Bidspirit auction | The Dreyfus Scroll - A

The Dreyfus Scroll - A rare publication in the form of a biblical-style narrative, issued at the height of the affair, proposing the establishment of a “Dreyfus Purim” for generations. New York, 1898 - Megilat Dreyfus, אדער דער געשיכטע פון זיין אונגשולדיקייט - oder der geshikhte fun zayn ungshuldikeyt - The Dreyfus Scroll - the story of an innocent man. By Moshe Seifert. Published by the Hebrew Publishing Company. New York, 1898 - First edition. “With 18 magnificent illustrations.” The Dreyfus Affair in three languages - Yiddish, French, English. A rare publication, primarily in Yiddish, issued at the height of the affair before Dreyfus’s exoneration, while he was still imprisoned on Devil’s Island. Includes an interesting section under the title “Dreyfus Purim, ” predicting that “the unexpected Jewish captain Alfred Dreyfus will surely be freed from the grave in which the antisemites have buried him...”. Extremely rare. “The sad story of the Jewish Captain Alfred Dreyfus is among the greatest scandals of the present century. Not only is the entire press of the civilized world occupied with this tragic case almost daily, there is also a whole literature devoted to the fate of the unfortunate captain, and in nearly every language we find complete books and numerous non-scholarly works that recount, more or less faithfully, the story of his suffering... Even more distressing is the fact that such a terrible scandal could have taken place in France... Yet no one in the world still believes that Captain Dreyfus is guilty. Now even his bitterest opponents admit that he was merely an innocent victim of a band of fanatical antisemites. All over the world, people protest his imprisonment and demand justice for him...” (from the introduction). At the height of the Dreyfus Affair, before his exoneration and while he was serving his sentence on Devil’s Island for a crime he did not commit, Rehmeter Perl and the publisher J. Katzenelbogen arrived in America and, through a joint effort, brought the story of the Dreyfus Affair to the American public by means of illustrations described in English, French, and in parallel in Yiddish. The Yiddish text is written in a biblical style and is the most extensive, opening with the words: “And it came to pass in the year 1894..., ” and continuing with phrases such as “And his companions envied him, ” “And the work began, ” “Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all, ” in reference to the efforts of his wife, Lucie Dreyfus, to secure his release and bring the truth to light, and so on. The French and English texts recount the affair in a “dry” manner, without taking a clear position. In contrast, the Yiddish text, intended for a Jewish readership, is full of explicit viewpoint and commentary interwoven into the narrative of events. Thus, for example, we find in the Yiddish text: “The figure of Alfred Dreyfus played but a small role in their designs; as bitter antisemites, they wished to see all Israel embodied in him. It must be said that they sought to claim that all Jewish officers in the French army were liars, swindlers, cheats, and traitors. They knew well that, because of the naivety of the French, it would be very difficult for the French people to resist such ideas, if only they could succeed in casting some suspicion upon Captain Dreyfus. For a long time, these two cowards racked their cunning minds, thinking and thinking how to harm the brave captain...”. Similarly, the pact of malice formed by Édouard Drumont and his associates - “the leaders of the antisemites” - against Dreyfus is described in a sharp and biting tone, alongside the gradual accumulation of evidence in his favor. The story of the affair is presented in full detail from its very beginning, when the learned French officer Alfred Dreyfus became an Alsatian officer in the French army; the plot of du Paty and Henry to strip him of his rank; the forged document; the biased trial and Dreyfus’s sentence; and his deportation to Devil’s Island to serve punishment for crimes he never committed. It continues with the new revelations brought by Picquart, the struggle of Émile Zola (described as “the greatest writer of the present century”) on behalf of Dreyfus, the forgery of documents by Henry, Esterhazy’s flight to Germany, and the growing body of evidence in Dreyfus’s favor. The narrative concludes with a passage opening with the words “Arise, for your light has come, ” in which the author addresses Dreyfus himself, who at that time was still imprisoned on Devil’s Island, and announces that he will return to his greatness and that his sword will be restored to him: “Do you hear the murmur of the blue waves of the ocean? It is the love that forty-five million Frenchmen send to you, their faithful brother, and there, behind - just look! - like a piece of glowing gold rising upon the sun and sending its deep and loving rays upon your innocent wife. Ah! Trumpet! Marching music!