Memorial volume: Leo N. Levi

Introduction

The rendition of tribute to worth or greatness, is an attribute of advanced civilization, and in plastic marble, or responsive bronze, shaped by master hands, grateful Commonwealths often offer willing homage to their illustrious dead.

But the imposing statue also perpetuates the memory of the gifted artist, whose wondrous skill endows the lifeless material with majesty, dignity, and the expressive lineaments of the human form divine.

And thus the creator of the testimonial shares the fame of him, whose achievements are thereby commemorated.

But a loyal Brotherhood offers a more unique memorial of its affection and regard for its inspired chieftain.

It has sought no aid from the cultured imagination of mechanical proficiency of stranger or friend, but has designed a monument, every part of which, from base to summit, is fashioned from material supplied by the intellect and industry of him it attempts to honor.

Upon these pages, the sayings of a man born to lead, and fruitful in accomplishment, are faithfully transcribed. They bear incontrovertible testimony to the thoroughness and profundity of his knowledge; the wide range of his culture; his invincible logic; his faultless diction; his mastery of every subject he studied.

They reveal his breadth of mind; his freedom from prejudice; his buoyant optimism ; his broad cosmopolitanism, as well as his unfaltering patriotism and devotion to his country.

They chronicle his constant, sympathetic regard for the ailing and dependent of his own race ; his exalted conception of duty ; his consecration of his strongest efforts to the best interest of humanity at large ; his fealty to the faith of his fathers ; and his unswerving allegiance to the .beneficent Order he so conspicuously led to victory and success.

It is singular that a man so lavishly gifted with the higher qualities of intellectual and moral manhood, — strikingly fitted to win distinction in the most exalted of official stations ; qualified to direct the policy of governments ; and equal to any responsibility which might be imposed upon him by his country, — did not, at any time, seek political preferment, or make any demands upon the suffrages of his fellow-man.

Neither the glittering baubles, nor the substantial advantages of wealth had for him any allurements; he valued money, not as the end of effort, but solely as a means of doing good, and would not devote his time nor energies to its mere accumulation.

The plaudits of the multitude never instilled in him ambition for place or power; never tempted him to swerve from the pathway to the goal which was his ultimate aim. He was never dazzled by the seductive zeal of the theorist, but always safe and sane, he deliberately selected his field of duty, and within its environments there was none to excel him.

Gradually, by the very force and strength of his character his sphere of operations was naturally enlarged, and when the civilized world was startled by the horrible crimes perpetuated upon the innocent and unoffending at Kischineff, Bessarabia, Russia, on the 19th of April, 1903, he then, as the executive of the greatest secular organization of Jews in America, displayed the highest qualities of the statesman in endeavoring to solve the grave and absorbing problems thus presented, made available the moral force engendered by enlightened public sentiment aroused to the condemnation of outrage and wrong, and by his consummate ability achieved international renown.

It was his crowning aspiration, after making sufficient provision for his loved ones, to consecrate his labors to the betterment of mankind.

INTRODUCTION AND BIOGRAPHY. J

To aid in the accomplishment of his purpose, nature had served him well. He was tall in stature, and had the carriage and build of an athlete; a massive brow gave evidence of his powerful intellect, while his steady, penetrating, but kindly eyes, finely molded features and attractive personality, easily enchained attention.

It was an unalloyed pleasure to listen to the resonant tones of his cultivated voice, which could easily reach the limit of the largest auditoriums, and which, at his will, could persuade and arouse to enthusiasm, the delighted hearers.

He left no topic unembellished ; was never, in any discussion, at a loss for the proper word ; and his capacity as a debater and controversialist was remarkable. He did not know how to flatter, but sought to influence by the rectitude of his motives, and the convincing power of his talents.

And he was equally facile with his pen. And thus, to take him all in all, he had no superior in his time and generation.

He was singularly gifted as an after-dinner speaker, equal to any emergency, responding to every demand without effort or preparation, and commanding applause on every occasion, but no attempt has been made to reproduce here any of his extemporaneous addresses.

It is not the purpose to extend the dimensions of this volume by incorporating herein his speeches, or essays, of mere local interest.

The celebrated "Kischineff Petition" was wholly prepared by him and is herewith appended:

"To His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Russia:

The cruel outrages perpetrated at Kischineff during Easter of 1903 have excited horror and reprobation throughout the world. Until your Majesty gave special and personal directions the local authorities failed to maintain order or suppress the rioting. The victims were Jews, and the assault was the result of race and religious prejudice. The rioters violated the laws of Russia.

The local officials were derelict in the performance of their duty.

The Jews were the victims of indefensible lawlessness.

These facts are made plain by the official reports of, and by the official acts following, the riot.

Under ordinary conditions the awful calamity would be deplored without undue fear of a recurrence. But such is not the case in the present instance. Your petitioners are advised that millions of Jews, Russian subjects, dwelling in Southwestern Russia, are in constant dread of fresh outbreaks.

They feel that ignorance, superstition and bigotry, as exemplified by the rioters, are ever ready to persecute them; that the local officials, unless thereunto specially admonished, cannot be relied on as strenuous protectors of their peace and security; that a public sentiment of hostility has been engendered against them and hangs over them as a continuing menace.

Even if it is conceded that these fears are to some extent exaggerated, it is unquestionable that they exist, that they are not groundless, and that they produce effects of great importance.

The westward migration of Russian Jews, which has proceeded for over twenty years, is being stimulated by these fears, and already that movement has become so great as to overshadow in magnitude the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and to rank with the exodus from Egypt.

No estimate is possible of the misery suffered by the hapless Jews who feel driven to forsake their native land, to sever the most sacred ties, and to wander forth to strange countries.

Neither is it possible to estimate the misery suffered by those who are unwilling or unable to leave the land of their birth, who must part from friends and relatives who emigrate, who remain in never ending terror.

Religious persecution is more sinful and more fatuous than war. War is sometimes necessary, honorable and just; religious persecution is never defensible.

The sinfulness and folly which give impulse to unnecessary war received their greatest check when your Majesty's initiative resulted in an international court of peace.

With such an example before it the civilized world cherishes the hope that upon the same initiative there shall be fixed in the early days of the twentieth century the enduring principles of religious liberty; that by a gracious and convincing expression your Majesty will proclaim, not only for the government of your own subjects, but also for the guidance of all civilized men, that none shall suffer in person, property, liberty, honor or life because of his religious belief; that the humblest subject or citizen may worship according to the dictates of his own conscience, and that government, whatever its former agencies, must safeguard these rights and immunities by the exercise of all its powers.

Far removed from your Majesty's dominions, living under different conditions and owing allegiance to another Government, your petitioners yet venture, in the name of civilization, to plead for religious liberty and tolerance ; to plead that he who led his own people and all others to the shrine of peace will add new lustre to his reign and fame by leading a new movement that shall commit the whole world in opposition to religious persecutions."

On July 14th, 1903, this impressive document was, by the order of President Roosevelt, cabled, without alteration, to the American Charge d' Affaires at St. Petersburg, with a letter of introduction signed by Secretary Hay. The petition had nearly thirteen thousand signatures.

Subsequently, the petition, with the signatures, was bound in a suitable volume, and on October 5, 1903, transmitted to the Secretary of State, accompanied by a communication from him, as President of the Executive Committee, from which we make the following extract:

"For all time to come, it will testify to the love of justice, humanity and liberty which moved the President to give it countenance and its signers to father it. It stands as the verdict of the whole people condemning the denial of religious liberty,

IO INTRODUCTION AND BIOGRAPHY.

and upholding the President in asserting that condemnation. If it be without precedent, it is the more precious for becoming one. Civilization made a distinct and notable advance when a great nation of eighty millions of people, speaking not only through its official head, but also through its most representative citizens in their individual capacities, served notice on the world that those who are made to suffer martyrdom for conscience's sake, wherever they may abide, have friends and sympathizers in this country. Such an example will not be lost. The oppressor will hereafter pause before he strikes, and his victim will be saved from utter despair by the consciousness that the voice of humanity will be raised in his behalf.

"In this view, the services rendered by the President, his advisers and the people generally, are not to be measured by the benefits conferred upon the Jews alone. This is one of the oftrecurring cases in which the Jews, by their misfortunes, have led the world to a just appreciation of the truths of which they are the devoted missionaries.

"In every part of the world where Jews are to be found there is thanksgiving because the President and you and the entire American people have championed the cause of the oppressed.

"Everywhere admiration has been excited, and in this country the people are proud of the courageous humanity which has been displayed."

On October 31, 1903, the Honorable John Hay, one of the greatest statesmen of the United States, universally loved and honored throughout this great land of liberty, made the following remarkable acknowledgment:

"October 31, 1903.

"Leo N. Levi, Esquire, President of the Executive Committee of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith, 723 Lexington Avenue, New York, N. Y.

"My dear Sir: —

"I have received at the hands of the Honorable Simon Wolf,

INTRODUCTION AND BIOGRAPHY. II

your letter of the 5th of October. He has also delivered to me the bound copy of the Kischineff Petition.

"It gives me pleasure to accept the charge of this important and significant document, and assign it a place in the archives of the Department of State.

"Although this copy of your petition did not reach the high destination for which it was intended, its words have attained a world-wide publicity, and have found a lodgment in many thousands of minds. This petition will be always memorable, not only for what it contains, but also for the number and weight of the signatures attached to it, embracing some of the most eminent names of our generation, of men renowned for intelligence, philanthropy and public spirit. In future, when the students of history come to peruse this document, they will wonder how the petitioners, moved to profound indignation by intolerable wrongs perpetrated on the innocent and helpless, should have expressed themselves in language so earnest and eloquent and yet so dignified, so moderate and decorous. It is a valuable addition to public literature, and it will be sacredly cherished among the treasures of this Department. I am, Very respectfully yours,

(Sd.) JOHN HAY."

A brief sketch of the life of this great man, prepared by a friend of many years duration, and the Rabbi of the Congregation at Galveston of which he was a member, Dr. Henry Cohn, is herewith appended.

JOSEPH HIRSH,

January 15, 1907. Vicksburg, Miss.

In New York City, at the dawn of day, on Wednesday, January 13th, 1904, all that was mortal of Leo N. Levi passed away. His death came as a terrible shock to his friends and acquaintances ; to his wife and children, brothers and sisters, it was as if the sun was obscured at noon-day.

Mr. Levi was a born leader. Rising from the ranks, he mastered every position he held, and there was no situation that confronted him but to which he was equal. His fine diplomacy in the preparation of the Kishineff Petition, which was immediately accepted as framed, and its subsequent presentation to Russia, through the services of President Roosevelt and the late John Hay, is an instance of his acumen. "You are a great diplomat, Mr. Levi," said Mr. Hay, upon the former's suggesting the cablegram to Riddle at St. Petersburg as the best meaas of reaching the Czar, "and would make a great ambassador." To bring order out of chaos, whether he were dealing with communal, civic, or political problems, was his strong point. In numerous instances he saved the day for his people with honor to himself and to the cause he represented. "A great man," said President Roosevelt of him. Yea, we had no greater!

Leo N. Levi was born in Victoria, Texas, September 15th, 1856, one of a family of six children of Abraham and Mina Levi. Abraham Levi (born, Alsace 1822 ; died, Victoria, Texas, November 30th, 1902) and settled in Victoria in 1849, engaging in mercantile pursuits. Having received the school education afforded by his native town, Leo, then a promising youth of sixteen, matriculated at the University of Virginia, where, after a brilliant college career, he was graduated in Law. He gained, among other University distinctions, the medal for the best University Magazine article, and the debater's medal — a coveted prize then, as it is now. It was while pursuing his college course that his courage and manliness, portending so much for his future, were first put on trial. As has often happened to our co-religionists, he was taunted with being a Jew, and he resented it verbally and physically. He won the admiration of his quondam antagonists (some of whom afterwards became his life-long friends) by his attitude; and when he passed through the portals of "Old Virginia," there was not a fellow student but thought it an honor to clasp his hand.

In 1876, Leo N. Levi, fresh from his University laurels, entered the law office of Flournoy & Scott, at Galveston, Texas, within easy distance of the parental roof at Victoria. Proving a most valuable asset to that prominent firm, he was offered a partnership, which he accepted. In 1877, he married Miss Ray Bachrach, the love of his college days, at Charlottsville, Va., and at the time of his sad demise, he had six surviving children. Making Galveston his home, he became, life and soul, a part of his environment, working for the best interests of his city, county, and state. Upon the retirement of the head of the law concern, with which he was connected, the firm, under the name of Scott & Levi, and subsequently Scott, Levi & Smith, was one of the best known, and most trusted legal establishments in the State. Mr. Levi resided in Galveston for 23 years (1876- 1899), taking laudable interest in all municipal affairs, and on many occasions of grave importance to the city, he was called upon to plead its cause before the Legislative bodies of the State. Such tasks he cheerfully undertook, often at great inconvenience to himself, and at the sacrifice of his own business interests. And Galveston, the city of his adoption, recognizing his talent and worth, was not slow to do him honor. When the late President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, visited the port for a formal celebration, the city asked Leo N. Levi and two other gentlemen to travel some distance to meet him, and also to be his constant companion during his stay. A clear thinker, a most eloquent and fearless speaker, a remarkable logician, he served his clients, individuals and corporations, with unswerving fidelity; and he was known far and wide as a true lawyer and a sound jurist. He was a faithful exponent of honorable citizenship. He never aspired to political preferment, although his exceptional abilities were always enlisted in the cause of good government.

His public life did not lessen his allegiance to his co-religionists, to whom he was ever an able guide, and with whom he was an enthusiastic worker. In 1887, he was elected President of Congregation B'nai Israel at Galveston, and retained the office until his departure for New York. During those twelve years and prior to that, he affiliated with every local charitable, educational and social institution, occupying in all of them, at one time or another, positions of honor and responsibility. Intellectual culture among his brethren was very dear to him, and only second to the desire he had for the amelioration of the condition of the oppressed Israelites all over the world. It was in Galveston that he became a member of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith, a Jewish fraternal Organization, whose sphere extends to the four quarters of the globe. In due course he was elected president of District No. 7 of that Order, comprising seven southern states, and more than once he received engrossed testimonials setting forth his usefulness to his district Grand Lodge. In 1900, at the Constitution Grand Lodge in Chicago, Leo N. Levi was chosen President of the whole Order succeeding Mr. Julius Bien, who had then retired from the presidency to fill the position of Foreign Chancellor. As the head of the I. O. B. B., Mr. Levi was particularly influential in the appeal of the United States government to Roumania, in connection with the abominable Jewish policy of that kingdom and subsequently presented to President Roosevelt the protest addressed to the Russian Government, consequent upon the horrible massacre at Kishineff. In the conferences pending these negotiations Mr. Levi had several personal interviews with the President of the United States. The cable to the U. S. ambassador at St. Petersburg, a collaboration of John Hay and Leo N. Levi, embodying the Kishineff Petition, which Mr. Levi wrote himself, f will go down to history, and if the latter had accomplished nothing else in his life than the work incident upon this unique circumstance, notwithstanding the Czar's refusal to receive the matchless document, he would have served his life's purpose. But apart from this occurrence, his services to the I. O. B. B. and through this organization to the Jews of this country were

' inestimable. As has been said above, Leo N. Levi was a noted speaker, having lectured in many states of the Union and on varied subjects. In 1899 he delivered the Commencement Lecture at the State University at Austin, "The Successful Life," which was acclaimed to be the best address ever heard within the walls of that institution, and which the faculty use today in

r the classical department, as a specimen of inspiring thought and lofty diction.

A devoted husband and father, an energetic worker in humanity's cause, an ideal and an inspiration to thousands of his fellow citizens, he was stricken down in the midst of a career whose usefulness gave promise of increase with years. But we know nothing; and subject to an inscrutable Providence, we can only bow our head in resignation, and pay this poor tribute to one whose like we shall not see again.

Ascend Thou to heaven thou worthy son of Abraham ! Thou art mourned by hundreds of thousands ! Thy life has been well spent! Abide with Thy Maker to all eternity!

HENRY COHEN.

Galveston, Texas, May 15th, 1906.

ADDRESS OF ACCEPTANCE.

Bro. Leo N. Levi, in accepting the position, spoke as follows : Brethren of the Convention: I thank you for this great honor — for honor indeed it is. The feelings which arise in my breast engender a fear that I have taken upon myself a burden under which I shall stagger, if not fall. I told you last night I had little respect for mere words, and I shall vindicate that declaration by saying but little here now, and what I do say will be in the line of the performance of my duty. You are about to follow the election of your President by the election of other officers who are to co-operate with him and work with him in attaining the mission of our Order. I say to you and I say to them that I shall receive any expressions of discontent, any criticism of any remissness that is personal to myself with tenderness, with gentleness and with a forgiving spirit. But I say to you upon this solemn and, I believe, historic occasion, that the man who is associated with me or subordinated to me who fails or falters in his duty to the Order will find me as unrelenting and as severe as if I commanded an army in the face of a dangerous foe. I said to one who will probably be on the Executive Committee, and I repeat it now, that if at any time during my administration a single member of that Committee by reason of his business engagements, sickness or other cause fails to perform the duties of his office, I shall expect his resignation, and if it is not forthcoming, I shall ask it, and I make that announcement to you now because I don't want to then be accused of autocracy or of despotism. I make the declaration now because I want your sanction to that declaration of policy, and if you dissent from it, I want a declaration of dissent. I make the declaration now because I want you to bear it in mind when you select the members of your Executive Committee, and I want the

ADDRESS OF ACCEPTANCE. 17

candidates for those positions to keep it in their minds when they accept the responsibility. If I stand on the bridge of your vessel in the storm and in the calm to guide her on her course, I want to know that my mates, my engineers and my crew are equally vigilant and equally diligent in the performance of the duties that are assigned to them, and I shall exact it.

It has been said that we are entering upon a new era in the destiny of the Jew. I believe that, I believe it firmly. I stated years ago that I believed that the salvation of Judaism was the American-born Jew. I have traveled over this land and I find our young men and our young women, unversed as they are in the old traditional forms and ceremonies, strangers to the ritual around which cling so many tender memories in the minds of our older people, yet animated, inspired and uplifted by the quickening love which they bear to the old ancestral faith, and craving for media of expression for that feeling. They seek it in good works, in charitable deeds, in the amelioration of the condition of our f ellowmen ; and I believe that when we bring to them the mission which has sustained us so long, when we make apparent to them that here is the field for their activity, that we will gain from them that co-operation, in the need of which we so sorely stand. But we must carry our wares to them, we must inspire them with the courage that has sustained us, and with the infusion of new spirit and new energy and new aspiration create a new epoch, not for ourselves but for the people for whom this Order stands. And it does stand for the people — the greatest organiztion among the Jews known in the history of the world, spread over all the world, conducted by its representative men, it stands for the Jew and for Judaism. And, filled with that conviction can you wonder that, strong man as I am and well balanced as I am, for that quality has been attributed to me, that I assume the position of your leader with a faltering heart, with a faltering tongue. I know the responsibility. I know the weight that I have taken upon myself, and I know how much it behooves me and you to invoke the aid of Almighty God and the loving and loyal co-operation of every man who has enlisted under the banner of the B'nai B'rith — not because it will do him good, not because it will glorify him, but because it will do good to those that need good ; because the voice of music in him sings in good deeds — good deeds always and ever and at whatever sacrifice.

I will accept yoar leadership on this platform and with that pledge from you, and I will carry on the work as long as I have the power to do so and the capacity to do so and the opportunity to do so ; and as long as you stand by me in that work I pledge you this — I pledge you this — that I shall watch myself even more closely than I do you, and if ever there comes the time when by reason of my business engagements, of physical infirmity, or whatever it may be, I cannot devote to this work what it deserves, I shall demand the resignation of your President.

I remember one of the most impressive incidents in the history of Germany, when Field Marshal Von Moltke went to the Emperor and said: "Sire, I tender my resignation. I can no longer mount my horse." It was the magnificent spectacle of the soldier and the patriot who set duty up above all other things. And whenever any consideration makes it impossible for me to put my foot in the stirrup and leap into the saddle, I shall follow his example. We have had a noble exhibition of that spirit here today; and it is with the greatest pleasure that I advert to the great services and the long services which we have enjoyed at the hands of him who now retires from the chief executiveship of this Order, with all the glory and magnificence of the setting sun. (Great applause.) As I witnessed the scene here this morning and thought of myself as the successor of that man who has laid down the sceptre of power, I was reminded of the tree which grows where I spent most of the years of my life, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico — the salt cedar — that grows best in storm and stress of weather, and at last, when, succumbing to the inroads of time and the assaults of the elements it bends to the earth to give wp its life, there shoots from its side as it reclines on the ground, new roots from which springs a fresh and vigorous growth. And 60, sir (addressing Bro. Bien), I say to you that your work is not ended with your retirement, for from those works, from those achievements there will spring a growth of

ADDRESS OF ACCEPTANCE. 19

vigorous trees that will arise from the roots that you have planted. (Great applause.)

Now, my friends, I thank you for all that is personal in this election — and for nothing else. I do not consider the honor, I consider the burden. If I live long enough to meet you five years from now, and if I can say to you in the official reports and warranted by the official facts, that I have achieved something, I want that to be my eulogy and nothing else.

I thank you. (Great applause.)

THE MODERN DISPERSION.

Address delivered at Wilson Street Temple, Cleveland, Ohio, May 17, 1903, by Leo N. Levi, during the convention of District Grand Lodge No. 2, I. O. B. B.

The full importance of contemporary events is rarely appreciated. History remains to most men a sealed book unless it deals with the remote past. The rulers and teachers, the sages and prophets, are those who are able to measure present occurrences in the light of the past, and foresee the future in the light of both.

Every Jewish child knows and understands the story of the Exodus ; of the Babylonian captivity ; of the Asmonean wars ; of the destruction of Jerusalem; of the Diaspora; of the expulsion from Spain. Each of these epochs furnishes materials for a sublime epic, and the materials have been freely employed by poets and minstrels.

The heroism of achievement and endurance, so prominent in Jewish history, appeals to all men strongly, to the Jews irresistibly. At some time in the life of every manly boy he has deplored that he did not live in the age of chivalry ; that he was denied the triumphs and glories of knight-errantry. The manly Jew at all times envies those who were enabled against Egyptian, Babylonian, Syrian-, Roman or Spaniard, to exhibit in action or martyrdom the indestructible spirit of his race. There is a peculiar charm about past occurrences. They come, filtered, to us through the souls of historians, poets, artists and musicians. Their odious features have been eliminated, and what is left offers no offense to the aesthetic or artistic sense.