The Jewish protest against studying the Shakespearean drama, The Merchant of Venice, in the public schools of Chicago is evidently a just protest, not only from a Jewish view point, but also a gentile viewpoint.

The study of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice should be barred from all public schools, just as the study of the Bible and all religious instruction was eliminated. We have seen that whenever an attempt was made to teach the Bible and religion in the public schools, much dissension ensued.

The public school is an institution for the whole nation. Since there are not two sects who interpret the Bible in the same manner, many disputes would naturally arise because of these different opinions.

That is why the wise men of our nation decided not to teach the Bible or any kind of religion in our public schools. Shylock is a Jewish character who 2never existed. It was the great talent of Shakespeare that created this Jew in his drama, showing the blood-thirsty Jew cutting a pound of flesh from his fellow man. This blood thirstiness, we know, is not characteristic of the Jew. As a matter of fact, it was later found that a Christian cut a pound of flesh out of a Jew from which the Jew died. But Shakespeare reversed the situation in his drama to suit himself.

We, therefore, urge the Jews of Chicago to raise their voices in protest against teaching this Shakespearean drama in the public schools. Get in touch with the school board, and prevail upon them not to teach Shylock in the Chicago public schools.