WHAT IS THE MEANING OF RACE?
A NUMBER of questions of great interest and of some importance are being discussed in the Jewish press of this country. One of the questions that has aroused a great deal of controversy is whether it makes any difference to the Jewish people, as a whole, if its members are classified "one way or the other." The second question is related to the problem of religion and nationality. And still another has to do with the recognition of the Yiddish as a national language. I shall touch briefly in this article on the first question.
It is of prime importance to analyze first ‘of all the concept “nation.” The entire controversy, all its arguments and conclusions, turns upon a correct understanding of this term.
As a matter of fact, the general idea of what a nation is, is tolerably clear. A nation is a group of people, who have a uniform and characteristic coloring. But there are other circumstances that make an understanding of the meaning of the concept more complex and more conscious.
Just as an individual may be conscious or in a state of lethargy, so the national spirit of a group of people may be awake or in a state of temporary unconsciousness.
Another complexity is this. It is psychologically possible, and not at al! in dis- sonance with the principles of human nature, for one individual to be possessed by two different nationar spirits. The relative power of these two differing spirits may change from time to time; sometimes they occupy an equal status in the heart of any given individual. When a person possesses the spirit of any nation, it is said, “he belongs to that nation.” An individual may belong to a nation and not be conscious of the fact.
I would call attention particularly to the term "belong," for it has various meanings, and because these differences are not realized, a confusion arises in the use of it. It may happen that a certain number of individuals "belonging" to a nation succeed in acquiring an independent, political or "official" existence. This official existence is a mere incident in the life of a nation, but it is not the nation itself.
On the eve of the American revolution, the people of the prospective United States were already a nation, in spirit, for the very idea of acquiring independence, of giving expression to the spirit of separation from the mother country, was an indication of the existence of a distinguish- abie national spirit behind it. This spirit is the quality of that dignified reality we call a nation. When the people of the United States had succeeded in their revolution, and they had acquired a national existence, for the first time they were, of- ficialiy, a nation. But we cannot assert that with the success of the revolution they thereby became a nation.
If, for example, there should ensue a war between the United States and Japan, (which I hope will never come to pass), and the Japanese government should extend its sovereign power over the United States and the official existence of the United States were to come to an end, it would for the time be no more than the end of the official United States nation. But we would not have the right to say that the nation had ceased to exist. While the Americans continue to hold and maintain their spirit and their distinct culture, even under the political domination of Japan we would have the right to say that the American nation does exist, although not in its official or political capacity.