The Seven-Branched Candlestick: The Schooldays of Young American JewGabriel, Gilbert W. (Gilbert Wolf)
General
The Seven-Branched Candlestick: The Schooldays of Young American Jew
Gabriel, Gilbert W. (Gilbert Wolf)
Jews -- United States
Mr. Levi's accusations had stung deeply. My anger at them was all the
more intense because my heart admitted half their truth. Nevertheless, I
was glad to see that there could be no possible aggravation this year:
surely, with only five Jewish freshmen, the percentage would be small
and unnoticed. It was all very well, that venom of Mr. Levi's--but it
was unreasonable. I would be glad if the Jewish question would never
again be mentioned during my college course.
The opening of the senior year found Frank Cohen and me on the
Palisades, talking eagerly of what his college course would mean to him.
He made me smile, his dreams were so like my own had been when I, too,
was a freshman. Made me wonder, too, how much I had fulfilled those
dreams. Something accomplished, yes--and as much unfulfilled,
disregarded, left undone. Well, perhaps, in this last year, I would
have the chance again--and would not flinch.
The chance came just two days after the opening of college. It came when
Frank Cohen burst into my room about nine o'clock at night, in company
with another Jewish freshman. The other one was dogged, frightened, and,
when he was behind my closed door, began to cry noiselessly. As for
Frank, who was made of stronger stuff, he sat silent in his chair,
grasping its arms and trying to control the intensity of some revulsion
which had come over him.
They told me quickly what had happened. They were just from a meeting of
freshman candidates for the college newspaper. The meeting had been
called in order to instruct these candidates in the rules and
qualifications of the competition. All men who cared to enter the
competition had been invited. Two men had made speeches: the
editor-in-chief and the managing editor of the paper, Sayer and Braley
by name.
These had been cordial speeches, urging all men present at the meeting
to work hard in this competition. There had been speeches of
encouragement, in glowing colors--and then, at the end of it all, in
front of the fifty-odd youths who were assembled there, Braley had
closed his speech with this:
"We wish to say that any Jew who may have it in mind to enter this
competition might as well save himself the pains. We shall not even
consider the election of a Jew to the board."
Immediately a gasp, then a snicker had run through the roomful; then
necks had craned and heads turned to catch looks at Frank and the other
freshman who stood, flushed and humiliated, in their midst.
Then the meeting had broken up, and the other candidates, taking their
cue from Braley's speech, stood aside to let Frank and his companion
pass down through whispering, giggling aisles. They had tried to go
calmly, unconcernedly, as if the shock of the insult meant nothing to
them. But the other Jewish freshman had broken down, and Frank had to
put his arm around him to keep him up and straight upon his path through
the crowd's midst, out upon the campus and over to my dormitory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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