The Persecution of the Jews.

Otago Witness, Issue 1583, 25 March 1882, Page 23

The Persecution of the Jews.

The Rev. Dr Messing, of San Francisco } preached in the Synagogue on Saturday morning. The object of the reverend 'gentleman's mission is to raise funds for the assistance of a charitable institution in San Francisco. The savage persecution that prevails in Russia has caused Jews who have been robbed by their persecutors to flock in large numbers to America, and the result is that much greater demand is made upon the institutions of charity that have been established there than it seems possible for them to obtain without assistance from abroad is received. The subject of the lecture was "Clouds," and this suggestive text was handled in a most masterly manner. The sunshine and cloud, and .the brilliant prosperity and dark adversity which have chequered the marvellous history of the people of Israel was briefly and eloquently told; and when the rabbi told in simple language the story of suffering under the present cloud of persecution, there could have been few dry eyes in the congregation, though there was an attempt at sensational speaking.' Referring to the persecution in Russia, and criticising an article which appeared in .the leading columns of this journal, the Rev. Dr Messing said : " The present is the fifth cloud. It is a public calamity. It is not merely Russia—it is not merely Roumania— it is not merely Germany where the clouds are gathering. Why, there would be here the same thing if you did not live in a blessed free country— if you were not protected by the blessed laws of England— if you did not live under a Government likethe English. If itwerenotfor the English flag, and the English law protecting you, a great many living in this country would wish to see the clouds gathering here. Need I prove it. Why, I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the day before yesterday an article in one of your morning papers— a leading article —and let me tell you that when I read it I felt grieved and ashamed that it should be one of the signs of the times that in a free country like the Colonies an educated man (who he maybe I do not know) should take his pen and write such an article, not knowing the Jews at all, and not knowing the line to draw between the Jews and Chinese, and classing them together. The writer of the article ventures to say that there is a time coming— these are the last words— when the Jews in the United States will be treated as the Chinese are treated at present. I really thought that gentleman— the writer of that article— should go to Russia; there he would be granted a medal ; surely the St. Nicholas medal would be bestowed on him. There is a field for him there ) but here is the English flag, here is the English law, here is a free country ; though believe me here he has followers. Thank God that the next day, when I thought to answer it, I saw an answer, and I was' proud of your country, and I was proud because the answer was not written 5 by a Jew, but by a Christian. God bless him, whoever he may be. Whom he may be Ido not know, but he took up the glove laid down before the Jews, and he fought the' battle, and in doing bo only stated the trtfth. I had no need to answer the article, but I may say a few words. Aa a citizen of the United States, I here publicly from this pulpit deny and denounce, as false that the Americans have ever persecuted the Chinese. The' Chinese in America have just as much, nay, more liberty than whitemen. There are six large companies which protect the Chinese. The Chinese own at least more than half of San Francisco ; a Chinaman may live wherever he wants} and do whateyer he likes; the laws are precisely the same for him as for me. If the' writer of the article likes, as he says, the Chinese religion or moral philosophy, why I do not' envy him for 'his taste. ■ It is merely aimatter of taste, but I" do not envy him for it. I should like to lead him to a Josshouse in San Francisco and he wojild seethe Chinese religion, or to one of the opium dens in which many Christian young men and Christian young women lose their lives. Why, a Chinaman will never become a citizen in any country. If he dies his bones must be carried back to China. At San Francisco you may see ships fully loaded with the bones of Chinese who died years ago. A Jew is known as a citizen wherever he has settled down. Must I prove this? Why in Dunedin between 30 and 40 j men, I think, have built this house of worship. Now show me any race which would make such a sacrifice. And to whom 1 did they erect this house ? To whom ? I ask. To their own God. I deny it ; to the God who is the Creator and Father of all mankind. There everyone can , come and acknowledge the same God, to the honour and glory of Jehovah, to the honour and glory of God, who gave this law not to Israel, but to all nations to become civilised. And the Jew is known for his patriotism. Even when being persecuted to death, let but danger come, let but clouds arise on the horizon of that country, and the Jew will shed his blood to save his country. That history has proved, not once, but a thousand times, and yet the writer of that article wants ,to compare — has dared to class— Jews with the Chinese." Why, if we have passed a law in_ America— and I am speaking only as an American citizen— if we have passed a law to protect ourselves, self -protection is merely a law' of nature, and we know that instead of having ninety thousand we might have two millions, and we our- 1 selves would have to go. If 'some labourers have injured the Chinese, it is because the poor labourers first heard their children crying for bread, and could not give it to them ; because they could not work for what the Chinese do, who have no families to support, and who herd ( together. After hearing the cries of their hungry children day after day, what wonder is I it that men should lose control of themselves, and in such an hour should assault the Chinese ? But see, the country, our Government has paid every cent, to the Chinese that was thus lost. Did Russia pay ,the Jews back ? Did they attempt to pay it ? Could they pay back the lives that were taken— the blood that was shed ? The Jews were driven out with ! one shirt on their backs — driven out miserably ; and they were rich, they were honoured citizens of that country. They had worked for that country. Is there any comparison whatsoever ? Can there be any comparison between the races? Still you see what a man has ventured to write, and has written, as a leading article. That shows to me, a stranger, that there are clouds somewhere. You do not see them, my friends, but believe me thore are clouds gathering somewhere, and you may bless your Government, bless your country that the law protects you. If it were not for that, the children of Hainan and Amalek are not dead yet; they are living. Although Haman was killed years ago, his children are living everywhere, But <lo not

for one moment suppose that these clouds will not disappear. Why, our text, the explanation of our text, gives us consolation— that is the reason. . During the course of the sermon Dr Messing referred to the attempted murder of the Queen and the assassination of President Garfield in the following terms :— " Just as these clouds appeared to the individual creature, so we had clouds— almost the same invisible [ clouds — appearing to whole nations. In history we observed this fact. For instance, when the pistol was aimed, by the would-be murderer at the noblest of women, her Majesty Queen Victoria, there was at that moment a cloud %in the history of the" English nation. There was a cloud appearing and darkening the history of a nation standing high among the nations of the universe when that noble man James Garfield died."