The Maccabaean

HE KNEW HERZL

Sidney Whitman has long been known as a publicist and journalist of distinction and as a traveler and correspondent, whose good fortune or enterprise has brought him to the scenes of and have enabled him to record some of the most momentous events in latter-day history. Thus, he was in Salonica in 1897, in Warsaw and Moscow at the time of the first Russian uprisings, in Berlin at the time of the Algeciras Conference and in a number of other centers and capitals of Europe at the time of

All of his stirring experiences as correspondent and interesting meetings with notables are recorded in “Things I Remember” (The Recollections of a Political Writer in the Capitals of Europe. New York, Frederick A. Stokes Co. $2.50), a chatty, lively book of vivid description and illuminating comment upon important political happenings as well as upon the life in various countries. Mr. Whitman always writes interestingly; his obser- vations display a neat sense of humor and the book before us deserves commendation both for its instructive as well as its entertaining character. Unfortunately, Mr. Whitman has not always been friendly nor even fair to the Jewish people, his biased utterances in other publications casting a serious blemish on his otherwise cultured and enlightened point of view. But whatever his attitude toward others, he could not resist the charm, the spell of Dr. Theodor Herzl. Intercourse with Dr. Herzl made him a sympathizer with Zionism and among other Jewish references in the book he speaks with admiration of the first work of colonization undertaken in Palestine. It is in the chapter on his experiences in Vienna that he speaks of first meeting our immortal leader.

That the writer is conscious of having earned a reputation of being prejudiced against the Jews is shown by part of a conversation which follows.

But the author of “A Jewish State,” wise leader and manipulator of men was apparently inclined to overlook the suspicion thrust upon the English correspondent.

Mr. Whitman had experienced some difficulty in being received by Count Goluchowski of the Austrian Cabinet.

“Fortunately, I had one stanch friend left in Vienna, and it was to his loyalty as a journalist, towards a colleague, that I owed relief from my troubles. One day I happened to mention Count Goluchowski’s refusal to see me to the late Dr. Theodor Herzl. He had been Paris correspondent of the Neue Freie Presse, and was now the editor of the literary feuilleton of the Neue Freie Presse, and, as such, a very influential person; but his name has since become known the world over as the founder and leader of the Jewish Zionist Movement. He was a brilliant man of letters, whose plays enjoyed the distinction—no small one— of being performed on the stage of the Imperial Hofburg Theatre. When Y told him of my

diiemma, he made light of it and merely said: "Whitman, I’ll manage that for you.’ “It was carnival time, and the annual ball of the journalists of Vienna was about to take place. Several representatives of the Neue Freie Presse were on the committee, though not Dr. Herzl, for he took no interest in such festivities. Shortly before the evening of the ball the following characteristic conversation 100% place between him and a member of the committee:

"Strobach, of course you are going to the Press ball?""Yes,""Goluchowski is to be present?""Yes,""I want you to present my friend Whitman to him.""What? That man! Why, he is an Anti-Semite.""Strobach, when I tell you he is my friend that must be sufficient for you.""Said and done!"

In due time the ball of the Vienna journalists took place and Herr Strobach promptly presented Mr. Whitman to the all powerful Minister, Count Goluchowski, who arrived in company of a staff of diplomatists.

The writer goes on to relate some of Dr. Herzl’s early struggles and the subsequent development of the Zionist idea, explaining “its aims, its essential features as given to me in our many conversations,” the talks which he had with the founder of the movement. The writer confesses that he at first took little interest “in Dr. Herzl’s pet scheme for the repatriation of the Jews in Palestine” for “as a dispassionate reporter of events, the journalist has no time, and, indeed, no business, to identify himself with any of the many ‘isms’ he comes across in the practice of his profession.” But he had come under the personal influence, was touched by the magnetism of Herzl’s personality and least of all could he forget the remarkable scene which he witnessed on the occasion of Dr. Herzl’s first public reception held in the East End of London. He thus closes his tribute to our leader:

“Dr. Herzl devoted all his energies to Zionism, jeopardizing thereby his worldly prospects, for his aims encountered strong opposition even from his own friends and‘ co-religionists. Although. as the editor of the feuilleton of the Neue Freie Presse, Herzl may be said to have occupied the premier position in the Haps- burg Monarchy as regards literary influence, the very word ‘Zionism’ was not allowed to be mentioned in its columns. It onlv appeared after his death, in a warm-hearted tribute to his memory. Such, however. was the moral ascendancy of the man that his paper offered no obstacle to his prolonged absences while undertaking long journeys in the interests of Zionism. Herzl went to Turkey to plead the case of the Jews. and was received by the Sultan. He was also repeatedly in Paris and

London. I was present at a crowded meeting of several thousand Jews in the t'ast End of London when he was enthusiastically acclaimed as a prophet of his race. . He looked the part to the life, for he was one of the most strikingly handsome men I have ever met; his dark, somewhat melancholy features wore an expression of sad other worldliness, bearing a strong resemblance to those of Christ as pictured by the great Italian masters. It was a touching moment when, at the end of the meeting, the audience in their thousands streamed out into the Whitechapel Road; many followed Herzl, endeavoring to kiss his hands and even the hem of his garment.

“In the course of Dr. Herzl’s stay in London he introduced me to his distinguished co-religionist, the Warsaw banker, Jean de Bloch, the author of that remarkable book on the futility of modern war, who happened to be staying with his family at the Hotel Cecil. Herzl had written a play dealing with Zionism, and was most anxious to get it performed on the London stage. He told me that he intended to entrust the matter to a certain Austrian journalist living in London. When I suggested to him that he would do better to place it with an English adapter familiar with theatrical work, he saw the force of my suggestion and remained silent for a moment; but only for a moment. Then he said with simple dignity: ‘I have given my word, and my word is sacred to me.’ What more fitting tribute could I pay to the memory of a man who united the naivete of a child with the courage and strength of character of a hero than by repeating his words: ‘I have given my word, and my word is sacred to me’—not a mere scrap of paper.” B. G. R.

THE STRUGGLE FOR JUDAEA.

Mr. Albert M. Hyamson, the author of “Palestine, the Rebirth of an Ancient People” (published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1917, pp. 299), belongs to a group of English Zionists, all of them still young, who have rendered excellent services to the movement in interpreting Zionist aims and ideals to the English speaking world. The work of this group. in which is included Norman Bentwich, Leon Simon, Harry Sacher, Paul Goodman, Arthur D. Lewis and others, has been marked by dignity, clearness and courage. It has been interpretative and informative, rather than creative. These men have been responsible for the publication of The Zionist Review, have contributed important articles to English and Anglo-Jewish Reviews and have taken part in the practical work of the English Zionist Federation. On the theoretical side, their work shows the influence of Achad Ha’am and on the practical side, the influences of Chayim Weizmann.

Mr. Hyamson’s avowed object in his latest work is the summarization in brief of the history of the Jewish people in Palestine since the destruction and to give an account of re-