The Jewish Monitor (Fort Worth-Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, October 15, 1920 Page: 1 of 16
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DP. GEORGE FOX 0 TO P
VOL. X NO. 4.
FORT WORTH-DALLAS FRIDAY OCTOBER 15 1920.
Price Five Cents
Thtre is a fine saying in the an-
c!)nt lore of the Rabbis that "when
a wise man dies all are among: his
mourning relatives." Jacob Henry
Schiff certainly was a wise man in
more than one sense of the word.
There doubtless were others more
schooled in the wisdom of the world;
but there were few as wise in the
sense of knowing how to live for his
fellow-men of all creeds and still
more for the people of whom ho was
proud to be a part. He understood
how to serve his country his co -religionists
and humanity at large.
Therefore the demise of this good
and wise man has been sincerely la-
mented all over this country and
abroad. Many keenly felt the irre-
parale loss sustained by his passing
away. His influence for good has
been recognized in so many circles
as to make his death a source of
universal grief. Thus countless num-
bers have felt like mourning relatives
when the sad news came. Surely
we who are proud to call him our
own we who justly speak of him as
a Prince in Israel feel his loss the
more and may thus dedicate the few
minutes at our disposal to an ap-
praisal of his life and deeds.
Schiffs was a many-sided person-
ality. A man of affairs a greit
philanthropist and a wise counsellor
he was withal one of the foremoU
public-spirited citizens a noble Amer-
ica i and loya! Jew. Is is dilficuH f
aay wherein he exerted most influ- .
ence because he gave of his best to
many interests of businesss of public
movements of philanthropy and
Jewish endeavor. Everywhere his
great powers of mind and heart his
native talents and shrewd common-
sense made him a force to be reck-
oned with. And he identified him-
self with so many causes and activi-
ties as to make it hard to single out
for which he did most
We might get an insight into his
life by realizing his early training and
environment. Till he was 18 years
he lived in his native city of Frank-frut-on-the-Main.
There he was ed-
ucated in the thorough system of
German schools. There too he was
brought up in the cultured but thor-
oughly conservative Jewish sur-
roundings. He lived in a wonderful
Jewish community with splendid
Jewish traditions and great leaders
in Jewry and an intense Jewish life.
He furthermore came from noble sires
a family that produced some re-
nowned men who played an important
part In Jewish lore and cultural de-
velopment And with those influ-
ences as a foundation he embarked
in the prime of young manhood for
the land of promise with a keen and
alert mind with tremendous energy
and with a stock of inherited virtues
that stood him in good stead later In
life. And as soon as he began to
JACOB HENRY SCHIFF:
An Appreciation
" David Rosenbaum. Austin.
'by&y&Mi Texas.
prosper in his new home he dispih ith of
of mind and health3 s and i
at once his powers
and diverse native endowments for
many interests and activities. He
soon became the leading banker the
splendid citizen the public-spirited
American and noble Jew.
Thus it is not the rich man that
we mourn because there are other
men of wealth in our body politic.
Nor do we chiefly mourn the great
philanthropist because there are
other benevolent men both Jews and
Gentiles in our great country. Surely
we do not lament the demise of the
shrewd financier though his influ-
ence in finance commerce and polit-
ical life made him a power for good
to be reckoned with. But we do sor-
row for the loss of the great citi-
zen whose personality ability and
fine influences we so greatly miss as
to make his death almost an irre-
parable loss. We miss the man wiio
gave of his best to his fellow-citizens
of all creeds. We grieve over his de-
mise because he devoted his life and
his brilliant powers to his fellow-
men both Jews and Gentiles alike.
Absorbed as he was in great busi-
ness undertakings and international
finance yet he found ample time to be
the extraordinarily useful'member of
society and equally active in behalf
of Jews and Judaism. He found suf-
ficient leisure to become thoroughly
identified with many public move-
ments and Jewish activities.
Accordngly he was the fine type of
public man zealously laboring for tho
public weal and eagerly striving for
those measures that would tend to
promote social conditions. President
Wilson correctly spoke of him in his
message of condolence "as a nv.'st
useful citizen." Weighty matters of
public concern occupied his attention.
To them he gave his heart and mind
and whatever powers he possessed.
His wise counsel was ever sought and
he did not refrain from giving it If
thereby it might lead to the solutim
of the perplexing problems of the
day. He spoke and wrote on ques-
tions of public Interest as the sag
' and statesman seeking to promote
the well-being of his city state and
nation as well as International com-
ity. He was frequently spoken of as the
wise philanthropist That he certain-
ly was. His benevolence knew no
bounds. It was many-sided because
he possessed to a remarkable degree
vision. He helped all
Gentiles alike. But what
is even greater and better is the fact
that he gave himself. He more than
bestowed alms. He contributed his
personal efforts to the management
and administration of a variety of
institutions ministering to public
needs. He was personally identified
with many philanthropes to which !.e
gave his time and thoght. He did
not spare himself as he did not with-
hold his means. And every one found
in him a sympathetic listener re-
gardless of the remoteness of the
cause for which his aid was asked and
received.
And he was equally great as an
American. Though of foreign birth
he was heart and soul for the country
of his adoption. Our American in-
stitutions and life he dearly cherished.
To his new land he was bound with
cords of love. He labored for the
best interests of America and stood
among the first and foremost spon-
sors of American ideals. Everywhere
he was regarded as a great American
as if his cradle stood in the land of
the free.
Perhaps we may speak of him with
greater emphasis from this place and
at this hour as the noble Jew whose
heart throbbed with Jewish feeling
and fervor keenly alive to Jewish
needs and obligations. He belonged
to the liberal wing of Judaism and
supported and helped it with all his
might. But he also appreciated the
benefits of Orthodoxy realizing the
valuable features of conservative Ju-
daism. Nothing Jewish was alien to
him. He was the counsellor to all
wings and shades of Jewish life and
interpretation. And what might be
of great interest and emulation Is
the fact that great man of affairs
and American that h was he was ac-
tively Identified with the synagog
and attended services regularly. He
was firm in his Jewish conviction
cherishing the faith of his fathers
proud of it and glorifying in its gran-
deur. Such a life furnishes many valuable
lessons to us all We may ponder
them. They will give us food for
thought As wt analyze his many-
sided career we wonder why the pe-
riodic agitation against the foreign-
er and the steady propaganda
against Immigration. Schiff Is a
powerful reply to the prejudice
against those hailing from
othor
lands. Though a grown up young
man when he landed on our shores
he soon learned to become among the
foremost and most honored Amer-
icans. Though of foreign origin he
steadily grew in the esteem of the
greatest and best of our land as an
equal of if not superior to many of
their own exalted company. For de-
cades he was regarded as a leading
public man to whom many looked for
counsel and advice in the great ques-
tions of American policy and public
movements. As we review his career
we marvel at the powers of adapta-
tion made possible by American life
and institutions and at the folly of
agitation aiming to close our gates
to all immigrants.
His life also is a challenge to the
seflish ai)d those lacking in public-
spiritcdness and responsiveness to
the welfare of others. He taught us
that no matter how active a life one
may lead no matter how one may be
engrossed in great commercial or fi-
nancial enterprises one may yet find
time for active participation in the
common weal and the good of oth-
ers. He was a challenge to all those
who live for themselves alone. Here
we have a great public man who gave
his time Lis thought and his means
to many public causes and institu-
tions. Here we behold a man of great
affairs devoting his talents and pow-
ers to a variety of religious ele-
mosynary and philanthropic agencies
though his time was so valuable. His
career is a plea to all of us to get
out of our shell of selfishness and
become identified to the extent of
our power with the needs of society
at large.
And thirdly his life clearly indi-
cates that identification with Jewish
life and endeavor is no mar to good
citizenship. He is a splendid example
of the good citizen and the thorough-
ly loyal Jew. Is this not an appeal
near home for greater devotion to
our cause teachings and traditions f
Here we see a great financier and
man of large public affairs one reck-
oned with as a "powerful influence In
many spheres of endeavor finding
time to visit the synagog regularly
and to identify himself with its work
and its aims. What a lesson to our
indifferent and lukewarm Jews waa
this Prince of Israel who was evor
serving the cause of his coreligioi-
tsts and lived the life of a Jewl
And lastly Schiff taught us the
most valuale of lessons that we an
but stewards of the blessings we pos-
sess. AU we have and all we own
are given us wisely to dispose for
the benefit of our fellow-men. Man
lives not unto himself. The selfish
life is no life at all. The artist con-
scious of his appreciation of the beau-
tiful and sublime must express hit
genius In a manner that will fiva
(Continued on Page 16).
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Fox, George. The Jewish Monitor (Fort Worth-Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, October 15, 1920, newspaper, October 15, 1920; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth296782/m1/1/: accessed June 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .