Newspaper Page Text
Page Six
The Southern Israelite
November 18
1938
The Southern Israelite
Published weekly by the Southern Newspaper Enterprises, Inc., Suite
217 Palmer Building. Marietta Sireel, Atlanta (ieorgla. WAInut 0791-0792
New York Representative, S. M. Goldberg, 906 RKO Building. 1270 Sixth
Avenue. New York. New York. M. Stephen SehlfTVr, Publisher; Nathan
Lip ton, Business Manager; M. S. Miller, Editor; Robert K Arden, Associate
Editor
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at Atlanta, Georgia,
under the Act of March 3, 1879. Yearly subscription, one dollar and fifty
cents. Canadian and foreign subscriptions, one dollar and fifty cents per
year. The Southern Israelite invites literary contributions and correspond
ence on subjects of interest to Jewish people, but the editor is not to be
considered as sharing the vic?ws expressed by the writers.
ADDRESS AM, COMMUNICATIONK TO TIIE MAIN OFFICE IN ATLANTA
One Thought - One Voice - One People
The whole world received a very candid object lesson
last Monday night from the representative citizens of the
United States. Beyond any possible doubt it was made clear
that, no matter how much they may disagree on particulars
as individuals—and some are very rugged individuals—they
are all in accord when it comes to the basic principle of
American government: The Liberty of Americans must
not be tampered with.
Former president Herbert Hoover, former governor of
Kansas and defeated presidential candidate in the last elec
tions, Alfred Landon, Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes,
defeated candidate for the governorship of New York, Dis
trict Attorney Thomas Dewey and the former governor of
the Empire State, Alfred E. Smith voiced openely their con
demnation of the Nazi doctrines and methods in a nationwide
broadcast.
Now there is am array of men, who cannot be found any
better nor any more closely united in any one cause, any
where. An array of men, who have proven their worth to
humanity—not by virtue of bloody persecution, but by virtue
of personal merit and human understanding. No one in this
wide world can possibly say that they all represent the same
line of thought. No one can possibly say that they agree on
everything else.
But no matter whether they were Republicans or Demo
crats, no matter whether they were in public office or de
feated in the attempt to be elected to such, they all stand
behind the one great thought which unites them, they all stand
the people of this country, which makes it the UNITED
STATES. And that thought is the unshakable belief in the
inalienable right of human beings to worship God in the
way they want to, to think what ’they want and to say what
they think when and where they want.
It might be, that there is a lesson for all of us, too. A
United Jewry—not factions pulling one way and the other—
might not be an impossibility, after all.
Democracy Vs. Totalitarianism
In the historic East Room of the White House at Wash
ington, D. C., a brilliant event took place last Thursday: the
two greatest democracies of the world signed a reciprocal
trade pact, which provides a sweeping of high tariffs between
America and the United Kingdom and its Dominions and
Commonwealths.
The tremendous importance of this pact, however, lies
not in the fact that both nations will profit by it in the future.
It lies in the fact that the reaty goes far beyond just being a
trade agreement. It is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the first
rivet in the construction of a democratic bloc, welding to
gether the liberal nations, firmly and inseparably, in their
combat of Nazi and Fascist Totalitarianism.
This agreement, which excludes the totalitarian regimes
from competition with the democratic countries—wherein
the workers are paid decent wages and live on high standards
—will have consequences of staggering importance. It will
affect the system of economic nationalism and possibly force
the countries where it exists to change it completely, even
if such a change might mean the abolition of the totalitarian
system. The liberal spirit shown in the document signed
by the United States and Great Britain, will influence the
commercial policies of many other countries, which right
now, are trembling before the ruthless methods of the to
talitarian regimes.
Little advantage will Hitler derive now from the in
dustries he took from Czechoslovakia. Little good will he
receive from the annexation of Austria. Because the demo
cratic nations have shown fine understanding of the situation
and have frustrated all of his aspirations: Now he cannot
dump merchandise on all world markets, where high and
much desired valuta could be exchanged for the products
manufactured with the sweat and blood of unpaid, forced
and oppressed people. These markets are closed to Nazi
merchandise. Now and forever.
This is only the first step in the unavoidable battle be
tween Democracy and Totalitarianism. A battle which must
come, some day, and from which only one can return alive.
But that first step is a mighty big one—and is made
on secure, firm ground. It is made upon peace and friend
ship. Peace and friendship between people who live in all
corners of the world, separated by enormous distances but
united in the bonds of their mutual love of freedom and
humanity. And those bonds are stronger than any chain
the dictates of totalitarianism can impose upon its helpless
victims.
robert e. arden
I’m Just Thinking
“Tall oaks from tiny acorns
grow. . .”
The other night, this thought
occurred to me.
When the surring and clirring
of the teletype-machines still rang
in my aching ears like the clatter
of deadly maehineguns—when the
black ink seemed red to my weary
eyes—red like the very heart-
blood of my brethren that was be
ing spilled that very moment—
when sleep fled my body, too tired
to relax from the continuous
strain of watching that roll of
paper unwind itself like an endless
serpent, bringing news, News,
NEWS.
From a land, where helpless, in
nocent people were being slaught
ered, butchered, sacrificed in my
riads as offerings to a new God of
Destruction.
Maybe weariness overcame me.
. . maybe I was dreaming. But—
There was a man walking along
a stony, dark road. Hesitating
here, stopping there, as if insecure
of his direction. A dead look was
in his eyes—that look of empti
ness which creeps into human eyes
after the soul has fled from its
moribund confines, leaving but a
feelingless body behind: a dead
man.
Suddenly a crowd in gay dresses,
singing and dancing around heavi
ly-laden wagon, appeared around
a b«nd. A happy crowd it was,
which looked with awe upon the
stranger.
“Stop!” came a weak warning
from his bloodless lips. "Stop!
Oh, friends, do not go that way!
It leads to horror!”
The crowd, appalled, stopped.
Amd then one spoke: “Let us hear
thine tale, strange man. Who art
Thou and whence hast Thou
come?”
Wearily he sank by the wayside,
for they had not offered him food
and drink from their wagon. And
then he said:
“Your tongue sounds like mine
own. Your faces seem friendly.
May I address you as mine breth
ren?”
“Speak freely and without fear”
the answer came "for art Thou our
brother or not, Thine message will
be heard.”
“Whence I come, there is great
suffering and despair. An older
brother and myself, we dwelt
in peace in that land, where there
is but unrest amd bloddy persecu
tion now. Mine brother helped
me to progress and learn the ways
and manners of the people in that
land, so that even he could not
tell me apart. But he remained
devout, unchanged, true to the tra
dition of our father and his fathers
before him.”
“One day he was attacked by a
mob of ruthless vandals and ere
I could hurry to help, he was
slain. Furiously the mob turned
against me. “He is his brother
and he must die with him.” But
I escaped. Let me warn you, not
to quarrel with your brethren.
Maybe, it was the will of the Lord,
our father, blessed be His name,
to spare me as an example, maybe
it was His will to have me bring
this message to you. I do 'not
know. But I have suffered and
in the eyes of God, I am clean and
free of sins. Our father, Our God,
is a great God.”
“Thou hast suffered, indeed”
the speaker said “but we do not
need thine counsel. We know no
fear of mobs, for we have lived
in peace here for a long time."
And they begasn to throw stones
at him. And he, who had escaped
the wrath of his persecutors, fell
victim to the hands of his own
brethren.
Years fled in furious haste—and
I saw the place where some of
the stranger’s blood had drenched
the earth: mighty acorns stood
there, majestically to behold in
the landscape. And a wind blew
hard—and the oak stood stout
and strong. And the wind whis
pered softly:
“God’s ways are mysterious. No
human being shall ever attempt to
explain, nor to understand. . .”
Such is the destiny of man: the
wind bloweth him away, Such is
the glory of God: It lasts forever.
“Tall oaks from tiriy- acorns
grow. .
Maybe, I was wrong—but
I’m just thinking.
“ANY IDEAS FOR A GOOD PURGE, SUGAR?”
To The Editor:
New York, N. Y.
Dear Sir:
I write this brief note to you
now to express my deep apprecia
tion, particularly for the service
that you rendered in connection
with the moblization of public
opinion arising out of the report
that there was a possibility of a
reversal of the Jewish National
Home policy in Palestine. By
your effective editorial support
and by making the community
conscious of the danger that threat
ened not merely Palestine but the
whole of Jewish life you served
to evoke that response which en
abled our government to make
representations to Great Britain.
The emergency is not over by
any means. We are standing
guard vigilantly so that the Bri
tish government may continue to
know of the interest and concern
that are felt here. With your help
we hope to be able to avert what
would be a catastrophe to what
we have achieved in Palestine dur
ing twenty years and a blow to
the hopes of great masses of our
people in Europe.
Sincerely yours,
Solomon Goldman,
President, Zionist
Organization of America
A MARTIAN VISITS
Al Segal
That Sunday when Orson Welles
scared a lot of people stiff by
bringing the Martians down by
radio to destroy the earth, I was
at my radio set in my living room.
Brave spirit that I always have
been, I was not frightened.
I said to my wife: “The Mar
tians have invaded New Jersey
and it may be a good thing. They
have something. They couldn’t
do any worse with the earth than
the earth-people have. If they
come to our city we’ll open our
spare bedroom to several of them.”
Even as I was saying this, I be
came aware of an unusual clatter
in my radio set and suddenly, out
came a Martian on a sound wave.
He was an individual such as I
had never seen before. He had one
eye, centered in his forehead. Lat
er he explained that on Mars the
inhabitants didn’t need two eyes
since they were bright enough to
perceive truth and righteousness
with only one.
“Your radio,” he said, “has mis
interpreted us.”
But before proceeding with the
conversation, I insisted he must
wash up and rest awhile; for he
looked travel-worn. He washed
up and shortly he was returning
to my living room.
The Martians never rest. They
have learned how to get rid of fa
tigue quickly (by extraction) and
to harness it for use in running
machinery. . . “You,” he said, “let
fatigue drive you to bed. We em
ploy its power usefully”
I told him that the Martians
were missing a lot There’s noth
ing, I said, like just lying in bed
late on Sunday morning.
We engaged thus in small talk
until he suddenly asked; “Do you
know, sir, why the Martians have
come to the earth?”
’•Well ’’ I replied, “it seems that
Orson \\ elles brought you down to
destroy this earth. But I wasn’t
afraid. I felt you couldn’t do any
worse with the earth than we are
doing with it. I am really a
courageous person.”
"We came down to do something
about the Jews,” he said. “Are
you, perhaps, acquainted with any
Jews?”
“Yes, some of my best friends
are Jews.”
He spoke sadly; “To think that
there are few places left on the
earth for Jews! To think there
are so few voices to speak against
a savagery so unspeakable."
All this had been discussed in
the Martian counsels and it had
been agreed that Mars must in
tervene: “In short, if there was no
place for Jews on the earth, it was
the moral duty of the planet Mars
to take them in. We have come
to take the Jews to Mars and give
them sanctuary. This is our bene
ficent purpose.”
I replied it was beautiful of the
Martians to do this. . . “But are
you sure there’s no rishus in Mars?
It seems everywhere”
Hate and prejudice were among
the ignorances the Martians over
came on their upward climb. . .
"We conquered ourselves even be
fore we conquered the air waves
by radio. To conquer ourselves is
more important.”
“We Jews,” I said, “should feel
very grateful to the Martians, to
think of finding a friend in the
universe!”
“Oh, sir, you, too, are a Jew?"
“Yes.” Then I explained that
Jews had still hopes for a mission
in the world: Their Torah, their
prophets, justice, loving-kindness,
compassion, peace. It is so darK
and somebody must carry these
lights. If we carry light 5 faith
fully something may kindle an
it may be bright again in the won
for everybody, don’t you thin
sir, it will be finer of us to keep
on bravely carrying our lights an
not run away from the world.
“Perhaps,” I added by vay o
suggestion, “now that you re he
you might do something about
Hitler and Mussolini. Goebbeis
and Goering. Why not pu- •-
into one of your capsules ana ta
them along to Mars'?"
“We must guard civilization in
Mars,” he protested. .‘ Ue A a ,,_
not allow any deleterious ••••*
ences to enter it.” v
He was quite put out to
Jew loath to leave the eart,, .‘
“Oh, I said, “we have lived so lo S
and have learned that art •
thousand years things n-. .«
better for us. So I guess we
stay here.” . , the
The next morning 1 re f. d " had
newspapers that the Mar.u ns^
not really invaded the
States. But you cant
everything you see in tn
papers.