Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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30 M ASM ID WINTER THOUGHTS By Abraham S. Guterman The dirty gray of long-lying snow greets the eye, broken here and there by the jagged crest of a lonely rock as it juts out from the mantle of nature, as if definatly refusing its inevitable burial. In the distance the black- brown wall of the forest is set against the dull grey sky. and the many shaped trees, welded into one ominous mass of background, rise majestically and sombrely in the distance. Approaching that forest by the difficult snow covered trails, I gradually discern the individuality of the symmetrical fir and the staunchness of the tiny shrub, the strength of the lasting oak, the depth of the mournful willow, the beauty of the upright maple, and the indomnitable persistence of the tiny fern. The blackness takes on new charm. Every tuft of withered grass, every tiny bed of worn and emaciated moss seems to tell its own tale, and seems to cry forth that it could outlast the pine, and fir and maple, that it could withstand the rigor of any clime, and live to feel again the warmth of summer, the pleas- ant rays of color-giving sunshine, the life- giving showers, to hear the mellow song of the birds, and the busy chatter of the beasts. The thoughts of summer seem sometimes like vain groping hopes, hopes which though genuine seem to lose their true ring in the long and seemingly endless anticipation of their realization. But to the shrub, to the fern, to the more impressive rulers of this vas: expanse, patience is a byword. For by what other imaginable quality could they survive that dreary period of cold and storm, of hard- ship and seeming death? Tall, short, stocky, thin, the forest ' s many shapes and sizes stand reared against the dark gray sky solemnly watching the never-ending march of the sea- sons, the constructive and destructive forces C ' f nature at work, the ever-present elements tattling for control and leaving desolation in their wake, the clash of the thunder, the flash of lightning, the angry earth spitting fire when aroused, or the sudden unexpected hun- ger of that earth when it opens wide its mouth and swallows up a part of its none too extensive surface . . . As I gaze at this monument of nature, the panorama of struggling humanity passes be- fore me. All are there, the tall and the short, the large and the small, the proud and the humble, the majestic and the servile. And when we regard humanity from a distance like the forest it seems firm and rock-ribbed with never a flaw in its rising and solid gran- deur. When we come closer, however, we s?e that what seemed a solid mass breaks up into many isolated factors, many individual shoots which despite their common root in Mother Earth struggle for subsistence, each in its own way. The splendor of the panorama would be broken were each shoot, each bush, each tree separated from its neighbors, yet all could still subsist in life even though standing thus alone without beauty or harmony. Indeed, it seems as if some great Guiding Hand ha ' ; joined these in one sphere so that their mutual interdependence may elevate the beauty and culture and life of all. In the arrangement of His plan He provided the changing seasons, the period of boom, and the period of de- pression, of plenty and of want, but He also provided the patience which springs from hope, from ambition, from faith. With all this, however, many a staunch tuft of grass is broken and many a brave heart ' s blood is split in the never-ending struggle for exist- ence. Then too, when a tornado rushes upon the scene, the saplings weather the storm, and though scarred and a little bent, remain firm, while those whose lofty tops seem to scrape the very sky itself fall and crash before the tornado ' s force, and their very resistance helps hew them down like mere tinder wood. Youth welcomes the battle of life and defies all opposing forces, but old age recedes and wilts, and yields under the weight of the vol- ley, gradually breaks with the strain, and in complete surrender finds everlasting peace.

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M ASMID 29 As the gong sounds for our first intellectu- al bout, we meet Instructor A — the youthful representative of our categorical division. A well-dressed chap, sporting a newly raised mustache, proudly struts before us. Over- bubbling with enthusiasm and chock-full of confidence, he boldly flaunts his Master ' s deg- ree. Just as Old Glory, caught by the wind, waves its tail end more vigorously than its others parts, just so does he ostentatiously dis- play the degree that he had garnered. He im- mediately lets us feel the iron hand of author- ity by assigning fifty pages in the text for the next day ' s assignment. To strengthen his so recently acquired power, he reads a chap- ter from a standard text book, and literally tears it to pieces, destroying argument after argument with infallible logic. Fortunately we are saved from further abuse at the hand of this tyrant by that well-known toc- sin, so heartily welcomed by fallen boxers and tired students. Assistant Professor B, next on our calling card, is a well-built, iron-jawed Irishman who has served his four-years sentence at Yale. Even yet, how sadly does he gaze at his Phi Beta Kappa pin, mournfully lament- ing the fact that it doesn ' t mean what it used to! A typical middle-aged professor, he has long given up the idea that he will make the average student work, and instead, concen- trates upon his mental faculties with the hope of making him think logically. Forcefully he develops his economic theory in a coherent fashion from the very rock bottom. Vainly he tries to stimulate the gray matter in ir- responsive skulls, only to be met with reson- ant snores — disturbed finally by the sharp ring of the bell announcing the end of the period. The change is welcome for more than one reason. Our inferiority complexes have had dominated us in the presence of these despots, but now we cheerfully regain our composure upon entering the classroom of Professor C — a scholar and a gentleman, whose fifty years of educational service had taught him to en- dure the pangs of teaching with complacency. Unlike his predecessor he had given up the hope of making students either work or think, and had adopted as a modus vivendi a passive lecture method in which he labored diligent- ly — while the students praised his eloquence. This life was soon to come to an abrupt halt. As February ushered in the examina- tion period, all our sources of shelter were in- vaded. The youthful and pretentious instruc- tor bore a sarcastic look that was sure to spell disaster to many an aspiring Phi Beta Kappa man. The Assistant Professor who had so vainly endeavored to put his economics across logically, wore a smile of triumph as he po- litely remarked: Well, you wouldn ' t listen to me, so now you ' ll sweat instead. And even the old professor, our pride and fortress, became a mere scholar — forfeiting the gen- tleman in his title by that look of revenge which demanded retribution for wasted ener- gy during an entire semester. What can we poor students do in the face of such odds? We came back the next day like sheep being led to the slaughter in an at- tempt to pass the exams. Of the thirty ques- tions which I had to answer, every one was of the classification type! At any rate I have gained revenge for the three failures that my report card showed. What else can a poor, downtrodden, puppet- ized student expect?

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M A SMID 31 GOETHE AND THE JEWS By Jacob Agushevitz N March 22, 1932, the one hundredth anniversary of Goethe will be celeb- rated. In anticipation of this event, numerous books and articles concerning the life and works of this versatile genius have already been published all over the world. For us Jews it is of special importance to note the attitude of this great European to- ward our people. Though his judgment, like that of all humans, may not be infallible, his view is characteristic of the German intellec- tuals of his generation. For Goethe, the greatest literary, exponent of the nineteenth century, is to the Germans more than their greatest poet; he is their most representative intellectual figure. They regard him as their model, as the man who, in life and works, ideas and ideals, has best expressed their emotions and aspirations. He is, so to speak, the most German of all the German poets. By studying the attitude of Goethe to- wards the Jews, we might be able to cast light upon the attitude of the most enlight- ened German towards his Jewish neighbor in the generation after Mendelssohn. Goethe ' s contact with things Jewish began rather early in his life. In conformity with the general practice of the time, his early edu- cation included also a study of the Bible. His young imagination often centered around Biblical heroes, and the plays and poems of his early life are, at times, drawn from Bib- lical sources. The impression that Goethe seems to have obtained from the Bible was not at all fair to the Hebrew People. The Israelites, as their prophets, judges and lead- ers continually reproached them, were never worth much. Yet the Bible was not the exclusive source of Goethe ' s knowledge of the Jews. In his native town, Frankfurt on the Main, he could not help but come in close contact with the Jews, As a child, he was accustomed to jeer at the quaint, bearded, stooping figures dressed in long Oriental cloaks with those shapeless yellow badges on the backs, that passed hurriedly and timidly through the hostile streets of the city. In his childhood, he imbibed the common legends telling of the cruel Jewish atrocities committed on helpless Christian babes . The narrowness, the dirt, the noise of the Jewish Ghetto, the accent of an unhappy language — all together made the most unpleasant impression. The humanitarianism and tolerance of the poet, however, became apparent very early. He frequently made conscious efforts to free himself from his anti-Jewish prejudices. At the age of twelve, he began visiting the Jew- ish Ghetto with the object of acquainting himself with Jewish customs and manners. For a time he even applied himself to the study of both Hebrew and Yiddish. How- ever, he never quite succeeded in learning Yid- dish. His only production in that tongue, The Jewish Sermon, containing but two Hebrew words and few idiomatic Yiddish ex- pressions, should be regarded, according to Professor Mark Waldman, as an attempt at being humorous rather than as a serious ren- dering of a Jewish legend. In his matured years, Goethe continued to stu dy Jewish history. Riemer, one of the most intimate friends of Goethe, said: Goethe had devoted himself to the study of the Jewish nation from its beginnings, had correctly grasped the typical Jewish char- acteristics and had put in the proper light the peculiar Jewish traits that fashioned its na- ture, constitution, and fate. Though this statement cannot be taken at its face value, yet it is evident that Goethe perseveringly and sincerely endeavored to comprehend the Jew- ish character. While it is indisputable that Goethe con- sciously attempted to fathom the Jewish soul, it is impossible for an impartial judge to agree with Riemer that Goethe succeeded in put- ting the peculiar Jewish traits in the proper light. Goethe ' s idea of the Jewish people is far from justifying Riemer ' s contention. Goethe regarded the Jewish people as a base.