The History of a Lie Part 5

"A shrill, unpleasant voice then spoke:

"'All the princes and the lands of Europe are at present in debt.

The stock exchange regulates these debts. But such things are done only by movable capital; therefore all the movable capital must go over to the hands of the Jews. The foundation for this is already laid, judging from what we have heard here. If we will be supreme in the stock exchange, we will attain the same supremacy in the governments. Therefore it is necessary to facilitate loans in order to get them into our hands all the more. Wherever possible, we must take in exchange for capital, mortgages on railroads, taxes, mines, regalia and domains. Furthermore, the stock exchange is a means for the transfer of the belongings of the small people to the hands of the capitalists, by drawing them into stock gambling. Transactions in securities are a splendid invention of our nation. Although the stock exchange members cheat one another sometimes, it is the outsider who always pays in the end.'

"The voice which resounded on the Paris Bourse became silent.

"'Do the _zekenim_ agree with the opinion of our brother?' asked the Levite.

"A whisper of approbation was the answer to this question.

"'Representative of the tribe of Simeon, it is your turn now!'

"A serious, dull voice resounded after this order. Each word was p.r.o.nounced slowly and thoughtfully:

"'Ownership of land is always the iron-clad, everlasting possession of every country. This in itself gives power, respect and influence. Therefore, the Jews should secure the possibility of acquiring real estate. It will not be hard to accomplish this, if we acquire movable capital. Therefore it is necessary to facilitate loans on land. Under the fear of scandal we will destroy land wealth and minimize its importance. Ownership of land should be mobilized, if lands are sold as other commodities. The more we help in the breaking up of estates, the more easily will they fall into our hands. Under the pretext of relieving the poor cla.s.ses, it is necessary to levy all taxes of states and communities on the land owners. When the land is in our hands, the labor of the Christian workers and farmers will give us a tenfold income.'

"He who did not belong to any tribe laughed sneeringly.

"'This advice is good, but not new. Ask in Paris and in Vienna, who owns the houses there?'

"A whisper of approbation was heard again.

"'Tribe of Judah, your turn!'

"The voice that resounded was marked with conviction and reminded one of the sound of the Thaller.

"'Industry, the power of the burgher, which hinders the Jewish nation, must be paralyzed even as agriculture. The manufacturer should be no better than an ordinary worker. The means to accomplish this may be the unlimited freedom of trade. The manufacturer will take the place of the artisan as he does not have to work, only to speculate. The children of Israel can adapt themselves to all branches of work. Their capital and dexterity will be the subst.i.tute for right. Transforming the artisans into our factory workers, we will be in a position to direct the ma.s.ses for our political purposes. Whoever resists this system will be destroyed by compet.i.tion. The senseless and ungrateful ma.s.ses will not support the artisans in this struggle, if commodities are reduced in price to a certain extent.

"A noisy approbation of the new Sanhedrin showed that the soundness of this advice had long been appreciated and even applied in practice.

"'Now it is my turn,' said the representative of Levi-'I speak in the name of the tribe of Aaron. The natural enemy of the Jews is the Christian church. Therefore we must try to humiliate it, we must instill into it free-thinking, scepticism, and conflicts.

Therefore we will, first of all, start a war on the clergy, we will try to arouse suspicion against it and ridicule it. The main pillar of the church is the school. Therefore we must gain influence over the young. Under the guise of progress and the equal rights of all religions, we will destroy the study of religion in Christian schools. Then the Jews may become teachers in all schools; then religion will be taught at home. And as there is little time left for that, the spirit of religion will gradually decline, and eventually it will be destroyed altogether. Agitation for the appropriation of property belonging to the churches and schools, the transfer of church property to the state, or (what is the same) into the hands of the Jews, will be our reward!'

"Again approbation followed the words of the man who had spoken.

n.o.body contradicted him and he announced:

"'Representative of the tribe of Isaachar, it is your turn!'

"Now an old, trembling voice spoke:

"'Let our brethren strive for the abolition of armed force. The coa.r.s.e military art is not for the sons of Israel. Not everyone can be a Gideon! The army is for the defense of the throne and the school of narrow patriotism. Not the sword, but reason and money must rule. Therefore at every opportune instance, it is necessary to help the downfall of the military cla.s.s, to arouse suspicion in the ma.s.ses against it, and to incite animosity against one another.

It is enough for the soldiers to do police duty and to protect the wealthy from those who have nothing.'

"'The Lion of Judah has spoken,' said the stranger angrily. 'David conquered Goliath. The nations will soon wear long coats instead of military armour. A slap on the bourse will be equivalent to a lost battle.'

"It looked as though a storm was rising against this arrogant sarcasm, but one word from the eldest restored them all to calm.

"'This is the son of Baal! He may say whatever he pleases. But he will do whatever is decided by the council of the tribes.'

"'The tribe of Zebulun may speak!'

"A dull voice, like a storm in the distance, said as follows:

"'Our nation is conservative to its very root, and clings fast to what is old. But our interest demands that we partic.i.p.ate, or, rather, direct the movements of nations. It is indisputable that ours is a time of many reforms, whose main purpose is the amelioration of the material condition of the needy cla.s.ses. But for this the propertied cla.s.ses must sacrifice their capitals.

Capital is in the hands of the Jews. Therefore they must outwardly take part in the movement and try to divert it from social and political reforms. The ma.s.ses themselves are blind and foolish, and permit the shouters to rule over them. Who shouts more loudly and more shrewdly than the Jews? Therefore our nation has been the first on the platform, in the press, and in all Christian communities! The more communities and meetings, the more dissatisfaction and idleness. From this it follows inevitably that the people grow poorer, that they become subjected to those who have money, leading to the enrichment of the latter. Besides, every movement makes us richer, for the smaller people are ruined and are contracting debts. The unstability of the foundation increases our power and our influence. Therefore the support of every kind of dissatisfaction, every revolution, increases our capital and brings us nearer to our goal.'

"This terrible speech was followed by prolonged silence. Every member of this secret Sanhedrim seemed to be thinking of its terrible meaning. The son of Baal again laughed hoa.r.s.ely.

"'Are you afraid of blood? It isn't yours.'

"Then one member of the gathering expressed his approval, and all others followed his example.

"'Son of the tribe of Dan, your turn!'

"The answer bore the stamp of a Jew of the lower order:

"'Every business in which there is speculation and profit must be in our hands. That is our natural right. First of all, we must get control of the traffic in liquor, b.u.t.ter, wool, and bread. Then we shall have in our hands agriculture, farming. We can prepare bread everywhere, and if dissatisfaction and want should arise, we can easily throw the blame on the government. Petty wares, which give a great deal of trouble and yield very little profit, we can leave in the hands of the Christians. Let them work hard and suffer as the chosen people suffered for several centuries.'

"This speech scarcely needed approval. The Levite called on the next one.

"'Tribe of Naphtali?'

"The following words rang out shrilly and with a.s.surance:

"'All governmental positions should be open to us. Once this principle is established, the cunning and flattery of the Jewish employees will help them to penetrate even there, and they will have real influence. I am speaking only of the posts which bring honor, power, and pre-eminence. Positions which require work and knowledge may remain for the Christians. Therefore the Jews may neglect positions of secondary importance. Justice is very important for us, the law is a great step forward. This occupation is suited to the cunning and skill of our people and gives us influence and power against our natural enemies. Why can't a Jew be Minister of Education as he has already been more than once Minister of Finance?'

"'Remember the scaffold of Haman, the fate of Shushan and Leopold!'

said a warning voice.

"'Why does the raven croak about the past which is so distant and almost forgotten? More than one of our people has been a Minister in France and respected by the King himself.'

"Approval was expressed in a tone of satisfied pride; then the orator continued:

"'Our people must be among the legislators of the governments. The laws of the goyim against the children of Israel must be abolished.

We will maintain the laws of our Fathers. We need no longer any laws that would protect us. No. We must concern ourselves about laws that will give us privileges. A mild law respecting bankruptcy, promulgated in the interests of humanity, would be a golden mountain in our hands. First of all we must see to it that the law regarding usury is abolished in all countries under the pretext that money would thereby become cheaper. Money is just such a commodity as others, and the law should give us the right to regulate its price according to our desire.'

"'Now is the turn for the tribe of Benjamin.'

"'What can I add to the counsel of such wise men? The Jew should also make use of honors, and should be at the head of all organizations that may give him honor without risks, and he should engage in science and the arts which are more adapted to the character of our people and which we can master more easily. We can become good actors and philosophers, because there is room for speculation in these domains. In the arts our people will look after the reception and will burn incense to ourselves. In science we will take up medicine and philosophy. These afford opportunities for theories and speculation. A physician penetrates the secrets of families and holds their lives in his hands.'

"'Tribe of Asher, your turn!'

"'We must demand free marriage between Jews and Christians. Israel will only be the gainer, even though there be an admixture of impure blood to a certain degree. Our sons and daughters will marry into renowned and powerful Christian families. We give money and thus have influence. The Christian relationship cannot have a bad influence on us, while we can exert a strong influence over them.

That is one thing. Another thing is that we respect the Jewish woman and we enjoy the forbidden pleasure with the women of our enemies. We have money, and for money we can get everything. A Jew must never make a daughter of his own race his mistress. If he should desire to sin against the Seventh Commandment he should content himself with Christian girls.'

"'What is the use of employing the beautiful girls of the goyim in our stores if not for this?' angrily interposed the representative of the evil spirit. 'Whoever will not want to satisfy our desire will get no work, consequently no bread. Go to the large cities and you will see that they are not waiting for your wise men's orders.

Subst.i.tute a contract for sacrament in the marriage of Christians and their wives and daughters will come to you still more readily.'

"The terrible cynicism of these words, touching such a delicate subject, must have produced a profound impression, especially since the views of the ancient doctrines were so strict on the topic of moral purity.