hate, on the one side,—of cloaked revenge,
dissimulation, and hate, on the other, between our
and their fathers, must, and ought, to affect the
blood of the children. I cannot believe it can
run clear and kindly yet; or that a few fine words,
such as candour, liberality, the light of a nineteenth
century, can close up the breaches of so deadly a
disunion. A Hebrew is nowhere congenial to me.
He is least distasteful on ’Change—for
the mercantile spirit levels all distinctions, as
all are beauties in the dark. I boldly confess
that I do not relish the approximation of Jew and Christian,
which has become so fashionable. The reciprocal
endearments have, to me, something hypocritical and
unnatural in them. I do not like to see the Church
and Synagogue kissing and congeeing in awkward postures
of an affected civility. If they are converted,
why do they not come over to us altogether? Why
keep up a form of separation, when the life of it
is fled? If they can sit with us at table, why
do they keck at our cookery? I do not understand
these half convertites. Jews christianizing—Christians
judaizing—puzzle me. I like fish or
flesh. A moderate Jew is a more confounding piece
of anomaly than a wet Quaker. The spirit of the
synagogue is essentially separative. B——
would have been more in keeping if he had abided by
the faith of his forefathers. There is a fine
scorn in his face, which nature meant to be of ——
Christians. The Hebrew spirit is strong in him,
in spite of his proselytism. He cannot conquer
the Shibboleth. How it breaks out, when he sings,
“The Children of Israel passed through the Red
Sea!” The auditors, for the moment, are as Egyptians
to him, and he rides over our necks in triumph.
There is no mistaking him.—B——
has a strong expression of sense in his countenance,
and it is confirmed by his singing. The foundation
of his vocal excellence is sense. He sings with
understanding, as Kemble delivered dialogue. He
would sing the Commandments, and give an appropriate
character to each prohibition. His nation, in
general, have not ever-sensible countenances.
How should they?—but you seldom see a silly
expression among them. Gain, and the pursuit
of gain, sharpen a man’s visage. I never
heard of an idiot being born among them.—Some
admire the Jewish female physiognomy. I admire
it—but with trembling. Jael had those
full dark inscrutable eyes.
In the Negro countenance you will often meet with strong traits of benignity. I have felt yearnings of tenderness towards some of these faces—or rather masks—that have looked out kindly upon one in casual encounters in the streets and highways. I love what Fuller beautifully calls—these “images of God cut in ebony.” But I should not like to associate with them, to share my meals and my good-nights with them—because they are black.