These facts are all on the credit side of the proposition that the Jew is a good and orderly citizen. Summed up, they certify that he is quiet, peaceable, industrious, unaddicted to high crimes and brutal dispositions; that his family life is commendable; that he is not a burden upon public charities; that he is not a beggar; that in benevolence he is above the reach of competition. These are the very quint-essentials of good citizenship.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Statistics show Jews are quiet, peaceful, hardworking, and not a burden, embodying good citizenship.
- In plain terms
- Jewish people exhibit traits of good citizens.
- What can you take from it?
- Positive civic traits are attributed to Jews statistically.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do statistics capture individual differences?
- How can positive stereotypes be harmful?
Another view
Attributing traits to a whole group can be reductive.
More from Samuel Langhorne Clemens
A Jewish beggar is not impossible, perhaps; such a thing may exist, but there are few men that can say they have seen that spectacle.
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