50
A
aside from their somewhat unsympa¬
tion mania, sees antisemitism every¬
thetic a itude, present onlythe Jew as
vhere. Very eleverly he obrerves
non-Jewist society sees him. The Jew,
when Baron Wergenthin brings him
as he is, is a book with seven seals
home and the janitor, who, as is the
tothem. Jewish authors of real merit
ase in Vienna, opens the door for
are not very numerous. The ghetto
him and has to walt while the friends
novelist must be excluded because he
are stili talking: You know what
this man is calling me in his heart.
Jew of the eraof transition in the con¬
He says there is no Christian who is
flict of ghetto life with modern cul¬
ot an antisemite in some way, even
ture which forces him out of his iso¬
those who do not show it and those
lation. Men like Theodore Herzl give
who believe they are free from preju¬
us in spite, or perhaps because of the
lice, will display this feeling unknown
accuracy with which they present cer¬
othemselves. Still Bermann himself
tain features, rather a caricature,
His
has the very same feeling.
500
either the idealized Jew who is living
friend met him in tlie coffee-house
in their imagination only, or the Cari¬
when a young man reads to him some
catured Jew whom they wish to edu¬
of his poetry. Bermann objects to the
cate to their own ideas.
word “hei' in a lyric poem. He says
In Arthur Schnitzler we have atruly
very cleverly, The lyric hei' does not
great poet; who gives us the Jew as
exist for you or for anyoneofus.“ He
he sees him with the eyes of the gen¬
means that the subjective sentiment
uine great artist. Arthur Schnitzler
of a true German can not exist in a
is the son of the famous laryngologist,
Jew. Later, when he is alone with
the late Johann Schnitzler, professor
the baron, he says that this young man
of Vienna University. Himself a phy¬
is the only one whom he will tolerate
sician, he has devoted himself to lit¬
of that class of people, on whose lips
erature and occupies a prominent rank
there is always the “ac soi.“ He al¬
in the German literature of the day,
udes to the well-known story of a
which was rocognized by the fact that
Jew who is with another Jew in a
he was given the Grillparzer prize this
railroad compartment and behaves
year.
very respectfully until he finds out that
The title of his novel suggests
his companion is a Jew also; then he
Herzl'’s drama, Das Neue Ghetto,“ in
stretches himself on his bench, say¬
which the hero, mortally wounded in
ng, dae soi.“ The trouble with the
a duel, provoked by an antisemitic
ews, says Bermann, is that they
insult, says with dying words, Tell
never have respect. The baron re¬
1
my péople they shall go out, Hinaus.
plies,You are more of an antisemite
This “hinaus' from the unsatisfactory
than I have ever found amongst Chris¬
condition of the Jews in the present
tians.“ Bermann admits the fact and
age, trying to be absorbed by their
with a true insight into Jewish char
environment, and unable to achieve
acter says that the Jew is especially
this aim is no more solved in Schnitz
sensitive when noticing that another
ler’s novel than it is even indicated in
Jew, in his presence, makes himself
Herzl’s tragedy. One may even say
ridiculous or objectionable.
more. The book not merely does not
Bermann has reason to be bitter.
His father, a prominent lawyer and
makes the impression of a fragment. It
politician, had been a member of par¬
is an episode, not a life which is pre¬
liament, and honestly believed that
sented here. The hero, George von
the Jew could be considered merely
Wergenthin, an Austrian baron, who
as s man by those with whom he was
is an accomplished musician of great
spiritual sympathy, but times
in
promise, but lacking energy, lives the
changed, antisemites became powerful,
life of a social lion, moves largely, al¬
e party dropped him and he became
most exclusively, in Tewish circles,
insche Young Bermann, however, be¬
falls in love with a. Jewish girl, vho is
ieves neither in baptism nor in Zion¬
ism and discussing the solution of the
a highly talented musician, and after
Jewish question he says that there is
she had given birth to a dead child,
he abandons her, casting her aside
no such thing as one kind of solution;
everybody has to look out for himself
like a toy of which he got tired. We
how he shall find the way out of his
never hear what becomes of him nor
despair and disgust. The way out is
what becomes of her.
This short summary of the book
not the same for everybody.
Another member of the circle is Leo
would, however, be a great injustice,
for it is actually a true work of art in
Golowski, a young man who serves
its presentation of present-day Vienna
his year in the army, and is torment¬
ed by an antisemitic officer, whom he
Jewish society, and for the first time
perhaps a true artist has given us an
insults the day after he finished his
ear of service. He is naturally chal¬
insignt into the feeling of this class of
Jews, who are Jews but do not wish
enged to a duel and kiils his tor¬
mentor. In spite of antisemitic at¬
to be Jews. The book breathes in its
tempts to have him treated as a mur¬
whole fabric a true Vienna spirit, no¬
derer, he is merely tried for fighting
ticeable. although the local dialect is
a duel, and upon the emperor’s order
not used, even in the vocabulary. Not
the case is quashed. To Bermann he
merely do the characters use such ex
speaks once of the wonderful impres¬
“eingehaengt'
pressions like
or
sion which he had received at the con¬
arm in arm, "gut aufgelegt'
but
gress at Basel. when he saw that seri¬
PEs ist in der Zeitung gestanden,
ous men cried, as they heard that Pal¬
even the poet himself uses such
estine can not in the near future be
pressions as Spielereischachtel'
conquered for the Jews. Bermann, on
Verabschiedete sich 'mit’ Heinrich!“
the other hand, says that Zionism is
It would be wrong to point this fact
the worst misfortune that befell the
out in a spirit of criticism. It seems
Jows. He has no more sympathy with
part of the true atmosphere of the life
the Zionistic rum shopkeeper than
which is presented to us, and it is cer¬
wvith the Christian socialist grocer.
tainly even to the pedantic purist, bet¬
The whole idea of a Jewish state on
ter than some of the instances of mod¬
the basis of religion and nationality
ernism like, "der graue Duft der
was a mad challenge of the spirit of
Fruehlingsschatten,“ a type of that
the age and its historic evolution,
late craving for originality in expres¬
What is Palestine—a geographical
sion, which, after all, is senseless; for
term? What is the faith of the fa¬
shadows do not smell, nor is an odor
thers? A collection of practices which
gray.
vou do not observe and most of which
This is, however, merely noticed
appear to you as ridiculous and stupid
passingly, for it is very rare in the
as they appear to me.“
book, whose great strength lies in the
One might think that here the poet
Jewish characters, drawn with the
ne



retain clear ideas about a book from
eading a review, no matter how ex¬
haustive. One has to read the book
in order to appreciate it, and it was
my object to impress upon Jewish
lovers of literarure their duty to take
up the book of Schnitzler which I
consider one of the, if not the strong¬
est presentation of Jewish sentiment
in our days. If they take it up, they
will not lay it down without haying
read it over and over again, for the
author will fascinate themf as ge fas¬
einated me.
Gorrnan Drufsen.
1