Theodore Herzl

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In 1896.-Dr. Theodore Herzl startled the whole of Jewry with his idea of a "Jewish State."

In 1915.-One hundred thousand Jews settled in Palestine.

Theodore Herzl.

Not only did Dr. Herzl gain the ears and many of the hearts of his fellow-Israelites, but he roused the whole civilized world with his suggestion of Palestine for the Jews as a Judean State. And no wonder! Let us reproduce the closing words of the pamphlet which had such a marvellous effect :

The

Therefore, I believe that a wondrous generation of Jews will spring into existence Maccabeans will rise again.

'Let me repeat once more my opening words-Jews wish to have a State, and they shall have one.

We shall live at last as free men on our own soil, and die peacefully in our own home.

"The world will be freed by our liberty, enriched by our wealth, and magnified by our greatness.

"And whatever we attempt there to accomplish for our own welfare will react with beneficent force for the good of humanity."

This wonderful man-this Jew-was lionized everywhere, except in Russia. Interviews were

obtained by him with the King of Italy, with the German Emperor, with the Pope at Rome, andwith the Sultan of Turkey, who has Palestine in his grasp.

Israel Zangwill.

True, Dr. Herzl died July 4th, 1904, but not without having set in motion a movement to which no mortal power can put a stop. Admitted that in the eyes of many the death of Dr. Herzl and the introduction of Mr. Israel Zangwill as leader of the Territorial Scheme" (which was formulated the following year, and means anywhere for the Jews except Palestine), apparently gave a set-back to the Zionist cry of "Palestine for the Jews"; but it was only apparent-not real-as all who have eyes can now see.

Mr. Foster Fraser in his Conquering Jew voices the mere surface thinker, when he says, "The Zionist Movement, inaugurated to promote the realization of the Hebrew's dream throughout the ages-t ages the return to his native Land after more than eighteen hundred years of homeless wandering— suffers, as do many movements with idealistic aspirations, from lack of unanimity of opinion among its supporters. Many distinguished Jews, while most desirous of centralizing the race in some land they might call their own, are by no means sure that the Holy Land offers, in modern days, the conditions essential to the successful establishment of a self-supporting Jewish State. Sites in other countries, particularly in British East Africa, are under consideration by the Jewish Territorial

The Basle Programme

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Organization, of which Mr. Israel Zangwill is president."

Extremes meet. And it seems to us that such was so when the gifted playwright was placed in the chair vacated by the devout and enthusiastic Zionist. But though they were linked by the "chair," they were, in real life and aspirations, as far apart as the Poles. We say this with every desire to be absolutely fair with Mr. Zangwill, and therefore here state that he has written us disowning any intention of excluding Palestine from his Programme of the Jewish Territorial Organization. But our impeachment remains. Mr. Israel Zangwill is not a Zionist in the sense or to the extent that his predecessor, Dr. Theodore Herzl, was. With the latter it was wholly and solely " Palestine for the Jews" and "Judea a State"; and neither Argentina nor South Africa found any place in his projects or schemes. With Mr. Zangwill it is different, and he does not deny it.

The Basle Programme.

Genuine Zionists do not need telling or reminding, but outsiders do, that the first article of the Basle programme runs as follows:

"Zionism strives to create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine secured by legal guarantees."

And now what do we find are the relative positions of the aims and schemes of the two men ? "Territorialism" has fallen flat-nay, it is to all intents and purposes as dead as a door nail," and its

creator is a success in what more befits him-novel writing. On the other hand, "Zionism" is more alive than ever it was. Since Herzl died more than thirty thousand Jews have gone back to Palestine ; and the Holy Land is more "the Land of Israel" than ever it has been since the Bar-cochba rebellion.

Upon this subject we can speak with the authority of an eye-witness. In 1901, the writer and his wife (with Mr. C. C. Walker, the Editor of The Christadelphian) went the round of Judea. That visit created an appetite for more information; and so, in the same company, the next year we again visited the Land. We leisurely did it from north to south, with the aid of tents, and horses, and mules. We saw much more than we saw before; but not sufficient to arouse one's enthusiasm very high in what we may term the Zionist ther

mometer.

Ten Years Later.

Ten years rolled by, and with them came a growing desire to again "view the Land"; and there came not only the desire, but the opportunity. Well provided with letters of introduction from some of the best known Zionists of Germany and Great Britain, we decided to avail ourselves of the opportunity, but determined on a prolonged stay in and around Jerusalem itself, which is really the hub of the Zionist wheel. At the same time, we did not shut our eyes to Zionist progress outside the Jerusalem radius-for progress there has been. And then (1914), two years later, we paid another visit to the Land of Promise, and found that the progress of the Jew was more than maintained. In