Controversy Over Criticism of Jews
An interesting controversy has been carried on in the Brooklyn Eagle, raised by an article written by a priest, John L. Belford. That article was a most scathing criticism of the Jewish race. Out of that grew a tremendous controversy in which Father Belford was handled without gloves. Some of his own church have condemned him as unsparingly as have the Jewish writers themselves. One writer, in replying to Father Belford, states that in the town in which he lives are eighty thousand Jews, that a Jew dug the foundation to his house, carpenters, plumbers, and painters who built it were all Jews, and that the money-lender alone was a Gentile. Father Belford asserted that Jews break their contracts, but of all the contracts, of which this writer says he has made a great many, "the only man who tried to dodge the contract was a man of your [the priest's] faith and his lawyer of the same creed." He also said, "In the Jewish calendar there is a day which permits, nay, in fact, encourages, heavy drinking. On that night in this city of eight hundred thousand Jews and of three million Gentiles, the only ones arrested for disorderly conduct due to drinking were men of your faith." Of course such discussions as this are not profitable. Many times a whole class is condemned because of the failure or moral delinquencies of one or two with whom the writer may be acquainted. Such condemnation is always unjust, for when men are measured as men there is very little difference between Jews and Gentiles. Of course certain traits of character are emphasized and developed by long training and environment, but the natural heart of man is selfish. Our own selfishness that we are used to does not seem so bad as the selfishness of the other man. It is well for Christians to remember the word of the apostle, "Are we better than they? No, in nowise; for we have before proved, both Jew and Gentile, that they are all under sin;" but, thank God, there is a common Saviour for them all.