1916—On demand of Jews the New Haven, Con¬ necticut, board of education votes to prevent the read¬ ing of “The Merchant of Venice,” and extends the prohibition to “Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare” until an edition is published which omits the play.
And so on down the list of cities. A diversion was created by the Jewish attack on Sargent’s painting entitled “The Synagogue” in the art scheme of the Boston Public Library. Many denunciatory reso¬ lutions were adopted throughout the country with regard to that, but the painting is still there.
It is all part of one mistaken program, to prohibit free speech, with reference to the Jew. It is utterly at one side of all that American principles mean. Shut him up! Boycott him! Tear down his painting! Bar his words from the mails and public library!— what a waste of energy and what a self-judgment such an attitude is!
And it has become pretty general. Last Christmas most people had a hard time finding Christmas cards that indicated in any way that Christmas commemo¬ rated Someone’s Birth. Easter they will have the same difficulty in finding Easter cards that