392
PARTISAN REVIEW
"Why Ah!?"
"Good night, Momsy," says Marcia, kissing her.
Since the habits are formed speediest where necessity con·
strains and yet conscious and deliberate adjustment is embarrass·
ing or tedious, Martha has speedily and long ago learned the few
adjustments belonging particularly to Jews of a certain class of
money. The other hotel; not on this list; the right to more chic
and modernity, but please no associations with Betsy Ross in
tableaux or on committees. Of course habits learned by this
mechanism are subject to amazing breaches, when submerged
desire suddenly asserts itself and the son of Jacob becomes Bel·
mont or Ronnie becomes, as he is, an honorary colonel in the
militia. But on the whole, where money is so exchangeable, there
are very few special adjustments; for instance, they never even
came to Marcia's keen perception, especially since none of the
Jews whom she is so often with without knowing it, do not mention
them. Of course, on the other hand, in the more critical social
episodes, such as marriage-but forget that. And there are many
other meanings, archaically forgotten.
"Since you have to put up with the handicap whether you
like it or not," decides Mrs. Ronnie Morris, "why not make an
advantage of it, and be proud of it?" And at once she writes out
a check for a subscription to
The Menorah Journal,
the
Harper's
Monthly
of reformed Jews.
"Never heard such a stupid argument in my life!" says
Ronnie. He is very angry, like any one who has played the game
like a perfect gentleman and then finds that the other side goes too
far and calls his daughter an old·time Jew. "What's the use of
pretending
you're a Jew, when you're
not
a Jew?" he shouts.
"We are Jews. Don't shout," says Martha.
"I'll go to school and punch that brat's nose."
Martha says nothing.
"Do I pay $300 a year for him to tell Marcia that she's
a Jew?"
"But we are Jews," says Martha, with a new loyalty.
"Since when?" says Ronnie scientifically. "To be a Jew
means one of three things: It means first to belong to a certain
