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[Written for tbe Jewish Exponent]JEWISH BOOKS AND AUTHORSNationalism and Internationalism byHerbert Adams Gibbonslt;F. A. Stokes Sc Company*EW forces bave playedas dominant a part in the l’fe of tbe Western people during the lastcentury ami a half ashas the force of Na-tonalism. It destroyed 0ld empires and created new ones. Itostensibly was the principle guidingthe statesmen who remade the map ofEurope at the end of the World War.Its power has in no way waned. Onthe contrary* Nationalism is moredeeply entrenched today than it averwas before. But thus far this all-important factor in our happiuess hasescaped adequate analysis. What isNationalism? What is a Nation? No (definition has as yet been given that [would include fully even the five or (six greatest of the power*. This contusion in thought is undoubtedly re-tpons'ble in large measure for confu-Lion in action. What a great service, [therefore, would he render to mankind {who would help bring order iuto this {chaos. It is with a hope of finding t-ome such new light that one turns {to a volume having so promising a ■title as ’Nationalism and internation-Lilism. and containing the first lecture ■course of the first season of the Institute of World Unity. But one leavesthe volume with his hopes completely{disappointed. If anything he is more ■bewildered than when he started.§ What is a Nation? Mr. Gibbons m very impartial and uses whatever ■definition suits him at the time. In ■me chapter the nation la originally tn “Ethnic group” (p. (U. in the other •’The first step in Nationalism was ■the growth of the feeling of belonging Ho the land'' (p. il) and in a third. Hersomd economic privileges are made ■out to be the determining factor of Hue’* nationalistic allegiance. “There nationalism for you—the quintessence of it. You belong to a group meaning a nation—for a group has Home to mean that. Your group has ■banded together in order to secure and Imaintflin exclusive advantages forii - members’- lt;p 226). “It pays! The■rood dividends of Nationalism are one »*f the principal causes and one pf thegesftons of the World War:’’ (p. 183), |pnly in the case of the British Empire Hoes the author feel that “a new kind |p*t National sm. a new definition of thegerm, a new psychological interpretation of it. must be made.’* in order to |tir the situation. Yet there is no def-gmtion with w h eh he operates tor tengsiges at a stretch.| Thf matter of definition in all im-g^rtant in such a discussion because I hout it one wanders through thenaze of the h'storie events of tie* last Bundml and fifty years without a {‘••inpass And it is just that kind of ■unless wandering that makes up 90 B**r cent, of the book. We are given aBatchy summary of the great move|i resulting in the creation of thejjiew and the disruption of the old EuroB*au states, with no organizing prinI ♦ around which to group them.I Nor i- there any consistent attempt l*t evaluating Nationalism. Through* I e*st of the book one gets thegmpression that the author is unarm*■athetic to it He apparently delightsPf» pwyitig the tmrt of a liberal and inpi»‘ni*uiwiiig Nationalism as selfish. I' asslt;H-iated always with force and Planished. “The subject of National-cannot be divorced from violence, ft a^n«lisiu calls for the spilling of lii' . ar. hirth and during growth.” I * imagine for a time that the auI U|f ls interested th% I|||*I m it at*, to the creation lt;f an inF Hvaui.nal frame of mind: that the r (dniess of Nationalism counteracts W;»n the beneficent results of interna* trade, travel and tanking as fac* It. u mankind. TTius we areEl B while every Ksfio^btkat it# was self u-*i!a le y *n internationalism h*** ~ r* lt;ftM*ms Apparentlyr the ('hristinn missionary IdealI, /' ?n attempt to bestow upon allt a nation be-■»., *n it* possession), theI *** soob separated and nation -[ r down into its own nar-i*tb £/*‘(’*tttered and self-seeking I volume, however, ends withWords that might have been spoken by the most rabid and bigoted of Nationalists. ‘‘International co-operation has best been exemplified in the worldmaking confusionMORE CONFOUNDEDso far by practical achievements of countries with a vigorous national life. Nationalists ought to be the best internationalists. The hope of internationalism lies in Nationalism/’ ITiat last may be true if we would know what kind of nationalism the author has in mind. Certainly he cannot mean the brand most prevalent In the world today.To his brief discussion of Jewish Nationalism the author brings neither knowledge, understanding nor sympathy. We read for example, that the most bitter opponents of Zionism are “The Jews who did not go away from Palestine, and to whom it was historically a native land;” (p. 228) that with Herzl “Zionism was a mystical religious movement, to caH the Jewish people to a spiritual regeneration,” etc. One wonders what he means by thestatement that “the common sense of American Jews has prevented the Zionist question from becoming a serious one/ and that because the Jewswere so hopelessly in the minority inPalestine “the question is not as troublesome as it was/’ to the British, (p. 230). Nor does he omit to speak of the righteous resentment Americans may have against the “double nationality* isA(Sfg by Zionism, and of the “Jewish inadaptability to agriculture/’ which precludes any possibility of success for the movement.- The author tells us his audience wanted facts and not propaganda. I assume they wanted more than the facts they got in their school textbooks, and that they wanted them organized. They got neither, neither inspiring propaga nda nor illumine t ed facts. ZN GUKKXHKUOujiiMi ■■JEWISH BOOK WEEKMAY IM7, 1930The annual celebrat;on of “Jewish Book Week” is intended to remind Jews of their great history and literature of which, also, most of them are inadequately informed, and it is hoped and believed that calling attent’on to the rich store of knowledge which a reading of Jewish books has to offer, will result in a widened culture and a better background on which to torld for the present and future of Israel. Certainly no better service can be rendered to Jews than to guide them to the reading of the be^^ifewhat has been thought and done by Jews.Special lists of selectedbook* havebeen pcspa**d for adult and youth, books of history, literature, fiction, poetry, etc. These lists are appended.Included a re c.. books % »ii t a Me for cfa U -dren of all ages, for it has lyng sip*been determtMd that at the stage of their*development a love of l|ilP?own history and literature can best be cultivated and be used to encourage a knowledge and a desire foras : to their own t people. This !s the fourth consecutive year for the celebration of “Jewish Book Week.” It was suggested in 192f7 byRabbi S. Felix Mendelsohn, of Chicago, //and is has occurred annually since. | The Jewish pulott and press have encouraged the idea, the gpfeWf by commenting editorially and encour-SMrfUg the a»d reading of: Jpg'Ms books, and the former by preachingsermons on the $lftporteBlt;» Jewishbooks in general and of some in par-Tlie libraries have co-operated fgr displays of ancient and modern volumes and by pasters calling attention to tbe Jewish books on their shelves, and religious school leaders and teachers bave impressed their students will| the Importance # books.To make effective the work done dur ng ^JewW| Book Week” in advocating the buying and reading of Jew ish books, it has been suggested that the following slogan be adopted: “A.r Jewieti. 111 Every JewishIIome/5Tlt;i In this way, book* of interest and concsrp to »Jews can la* «( hand and referred to as occasionarises, p Young aatfe old altfc* can fad on Ithis Ihe mecktim throughwhich can be learned the glorious hislory of Israel and inspiration lie foupd for service on bt^alfand abroad. _ _ .As tb«* Shnbuotb or Confir»«tto»and tbe clo*in« eierd»e« of
Newspaper Details
Philadelphia Jewish Exponent
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Fri, May 02, 1930
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 10 Nov 2018
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