The papers of Monday published a British protest against -the
." blood accusation" in Russia. A Jew at Kieff is accused of the murder of a Christian boy, and some Christian fanatics
are formally pressing an entirely extraneous charge that the boy was killed in order that his blood might be used for Jewish ceremonial purposes. Such a charge is based on pure ignorance, prejudice, and superstition, and, as the protest says, is a relic of the days of witchcraft and black magic. The mere assertion of it might easily cause a revival of the horrible Jewish persecutions of the past. Religious minorities other than Jews have been victimized by the "blood accusa- tion "—for example, the early Christians, the Quakers, and Christian missionaries in China. The British protest is signed by the two Archbishops, by leading statesmen of both parties, and by some of the most distinguished men in every depart- ment of life.
