scholarly layman among us,” comforted his friend by pointing out the
value of displaying the few unearthed artifacts along those of other ancient
peoples. Like Schiff he believed that the Jewish position would be
strengthened by intensifying public awareness of the historical importance
of Jews.^108
The Harvard venture netted Schiff close friendships with Professors
Lyon and Crawford Toy and a warm and lasting association with President
Eliot. Outwardly, Schiff and Eliot were a study in contrasts—the immi-
grant and the descendant of the early Puritans, the businessman and the ac-
ademic, a Jew and a foremost WASP. Yet they genuinely enjoyed each
other’s company. On long walks in Bar Harbor, Maine, where Schiff vaca-
tioned near Eliot’s house, and in a rich correspondence they discussed all
sorts of matters, from business ethics to conservation, from world diplo-
macy to infant feeding. In the unfortunate James Loeb incident neither
man thought it inappropriate for Eliot to investigate on behalf of his
friend.
Eliot won Schiff’s respect and affection for his liberal principles and for
his laudatory public pronouncements on Jews. Harvard’s president stressed
the values of individualism and diversity, he welcomed all religions to Har-
vard, and unlike most of his class he held no brief for the total assimilation
of immigrant groups. According to one writer, Eliot “was almost unique
among philo-Semites in advocating the eternal [religious] separateness of
the Jew,” another view that jibed with Schiff’s. When Eliot became a strong
ally in championing unrestricted immigration, some said it was Schiff who
influenced him toward that position. To be sure, Eliot harbored some fixed
negative images—for example, on the international power of Jewish bank-
ing firms—but that marred neither his treatment of individual Jews nor his
ties to Schiff. The relationship was such that Eliot could criticize Jews and
just as easily listen to Schiff’s rebuttal.^109
For his part, Eliot admired Schiff’s way of thinking: “I have... never
found any benefactor’s mind more interesting”. And he respected the
banker for his loyalty to Judaism and his fellow Jews. Schiff represented a
world different from Eliot’s, but the two shared common values. The aca-
demician once wrote: “Your experience and your field of observation has
been so different from my own, that talk with you is always instructive and
enlightening to me; and I have often found close resemblance between
your ideals, hopes, and anticipations and my own.” Doubtless, Eliot’s
friendship prompted the banker to make other gifts to Harvard, and al-
though Schiff contributed to several universities, he proudly identified
himself as “somewhat of a Harvard man.”^110
Eliot’s resignation in 1909 marked a change in the fortunes of the Semit-
ics department. No encouragement was offered by his successor, A. Law-
rence Lowell, who was hardly a philo-Semite. Distressed by the decline in
78 Jacob H. Schiff