Horses and coaches are doomed to go the way of all flesh even in the oldest of cities, Jerusalem.
The Holy City is now covered with a veritable network of modern motor-bus lines.
The number of horse drawn coaches (gharries) are rapidly decreasing. Some of the drivers earn barely enough to buy fodder for their horses; the rest earn at best a miserable living.
But they cling tenaciously to their calling and to their dilapidated vehicles–while their sons hang around the motor cars, hoping some day to become chauffeurs.
Quite softly, so that the leaders will not hear it, the following story goes the rounds in the Third Reich:
St. Peter announced to God that Field Marshal Von Hindenburg and Chancellor Hitler had arrived.
“I shall receive the gentlemen with the highest honors”, God said. “I lived through the War, too, and I know what is proper. Send them in.”
St. Peter led Hindenburg in. God arose and received him with every courtesy.
Then lovely Adolf came in. God was also very gracious to him, but remained seated.
When both visitors left, St. Peter asked God in astonishment.
“Why didn’t you rise when Hitler came in?”
To which the Lord replied:
“If I had stood up, Hitler would have seated himself on my throne!”
The following recently appeared in a Berlin daily:
“For the sake of truth the Reich Propaganda Ministry sends the following information…”
The next day one read in the same newspaper:
“The Reich Propaganda Ministry endeavors to inform us that our notice of yesterday is incorrect. The Reich Propaganda Ministry has never given any information in the interests of truth.”
Says the Latin American: “Germany becomes mindful of the prestige of her universities, in Latin America. Heidelberg, famous for its antiquity and renowned by the greatness of her faculties, announces that in view of the success that her courses for foreigners had last year, this year’s vacations will also be devoted fruitfully to the organization of special courses for foreign students and professors, and has invited Central Americans to avail themselves of these advantages.
“The university dissertations will be on these themes: German language. German science in general. Aspects of German cultural and social life. Political and social grounds of the German regeneration through National-Socialism.”
“In this way the foreign student is given an opportunity to delve into the social conditions and the trends prevailing in present day Germany. The University of Heidelberg has prepared to give Latin American students all kinds of facilities, comforts and reductions both as regards lodging and board and tuition charges, so that the average cost can be reckoned at no more than about fifty dollars per month. For traveling, there are steamship lines with one class tourist accommodations which are extremely inexpensive. The German Legation at Guatemala cordially invites all interested to write for information.” Say what one will, Germany is “thorough” and knows the value of propaganda.
A scholarly edition of the Mishnah, published at Oxford recently, is the work of an Anglican minister, Canon Danby of St. George’s. Jerusalem.
Strangely enough, Canon Danby is an authority on the sacred book of the Talmud. In his study, he is often consulted by the professors of the Hebrew University on the finer points of Jewish law. One of Canon Danby’s proudest possessions is a new typewriter containing Hebrew characters.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
