt. And when that group, though in a minority, succeeds in forging to the front —in the world of art and industry and finance—envy is almost certain to light up the contempt of the majority into the mighty flame of hate. Re alizing this, name ly that anti-Scmit- ism i is inevit :able in a human society, the Jew can do either of two things. He can either eliminate anti-Semitism by Nor of fields and gardens W here a boy Plays and spends the daylight hours. Wild with joy. No, a fount of grief and sadness Ever springs , Bitter, hitter is the sorrow That she sings. Low, sad sighs, and hot, hot teardrops, Low, sad sighs, Grow forever in the forest Where your pathway lies. You were born in the darkness, Fated there from birth Ever to be creeping In the earth. elimiting that which causes it. other words, he can surrender 1 and its heritage. An absurd sob .to. be sure! The other, and far m<>n H -n- sible, plan is simply to tolerat. anti- Semitism as the fate that inevitably be longs to the Jew, a fate which c be changed. Spinoza once wrote that an evil which is inevitable ceases to be an evil. For example, we die—certainly one of the most colossal tragedies in the life of the human-being (can anything he more evil than death?) Yet, do we ever stop to worry over it? No. The fact that it is inevitable simply eliminates it a> an evil; we accept it as a fact. Just m.. should anti-Semitism be accepted. T-- fight against it is useless and merely serves to augment anti-Semitis'm, and tint to diminish it. One cannot expect human- beings to be anything but human. Their shortcomings, however painful they may be sometimes, simply have to be under stood—and tolerated. I am often asked if I believe that anti- Semitism will ever die. All things die in this world and some day, in some way that I cannot for the moment foresee. anti-Semitism will go the way of all flesh. But that day is far. far oft Anti-Semitism is destined to linger ; long as Jews remain Jews. For one thing, the causes of anti-Semitism can never be eliminated. Jews will always be different; Jews will always. I am sure, continue to be at the front of human activity; Jews must always be hated And then, anti-Semitism is such a con venient thing! It is so convenient t discriminate, when discrimination necessary. If, for example, a univerdt is crowded, isn’t it convenient to put a ban against Jews? And in the case < our little philanthropic society wasnt di>- crimination against the Jew started h cause it was convenient—namely, nn-r of the money could go to Christian stu dents? Why, then, should society abandon anything so convenient? Especially duct there is cause, from their point of \icu- for their discrimination No. Some day perhaps a race of Supermen will appear in this world, in whom envy. hate, ma and contempt will be altogether tortiun But until such a time comes, the Jew destined to suffer the stings and arrow of anti-Semitism. However, as I have already said li the Jew should not feel too deeply : ' anti-Semitism. Strange to say. Semitism is an evil which gi' c > good. The Christians hope to an us with their contempt; their <■ really makes us flourish. For t we Jews more truly consciom race as when we realize th hated. (Copyright 1930, J. T. A.. I —S. FRUG Translated from the Yiddish by JACOB ROBBINS. .-♦1 ’•W 'V 'V V 'W ’♦ v Jtk. „ s&y* a^a ^ S&s* ^ .<«&» he Jewish Child