Jewish Blood (Continued) [Volume: 2, Issue: 9, June, 1896, pp. 447-453]

JE WISH BLOOD.

453

growing agitation, his eves glowing with energy mingled with
sadness. Then he placed his hand upon his son's shoulder and
looked at him kindlv. "I know, my son, that you have thought of
these things. I should like to hear your opinion before I proceed.
Tell me what you think-Elow should we act in the face of this
tremendous fact, the threatened absorption of our race?"
"You are right, father. I have often thought of it and tried to
reach some conclusion, but the difficulties have seemed hopelessly
confusing. Our national and religious existences are so intertwined that any solution must embrace them both. I notice that
even nationalities like the Germans, who cling with pride to their
Fatherland, allow themselves to be merged in this country with the
American people. Apparently, they make no resistance. Nor
can we, who are cosmopolitans, hope to preserve our integrity
and remain an exclusive race. Therefore, since no satisfactory
solution of the social problem seems possible, I think the wisest
course is to do what we can to preserve the integrity of our creed
and the purity of our faith, no matter whether our race is doomed
to perish or not. Let us cheerfully surrender what we can no
longer defend. The peculiarities and oddities which the more
intelligent among us have gladly discarded serve yet as stock-intrade for the designing hypocrites who oppose their abolition.
What does it matter if we do lose our national identity in the flood
of innovation? We shall take our place in the world simply as
men among men."
"My dear Jacob, that is just what cannot be. Never shall we
be simply men among men, as you put it, until the last true Jew has
vanished from the earth. Nothing can shake my conviction on
this point, and that is why I am compelled to take a stand in
direct and unyielding opposition to your wishes with regard to
Clara. To the Jew the questions of race and faith are identical.
If that were not so, our religion, with its exalted and inspired idea
of God, with its unquestioned rank as the oldest of the revealed
religions, would long ago have converted and subdued the world.
Christianity is our rebellious daughter; she defies us and would
fain deny her origin. We never wanted converts; we kept our
faith within ourselves. Bv it alone we have perpetuated our race.
If we cast it aside, our race will be deprived of its safeguard and
will fall with it. The Jewvs of Provence, in Southern France, according to Renan, are an illustration of my theory. They lost
their identity; they wvere thoroughly amalgamated with the natives.
What is the consequence?"
(To be Continlued.)