Israel Zangwill. The Melting-Pot
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WORKS OF ISRAEL ZANGWILL
THE MELTING-POT
THE AMERICAN JEWISH BOOK COMPANY
NEW YORK 1921
THE MELTING-POT
COPYRIGHT, 1909, 1914, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Printed by
THE LORD BALTIMORE PRESS Baltimore, Md.
TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT
IN RESPECTFUL RECOGNITION OF HIS STRENUOUS STRUGGLE AGAINST THE
FORCES THAT THREATEN TO SHIPWRECK THE GREAT REPUBLIC WHICH CARRIES MANKIND AND ITS FORTUNES, THIS PLAY IS, BY HIS KIND PERMISSION, CORDIALLY DEDICATED
The rights of performing or publishing this play in any country
or language are strictly reserved by the author.
THE CAST
[As first produced at the Columbia Theatre, Washington, on the fifth of
October 1908]
David Quixano WALKER WHITESIDE
Mendel Quixano HENRY BERGMAN
Baron Revendal JOHN BLAIR
Quincy Davenport, Jr. GRANT STEWART
Herr Pappelmeister HENRY VOGEL
Vera Revendal CHRYSTAL HERNE
Baroness Revendal LEONORA VON OTTINGER
Frau Quixano LOUISE MULDENER
Kathleen O'Reilly MOLLIE REVEL
Settlement Servant ANNIE HARRIS
Produced by HUGH FORD
[As first produced by the Play Actors at the Court Theatre, London on
the twenty-fifth of January 1914]
David Quixano HAROLD CHAPIN
Mendel Quixano HUGH TABBERER
Baron Revendal H. LAWRENCE LEYTON
Quincy Davenport, Jr. P. PERCEVAL CLARK
Herr Pappelmeister CLIFTON ALDERSON
Vera Revendal PHYLLIS RELPH
Baroness Revendal GILLIAN SCAIFE
Frau Quixano INEZ BENSUSAN
Kathleen O'Reilly E. NOLAN O'CONNOR
Settlement Servant RUTH PARROTT
Produced by NORMAN PAGE
Act I
The scene is laid in the living-room of the small home of the
QUIXANOS in the Richmond or non-Jewish borough of New York, about
five o'clock of a February afternoon. At centre back is a double
street-door giving on a columned veranda in the Colonial style.
Nailed on the right-hand door-post gleams a Mezuzah, a tiny
metal case, containing a Biblical passage. On the right of the
door is a small hat-stand holding MENDEL'S overcoat, umbrella,
etc. There are two windows, one on either side of the door, and
three exits, one down-stage on the left leading to the stairs and
family bedrooms, and two on the right, the upper leading to
KATHLEEN'S bedroom and the lower to the kitchen. Over the street
door is pinned the Stars-and-Stripes. On the left wall, in the
upper corner of which is a music-stand, are bookshelves of large
mouldering Hebrew books, and over them is hung a Mizrach, or
Hebrew picture, to show it is the East Wall. Other pictures round
the room include Wagner, Columbus, Lincoln, and "Jews at the
Wailing place." Down-stage, about a yard from the left wall,
stands DAVID'S roll-desk, open and displaying a medley of music,
a quill pen, etc. On the wall behind the desk hangs a book-rack
with brightly bound English books. A grand piano stands at left
centre back, holding a pile of music and one huge Hebrew tome.
There is a table in the middle of the room covered with a red
cloth and a litter of objects, music, and newspapers. The
fireplace, in which a fire is burning, occupies the centre of the
right wall, and by it stands an armchair on which lies another
heavy mouldy Hebrew tome. The mantel holds a clock, two silver
candlesticks, etc. A chiffonier stands against the back wall on
the right. There are a few cheap chairs. The whole effect is a
curious blend of shabbiness, Americanism, Jewishness, and music,
all four being combined in the figure of MENDEL QUIXANO, who, in
a black skull-cap, a seedy velvet jacket, and red
carpet-slippers, is discovered standing at the open street-door.
He is an elderly music master with a fine Jewish face,
pathetically furrowed by misfortunes, and a short grizzled
beard.
MENDEL
Good-bye, Johnny!... And don't forget to practise your scales.
[Shutting door, shivers.] Ugh! It'll snow again, I guess.
[He yawns, heaves a great sigh of relief, walks toward the
table, and perceives a music-roll.] The chump! He's forgotten his music!
[He picks it up and runs toward the window on the left,
muttering furiously] Brainless, earless, thumb-fingered Gentile!
[Throwing open the window] Here, Johnny! You can't practise your scales if you leave 'em here!
[He throws out the music-roll and shivers again at the cold as
he shuts the window.] Ugh! And I must go out to that miserable dancing class to scrape the rent together.
[He goes to the fire and warms his hands.] Ach Gott! What a life! What a life!
[He drops dejectedly into the armchair. Finding himself sitting
uncomfortably on the big book, he half rises and pushes it to the
side of the seat. After an instant an irate Irish voice is heard
from behind the kitchen door.]
KATHLEEN [Without]
Divil take the butther! I wouldn't put up with ye, not for a hundred dollars a week.
MENDEL [Raising himself to listen, heaves great sigh]
Ach! Mother and Kathleen again!
KATHLEEN [Still louder]
Pots and pans and plates and knives! Sure 'tis enough to make a saint chrazy.
FRAU QUIXANO [Equally loudly from kitchen]
Wos schreist du? Gott in Himmel, dieses Amerika!
KATHLEEN [Opening door of kitchen toward the end of FRAU QUIXANO'S
speech, but turning back, with her hand visible on the door] What's that ye're afther jabberin' about America? If ye don't like God's own counthry, sure ye can go back to your own Jerusalem, so ye can.
MENDEL
One's very servants are anti-Semites.
KATHLEEN [Bangs her door as she enters excitedly, carrying a folded
white table-cloth. She is a young and pretty Irish
maid-of-all-work] Bad luck to me, if iver I take sarvice again with haythen Jews.
[She perceives MENDEL huddled up in the armchair, gives a little
scream, and drops the cloth.] Och, I thought ye was out!
MENDEL [Rising]
And so you dared to be rude to my mother.
KATHLEEN [Angrily, as she picks up the cloth]
She said I put mate on a butther-plate.
MENDEL
Well, you know that's against her religion.
KATHLEEN
But I didn't do nothing of the soort. I ounly put butther on a mate-plate.
MENDEL
That's just as bad. What the Bible forbids--
KATHLEEN [Lays the cloth on a chair and vigorously clears off the
litter of things on the table.] Sure, the Pope himself couldn't remimber it all. Why don't ye have a sinsible religion?
MENDEL
You are impertinent. Attend to your work.
[He seats himself at the piano.]
KATHLEEN