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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE ^ Magazine Perpetuating Jewish Ideals v< ume VI October 31, 1931 Number 11 77. Death of an Artist Arthur Schnitzler’s death at the age of 69 will be mourned by ill true lovers of literature. He was the genuine master in the realm of drama and fiction, and was considered by critics as on a par with Thomas Mann and Gerhardt Hauptmann. His works en ed great popularity in Europe before the War. After the Wai an enterprising American publishing house tried its utmost to ntroduce him to American readers. The attempt was not particularly successful. The sales of his books never reached one- tent!! of the circulation of the books by Ludwig Lewisohn and not one-tenth per cent of the sale of, let us say, Sinclair Lewis. Yet few critics will maintain that Schnitzler’s novels are inferior to those of the two aforementioned authors. The reason why Amer ican literary circles respected the Austrian-Jewish author and why the masses never accepted him is most probably due to the fact that Schnitzler never surrendered to the moderns. He re mained to the very last a dignified representative of the fin de si< eh literature, an Austrian or perhaps Jewish edition of Guy de Maupassant. A skillful story teller, a dignified stylist, yet somehow out of step with the tempo of the twentieth century. To us Jews, outside of his literary career, Schnitzler was signifi cant as one of the first Austrian Jews who refused to accept anti- Jew ish prejudices silently and who spoke out courageously when ever his race was slandered or contemned. Arthur Schnitzler was an aristocrat, a Jewish aristocrat. * * * * The Most Popular Jew A most interesting popularity contest was conducted by Variety, the amusement weekly. It asked two hundred average Chicago citizens how well they knew certain men and women in the public eye. The outcome of the symposium is rather startling. The best known Jew to emerge out of this contest is Benny Leonard, the prizefighter. Albert Einstein runs a poor third and Otto H. Kahn and Julius Rosenwald, the latter supposedly the most popular individual in Chicago, come out in the “also ran” class. A strange result indeed. It speaks volumes for the men tality of the average American citizen in Chicago. Names do not mean much to him unless he understands the man behind it. Rosenwald’s gigantic business undertakings, Einstein’s theory of relativity, Kahn’s cosmopolitan versa tility are Greek to Mr. Average. He has seen Leonard in the ring and has appreciated his footwork and fist sci ence. Does it mean that the average Chicagoan is less educated than his brother in New York or even in Ber lin We doubt it. We are willing to W;1 -er that Schmeling, Germany’s box- ■ 1 ■ idol, would easily defeat Einstein homas Mann in a popularity | contest. * * * * hhson and the Jews 1 bison, America’s Uncrowned King ' 1 nnil Ludwig calls him, is mourned ” all the world as the greatest me- w. lical genius of our age. The press | ’ted pages to his life and career, outstanding public figures of the :V if l expressed their sympathy to the ; on family and commented on the lendous significance of ' Edison’s , • There is no Jewish angle to °n, even if we strain our resource 's to the breaking point. Yet the stable has happened. Articles are 7, Wr itten on “Edison and the • To the editors such contribu tions are welcome. It is a fine thing to reflect in a Jewish publi- cation the big news of the day, and add to it a Jewish tinge. In the Edison case, however, it w r as a bit too far fetched. He had many contacts with Jews. Who, living in this modern world, does not. But there was no tangible, patent relationship between Edison and the Jews as such. Jews can mourn Edison without insisting that he bore some relationship to them. ♦ * * * Jesus in the News In the past few weeks the name of Jesus has been involved in the news, in such a way as to excite the interest of Jews too. I he Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America has an nounced that it will attempt to secure a change in the preamble of the United States Constitution which will give proper homage to “the Lord Jesus Christ’'. President Hoover, in his nation-wide plea for gifts to the unemployment relief funds, also referred to the fact that American civilization is “builded and can alone survive” upon the philosophy of the “Savior”. We have no quarrel with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, except that as citizens of the Republic we have an equal right to combat the inclusion within the Constitution of what amounts to religious sectarian bias. But, despite the delicacy of the question, it must be said that something of bad taste was displayed by the President in making his reference. He could have made his point just as vigorously without impinging upon the religious sensibilities of millions of his fellow-citizens. We Jews have become accustomed to such references by public figures. We ought not, however, to let such occasions pass without some dignified expression of our disagreement with the wisdom and fairness of remarks that, in one sense, are calculated to divide the country into Christians and Jews, with the latter somehow seeming guilty of some major offense. * * * * Interesting If True In the anti-Soviet newspaper of Paris, “Poslednia Novosti”, Madame Kuskowa, the wife of a minister in Kerenski’s Cabinet, makes a startling statement. The lady contends that the recent change in the policy of the Soviet Government toward the engi neers and so-called “Spetzi” (specialists) has been brought about partly by Stalin’s alarm at the growth of anti-Semitism in the factories. According to Madame Kuskowa, from 60 to 70 per cent of the “specialists” and engineers in Soviet Russia are Jews. The entire non-communist Jew ish intelligentsia has rushed into the factories as the only place of refuge, and has taken to the engineering pro fessions as the only means of sub sistence. But the campaign which was previously conducted against the spe cialists, accompanied by the sensational sabotage trials, has inadvertently re coiled against the Jews, and has serv ed to bring anti-Semitism to the boil ing-point in some of the leading fac tories. This alarmed Stalin and the leading Communists and was partly responsible for the new decree. We do not take much stock in political views expressed about Russia in the columns of the organ of the defunct Kerenski party. But if Mme. Kuskowa is cor rect, we surely take our hat off to the Stalin Government for energetic measures to kill the poison of anti- Semitism. CONTENTS Editorials 5 Atlanta's New Temple 6 When a Great Author Dies By MIRIAM STERNER 10 A Day With the Jews of North Africa By SYDNEY OPPENHEIM 11 Social Notes 12 National and Foreign Notes 13 In the Limelight 13 Highlights and Sidelights By MARTIN GOLDE 14 Southern Notes 16 The Work of the Hebrew Orphans' Home By MRS. ARMAND WYLE 17 . a t nf March 3 1879 Published monthly by The Southern Nempaper Enterprise. Inc. Subscription rates: 11.50 Entered as second-class matter at the Postoffice at Atlanta. Ga.. under the Act o^ma^ ^ ^ ia not to be considered as sharing the view. «preused by the writers except those fi n 1 advance. The Southern Israelite invites correspondence and liteiaiT ribiit Allman, Business Manager. Executive Offices. 801 Glenn Building. Atlanta. Ga. All communlcntfem ,***.» the editorial columns. Established 1925. M. Stephen Sch.ffer PubUsher Nation should reach this office not later than the 1st and 15th of each montn