See Exodus, 3:8; 6:8; Genesis, 12:5-7; Deuteronomy,
8:7-10; Hebrews, 11:9.
=his three years of probation=:--Mary Antin's father had spent three
years in America before sending back to Russia for his family.
=Polotzk=:--Pronounced P[=o]'lotsk; a town in Russia on the Dwina River.
=seven lean years=:--A reference to the famine in Egypt predicted by
Joseph, Pharaoh's Hebrew favorite. See Genesis, 40.
=Dvina=:--The Duena or Dwina River, in Russia.
=originally destined=:--Mr. Antin's parents had intended him to be a
scholar and teacher.
=Yiddish=:--From the German word _juedisch_, meaning Jewish; a mixed
language made up of German, Hebrew, and Russian words. It is generally
spoken by Jews.
=Chelsea=:--A suburb of Boston.
=Nemesis=:--In Greek mythology, a goddess of vengeance or punishment for
sins and errors.
=the sins of his fathers=:--See Exodus, 20:5; Numbers, 14:18;
Deuteronomy, 5:9.
=Elysian fields=:--In Greek thought, the home of the happy dead.
=Semitic=:--Jewish; from the name of Shem, the son of Noah.
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY
This selection gives the experience of a Jewish girl who came from
Polotzk, Russia, to Boston. Read rather slowly, with the help of these
questions: What is meant by "centuries of repression"? Is there no such
repression in America? How is it true that the Jew peddler "was born
thousands of years before the oldest native American"? What are the
educational advantages of a thickly populated neighborhood? What is your
idea of the slums? Why did the children expect every comfort to be
supplied? How much is really free in America? Is education free? How
does one secure an education in Russia? How are American machine-made
garments superior to those made by hand in Russia? Was it a good thing
to change the children's names? What effect does the sea have upon those
who live near it? What effect has a great change of environment on a
growing young person? What kind of person was Mrs.
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