The Melting-Pot

Israel Zangwill. The Melting-Pot

Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

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.