ibes him thus:
. . . and then the Jewish hero, the tailor himself, came among
them, and astonished their minds by the ease and volubility of his
speeches. He did not pronounce his words with any of those soft
slushy Judaic utterances by which they had been taught to believe
he would disgrace himself. His nose was not hookey, with any
especial hook, nor was it thicker at the bridge than was becoming.
He was a dapper little man, with bright eyes, quick motion, ready
tongue, and a very new hat. It seemed that he knew well how to
canvass. He had a smile and a good word for all--enemies as well
as friends.
In that novel, Trollope, himself, comments on prejudice and bigotry:
. . . Mrs. Ray, in her quiet way, expressed much joy that Mr.
Comfort's son-in-law should have been successful, and that
Baslehurst should not have disgraced itself by any connection
with a Jew. To her it had appeared monstrous that such a one
should have been even permitted to show himself in the town as a
candidate for its representation. To such she would have denied
all civil rights, and almost all social rights. For a true spirit
of persecution one should always go to a woman; and the milder,
the sweeter, the more loving, the more womanly the woman, the
stronger will be that spirit within her. Strong love for the thing
loved necessitates strong hatred for the thing hated, and thence
comes the spirit of persecution. They in England who are now
keenest against the Jews, who would again take from them rights
that they have lately won, are certainly those who think most of
the faith of a Christian. The most deadly enemies of the Roman
Catholics are they who love best their religion as Protestants.
When we look to individuals we always find it so, though it
hardly suits us to admit as much when we discuss these subjects
broadly. To Mrs. Ray it was wonderful that a Jew should have been
entertained in Baslehurst as a future member for the borough, and
that he should have been admitted to speak aloud within a few
yards of the church tower!
_Nina Balatka_ presents a sharp contrast between the behaviors of the
Jewish and Christian characters. Nina and her father Josef Balatka
live on the edge of poverty; he was cheated out of his business by his
Christian brother-in-law, who is now wealthy. Jose
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