CHAPTER XL.1882.
THE REIGN OF TERROR IN RUSSIA—INDIGNATION MEETING IN LONDON—THE LORD MAYOR'S FUND—THE TISZA-ESZLAR TRIAL—ANTI-JEWISH CONGRESS AT DRESDEN—A PRETENDED SPEECH OF SIR MOSES—DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP TAIT.
THE Anti-Jewish Riots in Russia continued to excite the greatest indignation. All the daily papers had leading articles on the subject. Relief committees were formed in the principal towns and cities of Europe. The Governor-General, A. von Drentlen, sent Sir Moses full accounts of the work done by the Committee under him, reporting that contributions from all sources had amounted to 218,482 roubles, and that upwards of five thousand sufferers had already been relieved. By January 20th, Messrs Louis Cohen & Sons had collected £16,658, and on the following day the subjoined requisition was made to the Lord Mayor, Sir J. Whittaker Ellis, to call a public meeting at the Mansion House.
Requisition."January 21st, 1882."To the Right Hon. theLord Mayor of the City of London."My Lord,—We, the undersigned, consider that there should be a public expression of opinion respecting the persecution which the Jews of Russia have recently and for some time past suffered. We therefore ask your Lordship to be so good as to call, at your earliest possible convenience, a public meeting for that purpose at the Mansion House, and that you will be good enough to take the chair on that occasion.—We are, your Lordship's faithful servants,"A. C.Cantuar.Arthur Otway.Shaftesbury.James Martineau.J.,LondonSamuel Morley.C.J.,Gloucester and Bristol.M.Biddulph.J.,Manchester.B.Jowett.F.Leveson-Gower.H.D.M.Spence."Charles Magniac.Donald Currie."W.J. Cotton.Henry Richard."James Clarke Lawrence.W. St John Brodrick."John Tyndall.H.R. Haweis."Mathew Arnold.J.J. Stewart Perowne."F.A. Inderwick.F.W. Farrar."John Lubbock.W. Page Roberts."Henry Edward, Cardinal Manning.J.G. Hubbard."Scarsdale.W. Lawrence."Mount-Temple.Erasmus Wilson."J.F., Oxon.Charles Darwin."Edmund Fitzmaurice.A. M'Arthur."Elcho.C. M'Laren."
Requisition.
"January 21st, 1882.
"To the Right Hon. theLord Mayor of the City of London.
"My Lord,—We, the undersigned, consider that there should be a public expression of opinion respecting the persecution which the Jews of Russia have recently and for some time past suffered. We therefore ask your Lordship to be so good as to call, at your earliest possible convenience, a public meeting for that purpose at the Mansion House, and that you will be good enough to take the chair on that occasion.—We are, your Lordship's faithful servants,
The Lord Mayor complied with the requisition, and on Wednesday, February the 1st, at three o'clock, his Lordship presided over a large and most enthusiastic meeting. The Egyptian Hall was crowded in every available part, and the reserved seats on the platform were altogether inadequate to accommodate those who were invited to take part in the proceedings.
The representatives of the churches of England and Rome, together with Dissenters and Unitarians, leaders of thought in science and philosophy, representatives of the aristocracy and finance, trade and commerce, all, with equal eagerness, stood up for the cause of the suffering Jews.
It was resolved, "that a fund be raised at the Mansion House for the purpose of contributing to the relief of the distress among the Jewish population of Russia, and among the refugees therefrom, which distress has been caused by the recent outrages of which they have been the victims, and also for the purpose of effecting some permanent amelioration in their condition, in such manner as the committee may deem expedient, whether by emigration or otherwise;" and, "that the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor be requested to receive contributions on behalf of such fund."
The total amount collected through this fund was £108,759. On the day following, Sir Moses, in token of deep gratitude to the citizens of London for the sympathy they had manifested with his unfortunate brethren, addressed the Lord Mayor, sending £500 as a contribution towards the building fund of the City of London College.
His Lordship, much pleased with Sir Moses' attention, replied to his letter in the following terms:
"The Mansion House, London."February 8th,1882."My dear Sir Moses Montefiore,—It is with a sense of great satisfaction that I received your considerate letter and generous contribution to the building fund of the City of London College, and I feel assured that the whole of the citizens of London will appreciate the nobility of sentiment which has dictated this liberal gift."It will be a source of great pleasure to me to be enabled to report to the Committee to-morrow, that the fund raised here under their auspices for your suffering co-religionists in Russia amounts to nearly £40,000. Assuring you of my sincere esteem and respect, believe me, my dear Sir Moses Montefiore, yours very truly,"J. Whittaker Ellis, Lord Major."
"The Mansion House, London."February 8th,1882.
"My dear Sir Moses Montefiore,—It is with a sense of great satisfaction that I received your considerate letter and generous contribution to the building fund of the City of London College, and I feel assured that the whole of the citizens of London will appreciate the nobility of sentiment which has dictated this liberal gift.
"It will be a source of great pleasure to me to be enabled to report to the Committee to-morrow, that the fund raised here under their auspices for your suffering co-religionists in Russia amounts to nearly £40,000. Assuring you of my sincere esteem and respect, believe me, my dear Sir Moses Montefiore, yours very truly,
"J. Whittaker Ellis, Lord Major."
The late much-lamented Lionel Louis Cohen wrote to Sir Moses as follows:
"I know you are so deeply interested in the results of the great demonstration of last Wednesday, that I think a few lines may be agreeable to you, as to how it is judged by the world at large."It was undoubtedly the most imposing meeting which in modern times has been held at the Mansion House. Its moral effect will be very great; not only in Russia but in Germany, and even in France it is already evident that it has thrown back for a time the rising tide of prejudice against the Jews."I had the honour, on Wednesday evening, of being invited to the Goldsmiths' Company, and met at dinner men of all parties, who concurred in thinking the moral effect of the demonstration as considerable."Probably ten thousand persons will speedily by its means (the Mansion House Fund) be removed from Russia to American and British possessions; they will be the advance guard of a host; and thus the Almighty may turn what to us seems a calamity into an engine of civilization and prosperity."Your name was received with enthusiasm at the Mansion House, none the less genuine because, as became him in that place, the Lord Mayor coupled it with your long connection with civic work, and especially with the Merchant Taylors, of which, he said, you were the oldest living member."I hope you continue in good health and spirits, and do not worry yourself at your enforced seclusion at home. We all know how active your sympathies are, and how imperfectly we can follow the excellent example you set, but it is well to see a generation, even younger than my own, striving, however inadequately, to do their little best for their poor brethren."
"I know you are so deeply interested in the results of the great demonstration of last Wednesday, that I think a few lines may be agreeable to you, as to how it is judged by the world at large.
"It was undoubtedly the most imposing meeting which in modern times has been held at the Mansion House. Its moral effect will be very great; not only in Russia but in Germany, and even in France it is already evident that it has thrown back for a time the rising tide of prejudice against the Jews.
"I had the honour, on Wednesday evening, of being invited to the Goldsmiths' Company, and met at dinner men of all parties, who concurred in thinking the moral effect of the demonstration as considerable.
"Probably ten thousand persons will speedily by its means (the Mansion House Fund) be removed from Russia to American and British possessions; they will be the advance guard of a host; and thus the Almighty may turn what to us seems a calamity into an engine of civilization and prosperity.
"Your name was received with enthusiasm at the Mansion House, none the less genuine because, as became him in that place, the Lord Mayor coupled it with your long connection with civic work, and especially with the Merchant Taylors, of which, he said, you were the oldest living member.
"I hope you continue in good health and spirits, and do not worry yourself at your enforced seclusion at home. We all know how active your sympathies are, and how imperfectly we can follow the excellent example you set, but it is well to see a generation, even younger than my own, striving, however inadequately, to do their little best for their poor brethren."
The Archbishop of Canterbury wrote as follows:—
"Addington Park, Croydon,"1882."My dear Sir Moses,—I cannot refrain from writing to you, knowing how your heart must be torn by the distressing news from Russia. It is as if the enemy of mankind was let loose to destroy the souls of so many Christians, and the bodies of so many of your people."I cannot but hope that a united cry of indignation from England will, by God's blessing, stop this mad wickedness."With my daughter's kindest regards and my own.—Ever yours,(Signed) "A. C. Cantuar."
"Addington Park, Croydon,"1882.
"My dear Sir Moses,—I cannot refrain from writing to you, knowing how your heart must be torn by the distressing news from Russia. It is as if the enemy of mankind was let loose to destroy the souls of so many Christians, and the bodies of so many of your people.
"I cannot but hope that a united cry of indignation from England will, by God's blessing, stop this mad wickedness.
"With my daughter's kindest regards and my own.—Ever yours,
(Signed) "A. C. Cantuar."
His Grace expressed himself on that subject in a similar spirit in his letter to the Lord Mayor, which his Lordship read to the meeting. It ran as follows:
"My dear Lord,—It is a distress to me that I am forbidden by my medical attendant to take part in the meeting your Lordship has undertaken to call together to enter an emphatic protest against the recent outrages to which the Jewish people had been exposed. Unable to attend myself, I have asked Canon Farrar to be present and express the horror with which I contemplate the disgrace brought on the Christian name by these shameful persecutions—Yours sincerely,"A.C. Cantuar."
"My dear Lord,—It is a distress to me that I am forbidden by my medical attendant to take part in the meeting your Lordship has undertaken to call together to enter an emphatic protest against the recent outrages to which the Jewish people had been exposed. Unable to attend myself, I have asked Canon Farrar to be present and express the horror with which I contemplate the disgrace brought on the Christian name by these shameful persecutions—Yours sincerely,
"A.C. Cantuar."
The number of emigrants exceeded all expectation, and the committees had to contend with the greatest difficulties in order to meet the requirements of the various cases. Heavy contingents came from all parts of Europe to Londonen routefor America, but soon the order came from the United States only to forward working men and mechanics. Others were dispatched to the Holy Land, and on May 4th, 1882, Sir Moses received letters reporting the foundation of the first Colony, "Rishon Lezion" ("The Pioneers of Zion"), 3550 doolams of land having been purchased for the purpose near Jaffa for the sum of 42,900 francs.
In the course of time the London Committee was able to cope with the distress by means of its admirable arrangements, and by a wise distribution of the emigrants in different directions, with a view to stemming the current, which at first threatened to resist the efforts of the band of philanthropists who worked night and day to help their unfortunate brethren.
The attention of the reader is now again directed to the records of Sir Moses' Diary. Under date of March 2nd he expresses his sorrow at an attempt on the life of Her Majesty the Queen, and on hearing that she was mercifully spared, he immediately sent a telegram to Jerusalem, requesting the Spiritual Heads of the several congregations in the four Holy Cities—Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias, and Safed—to have special services held in their Synagogues for the purpose of offering their deep gratitude to heaven for the preservation of Her Majesty's life. A few days later a reply reached him from Jerusalem, in which he was informed that all congregations had cheerfully joined in their attendance in the house of prayer, and that they were preparing special letters of congratulation, which they asked Sir Moses to present to Her Majesty.
Knowing the great interest the Archbishop of Canterbury took in the Holy Land, he informed his Grace of the result of his recent communication with Jerusalem, and the Archbishop, in reply, promised to report the circumstance to Her Majesty.
On the 1st of April an event took place at Tisza-Eszlar, in Hungary, which gave rise to one of these most extraordinary trials ever recorded in the annals of modern administration of justice. "A series of sensational incidents," says A. Hartleben in his "Chronik der Zeit," "forcibly brought together in order to lend to the proceedings the imprint of something unusual, an apparently inextricable coil of intrigues and machinations awaiting a strong hand ready to loosen it. Personal malice, religious hatred, national prejudice, ignorant superstition—these, and many other circumstances, unite to make the whole of the trial a most extraordinary one.
"We are not exaggerating," he continues, "in saying that for years no trial has kept the whole of the civilised world in such breathless suspense as that of Nyiregyhaza."
The press of all nations followed the proceedings of the court with the utmost attention, and even before sentence was given, theJournal des Debatsconsidered it necessary to protest against the proceedings of the court, describing them as a horrible result of the then prevailing Anti-Semitic agitation in Germany—a raging fire devouring thousands of innocent lives, which even a number of intelligent and enlightened men in that country did not hesitate to stir up and fan.
I am alluding to the Tisza-Eszlar trial, instituted to discover and punish the murderer of a girl, fourteen years old, named Esther Solymossi. She was a native of Tisza-Eszlar, in service with one of her relatives, the wife of Audreas Hury, who was living at Nyiregyhaza. This girl was sent by her mistress to make some purchases from a shopkeeper in Ofalu, the old part of the town. She was seen at his house in the middle of the day, and made her purchases there, but never returned to her mistress, although later her own sister, who was in service in the neighbourhood, and other people saw her running fast, as if returning in great haste. The Jews were subsequently accused of having killed the girl, in order to make use of her blood for the approaching feast of the Passover. Sir Moses naturally took adeep interest in this trial, and the revival of the old familiar blood accusation. The trial was not instituted until the following year, but soon after the disappearance of the girl a fearful agitation arose against the Jews. A large number of them, said to be implicated in the murder, were put into prison, and the outcry against them generally was so great that Christian girls serving in Jewish families left their situations, and could not be persuaded to remain, although previously they were perfectly happy and contented.
In many parts of the country violent disturbances took place. Jewish houses were plundered, and the Jews themselves ill-treated. These occurrences were the cause of stormy debates in the Hungarian Parliament, where some of the Anti-Semitic Deputies tried to fix the guilt of the murder upon the Jews, and by way of confirmation again brought forward the exploded story about the Jews of Damascus having, in 1840, murdered a priest to use his blood for Passover. When Sir Moses received a report of these debates, he immediately addressed the following letter to the Minister President:—
"East Cliff Lodge,"Ramsgate,9th June 1882."To His ExcellencyCount Tisza, Minister President of the Imperial andRoyal House of Representatives in Buda-Pesth."May it please your Excellency,—My attention having been drawn by the perusal of a paper, entitledNeues Pester Journal, to a debate held on the 25th of May, in the Imperial Royal House of Representatives in your city, referring to an interpellation made by one of the honourable deputies, in which that gentleman introduces the subject of an accusation brought against the Jews of Damascus in the year 1840, to the effect that the Jews of Europe on that occasion had offered large sums of money to the members of the Austrian and French Consulates in Damascus to gain their favourable services; that the accused had been subsequently liberated by an act of grace from Mohhamed Ali, and that notwithstanding his firman all the people in the East were convinced of the truth of the accusation. I deem it my sacred duty to entreat your Excellency's permission for bringing the following statement to your knowledge, trusting that, for the sake of truth, justice, and humanity, which so pre-eminently distinguish your noble career, you will forgive the intrusion."It was in the year 1840 that I had the honour of being entrusted by my brethren in the British Empire with a Mission to Damascus, when I pleaded the cause of the accused first before His Highness Mohhamed Ali in Alexandria, and afterwards in Constantinople before His Imperial Majesty the Sultan Abdel Mejid, from whom I obtained Khát Shérif, in which the Sultan not only declared the innocence of the accused, and that all charges made against them and their religion were nothing but pure calumnies, but His Majesty, in conformity with the Hatti Sherif which had been proclaimed on a former occasion at Gulhane, repeated that the Jewish nation shouldpossess the same advantages, and enjoy the same privileges, as are granted to the numerous other nations who submit to his authority. I am for this reason in a position to assure your Excellency that no other means were used to obtain the liberation of the Jews in Damascus than those of justice and truth."Mohhamed Ali granted them freedom and rest (Itlâk î tarwich). These are the words used by him in his firman: 'Every one shall follow his former pursuits and enjoy the utmost protection.' This was no act of grace but of justice, and it is with the feeling of the greatest indignation that I reject the accusation brought by the author of that interpellation against the Jews of Europe."I request the favour of your Excellency's kind acceptance and perusal of the accompanying copy of the Sultan's Khát Shérif, also of a book treating on the subject of the accusations, and beg to subscribe myself with profound respect, your Excellency's most humble and obedient servant,(Signed) "Moses Montefiore."
"East Cliff Lodge,"Ramsgate,9th June 1882.
"To His ExcellencyCount Tisza, Minister President of the Imperial andRoyal House of Representatives in Buda-Pesth.
"May it please your Excellency,—My attention having been drawn by the perusal of a paper, entitledNeues Pester Journal, to a debate held on the 25th of May, in the Imperial Royal House of Representatives in your city, referring to an interpellation made by one of the honourable deputies, in which that gentleman introduces the subject of an accusation brought against the Jews of Damascus in the year 1840, to the effect that the Jews of Europe on that occasion had offered large sums of money to the members of the Austrian and French Consulates in Damascus to gain their favourable services; that the accused had been subsequently liberated by an act of grace from Mohhamed Ali, and that notwithstanding his firman all the people in the East were convinced of the truth of the accusation. I deem it my sacred duty to entreat your Excellency's permission for bringing the following statement to your knowledge, trusting that, for the sake of truth, justice, and humanity, which so pre-eminently distinguish your noble career, you will forgive the intrusion.
"It was in the year 1840 that I had the honour of being entrusted by my brethren in the British Empire with a Mission to Damascus, when I pleaded the cause of the accused first before His Highness Mohhamed Ali in Alexandria, and afterwards in Constantinople before His Imperial Majesty the Sultan Abdel Mejid, from whom I obtained Khát Shérif, in which the Sultan not only declared the innocence of the accused, and that all charges made against them and their religion were nothing but pure calumnies, but His Majesty, in conformity with the Hatti Sherif which had been proclaimed on a former occasion at Gulhane, repeated that the Jewish nation shouldpossess the same advantages, and enjoy the same privileges, as are granted to the numerous other nations who submit to his authority. I am for this reason in a position to assure your Excellency that no other means were used to obtain the liberation of the Jews in Damascus than those of justice and truth.
"Mohhamed Ali granted them freedom and rest (Itlâk î tarwich). These are the words used by him in his firman: 'Every one shall follow his former pursuits and enjoy the utmost protection.' This was no act of grace but of justice, and it is with the feeling of the greatest indignation that I reject the accusation brought by the author of that interpellation against the Jews of Europe.
"I request the favour of your Excellency's kind acceptance and perusal of the accompanying copy of the Sultan's Khát Shérif, also of a book treating on the subject of the accusations, and beg to subscribe myself with profound respect, your Excellency's most humble and obedient servant,
(Signed) "Moses Montefiore."
Almost immediately on the receipt of the letter, the Prime Minister Tisza issued a circular to the local authorities all over the country, couched in the strongest possible language, appealing to the patriotism, love of peace, and impartiality of the Hungarians, impressing upon them the untruth of the accusation and the impossibility of such proceedings, and calling upon the guardians of the public peace to prevent the publication of such absurd superstitions, and to forbid meetings being convened by the instigators.
The Anti-Semites, however, had set their mark upon Sir Moses; three months later they introduced his name in one of their reports, in such a manner that had the allegations been true it would have formed a convenient weapon of attack on the Jews by their enemies in general.
On the 11th and 12th of September 1882, the first International Anti-Jewish Congress met at Dresden, and by virtue of a resolution published a manifesto, addressed to the "Governments and peoples of Christian States endangered by Judaism" (subsequently printed at Chemnitz, Saxony, by Ernst Schmeitzner).
Therein we read on p. 15:—"The Congress finally appointed a Committee, whose next task will be to procure pecuniary assistance for the establishment of an Anti-Semitic press. For bearing in mind the words of the Jew 'Montefiore,' uttered by him in a Rabbinical Assembly at Krakau in the year 1840, the Committee have come to the conclusion that as long as the Christian Aryan natives do not reconquer the press in orderto enlighten the people and show them the true state of affairs, they will not be able to effect any good."
Now, as I happen to have been with Sir Moses from the beginning of the year 1840 to the end, I can positively declare that Sir Moses never was at Krakau, never attended a Rabbinical Assembly in that city, nor in any other part of the world, and never spoke the words attributed to him.
As a matter of course, Anti-Semitic journals speedily copied the statement made in the manifesto, but when a copy was sent to me by a gentleman at Elberfeld, I immediately, with the sanction of Sir Moses, contradicted the statement, and, to the credit of the editor of the Elberfeld journal, on receiving our letter he published a paragraph in his paper, to the effect that he had been mis-informed regarding the presence of Sir Moses at Krakau, and the words said to have been spoken by him.
At this time of public trouble, Sir Moses was also much pained to hear that the health of the Archbishop of Canterbury had become such as to give great anxiety to his friends. Sir Moses sent telegrams or letters of inquiry almost daily. For many weeks the illustrious patient bore his sufferings with the pious resignation which he had shown under previous exceptionally severe trials, his even temper and amiable disposition never forsaking him, until it pleased the Almighty to release him from all earthly trouble. Sir Moses felt the loss most acutely, and wrote a most touching letter to the family. He sent a wreath to be placed on the Archbishop's coffin. Miss Tait, one of the Archbishop's daughters, acknowledged its receipt in terms of gratitude.