ftu#e#ete ## P##seiuun
" In much the same manner that fart has
recent Feurs to Rabelais, Cabell, Sherwood An¬
O mention just a few victims of thie contempo
cities committed by our purist-cossack friends,
inese gentleman was singled out by the puri¬
quisition for his Dr. Casanova’s Homecoming
gen. Suppression of the works produced the
sülts: the smut-secking booboisie hinied out
s and undoubtedly gloated over the passages
Tendied the literary sensibilities of those of our
1 and vice-sniffers who can read; thus instend
ily cyeing the burlesque queens in tights whio
efront covers af Dhe Police Gasette, they had
gelse to talk about wien they weren't gath¬
fraternal counsel around the latest edition of
Raring Form. However, thanks to the
d virtuous De Mille touch, one of Dr. Schnitz
tdelightful plays, The Affairs of Anatol' was
fore the proletariat by Famous Players in such
oralizing adornments, that whercas the autho
ver have recognized it (if he had, he woule
have blown his brains out) at least the gooc
the land were, for the time being, saved from
ownfall.
the enlightened circles of Mittel-Europa, it
the practice for a good many years to pounce
Schnitzler whenever the defenders of the one
raith decided that it was about time again to
old score against the Jews. Of course, the
ew-baiters, not being familiar with the cul¬
heir land which they were attempting to safe¬
buld not have been expected to know that the
mof old Vrenna had been immortallzed prob¬
e by this Jew, Schnitzler, than by any other
tists who have made it one of the great intel¬
enters of the world. Here in America, al¬
chnitzler has been a shrine at which those few
great literary work have been happy to kneel,
been known about Schnitzler, the Jew. True
losen by the readers of Tun Jnwisn TRIBUNE
fthe twelve outstanding Jews of the world,
ve no quarrel with the selection. But we have
that, although the readers of this publication
hat this Vienna doctor, who easily brought over
delicate touch, required for his surgical instru¬
his plays and novels, was an outstanding figure
erary world, still being members of the most
s and stubborn race that ever lived, they voted
nore because he had been read out of society
erary Kleagles.
ears ago, at the old Irving Place Theatre,
’s Dr. Bernhardi' was produced in German.
grew out of an incident in the life of his
famous Vienna throat specialist and professor
iversity of Vienna, who was the victim of the
a of his clerical associates. This play was a
indictment against anti-Semitism and might be
service in bringing Christianity back to the
Staged again in divers spots where the so-called
ce congregates.
s in The Road to Freedom' (brought out this
merica by Knopf as The Road to the Open')
itzler makes a searching and comprehensive
his people. And he does it in that gentle,
yof his, in his smooth, beautcous style, that
t realize until the novel is finished, that here
rvellous race, which has at various times re¬
eattention of every pseudo-humanitarian,
hropologist and pseudo-historian that has ever
tched out before you, all its faults laid open,
tues exposed. A perfect piece of dissection,
master surgeon who is at the same time a
iter.
4
SCHNIT
But“
Koa
thie 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
youthful Baron George von Wergentin (example of
that deligntful, charming type of cultural Viennese who
inhabited that gay capital before the war, and who has
robably gone olf mto hiding since the advent of the
Hakenkräiezler), and his wistful love affair with Frau¬
lein Annat 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 the great war to end
peace. As rhis circle includes many Jews, for with all
lue respects sto Brother Hitler and Comrade Evans,
wherever there is gay wit and other manifestations of in¬
ellect and cultüre, there are usually to be found Jews,
the whiole background of the story has been utilized by
Schnitzler to show in his skillful handling of dialogue
what 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
toJewish culture and Jewish ideas. As it is seldom
that two Jews, if they are at all intelligent, can be
found to agree upon anything, the brilliant discussion of
these highly sensitive charatters, whio embrace all man¬
ners of Jews—radical assimilitionists, radical nationalists
Zionists, non-Zionists, cynics, idealists—gives under the
atchless artistry of Schnitzler a vivid picture of Jewish
ife in the Diaspora, For these characters would be
ust as much at home on West End Avenue, the Café
Royal or Gramercy Park, as in Vienna.
There is the Ehrenberg family, whose rich, luxurious
home is the scene of many teas and dinners for the
ocially-sought-after personalities and celebrities of
Vienna. The Ehrenbergs waxed wealthy in commerce
and Frau Ehrenierg and Fraulein Else are trying to
climb as best they can, reaching out here and there
for the noted ardists of the city, who will bring pres¬
ige 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 sees through his fam¬
ly, ot course, and this rugged, old man, disgusted at
the antics of his consort and children, makes them upon
in and begin talking
Idhish, or precipitäte a discussion
upon Zionism, of which hie has become an ardent dis
ciple (the first Basle Congress took place a year before
thie opening of the novel). Such antics on the part of
old Ehrenberg always greatly embarrass the other
members of the Ehrenberg family and cause the in¬
tolerable Oskar with his aristocratic swagger to bite
his lips in mortilication and leave the room; where¬
upon th elder Ehrenberg, satislied with the effect of his
malice, would also retire, for he never felt at home at
his wise's at homes. The relations between father and
son reached a dramatie climax in an incident described
in a letter to the Baron from his friend, Heinrich Ber¬
mann, Who wrote:
Testerday Oskar passes by the Church of St. Michae
about twelve o’clock mid-day and takes off his hat.
Von
know that at the present time piety is about the smartest
raze going, and so perhaps it is unnecessary to go into
any further explanation, as, for example, that 9. few
young aristocrats happened to be Just coming out of
church and that Oskar wanted to behave as à Catholic
for their special beneflt. God knows how often he has
previously been guilty of this imposture without being
found out, but as luck would have it, it happens yester¬
lay that old Ehrenberg comes along the road at the
same moment. He sees Oskar taking off his hat in
ront of the church doo
and attacked by a fit of
„ „
uncontrollabie rage he gives his offspring à box on the
ears then and there. A box on the ears! Oskar the
lieutenant in the reserve! Mid-day in the center of the
town!
So it is not particularly remarkable that the
story was known all over the town the very same evening.
t is already in some of the papers today. The Jewish
ones leave it severely alone, except for a few scandal
nongering raßs, the anti-Semitic ones of course go for
it hot and strong. The Christliche Volksbote is the best
and insists on both the Ehrenbergs being brought before
a Jury for sacrilege or blasphemy.
It is in the long conversation between the Baron
and Heinrich Bermann, brilliant writer, moody, cyni¬
cal,the intellectual Jew, WI RRL
##r
nor Zionistic, flames up against the stupid bigotries
f his age, that Schnitzler shows the attitude of the
Christian free from prejudices (or as frec as it is pos¬
sible for a Christian to be): The Baron does not un¬
lerstand why these Jewish friends and acquaintances of
his are always bringing up their race, either apolo¬
getically or as if they wanted to start a quarrel. At the
home of Anna Rosner he mects Dr. Stauber, who is
xplaining how his family is related to the Golow. s,
which numbers two militant members, Theresa, a rad
al political worker, and Leo, radical Jewish nationalist.
When the Doctor finally added in a resigned tone:
The Baron is bound to know that all Jews are related
to one another,’ to quote from rhe novel:
it
George smiled amlably. As a matter of fact
rather Jarred on his nerves. There was no necessity at
all, in his view, for Doctor Stauber as well officially to
communicate to him his membership of the Jewish com¬
nunity. He already knew it and bore him no grudges
for it. He bore him no grudge at all for it; but why do
hey always begin to talk about it themselves? Wherever
he went, he only met Jews who were ashamed of being
Jews, or the type who were proud of it and were fright¬
ened of people thinking they were ashamed of it.
Thus again whien lie runs into Heinrich for the first
time after his long absence from the city and Heinrich
is discussing his work:
The only thing which gives me a certain amount
of confidence is simply the consclousness of being able tc
see right into people’s souls
right deep down, ever)
one, rogues and honest people, men, women and children,
heathens, Jews and Protestants, yes, even Catholics, aris
tocrats and Germans, although I have heard that that is
supposed to be inflnitely difficult, not to say impossible.
for people like myself.
George gave a slight start. He knew that Heinrich
had been subjected to the most violent personal attacks
by the clerical and conservative press, particularly with
eference to his last piece.
But what’s that got to
do with me?“ thought George. There was another one
of them who had been insulted! It was really absolutel)
Impossible to associate with these people on a neutral
footing
George tells him that he, too, has been expoed to the
public, that there are any number of people prejudiced
against him because he is a Baron. Heinrich answers:
I think you will agree with me, that being ragged
for being a Baron is a very different matter than being
ragged for being a Jew, although the latter—you'll for¬
(Continued on dage 41)