—
of Vienna, is now more than a nam. to the American
electorate. In much the same manner that fame has
comne in recent years to Rabelais, Cabell, Sherwood An¬
derson, to mention just a few victims of the contempo¬
rary atrocities committed by#ur purist-cossack friends,
his Viennese gentleman was singled out by the puri¬
tanical inquisition for his Dr. Casanova’s Homecoming
and Reigen.“ Suppression of the works produced the
usual results: the smut-sceking booboisie hunted out
the books and undoubtedly gloated over thie passages
which offended the literary sensibilities of those of ouf
policemen and vice-sniffers who can read; ihus instead
greedily eyeing the burlesque queens in tights whio
adorn the front covers of 7e Police Gasetle, they had
something else to talk about wiien they weren't gath¬
ered in fraternal counsel around the latest edition of
the Daily Rariny Form. However, thanks to the
magic and virtuous De Mille touch, one of Dr. Schnitz¬
er's most delightful plays, The Affairs c Anatol' was
placed before the proletariat by Famous Players in such
lighly moralizing adornments, that whereas thie author
would never have recognized it (if he had, he would
promptly have blown his brains out) at least the good
people of the land were, for the time being, saved from
ruinous downfall.
Over in the enlightened circles of Mittel-Europa, it
has been the practice for a good many years to pounce
upon Dr. Schnitzler wlienever the defenders of the one
and true faith decided that it was about time again to
settle the old score against the Jews. Of course, the
Vienna Jew-baiters, not being familiar with the cul¬
ture of their land which they were attempting to safe¬
guard, would not have been expected to know that the
tairy Charm of old Vienna had been immortallzed prob¬
ably more by this Jew, Schnitzler, than by any other
of the artists who have made it ###c of the great intel¬
lectual centers of the world. Here in America, al¬
though Schnitzler has been a shrine at which those few
who love great literary work have been happy to kneel,
little has been known about Schnitzler, the Jew. Truc
NE
ie was chosen by the readers of Tux Izwisn
as one of the twelve outstanding Jews of the world,
and we have no quarrel with the selection. But we have
a hunch that, although the readers of this publication
realized that this Vienna doctor, who easily brought over
the light, delicate touch, required for his surgical instru¬
ments to his plays and novels, was an outstanding figure
n the literary world, still being members of the most
pugnacious and stubborn race that ever lived, they voted
for him niore because he had been read out of society
by our literary Kleagles.
Some years ago, at the old Irving Place Theatre,
Schnitzler’s Dr. Bernhardi“ was produced in German.
This play grew out of an incident in the life of his
father, a famous Vienna throat specialist and professor
in the University of Vienna, who was the victim of the
Judophobia of his clerical associates. This play was a
powe. Zul indictment against anti-Semitism and might be
of some service in bringing Christianity buck to the
world if staged again in divers spots where the so-called
human rare congregates.
But it is in The Road to Freedom“ (braught out this
year in America by Knopf as The Road to the Open')
that Schnitzler makes a searching and comprehensive
study of his people. And he does it in that gentle,
ironic way of his, in his smooth, beauteous style, that
one doesn't realize until the novel is finished, that here
is that marvellous race, which has at various times re¬
ceived the attention of every pseudo-humanitarian,
pseudo-anthropologist and pseudo-historian that has ever
lived, stretched out before you, all its faults laid open,
all its virtues exposed. A perfect piece of dissection,
done hy a master surgeon who is ät the same time a
master writer.
IIN
But Tiie Road to the Open,“ although it isn't a Jewish
novel, is probably the best Jewish novel that has ever
been written. The story is primarily concerned with the
outhful Baron George von Wergentin (example of
hat deligntful, charming type of cultural Viennese wiic
nhabited that gay capital before the war, and who has
probabi gone olf mto hiding since the advent of the
Hakenkrhezler), and his wistful love affair with Frau¬
lein Anna Rosner, one of that colorful intellectual group
of writers, musicians and bon vivants with whom the
baron lives a carefree and delightful existence in gay
Vienna, those persons who made the city the center of
Europe's wit and wisdom before thie great war to end
peace. As this circle includes many Jews, for with all
due respects to Brother Hitler and Comrade Evans,
vherever there is gay wit and other manifestations of in¬
tellect and cultüre, there are usually to be found Jews,
he whiole background of the story has been utilized by
Schnitzler to show in his skillful handling of dialogue
vhat these Jews think of Jews, of Jewish movements
and above all, how this intelligent baron, who is prob¬
ably one of the few Christians left in Austria, reacts
to Jewish culture and Jewish ideas. As it is seldom
hat two Jews, if they are at all intelligent, can be
ound to agree upon anything, the brilliant discussion of
hese highly sensitive characters, who embrace all man¬
iers of Jews—radical assimilationists, radical nationalista
Zionists, non-Zionists, cynics, idealists—gives under t.##
matchless artistry of Schnitzler a vivid picture of Jewish
life in the Diaspora. For these characters would be
ust as much at home on West End Avenue, the Café
home is the scene of mäny teas and dinners for the
socially-sought-after personalities and celebrities of
Vienna. The Ehrenbergs waxed wealthy in commerce
and Frau Ehrenberg and Fraulein Else are trying to
climb as best they can, reaching out here and there
for the noted artists of the city, who will bring pres¬
tige to their salon. Oskar Ehrenberg, the young son
of the family, feels that the world’s original sin was
perpetuated when he was born a Jew and he is trying
as best he can to live it down by lavishly spending right
and left in order to get the benediction of a Gentile
smile. Old Solomon Ehrenberg secs through his fam¬
ily, of course, and this rugged, old man, disgusted at
the antics of his consort and children, makes them upon
n and begin talking Niddish, or prec
upon Zionism, of which he has bec
iple (the üirst Basle Congress took
thie opening of the novel). Such an
old Lhrenberg always greatly em
nembers of the Ehrenberg family
tolerable Oskar with his aristocrati
lis lips in mortilication and leave
upon th elder Ehrenberg, satislied wi
malice, would also retire, for he new
his wife's at homes. The relations
son reached a dramatic climax in an
in a letter to the Baron from his fri
mann, who wrote:
Festerday Oskar passes by the Chu
about tweive o’clock mid-day and tak
know that at the present time plety is
craze going, and so perhaps it is unn
any further explanation, as, for ex
oung aristocrats happened to be
church and that Oskar wanted to be
for their special benefit. God know:
reviously been guilty of this impos
found out, but as luck would have
it,
day that old Ehrenberg comes alon
same moment. He sees Oskar taki
und
front of the church door
* * *
uncontrollable rage he gives his offsp
lieutenant in the reserve! Mid-day in
LOWII
So it is not particularl
re
story was known all over the town the
It is already in some of the papers
ones leave it severely alone, except
mongering raßs, the anti-Semitic ones
t hot and strong. The Christliche Vo
and insists on both the Ehrenbergs be
a Jury for sacrilege or blasphemy.
It is in the long conversation
and Heinrich Bermann, brilliant wr
cal,the intellectual Jeu, whn u
nor Zionistic, flames up against th
of his age, that Schnitzler shows
1
Christian free from prejudices (or as
sible for a Christian to be). The B
lerstand why these Jewish friends an
his are always bringing up their r
getically or as if they wanted to start
iome of Anna Rosner he meets Dr
explaining how his family is related
which numbers two militant membero
cal political worker, and Leo, radical
When the Doctor finally added in
The Baron is bound to know that al
toone another,' to quote from the n
George amiled amlably. As a
rather jarred on his nerves. There v
ll, In his view, for Doctor Stauber e
ommunicate to him his membership o
munity. He already knew it and ber
they always begin to talk about it then
he went, he only met Jews who were
Jews, or the type who were proud of
ened of people thinking they were ash
Thus again when he runs into Hei
time after his long absence from the
is discussing his work:
The only Ching which gives mo
f cenfidence is simply the consciousne
see right into people’s souls right
ohe, rogues and honest people, men, wa
heathens, Jews and Protestants, yes, e#
ocrats and Germans, although I have
supposed to be infinitely difficult, not
people like myself.
for
George gave a slight start. He k
had been subjected to the most violen
Pthe clerical and conservative press,
reference to his last piece. But
do with me?“ thought George. There
of them who had been insulted! It wa
mpossible to associate with these pe
footing.
George tells him that he, too, has b
public, that there are any number of
against him because he is a Baron.
I think you will agree with me,
for being a Baron is a very different
ragged for being a Jew, although the
(Continued on dage 4.