The American Jew
as
Patriot, Soldier and Citizen.
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
THE
AMERICAN JEW
AS
Patriot, Soldier and Citizen
BY
SIMON WOLF
EDITED BY
LOUIS EDWARD LEVY
PHILADELPHIA
THE LEVYTYPE COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK—CHICAGO—WASHINGTON
BRENTANO'S
1895
"And Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall makeyou free."—John, viii, 32.
Who Love and Seek the Truth
This Work is Dedicated
BY
The Author.
Editor's Preface.
It were an error to suppose that prejudice is always the offspringof ignorance, inasmuch as the reverse is very frequentlytrue. Not seldom is ignorance the result of prejudice, througha willful refusal to recognize such facts as run counter to thelatter. A more accurate simile would, therefore, be the likeningof prejudice and ignorance to twins, of whom eithermay be the precursor of the other, and either one thestronger of the two. The prejudices which follow ordinaryignorance give way readily before increasing knowledge of thetruth, but where prejudice is the elder of the twin vices, it isusually the most obstinate as well. "None so blind as thosewho will not see" is an old aphorism whose truth is universallyrecognized. This obstinate kind of prejudice is usually but aform of self-conceit, as the latter, in turn, is but another form ofignorance.
To combat one of the most obstinate of all obstinate prejudices,and to promote enlightenment on a subject whereofignorance has become unpardonable, has been undertakenby Hon. Simon Wolf in the work before us. His impellingmotive has been to enforce a recognition of the Jewish peopleas a militant factor in the upbuilding of the State, and of Judaismas a primal force in the furtherance of civilization, and he haschosen as his weapons the simple truth of history and the testimonyof leaders among men.
A notable French writer remarks that "La vérité historique[viii]devrait être non moins sacrée que la religion."[1] His wordsare just; the truth of history should, indeed, be no less sacredthan that of religion. If this is true, and few or none will befound to dispute the proposition, then the records of historictruth may be regarded as part of the gospel of humani