The Jews in ancient, mediaeval and modern times . sprang at this time a man, who, if of less wonderfulintellect than Spinoza, was yet of spirit most keen andenlightened. In magnanimity and broad charity hewas not surpassed by the great outcast of Holland,In the story which we are following his figure haseven a greater significance than that of Spinoza,from the fact that though persecuted he remainedamong his people, beneficently setting in motionreforms which have been felt by Jews in every land,and which in times following those in which we live,will bring about for Jews a happy future. As ha
The Jews in ancient, mediaeval and modern times . sprang at this time a man, who, if of less wonderfulintellect than Spinoza, was yet of spirit most keen andenlightened. In magnanimity and broad charity hewas not surpassed by the great outcast of Holland,In the story which we are following his figure haseven a greater significance than that of Spinoza,from the fact that though persecuted he remainedamong his people, beneficently setting in motionreforms which have been felt by Jews in every land,and which in times following those in which we live,will bring about for Jews a happy future. As hasbeen urged, the intolerance with which the Hebrewhas been treated must not be ascribed solely toChristian narrowness. The persecutor has been pro-voked to clench his fist by the stern pride withwhich the victim has asserted his superiority andheld himself aloof. Such modifications of prejudicein the oppressor as can be now seen, would be muchless marked than they are had not a more concilia-tory spirit begun to manifest itself in the 24^ THE STORY OF THE JEWS. In the year 1729, in the town of Dessau, was bornthe benign and far-seeing genius, Moses the son ofMendel, who, like Moses of old, the son of Amram,was to lead Israel to better things. Moses Mendelssohn was a precocious child, de-vouring with passionate appetite the rabbinicalhusks upon which alone his mind was permitted tofeed, until at length his premature labor broughtupon him curvature of the spine, from which henever recovered. As a boy of thirteen he followedto Berlin the rabbi who had been his teacher, hisparents disapproving his course and withdrawingtheir support. The little humpback faced starvationwith unshrinking persistence while he followed hisbent, until, after much suffering, he won over friendswho could help him. As the youth approached man-hood he broadened his acquirements, adding almostby stealth German, Latin, mathematics, French,and English to his Talmudic lore, soon beginningalso to sei
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