,1 PS "5507 I9H Bra Class E5.3537 Book Copyright N°, '^"f COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. SARA TOBIAS DRUKKER A LITERARY FIND BY SARA TOBIAS DRUKKER who also wrote under the noms de plume " EDWINA ROWE " AND " ALPHA " PHILADELPHIA PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 1914 7*o >"?{ ***> COPYRIGHT 1914 BY BESS M. DRUKKER PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. DEC 31 1914 CI.A391222 WELL KNOWING THAT THE MEMORY OF OUR MOTHER STILL LIVES IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF MANY, WE, HER FOUR DAUGHTERS, HAVE EDITED, AS A MEMENTO, A FEW OF HER GOLDEN THOUGHTS, CONSISTENT WITH HER LIFE AND INSPIRATION CONTENTS Tribute to a Loving Friend. By Gussie D. Ogdon 6 An Appreciation. By George M. Hammell 7 Poem — To-morrow. By George A. Driscoll 10 SELECTED WRITINGS OF SARA TOBIAS DRUKKER Gems 11 Bashful Sixteen 19 The Battle of the Sexes 24 The Ballot the Strongest Weapon of American Defence 26 On Beauty 30 Drudgery a Spur 32 " Give Us This Day Our Daily Newspaper " 33 An Italian Romance 34 The Intellectual Buzz-Saw Girl 40 A Mother's Love 43 The Political Aristocracy of Sex 43 The Political Evolution of Woman, or a Biological Scare. ... 46 Politics is the Business of the People and the Domain of Women as Well as Men 50 The Yiddish Drama 54 TRIBUTE TO A LOVING FRIEND No greater blow can befall us than the loss of a sincere and loyal friend. Emerson says, "The only way to have a friend is to be one." The death of Mrs. Sara Drukker created a void in friendship's realm impossible to describe. In her I found a counsellor ever ready to respond to human sympathy, a loving mother and wife, a woman of brilliant intel- lect — in short, a woman whose friendship was the highest treasure, staunch, true, sincere. I recall different instances where we seemed to differ, but the adjust- ment of opposite ideas and views brought us closer together. Ours was a friendship that could not be severed. Lost treasure, indeed — one that can never be replaced. As a club woman she could not be excelled. Her interests and labors in woman's suffrage are better known by the older suffragists — her en- thusiasm knew no bounds, as her time and knowledge were given without limitations to the progress of the cause so close to her heart. I miss her and mourn her loss. Gussie D. Ogdon. SARA TOBIAS DRUKKER AN APPRECIATION BY GEORGE M. HAMMELL It is significant that Sara Tobias Drukker, a daughter of Israel, owed the determining influences of her career as a daughter of America to the teachings of Felix Adler, the Hebrew, who, in- heriting the moral impulse of Israel's prophets, dedicated himself to the realization of their social ideals. Always proud of her descent, Mrs. Drukker was not less a daughter of Israel that she recog- nized in such women as Lucretia Mott, the Quaker, and Phoebe Cousins fit guides of her conduct: she followed them in that great Socio-political reform which has as its goal the recognition of woman- hood's inherent right to exercise all the functions of citizenship. For thirty years she never wavered in her advocacy of Votes for Women, contributing articles to the " American Jewess," " Womankind" and the "American Israelite," as well as to the secular press, and organizing clubs of her com- panions in political opinion for the purpose of co-operative propaganda. This incessant activity, private as well as public, was the product of a 7 8 A LITERARY FIND peculiar passion for equity, justice and truth, which distinguished her in every circle in which she moved and compelled attention to the great reform which she propagated. She did not write for an exclusive circle nor did she employ her executive powers, as she might have done, in her own class: she broke through all barriers and, outside of her ancient church, found congenial fellowship with those who could not accept her religious creeds. "In season and out of season" she was always an exponent of the principles of Equal Suffrage and of all that is involved in those principles, for she was as eager in defence of equal economic and industrial rights as of political and civil rights. She possessed, along with an intense love of moral truth and beauty, the literary sense which seeks expression in fittest phrase and wide-ranged discussion of vital themes. The contents of this commemorative volume will exhibit the wide scope of her interests and the versatility of her qualities as a writer. Born in New York, July 31, 1852, and resident of St. Louis for a decade or more after her marriage, Mrs. Drukker's life for more than a quarter of a century was spent in Cincinnati. Here she as- sisted in organizing the Twentieth Century Club, of which she became President, and later the Susan B. Anthony Club. Through these asso- ciations she projected herself with her enthusiastic SARA TOBIAS DRUKKER 9 devotion into the higher life of a very conservative city, and became distinguished for personal service even among the distinguished women of the local movement. She was also a member of the Woman's Press Club, the Council of Jewish Women, the Indo- American League, and Chairman of the Board of Jewish Consumptive Relief Society. The multiplicity of these public interests con- tributed to the culture of her life as a wife, sister, mother. Her devotion to the beautiful home in Avondale from which she went away one day, never to return, was as conspicuous as her absorption in the large movements which commanded her con- secration. It seemed as if she felt that because she was consecrated to the service of Society and the State, she should reconsecrate herself, day by day, to the household of which she was the heart. Once, on a summer evening, I was guest at her home. She led me from room to room, showing their beauties — to the little garden graced with tree, rockery, pergola and vine — as enthusiastic in love of her home, as if, beyond its doors, she knew nothing of the "American Spirit" or "Politi- cal Equality" or the tangled affairs of a Woman's Suffrage Club. She realized the ideal of the woman who because she is a mother is also a Citizen in full exercise of civil rights. 10 A LITERARY FIND TO-MORROW By GEORGE A. DRISCOLL As the sunflower droops its head in the twilight of day, To repose in the starry mantle of night, So does the spirit of Sara T. Drukker partake of the gray Of the light to journey anon and anon. But with the break of day the Semper Fidelis casting its ray On the flower forlorn will reflect nature's beauty in tone. And as the day follows night, and night convoys day, So shall the righteous not live astray, For justice and mercy, and benevolence too, Will hear of her knowledge and power, As she has not gone as the zephyr of yore, Since she has returned to abide and to be, Like the sun and the flower, with the light of To-morrow. THE SELECTED WRITINGS OF SARA TOBIAS DRUKKER GEMS Unseen results are sometimes the greatest. One's leisure hour is often the most profitable. There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it, says Ruskin. The world's advance will be along the line of wider sympathies : they most deserve the crown of approval whose sympathies have embraced all hu- manity. For, ' ' They are slaves most base whose love of right is for themselves and not for all the race." Live and yearn. Where there's a frill there's a fray. Count him lucky who cannot do all the things he would do in life, for the higher power who planned the universe, planned things on a higher plane than we do for ourselves and sends what is best for our development. I firmly believe that everything happens in life as it ought to happen and that harmony is misinterpreted because it seems to be discord. But don't fret and fritter your life away if all does not turn out as you planned it would. Adjust the life currents more accurately and the vibrations will respond accordingly. 11 12 A LITERARY FIND In every human breast there is a spark of the divine, so there would be a responsive feeling in every soul no matter how insignificant if we but touched the harmonious chord. He is true to man who is true to himself and sees God and sunshine in everything. God sent me motherhood, noble and strong, And all sadness is lost in my lullaby song. When each man learns to be a law unto himself and knows his limitations, how to conserve his energy and how to expend his brain force profitably, then, and not till then, has he learned the soul's economy. Outward things are seldom what they seem to be, Hidden streams are flowing ever, shaping destiny. If women's clubs have taught but these two things to women, how to endure with good humor the defeat of their cherished opinions, and to have discovered that there may be another woman on earth besides herself who has something to say worth listening to, they have fulfilled a noble mission, and have therefore a valid excuse for their existence. Listening to another's troubles makes one forget his own. We see results but we do not know how they are brought about, therefore, the danger of measur- GEMS 13 ing a man's purpose by the immediate and tangible results achieved. First plan your work, then work your plans. Thought before it became action has been lived over many times in the mind. The failure in a great object downs none so hopelessly as the man who has not been taught this philosophy, that the great omnipotent prin- ciple of the universe governs him and all his relations to man. Every human being is an individual unto him- self and should strive to be a law unto himself. Let us grow to the needs of the hour. Let us grow in wisdom, knowledge and power, give to the world the best we have, and rejoice in the use of the best the world has. The world needs ragtime as much as it needs hallelujah. He is wise who in the struggle to live learns how to live. There is a certain satisfaction in deserving success, while the getting of it is largely a matter of luck. Talk health, Madam, not " dress, domestics and diseases." Why harp on the worst things in this life? Rather talk of our best gifts and count the sunny sides of existence. Sometimes all we 14 A LITERARY FIND need do to brighten our homes is to raise the shades a little higher. Let in the sunshine and the soul shadows will disappear. If we but learn how to adjust our forces we have the power of making life just what we will. The superb Emerson says you get out of life exactly what you put into it. Try putting less sombreness and more highlights into e very-day existence. 'Tis the hard knocks and struggles in the world which strengthen us. Man's hindrances and obstacles are ofttimes God's opportunities. Goodness is in the world whether God is or is not. You owe it to your children, whether agnos- tic, atheist, or rationalist, to give them if not religion then ethical training. In the absence of that childlike truth in what we designate God, teach the children righteousness by the practice of right for its own sake and that not to obey the higher impulses and finest instincts is to commit character suicide. The best that life offers is none too good for him who strives, but it depends upon what we think is the best; best and worst are but relative terms. Our bitterest disappointments are ofttimes bless- ings in disguise. Let us forget as far as possible the ugly things about the yesterdays and look forward to the good GEMS 15 things in the to-morrows. As the clock ticks once every second the heart beats once every minute, so life is lived hour by hour, day by day. Let each breath bring new inspiration, new life. Would'st thou be happy for a day, then day- dream in peace. Enjoy the castles in the air thy soul hath fashioned and over whose doors this legend should be written: Let all who enter here leave care behind, for say what one will, care and worry are the mental microbes which beset us on all sides. The only way to steer clear of the physical microbe is to safeguard against it by making our organs and body so healthy that the microbism has not a living chance. So in the ordering of our mental lives let us be resourceful : have our brains stored with gems of Thought and treasures which the wisdom of the ages has given to the world. But be careful, beware of adopting what Ruskin calls the houses built without hands for one's souls to live in. The readiness and willingness of a man to bear abuse in the public interest is the test of his capacity for public life. I have a tender spot for the unsuccessful man. While nothing succeeds like success, nothing fails like failure. The world bows to those who have 16 A LITERARY FIND won its approval, but is forgetful of those who have put forth their best endeavors and failed to hit the target. Human sorrows and griefs are often God's blessings in disguise. Let us grow to the needs of the hour. The present hour is the greatest. The essence of success seems to be not so much in knowing what to do as what not to do. Vanquished but never humbled, Triumphant even in defeat. The only failure one ought to fear in this life is the failure to develop that larger individuality, broader humanity and universal sympathy for the race independent of race, sex or creed. The failure to cleave to what he feels to be the true, the right, and the failure to stand by his conviction and best principle — this is ignominious failure and what distinguishes the man from the puppet. The ruling of the male mind is illuminating. The woman who could teach and prepare two generations of men for citizenship cannot herself vote. Sorrow and suffering are the melting pots which mellow the soul. Tears are the showers which fertilize the world. GEMS 17 I count that man has practical wisdom who wrote the following: The men who applaud the loudest are not those who think the soundest. The things that one loves to do, the congenial work, does not tire, it rests us. Music, Art, Litera- ture are sedatives and stimulants; the love of our talents remains with us when all else is forgotten. Let us cultivate them. No one is more contemptible in my eyes than the righteous slave of circumstances who submits to a wrong because it has been established by cus- tom. The man or woman who submits to what he knows is not right commits a greater crime than the daring rebel who carries all before him. The sadness one sees in the faces of human beings is genuine. The joy and happiness is often assumed. In Memoriam Purest of the pure, Loved and cherished by all, Too good for this cold world, She has answered to His call. To the memory of my sweet lost little Katy who entered into rest January fifth, 1879, after one day's severe suffering, then eternal bliss. Let us hope her life was unclouded by one sin. Her lot if we but knew it was a happy one. Although dearer than life to me now that she is gone, I 18 A LITERARY FIND would not wish her back to endure the trials of this life. "The living know that they shall die, the dead know nothing." Her sorrowing mother. April 19th. Weep not for the flower that's withered and gone; Although it was hard to part, it is done. Remember that God the flower did claim To plant it in Paradise garden again. To the memory of my Little Darling Harry. I think and think and dream and do the things that many dream of, and want to do but never can. I am one of those who work while they dream, and dream while they work. Our darling mother (God Rest Her Soul) was a wonder; her mental faculties were so clear, her life so active, her death so calm and serene that all sting of death was removed. Some of the current maxims of life, are: "Get rich honestly if you can but get rich." "Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well." "This is not an age when one allows his energies to stagnate." Live well in your thought world and let your mind dwell on some of the bright circumstances of life and the beautiful which is all around you. Have you ever stopped to think of the glories of a western sunset, how even the lowliest can enjoy its beauty, — that is, BASHFUL SIXTEEN 19 if they have the innate love of nature and the soul to appreciate? They have riches greater than a king, for they are monarchs of all they can enjoy. Never wait for a cause to be happy, but be happy when you can. For 'tis the happiness within us that makes the happiness without. Admitting for truth's sake that life is strife, and is made up of little things: Do not let the little worries that we meet each day Be a stumbling block in our way. Call your worries and troubles experiences and say that you would not miss any experiences of life, as experiences make fools wise. There is a true maxim for you. Let us put forth the effort to reach our highest aspirations even though we fail, as in all efforts there is groAvth and every wind helps him who hath a destined port. BASHFUL SIXTEEN A lovely spectacle is presented by a group of girls numbering sixteen summers. Life's inspira- tion and exhilaration is fully enjoyed in their innocence and guilelessness. Bright and fair are hopes and fortunes. They are at that enviable period when castles in the air are built as certain realities; fancy paints delightful pictures; the world is like a fairy-land full of weird spirits — a beautiful creation. This is the season of earth's 20 A LITERARY FIND witcheries and fascinations; when spectres and ghosts never come out from their hiding- places; the song and the dance are the revels of the day, and pleasant dreams the fancies of the night. Girlhood resembles the bud blossoming into a rose's charms, the fragrant leaves resplendent with rich hues. The canker worm that may devour the petals is concealed; the hand that is to pluck it from the parent stem is unknown; no creed of belief is recited that it will fade away or fall to ashes; that it will ever drop and die. What the flower will be, only watching and waiting will develop. No one can prophesy what the future of these maidens will be. Their years may be full of bliss and joy, or they may be full of grief and sadness. Who can foretell if storm or sunshine will most prevail in the firmament of their maturity? Time's great clock will only strike the hours and days of the revelation. It is well that no human hand can lift the veil to peer into the Book of Fate to discover what is there registered as the lot of womanhood. It is a book so perfectly well sealed that a glance at its leaves, and a shy peer at the secrets it contains, is a sheer impossibility. When the time has arrived to disclose its con- tents, it is opened widely, and with a loud bang, BASHFUL SIXTEEN 21 and is so plainly and largely written, that all who run may read. To each of this throng of girls undoubtedly will come the story of the heart; each one of them will feel love's rapture or misery; for them will be the truth or falsity, constancy or estrangement, devo- tion or desertion. Some will be touched by passion, with its ecstasy and enchantment; others will relate the tale of treachery, and the bitter separa- tion; the volume of life will be blurred by re- gret and anguish, mourning over graves where love lies buried deep. It is the will of Fate that girlhood should not understand that woman's heart and woman's love are often called to endure terrible suffering; to shed silent tears over wretchedness and weariness; often bankrupt in affection, betrayed, deceived, duped in trust; holding to her bosom an empty casket, without gems or jewels. Women as they will be, they will hear a repetition of the trite avowal of womanly love; listen with willing ear to sweet, tender words; to them will be sworn vows of eternal fidelity; the betrothal will be the fulfil- ment of wooing; marriage, the test of verity and stability. As these girls are now gazed upon, young in years, fresh and fair, gay and thoughtless, uncon- cerned about human ills and mishaps, or the mutability of creature happiness, it is cruel that 22 A LITERARY FIND misanthropy should hasten to break the spell of delusion, or tell them in mournful numbers of trials and tribulations. There are some persons, incredible as it may seem, who will be anxious to arouse in these girls suspicions and distrust, marring youth and joyousness. Keen darts and severe wounds will pierce soon enough tender emotions. If existence is to be one long ache, with sharp cries, momentary freedom should be left unmolested by wretched forebodings. Girls should have no black pall thrown over them by the hand of disappointed murmurers. It is far better for the springtime of woman to look forward to no autumn frosts or winter's snows; they are only in the distance, travelling on the chariot wheels of time at a rapid pace. It is natural that girlhood should not attend any of the dull rehearsals of the veteran actors, who have played out their comedy and tragedy on the stage of life. Whether our lasses will pass a short sojourn or a long pilgrim- age on earth's swards, the interested student cannot learn; the chart of information and knowledge is closed against curious inquirers: it is kept rolled up against vain investigations. Among these sprightly girls, with smiles and blushes, there may be heroines, ministering angels, BASHFUL SIXTEEN 23 illustrious poetesses, famous authoresses, sisters of charity, black-veiled nuns. There may be idols, before whose shrine men will constantly worship; some may prove society's belles, stars of home, angels in the house. Some may be born to little else than sorrow, but the book is not opened yet, and the decrees of Fate cannot and ought not to be anticipated. It is not wonderful that girlhood looms up as one of nature's peculiar attractions — that it should possess uncommon loveliness and fascination for the passing multitudes and idle wayfarers. Happy girlhood! With an unsullied white sheet spread before you, upon which has not been traced sorrow or remorse, it would be well if no pen mars it by writing an unwomanly record on the open page. Separated as these companions will be by different paths, some whose way will be strewn with flowers, some with thorns, the mem- ories of these bright, fleeting years will be the dearest and most cherished treasures of by-gone days. Hail, glorious spring of human life, and never-ending happiness to the bashful maiden of sixteen! 24 A LITERARY FIND THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES * The hardest battle that ever was fought, Shall I tell you where and when ? On the maps of the world you'll find it not, For 'tis fought by the mothers of men. Joaquin Miller, the gifted poet who has just passed away, sang in tune with the world to-day when he penned the above lines years ago. It is the work of the world's poets who live on the mountain-top of knowledge to foretell and have prophetic vision. The battle of the sexes is being bravely fought, and sad and thrilling as is the spectacle of this twentieth-century woman's pageant, it has been a live advertisement and the means of attracting a great deal of attention to the Suffrage movement, for it has brought together women of radical sympathies and interests in the furtherance of their cause. Depend upon it, women will never take a step backward, for, when once aroused, they are as well fitted as men to take broad views of life and the political situation. To-day, as never in the world's history, they are being educated along these lines and have demonstrated their ability to take part in the world's progress, and the wheels * From "The Club Woman's Magazine," Cincinnati, Ohio. THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES 25 of progress never revolve backwards. The onus probandi will be a little slow, but sure. The three "R's" being taught to women — Responsibility, Relation, Reverence — are the R's along the right line. Women will go quite naturally into any armor life forces them into. Experience has shown that women have argued and pleaded too long for things to come to them; they find they must go after and get the things they want. The way of wide public recognition is harder and slower with- out the ballot; they must do twice as much work before they attain their end without the ballot as they would do if they possessed the vote. In a word, the work of a man minus the tools of the man. Besides, man's profound distrust of woman's political influence does not tend to make the rocky path she has to travel a bed of roses. Now, what is conclusive to ourselves is not always apparent to others, so the active propaganda of the woman's movement through parades, conventions, and dem- onstrations, is the right thing; back of every move- ment there must be enthusiasm and action. Despite all her drawbacks, there is a changed attitude everywhere towards woman. Education, tolerance, manners, morals give woman force, and force gives woman confidence in her ability to do the work demanded. On all sides we hear the 26 A LITERARY FIND now familiar saying, "This is a man's world," but the twentieth century is a woman's century. The trained college woman, the domestic woman, the canary-bird woman, the matinee woman, who bring the pure and holy into daily living, are helping on this propaganda. The evolution of woman in industry and trade and the taking of woman from the home into the factory is largely responsible for the battle of the sexes. THE BALLOT THE STRONGEST WEAPON OF AMERICAN DEFENCE * In presenting the question of Woman's Suffrage we must remember that "it is custom, not reason, that we have to face in our struggle for the ballot," says Mr. Thomas — the breaking down of the walls of prejudice. Where the judgment is weak the prejudice is strong. It is worth while to note, however, that the agitation for woman's enfran- chisement is world wide; that women everywhere are aroused and are getting into line for assuming their duties of citizenship. The Press, the Pulpit, the Stage, the three great educators of the public mind, are turning from the opposition and are coming over to us. The magazine covers appear in radiant colors with "Votes for Women" banners, * This article has been published in leaflet form in English, also the German translation, and has had a wide circulation throughout the State of Ohio. THE BALLOT 27 and editorials on "Signs of the Times." The Suffrage movement at last seems to appeal to man's reverence and sense of justice, as when civic consciousness is touched a more liberal spirit follows. If the majority of women do not want the ballot the highest type of American women do, as well as the highest type of American men who look to get the very best results from the use of the ballot. Finland has given the ballot to her women and has denied it to her soldiers, showing that ballots and not bullets will decide the important question of state in future governments. When women vote, the great moral power of the world will be a more potent force than the brutal militarism now in vogue. Educated women have kept pace in the last century with all progressive movements. Can anyone be found so conservative as to make her take a backward step instead of an advanced one? Besides, it is but just that woman has the same State rights as man has, for she has to obey the law the same as man does and is amenable when she breaks the law; therefore, where woman fulfils the qualifications which are imposed upon a man she should not be excluded from the same privileges. Buckle in his " History of Civilization " says: "There is no instance on record of any class possessing power without abusing it." Re- member that since women vote in some form in 28 A LITERARY FIND most every State, the polling places are no longer in the saloon, and remember the Suffrage move- ment is related to that of higher education. To the charges made by the Antis that when women vote we will see the worst form of tyranny the world has ever known, and that Utah women are under Church dominion, we answer, that people who have been living in a secluded world for century upon century are not able to broaden and widen out merely because the law is passed that they should. The narrowness from within will have come to affect their life without. Women who have been crowded into a small space cannot expand at once. Character responds to environ- ment. Women's opportunities have been limited, but responsibility educates like nothing else does. The best education for the ballot is the ballot. The woman who is so lacking in spirit and self- respect that she is willing to be classed with criminals, lunatics and imbeciles shows the ener- vating influence of disfranchisement. It is the voluntary slave that submits to the lash and makes the oppressor. This is the clearest proof that the Antis need the ballot. Woman's domain to-day is as much the indus- trial world as it is the home, as one by one woman's industries have been taken from her and placed in the hands of specialized workers in the shop and factories and she has followed it. Every THE BALLOT 29 time a woman does a man's work for less pay than a man she shows the need of the ballot to adequately protect her and to give her a fairer compensation for her labor. "The lack of direct political influence constitutes a powerful reason why women's wages have been kept at a minimum," says Hon. Carroll Wright. Every time a man is ousted from his job because a woman can be secured for less, it shows woman's need of the ballot to protect man industrially. Granted that women industrially and socially have many faults, a just system will eliminate most of them and the others will readjust themselves under an equitable government which shall recognize the mother's interest as well as the father's. Woman's Suffrage is not an experiment — it is a proven principle. California has demonstrated that and Ohio is safe in following. Since Australia and New Zealand have had Woman's Suffrage, it has led to the better and more orderly conduct of elections and the return of a better class of men. Every year adds another victory to this reform movement. " Every reform," says the great Emerson, "was once only a private opinion." One by one the arguments against Woman's Suffrage are disappearing, but there are still many prejudices, and prejudice has always been the great obstacle and stumbling block to progress. 30 A LITERARY FIND ON BEAUTY * Sweet are the uses of adversity, and sweet are the uses of plainness; though beauty can win without effort and gain credit for possessing all the virtues, 'tis plainness and want of attraction which must cultivate the mental and moral parts. The beautiful sister can be as disagreeable and unamiable as possible at home, knowing, in the world, her beauty will prevail and carry her through. She does not need to spoil her bright eyes reading, for do they not speak? Yes, they are volumes in themselves. But 'tis the homely and thick-skinned sister that wears the best. Therefore, my brothers, choose your brides as the " Vicar of Wakefield" says his wife chose her wedding gown, for its lasting qualities; but when you want to have her portrait painted, likewise imitate him and endow it with every quality which you wish her to possess. 'Tis usually the plainer sister that is most pleasing in manner. The hard school of personal experience has taught her that the world exacts a great deal of plain-looking women; unless they are gracious and entertaining they are so easily passed by for the fairer sisters. * "Beauty" appeared in "Womankind," a monthly magazine pub- lished in New York and Springfield, Ohio, of which Mrs. Drukker was assistant editor. ON BEAUTY 31 As " Vanity Fair" says: "It is the charming face that creates sympathy in the hearts of men." Beauty is of three kinds, mental, moral and physical. The beauty of mind, the beauty of soul and the beauty of face and form. Now if the goddess of grace lends her wand, a plain-featured woman is transformed into an elegant creature, with dainty outlines and curves more seductive than any amount of mere facial beauty, unless it consists in fine, soulful eyes. Here I would say that it is usually to the plain face to which the expressive eye belongs, for the eye is the index of the mind, and the cultivation that has gone on in the intellect is as surely seen through that organ as though seen in a mirror. There must be some- thing almost spirituelle in a nature that brings out the good points in others, that believes in goodness, truth and love, and the better realms where there is nothing coarse and where the soul has time to indulge its most sublime emotions, to think that the sky looks blue, the trees green, to be more alive to the joys of the song-bird, to the loveliness of the flowers, to the fragrance of the trees, the balminess of the country. 'Tis surprising, with so much in the world to enjoy, how little some get out of this life, and 'tis not those who have the most who enjoy the most, for those who have everything have nothing if they lack the capacity for enjoyment. The higher 32 A LITERARY FIND enjoyment is to feel the pulse thrill as some beau- tiful melody is wafted to you, to look on a lovely sunset and think how sweet is life and the world. I thank my Creator that I live. A being must have an artistic soul to enjoy these things, and every nature that has a responsive feeling is an artistic one. To see vice, misery and sorrow and make no effort to alleviate it, to hear a pitiful tale unmoved, to think only of personal salvation and neglect the very things that do save, to fail to develop those faculties with which we are endowed, is to live one's life on a low plane and have a very unsatisfactory existence. DRUDGERY A SPUR * The man who is well equipped by training for life's battle need have no fear; he can smile at all the storms which buffet him, and when the time arrives for success he will fit nicely into the niche which Fate has reserved for him. We must remember that we are the women of transition between the women of yesterday and the women of to-morrow. We cannot analyze, but we see the symptoms in the aroused conscience, the awakened moral conscience of progressive womanhood. The work which is congenial to us, such as Art, Music, Literature and Science, does not tire, it * Written for "The Club Woman's Magazine," December, 1913. GIVE US OUR DAILY NEWSPAPER 33 rests us. One seems to gather strength as one goes along, because they are sedatives not irritants. Hammer away at the drudgery which prepares one to gather the roses later on in life. Get well started in congenial work, and the inspiration will come and the satisfaction which work well accomplished always brings will be yours. Canova lived in his studio, Voltaire lived in his study. Edison lives in his laboratory. They did not waste all their forces in daily living but directed their energy to the work they loved best in life. "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY NEWSPAPER" Professor Judson, of the University of Chicago, says that the newspaper is as great an educator as the college. This is a broad statement, even for a Chicago professor, but it certainly has foundation in fact. The daily papers give us the best things that are going the rounds of the world. In fact, so swift through rapid transit has become every medium of intelligence from one end of the world to the other that the daily paper is favorably circumstanced for extracting the best essentials of the world's history for the day, and the world's thought upon passing events has been brought to such a high state of development, that through its medium more than through books we are enabled to keep pace with the march of events. 34 A LITERARY FIND The views of the statesman upon the political outlook, the theories of scientific thinkers, the latest electrical appliances, the theologian on advanced reform, new thought in its modern application, the aeroplane's contemplated visit to Mars, the marvels of wireless telegraphy, the discovery of the north pole, the Cook-Peary con- troversy, all get a hearing in its cosmopolitan page. While theorists, social reformers, students of economics, dreamers, and thinkers all contribute to its columns, the newspapers are the assimilators of the many elements that make up the grand whole. Long live the newspapers! AN ITALIAN ROMANCE I Laugh, and the world laughs with you, Weep, and you weep alone, The sad old earth must borrow its mirth But has trouble enough of its own. "So wrote one poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and wrote truly/' mused Stephen Tangle wood, as he closed the book of poems and arose from the com- fortable arm-chair and descended the broad steps of the piazza. The balmy refreshing air of Fern Bank aroused the poetical in his soul. He was a type of man physically that most women admire, with the perfect form of an Apollo, the piercing black, but not unkindly eye, the features irregular AN ITALIAN ROMANCE 35 but expressive of character. He was not, strictly speaking, a handsome man, but an eminently interesting one, with a face to which a soul belongs, and a personality which stood out strongly. Stephen Tanglewood was always a dreamer, and when alone in his Southern home he would wend his way to the orchard, with no other companion- ship than the cows, and, lying upon the grass, turn his eyes heavenward, seeing his dreams and his creations realized in the fantastic and moving clouds. How delightful is the imagination when the wind revels in its own workings and a host of shadowy and sweet recollections steal upon us! The only child of a wealthy planter, he was a cultivated and educated gentleman who would have had his hands full looking after his rentals and estates, but he employed an agent for the business affairs of life and betook himself North and West to enter into railroad speculations, for, like all rational beings with a sentimental side to his nature, he would rather invite his soul and loaf. "Why," he asked himself, "am I so mortally lazy? Why do I sigh for Italian skies, and, why always the cry, Oh Italia, Italia! This is riot the Ameri- can spirit. That is work, work and love your work, and look for material prosperity. Methinks I have a streak of Italian romance in my nature — my mother, but is she not a New England woman, 36 A LITERARY FIND and as gentle, lovable and practical as New England mothers are? Can it be" (and a look of deep perplexity crossed his face) "that I am not my mother's son? My worthy sire spent some years in Italy, perhaps I have inherited his tastes; but certain it is that from my mother where I expected to find sympathy with every thought and emotion, I never found myself understood. Hence my diffidence with women and a life of single blessed- ness. My youth was a burden to me, consumed by that mad suspense, that ambition to excel — to surprise the world. With more mature years comes self-knowledge which teaches us to bear the ills of life, its joys, hopes, fears and calamities. Life is a kind of oriel window, when the sun shines upon it, it displays its beautiful prismatic colors, but in the cold and bleak morning, like the dark and turbulent period of life, the oriel window has a gloomy aspect." II What must love be in such a heart, All passion's fiery depths concealing, Which has in its minutest part More than another's whole of feeling. — L. E. L. "Oh Italia, land of the olive and vine, once a rich glowing land of promise!" There was a stranger sought that sunny clime, and the black eyes of a peasant girl enchanted AN ITALIAN ROMANCE 37 him. They met and loved and sealed with arms and kisses a love born of excess, of passion, not the lasting full love of lofty sentiment. Stephena Carassa left her native shore, not as a bride who leaves her parents' threshold, with kind words to cheer her native modesty and the parental blessings, but fleeing by night, as a culprit does, watched by one All-Seeing Eye; she thought not of her sweet mountain home nor aged parents sorrow — such love takes not thought for to-morrow. She arrived in New York, a stranger in this land, with not even a hope that her fair name remain unsullied. Familiar faces, there were none to look upon, their speech was strange and she wished once more to see the green fields of Italy and die. She grew melancholy. They quarrelled, he soon tired of Italian love, and the story is one as old as the hills. Little Stephen was born, and the father had a tender feeling for this child of love. The mother agreed to a separation and parted, for the child's good, with the boy, who was dearer to her than life itself. Mr. Tanglewood, whose troth was plighted to his cousin in New England, married her and took the little Stephen into his household. She alone knew of the child's relation and well did she guard the secret. The restless youth is now a man of more mature years; change of time has not brought change of thought, for there was always a great aching void 38 A LITERARY FIND at his heart. The heart depressed or hardened by intercourse with the world turns with affectionate delight to its early dreams, and Stephen thought more and more of Italy. "By all that's good!" thought he, "this land where we have twenty-seven kinds of weather in one morning has never satisfied my soul; I'll take a trip to Europe." The next day found him in New York. "Here, boy, give me a Herald, 1 '' said he. Under the amusement heading he read, "'Koster & Bial's concert hall; Italian dancer, Stephena Carassa.' Ah, that's Italian sure enough! Old boy, we'll take in that concert to-night." Eight o'clock found Stephen among the audience at Koster & Bial's. Stephena Carassa appeared, a woman of fairy-like proportions, of sad but sweet countenance. Flowers and smiles greet her as she "trips the light fantastic toe." The dance is a revelation to Stephen. The woman is beautiful, without any trace of gross materialism. The graceful dancer's charming method is without any appeal to the coarser senses; it revealed a poetic insight, the slender figure waving like a lily on the stem, equally removed from all the studied grace of the old school and from the voluptuous abandon of the dance of Spain. Stephen sits like one in a dream. Who is this woman? "Williamson, come! I must see her, AN ITALIAN ROMANCE 39 speak with her. You know her. Introduce me at once. She exerts a strange influence over me!" "Well, Tanglewood, old boy, I am really glad to see you are a creature of flesh and blood. You were so like a statue during the dance that I lost all hope of moving you." So, locking his arm in Stephen's they sauntered behind the scenes. "Madame Carassa: My friend, Mr. Tanglewood!" The dancer gave one piercing shriek and fainted away. Restoratives were applied, the windows opened, and in a few moments the lady revived. "Bring the gentleman here; I would converse with him. What was your father's name?" "Peter Tanglewood." "Ah! the same," she murmured. "Ah, Stephen, look at me. Does not your own heart tell you who I am?" "Merciful Father," cried he, "can it be that you are that ideal mother of whom my day dreams are? Is it not strange, nay providential, our sudden meeting?" "Not more strange nor romantic than I could wish," she replied as she wept over him. "Oh, my child; my boy! What pleasure I missed in not rearing you. He took you from me, but, God be thanked, it was his hand which sent you here." "But, mother, how came you to adopt the stage as a profession?" "Is not the Italian woman fond of art; is she not also sentimental and modest? My dancing charmed your father, and when I found myself dependent on my own exertions, 40 A LITERARY FIND this suggested itself. When he took you to educate I had no longer any claim to his support. Besides I love my art." " Yes, mother, and you have made it fairly divine." "Then I trust I have atoned for my sin; but I was more sinned against than sinning. The world which forgives any vices or sin in a man is ready to stone a woman for the first indiscretion." THE INTELLECTUAL BUZZ-SAW GIRL I just met Mrs. Beverly Allison, and she looked perfectly gorgeous in that new gown of hers, so swell, you know, the very latest "fantasie" from "Yurrop," one of the priceless, I mean worthless, creations that we rave over. It was a marvellous thing in apple green and light pink. Oh dear, if Prince Charming would only hurry and come along! Do you know a plain woman is often vainer than a pretty one? It is all in the tempera- ment, you know. Now ma says if only I could fascinate a little I would make a brilliant match. Going into society isn't just what it is cracked up to be, not so pleasant as it seems. It is just a business. How can a girl enjoy herself to her heart's content when she must worry about her programme being filled or get an invitation to supper ? Besides she knows ma is watching every- thing from the corners of her eyes and pa has already cautioned her about the ineligible men. THE INTELLECTUAL BUZZ-SAW GIRL 41 Isn't it funny that those who are marriageable are not eligible, and those who are eligible are not mar- riageable? Then the young men are fond of declar- ing that they can't afford to marry, and spend more in individual gratification than would support a wife in comfort. Curious paradox! And young girls still have hearts and are affectionate. There is Algernon Ferguson. What girl of seventeen, well read in poetry and romance, would refuse such a miracle of chivalry and perfection ? I think Florence was quite lucky to get him, but then she has a large bank account. He laughingly says, that when he first met her, he thought her a treasure, but now she is his treasurer. What makes pa so fond of money? He is always telling ma that money is the engine which pushes work, a passport to good society and that the only two things it will not buy are Heaven and happi- ness. They are of minor importance in pa's philosophy. Now ma thinks differently. She says, "Get married, rich if you can, but get mar- ried." It suggests strong-mindedness to say that marriage should not be the end and aim of a woman's existence, but like the choice of an avo- cation with men. Let me whisper a little secret. I am of an ardent temperament. I rather believe in elective affinities, but don't let ma hear me say that or she would think like the old lady, "that they were the pesky things in the dictionary that 42 A LITERARY FIND et up the bookmarks." Now I believe in the higher regions of the soul and that a young man whose moral character is not good is not capable of lofty sentiment. Pa says that is all poppy- cock, just blink, blank, blonk! Pa has seen a great deal of the seamy side of life and says a quiet, rational young man will be a gay, old one. Then he tells the old story about a young man and his wild oats. William Penn — how I do love that grand old Quaker — says, "Marry for love, but be sure to love what is lovely." He had sentiment in his make-up. Pa is material. He says there is only one friend in the world, that is your pocket-book. Ma says he should add his Maker. Pa got angry then and spit out his true feelings. "Sophie," says he, "when a man supposed to be your friend calls you a dirty cur, a political tramp, and a personal coward, do you think he is a friend of yours?" Ma, I know, was sorry she spoke and knew that pa was in no humor to give her a couple of dollars for flowers for Mrs. Henderson's tea. Ma said in her sainted voice, "My dear, what little things depress and excite you ! Suppose a man does tell you to go to that very warm place of which you speak and whose name does not look well in print, you do not need to get up and go. If he calls you a name, it does not make you that creature, but is merely an exposition of his character." POLITICAL ARISTOCRACY OF SEX 43 The elasticity of pa's nature is wonderful. These few words from ma acted like a charm, and she got her flowers. I give ma a great deal of credit for knowing so well how to manage pa. But she has made it her life-long study, never having attempted to learn another thing in all her wedded life. Just think of the change! Now women of 40 enter colleges to take up a new study. Women used to think their lives behind them at 40, rather than ahead. Nowadays it's just middle life, like man's. And I am glad women are no longer estimated like horses, for their splendid parts, but for their achievements and energy. A MOTHER'S LOVE The birds may leave their nestled young, The sun may cease to shine above, Man may forget his native tongue, But who can change a mother's love? The flowers may withhold their bloom And gentleness forsake the dove ; Man may forget his native tongue, But changeless is a mother's love. THE POLITICAL ARISTOCRACY OF SEX All just governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed. Women are governed. Taxation without representation is 44 A LITERARY FIND tyranny. Women are taxed. Here is a direct violation of two of the fundamental principles of our government, as one-half of the population, women, are governed without their consent and have no voice in the making of the laws which they must obey. A trampling upon the " Declara- tion of Independence." What brought about the revolution of our forefathers? Another revolution must come which shall overthrow the old unjust system and give us a new, righteous one. The divine right of kings has been wiped out by blood. The divine right of sex remains. This unequal, ethical standard has been most pernicious to our sons and unjust to our daughters. Man- made laws have given us two codes of morals. One for our sons, another for our daughters. What is wrong for the woman cannot be right for the man. Besides, who gave man the right, who gave anybody the right to place or keep women in political serfdom? "What right has anybody to sit still in a free country and let a self-appointed class look after their safety?" — Mark Twain. Who possesses the right to confer or withhold suffrage? Are men a divinely appointed class? Emancipation from physical slavery has been granted. Emancipation from sex and industrial training must follow. The industrial emancipation of woman pleads for equal pay for equal work andj the same opportunities as man has had to POLITICAL ARISTOCRACY OF SEX 45 develop herself as she may see fit. Legislation is always in favor of the legislating class, and we protest against a political aristocracy of sex. There is no sex in citizenship. And women are citizens by virtue of being taxpayers. She is helping to pay off the war-tax to-day, but when it comes to having a vote in deciding how much that war-tax shall be she is a voiceless puppet. To the old, fossilized arguments that when the majority of women ask for the ballot they will get it, we answer: Did the majority of Hawaiian men ask for the ballot? Did a majority of the Porto Ricans ask for the ballot? Was universal male suffrage embodied in the new Cuban Consti- tution because a majority of the men petitioned for it? No, it is only when thinking women ask for that which is theirs by divine right these flimsy protests and platitudes are advanced. When woman to-day asks for the ballot for the industrial and economic independence of the sex she is sometimes answered that women cannot fight, therefore cannot vote. Scientists tell us that man has advanced from the brute state of existence to the high altruism of moral power; that the underlying motive power of the world was not physical but mental and moral force; that mind controls matter. Ballots, we know, are more powerful than bullets. Hence, a Glad- stone was greater than a Cromwell. Ohio is one 46 A LITERARY FIND of the States where father and mother are not co-guardian. It is one of the States in which the law allows the father to appoint by will a guardian for a child unborn. It is a State where women cannot be notary publics, cannot be trustees of public institutions where women and children are confined.* Human rights before all laws and constitution. Men govern themselves by self-made and self- approved laws of the land. But all man-made laws and customs ignore woman's competency for responsible positions. Educate, elevate, organize, and hasten the day when a larger, fuller life will come to woman. THE POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF WOMAN, OR A BIOLOGICAL SCARE f In woman's advance from a semi-state of civil- ization to the higher plane of intellectual existence the moral and elevating faculties of her brain have predominated and become self-acting in the law of rational development. The gradual repudiation of the old standards and system which hampered and dwarfed the powers of man and woman in the past, and limited the scope of the individual, indicates the broader, nobler, and more practical * In 1913 Ohio adopted a constitutional amendment allowing women to be appointed to any office having control over women and children. t From "The Club Woman's Magazine," Cincinnati, Ohio. POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF WOMAN 47 view of life in considering its educational, indus- trial, and civic problems. The advance of civiliza- tion means the growth of altruism, the progress which implies the broadening of the sympathies in the hearts and souls of men, and always, it can- not be too strongly emphasized, the highest development comes from within, and not from without. In the dawn of civilization, women did not so readily as to-day resent the tyranny which sought to dominate them. I need hardly say the sex is not as long-suffering as it used to be, and to-day the voting sex do not monopolize all of the lime- light, for women have become aroused to the importance of things which concern them. Poli- ticians are beginning to realize that a way must be found to solve the social and political problems that are pressing upon them. This age has been designated by a recent writer as "the age of social and political unrest the world over, and many would describe it as the age of the people." The classic writers of ye olden times said, " Female perfection consists in being a woman, not a logician, orator, or politician, and general manager of the world's affairs, as every man fears a He-woman, but cleaves to a Desdemona or Ophelia." There are men to-day, also, who share this opinion and feel that the world to-day would lose, not gain, by the ballot being conferred upon 48 A LITERARY FIND her. As a student of events which are now shaping political history, I must admit the great advance women have made during the past quarter of a century, has been made without the vote, because woman has begun to realize more and more her responsibility and ability to take care of herself. She has begun to assert her independence, because the agitation for the ballot, like the sword of Damocles, has hung over her head. Secondly, the mistaken gallantry, which has kept women for ages in unwilling idleness and dependence, has yielded to the more practical view of duty and progress. This twentieth century views life from different angles. Men are beginning to see how much more advantageous it is for seven millions of women, in the United States alone, to be able to earn their own living than to be supported in idleness by the labors of others. The question used to be, not whether women should be made to work, but whether they should be allowed to work. To-day this argument is no longer advanced — they work. Not even the tradition and practice of the past have made them frown upon labor, because they are getting from it the best things which this life gives : self-reliance, self-dependence, and self-support. Think of seven millions of women in our own land living in unproductive idleness, and then compare the increased wealth and comfort produced by these seven million POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF WOMAN 49 women's hands and brains. In the political field alone women are a force that must soon be reckoned with. In ten States they are holding the balance of power, and could easily give the nomination to a Presidential candidate. Women have evoluted so that they are now recognized as a power. Their ability to take care of themselves is daily demonstrated, and still many eminent thinkers argue for the old order of things, while advanced thinkers declare that women should take part in the work of civilization outside the home. An American educator, Dr. James Walsh, has said, " Whenever a woman has forged to the front in educational matters, she has fallen back inevitably in the course of a few years to doing domestic duty, through the working of some unknown biological law." There seems to be a biological law, he says, that women who take an interest in things outside the home get rubbed out. Still women are representing a winning cause, and men are not slow to see they must surrender to the logic of events. The Boston Herald voices its editorial opinion in an acceptable manner when it says, "The common-sense thing for the country to do, is to recognize Woman's Suffrage as decreed by the spirit of the age, whether wisely or not, and to adjust itself accordingly." Let nature look on all agape, but let woman look to her mentality, for to-day she is more than a moral force; a strong 50 A LITERARY FIND individuality only will guide. her in safety over the troubled and dangerous places into which she has stumbled, in her competition with man. Her battle-cry for rights has reechoed around the world. Man needs no warning to look to his laurels. On the threshold of a great and sweeping victory and the birth of a new year, let men and women stand side by side, and let cooperation, duty, and love guide them. POLITICS IS THE BUSINESS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE DOMAIN OF WOMEN AS WELL AS MEN Let us apply the whole of this proposition as an active principle of political conduct and refuse to accept a sex-biased legislation. Man's greatest works in history are in ruins because they are only intellectual achievements. Why do so many good political schemes prove failures? Because the right and power of one-half the human race — women — are ignored; besides, man's dominion over the earth has been based on physical superior- ity. In the evolution of affairs man has solved all the problems of life alone. The absence of the feminine from the governments of the earth has been the cause of their most conspicuous failure. The refusal to recognize women as individual members of society, entitled to the rights of self- POLITICS, BUSINESS OF THE PEOPLE 51 government, has resulted in social, legal, and economic injustice to them and has intensified the existing economic disturbances throughout the world, as a monarchial family is inconsistent with a republican State. When woman has her equal rights as a citizen, her personal and domestic rights will take care of themselves. The time is not far distant when the economic and indi- vidual interest of women will demand that they must have the ballot on the same terms as men. In entering the business and professional world, woman has enlarged her sphere of usefulness. That she has in the present history been thrust out into the world of commercial competition, is a condition she did not make. This entrance has been less chosen than forced upon her; but it is through these activities that she is learn- ing her larger duty toward herself, society, and the world. In the colleges she is proving her quality of intellect, taking the highest honors in direct competition with men. By means of her study club and other avenues of information, which are now open to even married women, she is becoming better posted as to moral and political needs of the people, better perhaps than a majority of men who exercise the privilege of voting. The nineteenth century was a century of the 52 A LITERARY FIND women's clubs and the fair beginning in the direc- tion of equal rights. Although woman has invaded nearly every industrial field and avenue, she has had to fight for every inch of vantage-ground thus obtained. The effect of cooperation of women of all shades of belief and kinds of effort has been exceedingly beneficial. In the unsentimental atmosphere of the relent- less commercial world, woman grows broader and becomes more tolerant to all mankind. The American woman is quite as capable of having a voice in the body politic as foreign-born men, who by due process of the law may become full- fledged citizens. Instead American women are disfranchised, being perpetual minors and per- petual aliens, and native-born women subjects in free America and foreign-born men sovereigns in their adopted country. When we see this tre- mendous foreign balance of power coming into our Government, does it not stir us to ask that American women at last be given the franchise? For native-born women to be ruled by their own nationality is humiliating enough, but to live in subjection to the men of foreign countries, void of the first principles of our free institutions, is surely a degradation too dire to submit to without earnest protest. The enfranchisement of women means more than merely casting a ballot: it means they can have POLITICS, BUSINESS OF THE PEOPLE 53 a voice in the legislation and prevent such dis- crimination. The economic pressure which has driven millions of women into the industrial field is a condition which must be met. We believe that those that cannot subscribe to the doctrine of equal rights should be willing to hear and learn what the women believe; and one thing they do believe: that the American woman should be granted all the rights now possessed by the American man. The present economic phase is one of inevitable transition, for the brainy and energetic women are reaching outside the precincts of home and taking a responsibile part in controlling the condi- tion of education and the industries. We do not argue in favor of suffrage for women because we expect the millennium to arrive when it comes, but on the grounds of justice and expediency. Women to-day are facing new conditions. They come in contact with the world as they never used to, and they need the same weapon of de- fence that man has found so useful. The ques- tion to-day is not whether women want the fran- chise, but how it shall be secured to them. And in these days, when there are to be vital politi- cal changes made in the Constitution of Ohio, let us see to it that the rights of women are not ignored. 54 A LITERARY FIND THE YIDDISH DRAMA * In order to understand the Yiddish drama we must understand the people, their environments, and their enthusiasm and zeal for the sacred heritage — the Jew his religion. Rabbi K. Kohler, President of the Hebrew Union College, says, "As the Bible unified the world, so does the Jew every- where represent cosmopolitan humanity." There- fore, the Yiddish drama is the drama that means something, that tells a story, the story of the persecuted Jew. The plays are not beautiful gems that sparkle with the radiance of a pure opal, but the mournful wail of the wood-pewee, for much of the sadness and tragedy of life enter into the Yiddish drama. Even in their land of love, Jerusalem, the soft blue light of the sapphire is absent. The man or woman with a poetic or prophetic turn may see in the development of this drama a new queen of literature. As in the " Arabian Nights," one reads of the marvellous things done by the enchantress, so in this drama one sees the heroic struggle, the story that no tongue can adequately tell, the intensity of suffering, realism depicted and vivified through the dramatic vigor of a Kalish, an Adler, a Lipzen, a Tomas Schifsky, who are conceded to be the leading tragedians of the Yiddish stage of * This essay was delivered at The Woman's Press Club of Cincinnati, Ohio, January, 1912. THE YIDDISH DRAMA 55 the world. But eminent Jewish writers say that this drama is a transitory literature rather than the birth of a new literature. Perhaps the joy and exuberance of the life of the Ghetto Jew have been too often marred by the tragedy of racial religious persecution. Their song of the soul grows more mature, more serious and heavy, with a longing for a free and unrestricted manhood, not in a land of promise, but in a land of fulfilment. Rabbi David Phillipson defines Yiddish thus, "It is a Hebrew and German into which Slavish terms and even American words are creeping in, a jargon." Dr. Gotthard Deutsch defines it as "a dialect of Hebrew and German, interspersed with Slavish, Polish, Russian, and English terms." We have here a direct disagreement between two Rabbinical scholars of note, one dignifying the Yiddish by calling it a dialect, the other with equal candor calling it a jargon, the Ghetto language of the Jew. The Jew being cut off from the world lost his native language, claims Rabbi Phillipson, so some of them adopted the Yiddish Deutsch, the language of the Ghetto. If Yiddish is a jargon, then we may claim that there are two Yiddish jargons; one with German Yiddish and Slavish words, and the other with Hebrew, Spanish and Portuguese terms, this latter dialect being mostly used in the Orient. And the remarkable thing is that Yiddish has preserved in its purity 56 A LITERARY FIND some high old German, Spanish and even French terms, which are no longer in current use. Drama is a much abused word. Much that passes for dramatic art is sentimental rubbish, a process of stage disturbances and clap-trap without re- adjustment to life, but real drama, says the critic, is the backbone of the theatre; it is always current and successful when it rings true, be it Yiddish or Welsh. Rabbi Rhine, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, in his book, " Secular Hebrew Poetry of Italy," mentions why the drama did not flourish among Jews. The Greek and Roman drama was originally of a religious nature and accompanied by orgies the Hebrews despised as a species of idolatrous wor- ship. During the Middle Ages when Jewish exist- ence was so precarious, though the theatre had been purified under Christian influence and was really biblical in its nature, Jewish dramatic performances were out of the question; moreover, the insults heaped upon the Jews by the clowns and com- edians of the stage and the humiliations they were exposed to, especially during carnival days in Rome, did not tend to diminish the hatred of the Jew toward theatrical performances. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with the development of the drama into the miracle play, Jewish prejudice against the stage gradually dis- appeared. " Suffering is the badge of all my tribe/' THE YIDDISH DRAMA 57 says Shy lock. This people had suffered and much of suffering enters into their plays. Yiddish acting requires a performer who is both a realist and a romanticist, as realism alone would be unable to create the effects which many of the Yiddish dramatists demand; notably Gordon, whose plays are said to border on the melodramatic touched with much that is lurid. An actress of the Yiddish drama who would give a realistic interpretation that lacked inspiration, like many of our American actresses do, would be considered an absolute failure, as the true picture designed by the playwright was not conveyed to the audience. Again I am indebted to Dr. David Phillipson's book, "Old European Jewries." The Jew was excluded, therefore he became exclusive; he was avoided, therefore he became clannish. The hand of the world was against him, therefore he sought protection against his own. Still the most liberal expressions emanate from the Jewish pulpit and the pen of Jewish authors. A recent writer has well said, "People who have been living in a ghetto for a couple of centuries are not able to step outside merely because the gates are thrown down nor to efface the brands in their soul by putting off the yellow badges. The isolation from without will have come to seem the law of their being." Perhaps the most striking product of the Ghetto 58 A LITERARY FIND was the language then spoken. In early days the language Jews spoke differed in no wise from that of their neighbors, but in time there was formed a peculiar speech of the Ghetto, the Judish Deutsch. Whatever faith you may be, Catholic, Protestant, Jew or pagan, you feel somehow that only from such a people as the Hebrews, with all their laws and ceremonies intact, with all the sad majesty of Sinai in the desert flowing on forever to the eternal sea, could such a religion and such a drama as the Yiddish emanate. The marvel is that in Russia, cold as a flower blossoming in the heart of a cake of ice, these remarkable people have developed. The awakening of Jewish consciousness in 1870 started the pens of talented young writers of fiction when the Haskalah or progressive movement was inaugurated. No phase of Jewish life is more wonderful and heroic than the educational Re- naissance which thrilled and intoxicated the Jews in the seventies, for there was a tale of woe to tell, the u Ach! veh mir," Woe is me, or Woe be unto me, of the Psalmist. In the school of realism great emotion becomes vivid actuality. A book of sadness is passive tragedy. The Yiddish playwright seizes upon some terrible or blood-curdling event and depicts it with all the realism and horror his frenzied imagination can summon. With Kishneff or Kiev before his very THE YIDDISH DRAMA 59 eyes the drama could not be uplifting or inspiring; but with the art of a Kalish, it becomes tragic and realistic with a realism that perhaps is disastrous. The interpretation of the Yiddish Drama requires dramatic powers of a peculiar kind. Emotional talents of the richest quality are required to suc- ceed. Who that has seen her act can forget Sarah Bernhardt, who ranked as the leading tragedienne of the world for half a century, succeeding the famous Rachel whose mantle has now fallen on Bertha Kalish, formerly Queen of the Yiddish Stage, but who has been called to the American Stage, so that to-day the Queens are Madame Lipzen and Kaminsky. A writer signing himself "Sholom Allechem," which translated means "peace be with you," is the Mark Twain of Yiddish literature and shows that the sense of humor (that pneumatic tire) that softens many jars along life's bumpy road is not lacking in the Jewish character. The best known Yiddish playwrights are: Shalom Asch, David Pinski, Jacob Gordon, and Abraham Goldfaden. Goldfaden's "Shulamit" is very highly praised by the critics. His "Bar Kochba" takes rank as one of the best produc- tions in Yiddish dramatic circles. Leo Wiener, Professor of Slavonic Languages at Harvard College, has written a history of Yiddish litera- ture, that is considered the best book ever written 60 A LITERARY FIND on the subject. The Jewish Encyclopedia has the following : "The dramatic part of Yiddish literature has had a less independent development than any other of its parts, and is consequently poorer, both in quality and in quantity. There are probably less "than fifty printed Yiddish Dramas, and the entire number of written dramas of which there is any record hardly exceeds five hundred. Of these at least nine-tenths are translations or adaptations. The earliest Yiddish Dramas origi- nated in Germany. Schudt, in his 'Jud. Merck- vurdig Keiten,' tells of a troupe of Judas German performers in Frankfort on the Main at the beginning of the 18th century of which director and regisseur was Baerman Limburg, author of the drama 'Mekitat Yosef ' (Sale of Joseph), which was played under his supervision. The drama was published in the above mentioned city in 1711 and forms the beginning of Yiddish Drama. "Saphiss' farce 'Der Falsche- Kaschtan ' (1820) may be mentioned here because it was written to criticize Jewish communal affairs, while M. Miller's 'Esther' oder 'die Belohnte Tugend' (Vienna, 1849), which is also written in German but with Hebrew characters, may be cited as one of the latest productions not intended for the Yiddish-speaking masses. "Akenf eld's Dramas mark the beginning of the THE YIDDISH DRAMA 61 Russian Yiddish drama, the main purpose of which is the glorification of the 'Haskalah' or progressive movement. "The real Yiddish drama begins with Goldfaden who has not yet been surpassed. When he first established a permanent Yiddish Theatre about 1875 he composed about fifteen farce comedies, some entirely original and some adapted from the German, but all containing actual Jewish charac- ters and excellent caricatures. 'Die Rekruten,' ' Die Babe mit dem Enikel. . . .' Of his later and more serious works, 'Shulamit' and 'Bar Kochba' are probably the best two plays in the entire Yiddish dramatic literature. They have been reprinted many times and translated into several European languages. His ' Dr. Alamasada,' adapted for German, his 'Konig Ahasuerus' and several dramas which he wrote while in New York are still favorites with both actors and public." Another of the earliest written of Yiddish dramas is Ossip M. Lerner's, who among other translators has finished a very good one of Gutzkous' " Uriel Acosta." Several actors like Tomas Schifsky and Feinan have also written plays, but none has succeeded as well in America as Rudolph Marks, author of "Hayyim," "Der Bowery Tramp," etc., who has given the Yiddish stage some of the cleverest adaptions of American character plays. 62 A LITERARY FIND " Jacob Gordon, who has written for the New York stage since 1891 is somewhat above the average of Yiddish playwrights. His adaptation 'Der Judische Konig Lear' and its counterpart 'Mirele Efort' and some other of his twenty odd pieces have produced a strong though hardly a lasting impression." "L. Korrin and B. Gorin have written several dramatic works which are not devoid of literary merit, while D. M. Hermelin represents the ultra-realistic school on the Yiddish Stage." "The real productivity began in New York where every well-established Yiddish Theatre has its own playwright to provide new plays at short intervals." * It has been said that they have their Duses and Bernhardts on the Yiddish Stage. Madame Kena is the star of the Lipzian Theatre in New York and interprets the plays written by Jacob Gordon with histrionic ability and great dramatic power. Madame Kaminsky, her rival, has essayed to star in the same play in which Madame Lipzen has made a hit, but the patrons of the Yiddish Drama in New York will not award the laurel wreath to Madame Kaminsky. They say that Madame speaks staccato and lacks the eloquence of Madame Lipzen; besides she has been so long acting in Russia where realism has been the con- * Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. iv, page 654. THE YIDDISH DRAMA 63 trolling motto that she finds herself unable to adopt the art required by the plays of Gordon which have acquired their conventional inter- pretation at the hands of American Yiddish actors. This criticism is an insight into the higher methods adopted by the American Yiddish Stage over the crude methods of the Russian. In Russia the standard of the Jewish theatre is much lower than it is in New York for there it is said that critics have no material worthy of criti- cism while in New York, the critics are excellent judges of modern dramatic art. Taken all in all the Yiddish Drama may not be permanent and may not reflect the highest Hebraic civilization, still it is an admirable form of entertainment for those who are bound by racial ties. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS