The people are of the conviction that the atmosphere of a certain area is the property of one or another nationality, and a human being of another nationality breathing the same air is considered a very undesirable stranger in the family.
"Down with the stranger!" "Hep! Hep!" "Yüden heraus!" is now the cry throughout the Christian world. Unhappily this raging cry against the Jews will continue for a very, very long time!
The hungry German sees that some stranger has his crumb of bread, while he himself, the native of the country, accident ally does not have it; he becomes convinced that he is robbed by the stranger of his bread, regardless of the fact that there are thousands of those "strangers" starving more than himself, and that tens of thou sands of "his own" live in greater pros perity than the envied "stranger." The Ger man merchant notices that the "stranger" owns a large warehouse, a beautiful resi dence; envy and greed does not leave the German at rest. "If that Jew were not here," he reasons, "this warehouse and the residence would belong to me!" No thought enters his mind that if not for the Jew perhaps neither this warehouse nor this residence would exist. The learned Ger man sees the Jew at the head of liberal professions, such as medicine, law; he sees the Jew as judge or professor, etc., and he thinks: "The Jew infests our country; if not for him I would have occupied this position," etc., etc. It concerns the German very little that the Jew aids in the progress of science and that the Jew occupying the chair of professorship is undoubtedly more capable than himself —the native. But the German shouts bitterly: "Down with the Jews!"
The very same thing we observe everywhere. The artisan, the merchant, the intelligentia—all are very much annoyed by the "stranger" and his competition, and show their displeasure and hatred in one form or another, but in the worst form in the Slavic countries. There, instigators, tinctured with envy and hatred, stir the masses against the Jews. The common people, the masses, with very rare exceptions, are not ill-disposed
towards the Jews, because they never could nor did suffer from Jewish competition. The intellectual development of these masses is on the lowest level and their brutal instincts for plunder, pogroms, and massacres is easily aroused by the instigators. That the intelligentia are in the lead of outbreaks against the Jews there is positively no doubt. During the time of pogroms not the least effort is made by the authorities or leaders of the community to check the raging mob; the press, with but very few exceptions, instead of calming the passions of the rioters, published infamous accusations against the Jews, as if excusing the cowardly deed of pillage and massacre, and demanding no restriction of "rights" of the dangerous Jews and even their expulsion. It is plain—the Jew is not wanted. It is recorded, that once a Pope was asked to distribute bread also to the poorest Jews; this Pope, misinterpreting the meaning of the words of Jesus Christ, replied: "non bonum est sumere panem filliorum et jacere cani- bus." Very candid. Why should the honest leaders accuse the Jews of all possible crimes, even of poisoning of the wells, instead of proclaiming openly: non bonum est sumere panem filliorum et jacere—well let them say alienigenis? All this goes to prove that the Jew is an intolerable stranger because he has followed another religion, and now—because of another nationality; but in the end it is just the same! If the Jews in France and Italy are not opposed, it is for two reasons, first, they are there in very small numbers; secondly, the Jews are not disturbed there, because these countries are deeply plunged in their own troubles. But there too they are discontented with the Jews and scowl at him.
This is the essence of the Jewish question through all times and throughout all countries. The Jews were strangers at an era of religious fanaticism, and will be strangers until national fanaticism will disappear. Will this fanaticism last as long as its forerunner and will another fanaticism be created to distinguish the stranger when the national fanaticism will become the record of past history? This, of course, no one can foretell. At any rate one may consider Antisemitism and pogroms as the blossoms of the new national movements in Europe; the fruit is