| Show r SHYLOCK A LIBEL J JON ON THE JEWS r s s ss s r s r s The liberal minded scholars of recent and generations and all educated familiar with the thinking A Americans nerl ans Hebrew mind and character and generally generally generally gen gen- with the great race which has produced some of our worthiest statesmen statesmen statesmen states states- men soldiers rs scientists scientist men of artand art in the and letters and Shining lights learned professions have clearly recognized admitted the fact tact that the and character of Shylock in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice Venic Is a baseless seless b and people who until almost al- al almost almost al al- cruel libel upon a most within the he memory of living men mEmo have received r cei ed nothing but but abuse abuse and outrage at t the hands of apS I since well toward to the beginning of our dur era pra The gentle divine Master of the Ch Christians s admonished them thern What Whatsoever k ye would have haye that men men should d do unto y you yu u d o ye yeo also unto p o them hem But hut this Injunction did not prevent them from fr despising g hating haUng robbing and killing miming Jews for the greater part of f two millenniums Shakespeare but took the bigoted idea of the race current current current cur cur- rent In Ills tys time and fitting it to an Eastern legend created an imaginary character T The e Ignorance superstition and narrowness of his age must be his only excuse A few days ag ago ago the eminent Rabbi Emil G. G of the Temple Israel el in Chicago delivered x an interesting and and instructive Uve lecture in that city his topic being I Was Shylock a Jew He Hewa was listened to by a large large and en enthusiastic lc audience composed compos of f the best best people of the community In part Rabbi Hir Hirsch ch said The chara character tel of Shylock Shylo k may have been depicted dep led from 1 literature literature litera litera- litera- litera ture tare or from f fancy ncy never from ro actual acquaintance with a Je Jew History re History re- re VI vals no n nl opportunity tun ty for su sueha such ha a draw draw- dra Ing Sha Shakespeare espe re himself nevel never could have hae held converse with witla a es r representative p es nta- nta tive of th the race who could have given l him t i the char character ter The original story of the pound of fI flesh h has a religious s meaning C Many Iap a Buddhist took tooka a vow to give a pound of flesh to his liis' liis god dod Fables F bles of f the pound of of flesh had ad wandered red from land to land The Chinese learned Chinese learned it from the tle native of India Then Ihen it found its way to Arabia where we read rd stories orthe of the pound of 0 flesh r reclaimed claimed before a a Judge who d denies s' s the right to take the bond Not until 1300 does s 's the th Jew w- w figure in in the tale In n th the ancient stories s written long long before the time time of Shakespeare eJ the the Jew J v. v is I y sometimes o e mes' mes the th cr creditor and sometimes es the debtor I No Jew could have drawn up such a a. bond bondas as Shylock did and no an Jew could have demanded to to- cut the living flesh to satisfy it Jewish law law of of the period could not countenance nce such such an act It ItIs Itis Itis is in the Roman Romah Roman law av that a a. creditor play nay cut cuta a po of flesh lI h from rom a living body but not the Vish Jewish law law Had Had such sucha such sucha a a case case- been tr tried ed th the Jew would C certainly c- c hav h have vE been cheated of his bond but the Jew Jew w would never claimed claimed it it History shows the Jewish Je horror horrar of anything that will mutilate Gods God's temple temple tem tern pIe the body pest Even post post- Postmortem postmortem mortem examinations were allowed by bythe bythe bythe the Jews only after a struggle If evera ever evera a Jew clutched the unholy passions of ofa ofa a Shylock t to hl his breast he w was a traitor to to the coveR covenant t. t y Jewish religion Is 15 as outspoken out as any in it demands upon its p people ople The one who takes kes usury blasphemes God That is the law Jewish laws for for m many hy ye Years Years' ar m made e It for a usurer to t hl Ins hC name ia ame n everi To to a a marriage contract The The usurer is an outcast and is as recognized as such by byall byall byall all Jews s If Shylock was a a. a usurer he hev v was was s by that act alone lone no Jew even if he still possessed the architecture of the nose r oJ j The Th r ww i never Ver a in money ii l lender f until his hl life with Christians made madet made t imperative He was first a tiller of the soil In III the feudal system the Jews JOws were made to furnish the money forthe for forthe the Ch Christians Even Bishops wanted l money lr from J. J JJ them c came for payment nt they fou found a it if against their principle to td pay interest and against their th 1 l interest l t to pay to-pay pay prin- prin N I As ps i 9 X was S so sOVere were the Jews spurned for fifteen centuries If Shakespeare made Shylock a typical Jew he had h d no idea ida Id a.- a. of the thO Ith ch character r of or of the the Jewish Jewl 4 mind hake res re's purpose could not have been to paint the Jew as he lived because he did not know know- the Jew Je perSonally alry He to show to the world that hate would beget hate and that contempt and spurn of f th he Christians would bring g retaliatory retaliatory- measures from an oppressed in I people o In th the Jews humanity has been cru- cru clued The Thelow low Jew JC Is i's eally the mouthpiece mouthpiece mouth mouth mouth- Jl piece c of outraged humanity y For Fop more than fifteen centuries the Jew has paid his his pound of flesh but never never neve demanded T It His is w was was' eat eaten n t to fhe he quick l by bythe mj the oppression of his enemies but lie he never cherished the the- resentment of the Shakespearean Char character c r Sh shakes shakes' kes' kes pea peare's Shylock Shy ock was vas not not a a Jew |
