When Mr. Hyman Meites, the printer, formulated his plans about five years ago to print a history of Jewish leaders and Jewish activities in Chicago, he had in mind a pure business undertaking. His calculation was that every civic leader who wants to see his accomplishments for the benefit of the masses noted down as a memorial for future generations, would certainly encourage such an enterprise. He also figured that a history of Jews of Chicago would be of great interest to Chicago Jews, who would love to possess such a valuable book. Mr. Meites, under no circumstances, could have foreseen that even before the work was properly started, the undertaking would outgrow him both in significance and purpose and take on a different aspect.

This is exactly what occurred now; it happened through an event that had absolutely nothing to do with the enterprise.

The event is the great celebration which the State of Illinois is sponsoring in honor of its century of existence as a member-state of the United States. The century mark will be reached this week. For the last several months much activity has been going on. Governor Lowden appointed a Centennial Commission to supervise the preparations for the great holiday. The State Historical Society is also very active. Beginning this week and until the end of October, there will be celebrations, expositions, spectacles, processions, and county fairs in various parts of the state in honor of the century jubilee of Illinois. Also the representatives and leaders of the many nationality [groups] of Illinois became greatly interested in this undertaking. Each one of them tries diligently to present before the world the part it played in the upbuilding of the great State of Illinois and to note it down everlastingly in the form of printed word, bronze plaques, statues, etc.....

No one of the Jews of Illinois responded, and apparently no one was interested to participate in the celebration. If the coming centennial 3celebration of Illinois would have been neglected by the Jews, it would have been a double injustice--an injustice on the part of Jews and an injustice to Jews. The Jewish communities in Illinois, consisting approximately of about 300,000 souls, who helped make Illinois what it is today, not only deserve to be mentioned at this opportunity, but are obliged for the sake of Jewish honor to participate equally with all the other nationalities represented at the celebration, in order that the world should not think that the Jews of Illinois for the last three generations have contributed so little as [not] to be worthwhile mentioning.

In the meantime, Mr. Meites continued with his work of preparing a history of Jewish activities in Chicago. He interested several well-to-do Jews, organized a small company, and produced remarkably clever "samples" of items, which the history of Jews of Chicago should contain. Under the capable editorship of Mr. Abraham A. Friedlander, several compositions were set up about Jews and Jewish activities in Illinois, and the articles have an 4historical value, mainly in so far as Jewish communal life is concerned. The gathered material points to the economic, political, and cultural development of the Jews and their participation in professions, commerce, and the education of youth. The material also describes the role played by Jews in the State at an earlier date, as well as during the times of President Lincoln.

So it turned out that Mr. Meites and his company prepared unintentionally all the necessary things with which the Jews of Illinois can participate in the centennial celebration without having to be ashamed before the other nationalities. On the contrary, when Governor Lowden saw the "samples" of the History of Jews of Illinois, which Mr. Meites presented to the Centennial Commission, he expressed great admiration and recommended the printing of a special parchment copy, which should remain for the future generations of the State. The Irish representatives became envious and immediately organized a committee to issue a similar work about the Irish.

Such was the manner in which the labors of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society fitted in the Illinois Centennial, but at the same time it [the publication of the work] ceased to be a private enterprise, outgrowing Mr. Meites' first plans and the plans of the small company which he undertook for business' sake.

We do not know what the financial operations of the business are. Until now there were possibly only "investments" and no more. Whether there will be any profits in the future we do not know. We are not acquainted with the financial prospects of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society. We are absolutely not interested in it. But what does interest us is that the enterprise should not be or remain a private undertaking.

A beautiful volume, excellently edited, nicely printed with notations about Jewish State institutions, with portraits of distinguished Jews in the State for the last three generations, is the handsomest contribution which 6the Jews of Illinois can make to the State's centennial celebration, but only when it is the enterprise of all the Jewish people and not the undertaking of an individual or a small company which does it for business' sake only.

This should be the enterprise of representatives of the Jewish communities of Illinois and especially Chicago, where four-fifths of the entire Jewish People of Illinois live.

If the undertaking is carried on as a private business, then it will never have the character of a contribution, at the present opportune time, which should befit the honor of the 300,000 Jews in the State.

It seems to us that Chicago's prominent Jews should get together with the small company and make the necessary arrangements through which the work will represent all the Jewish People at the Illinois Centennial Celebration.