Some Leading Events in the Current Story of the World

SOME LEADING EVENTS IN THE CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD.

BY DR J. M. TANNER, SUPERINTENDENT OF CHURCH SCHOOLS.

The Jews in Roumania. Roumania continues her unfavorable legislation toward the Jevrs. On the first of June, a law went into effect, in that country, by which certain trades could be followed only by those whose governments granted corresponding privileges to the subjects of Roumania. The Jews had no country, and, consequently, have no government to grant privileges to the subjects of Roumania. It is believed that this discrimination in

Roumania will drive thousands of that unhappy race to this country. Great efforts are now being made to prevent any more of that people from settling in the city of New York, where, it is said, there are some 300,000 within a single square mile. The over-populating of the Jewish quarter of New York has the most debilitating effects, physically and morally to the race. Recently Secretary Hay addressed a note to the great Powers that had been signatory to the celebrated Treaty of Berlin, insisting that Roumania was acting against the interests of this country in driving to this land large numbers of undesirable Jewish emigrants. The Treaty of Berlin, the outcome of the Turko-Russian war of 1878, gave to Roumania its independence, and it provided that 'the dif- ference of religious creeds and confessions shall not be arrayed against any one person as a ground for exclusion or incapacity in matters re- lating to the enjoyments of civil and political rights, admission to pub- lic employments, functions, and honors, or the exercise of the various professions and industries in any locality whatsoever." This was an in- sert for Jewish protection, and was styled Article 44 of the treaty. Disraeli, the famous Jew prime minister of Great Britain, may have been the chief promoter of the article above quoted. At any rate,

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it is attributed to him. He knew very well of the cruel treatment which his Jewish brethren had received for centuries from the people of Rou- mania; but this effort to abate the injustice, so far as the treaty stipu- lation went has been without avail. These Jewish emigrants are un- desirable here. The same people are undesirable in Roumania. Why has Roumania been so severe on the Jews? In some ways, it has been more oppressive than Russia. In the first place, there has been a deadly enmity for centuries between Greeks and Jews. The majority of the Roumanians are not Greeks, but of the six million inhabitants, fiveand a half millions are members of the Greek Catholic church. About two hundred and seventy-five thousand are Jews. The Greek na- tional hatred has been transmitted, in a measure, with the Greek re- ligion.

But the Jews are really undesirable. The writer had occasion, in 1886, to visit the Jewish quarters in Bucharest where the poverty, misery, and reputed moral degradation that comes from oriental idle- ness, are pronounced. It is a general saying in Europe that a Rou-

manian Jew is the lowest type of his race, intellectually, morally and industrially. They are undesirable in England as well as in the United States, and for that reason Great Britain was quite ready to join us in a remonstrance against Roumania to the great powers. Besides the religious and race hatred, the most antagonistic feeling arises from the money lending practices of the Jews. Roumania has an enormous debt of about two hundred and ninety millions, a heavy load for so small and poor a state. The interest on this indebtedness averages ten per cent. In some instances it is thirty-six per cent. Private loans are often made at twenty-four per cent, and in some in- stances at sixty per cent. In late years, the crops have been light, and the people are greatly oppressed by these public and private obliga- tions. The Jews, in many instances, are the money lenders. The sim- ple Roumanians will borrow all, it is said, that the lender is willing to venture. Seventy per cent of the people are farmers. There are special reasons for the degraded conditions of the Jews in Roumania. The law requires schools to be kept open six days in the week. Because the Jew could not thus disregard his Sabbath, his schools were closed. The Jewish children might enter the public schools, provided there was room, and they would pay the high tuition. The uni- versity is free to Roumanians, but the Jews must pay $75 a year. Jews must serve in the army, but are not allowed to enter the military acade- my. The government will not give them positions, and they are excluded from the learned professions. They cannot publish papers or jour-

nals, and are not permitted to live in agricultural districts. They cannot own a farm, and, finally, it was decreed that a Jew could not employ a Jew, unless, at the same time, he employed two Roumanians. No won- der the Jews under such discriminations and restrictions have deterior- ated. The trouble does not reach other countries of Europe than Great Britain, and our action may not have any very great influence upon Roumania. In that country, the Jews have neither their private affairs nor public rights respected. The police so intrude themselves offen- sively into all public and private concerns of the unfortunate race that it is not to be wondered that they seek a refuge in other lands.

Jewish Encyclopedia.

The announcement that a Jewish Encyclopedia is in process of pub- lication is a matter of great moment to those interested in the history, ancient and modern, of the Jewish race. From the list of those ap- pointed to edit this great work, we may infer that it is to be a scholarly exposition of the entire life and history of the people. It will be free

from that bias that has characterized most Christian writers upon the subject, as the editors are learned Jews. It is not the reported aim of

the work to glorify the Jews, but to give to the world an impartial ex- position of the customs, manners, peculiarities, and historic progress of the race. The plan is to publish the set in twelves volumes, two of which will be issued every year for six years. Funk & Wagnalls, of New York, are the publishers, and charge $7.50 per volume. Students of Jewish life and lore will be interested in this announcement.

Progressive Railroading.

Progressive railroading in both this country and Europe is directed largely to the question of speed, both in freight and passengers. It

will not be long before freight will be hauled across the continent in almost as short a space of time as passengers were transported a few years ago. To eliminate space and time, vast sums are expended in straighten- ing lines, and in reducing the grades. In the Rocky Mountain district of the Union Pacific, $6,500,000 have been expended. The changes consist chiefly in the complete abandonment of one hundred and eighty- eight miles, and the construction of one hundred and fifty-eight miles of new road, by which thirty miles were saved. The Central Pacific will expend $8,600,000 in its cut-off across Salt Lake, and the improvement