Allfoodgone——Captain'sLog。[3]
[Ferguson'slogcontinues]
June12。Stiffbreeze,andwearefairlyflying——deadaheadofit——
andtowardtheislands。Goodhope,buttheprospectsofhungerareawful。Ateham-boneto-day。Itisthecaptain'sbirthday;heisfifty-fouryearsold。
June13。Theham-ragsarenotquiteallgoneyet,andtheboot-
legs,wefind,areverypalatableafterwegetthesaltoutofthem。
Alittlesmoke,Ithink,doessomelittlegood;butIdon'tknow。
June14。Hungerdoesnotpainusmuch,butwearedreadfullyweak。
Ourwaterisgettingfrightfullylow。Godgrantwemayseelandsoon!NOTHINGTOEAT,butfeelbetterthanIdidyesterday。Towardeveningsawamagnificentrainbow——THEFIRSTWEHADSEEN。Captainsaid,'Cheerup,boys;it'saprophecy——IT'STHEBOWOFPROMISE!'
June15。GodbeforeverpraisedforHisinfinitemercy!LANDIN
SIGHT!rapidlyneareditandsoonwereSUREofit……TwonobleKanakasswamoutandtooktheboatashore。Wewerejoyfullyreceivedbytwowhitemen——Mr。JonesandhisstewardCharley——andacrowdofnativemen,women,andchildren。Theytreatedussplendidly——aidedus,andcarriedusupthebank,andbroughtuswater,poi,bananas,andgreencoconuts;butthewhitementookcareofusandpreventedthosewhowouldhaveeatentoomuchfromdoingso。Everybodyoverjoyedtoseeus,andallsympathyexpressedinfaces,deeds,andwords。Wewerethenhelpeduptothehouse;andhelpweneeded。Mr。JonesandCharleyaretheonlywhitemenhere。
Treatedussplendidly。Gaveusfirstaboutateaspoonfulofspiritsinwater,andthentoeachacupofwarmtea,withalittlebread。
TakesEVERYcareofus。Gaveuslateranothercupoftea,andbreadthesame,andthenletusgotorest。ITISTHEHAPPIESTDAYOFMY
LIFE……GodinHismercyhasheardourprayer……Everybodyissokind。Wordscannottell。
June16。Mr。Jonesgaveusadelightfulbed,andwesurelyhadagoodnight'srest;butnotsleep——weweretoohappytosleep;wouldkeeptherealityandnotletitturntoadelusion——dreadedthatwemightwakeupandfindourselvesintheboatagain。
Itisanamazingadventure。Thereisnothingofitssortinhistorythatsurpassesitinimpossibilitiesmadepossible。Inoneextraordinarydetail——thesurvivalofeverypersonintheboat——itprobablystandsaloneinthehistoryofadventuresofitskinds。Usuallymerelyapartofaboat'scompanysurvive——officers,mainly,andothereducatedandtenderly-rearedmen,unusedtohardshipandheavylabour;theuntrained,roughly-rearedhardworkerssuccumb。Butinthiscaseeventherudestandrougheststoodtheprivationsandmiseriesofthevoyagealmostaswellasdidthecollege-bredyoungbrothersandthecaptain。Imean,physically。Themindsofmostofthesailorsbrokedowninthefourthweekandwenttotemporaryruin,butphysicallytheenduranceexhibitedwasastonishing。Thosemendidnotsurvivebyanymeritoftheirown,ofcourse,butbymeritofthecharacterandintelligenceofthecaptain;
theylivedbythemasteryofhisspirit。Withouthimtheywouldhavebeenchildrenwithoutanurse;theywouldhaveexhaustedtheirprovisionsinaweek,andtheirpluckwouldnothavelastedevenaslongastheprovisions。
Theboatcameneartobeingwreckedatthelast。Asitapproachedtheshorethesailwasletgo,andcamedownwitharun;thenthecaptainsawthathewasdriftingswiftlytowardanuglyreef,andaneffortwasmadetohoistthesailagain;butitcouldnotbedone;themen'sstrengthwaswhollyexhausted;theycouldnotevenpullanoar。Theywerehelpless,anddeathimminent。ItwasthenthattheywerediscoveredbythetwoKanakaswhoachievedtherescue。Theyswamoutandmannedtheboat,andpilotedherthroughanarrowandhardlynoticeablebreakinthereef——theonlybreakinitinastretchofthirty-fivemiles!Thespotwherethelandingwasmadewastheonlyoneinthatstretchwherefootingcouldhavebeenfoundontheshore;everywhereelseprecipicescamesheerdownintofortyfathomsofwater。Also,inallthatstretchthiswastheonlyspotwhereanybodylived。
Withintendaysafterthelandingallthemenbutonewereupandcreepingabout。Properly,theyoughttohavekilledthemselveswiththe'food'ofthelastfewdays——someofthem,atanyrate——menwhohadfreightedtheirstomachswithstripsofleatherfromoldbootsandwithchipsfromthebuttercask;afreightagewhichtheydidnotgetridofbydigestion,butbyothermeans。Thecaptainandthetwopassengersdidnoteatstripsandchips,asthesailorsdid,butscrapedtheboot-
leatherandthewood,andmadeapulpofthescrapingsbymoisteningthemwithwater。Thethirdmatetoldmethatthebootswereoldandfullofholes;thenaddedthoughtfully,'buttheholesdigestedthebest。'
Speakingofdigestion,hereisaremarkablething,andworthnothing:
duringthisstrangevoyage,andforawhileafterwardonshore,thebowelsofsomeofthemenvirtuallyceasedfromtheirfunctions;insomecasestherewasnoactionfortwentyandthirtydays,andinonecaseforforty-four!Sleepingalsocametoberare。Yetthemendidverywellwithoutit。Duringmanydaysthecaptaindidnotsleepatall——twenty-
one,Ithink,ononestretch。
Whenthelandingwasmade,allthemenweresuccessfullyprotectedfromover-eatingexceptthe'Portyghee;'heescapedthewatchandateanincrediblenumberofbananas:ahundredandfifty-two,thethirdmatesaid,butthiswasundoubtedlyanexaggeration;Ithinkitwasahundredandfifty-one。Hewasalreadynearlyhalffullofleather;itwashangingoutofhisears。Idonotstatethisonthethirdmate'sauthority,forwehaveseenwhatsortofapersonhewas;Istateitonmyown。The'Portyghee'oughttohavedied,ofcourse,andevennowitseemsapitythathedidn't;buthegotwell,andasearlyasanyofthem;andallfullofleather,too,thewayhewas,andbutter-timberandhandkerchiefsandbananas。Someofthemendideathandkerchiefsinthoselastdays,alsosocks;andhewasoneofthem。
Itistothecreditofthementhattheydidnotkilltheroosterthatcrowedsogallantlymornings。Helivedeighteendays,andthenstoodupandstretchedhisneckandmadeabrave,weakefforttodohisdutyoncemore,anddiedintheact。Itisapicturesquedetail;andsoisthatrainbow,too——theonlyoneseenintheforty-threedays,——raisingitstriumphalarchintheskiesforthesturdyfighterstosailundertovictoryandrescue。
Withtendays'provisionsCaptainJosiahMitchellperformedthismemorablevoyageofforty-threedaysandeighthoursinanopenboat,sailingfourthousandmilesinrealityandthirty-threehundredandsixtybydirectcourses,andbroughteverymansafetoland。Abright,simple-
hearted,unassuming,plucky,andmostcompanionableman。Iwalkedthedeckwithhimtwenty-eightdays——whenIwasnotcopyingdiaries,——andI
rememberhimwithreverenthonour。Ifheisaliveheiseighty-sixyearsoldnow。
IfIrememberrightly,SamuelFergusondiedsoonafterwereachedSanFrancisco。Idonotthinkhelivedtoseehishomeagain;hisdiseasehadbeenseriouslyaggravatedbyhishardships。
Foratimeitwashopedthatthetwoquarter-boatswouldpresentlybeheardof,butthishopesuffereddisappointment。Theywentdownwithallonboard,nodoubt,notevensparingthatknightlychiefmate。
Theauthorsofthediariesallowedmetocopythemexactlyastheywerewritten,andtheextractsthatIhavegivenarewithoutanysmoothingoverorrevision。Thesediariesarefinelymodestandunaffected,andwithunconsciousandunintentionalarttheyrisetowardtheclimaxwithgraduatedandgatheringforceandswinganddramaticintensity;theysweepyoualongwithacumulativerush,andwhenthecryringsoutatlast,'Landinsight!'yourheartisinyourmouth,andforamomentyouthinkitisyouthathavebeensaved。Thelasttwoparagraphsarenotimprovablebyanybody'sart;theyareliterarygold;andtheirverypausesanduncompletedsentenceshaveinthemaneloquencenotreachablebyanywords。
Theinterestofthisstoryisunquenchable;itisofthesortthattimecannotdecay。Ihavenotlookedatthediariesforthirty-twoyears,butIfindthattheyhavelostnothinginthattime。Lost?Theyhavegained;forbysomesubtlelawalltragichumanexperiencesgaininpathosbytheperspectiveoftime。WerealizethiswheninNapleswestandmusingoverthepoorPompeianmother,lostinthehistoricstormofvolcanicasheseighteencenturiesago,wholieswithherchildgrippedclosetoherbreast,tryingtosaveit,andwhosedespairandgriefhavebeenpreservedforusbythefieryenvelopewhichtookherlifebuteternalizedherformandfeatures。Shemovesus,shehauntsus,shestaysinourthoughtsformanydays,wedonotknowwhy,forsheisnothingtous,shehasbeennothingtoanyoneforeighteencenturies;
whereasofthelikecaseto-dayweshouldsay,'Poorthing!itispitiful,'andforgetitinanhour。
[1]Therearenineteendaysofvoyagingaheadyet——M。T。
[2]Sixdaystosailyet,nevertheless——M。T。
[3]Itwasatthistimediscoveredthatthecrazedsailorshadgottenthedelusionthatthecaptainhadamilliondollarsingoldconcealedaft,andtheywereconspiringtokillhimandthetwopassengersandseizeit——
M。T。
ATTHEAPPETITE-CURE
Thisestablishment'snameisHochberghaus。ItisinBohemia,ashortday'sjourneyfromVienna,andbeingintheAustrianEmpireisofcourseahealthresort。Theempireismadeupofhealthresorts;itdistributeshealthtothewholeworld。Itswatersareallmedicinal。Theyarebottledandsentthroughouttheearth;thenativesthemselvesdrinkbeer。
Thisisself-sacrificeapparently——butoutlanderswhohavedrunkViennabeerhaveanotherideaaboutit。ParticularlythePilsnerwhichonegetsinasmallcellarupanobscurebacklaneintheFirstBezirk——thenamehasescapedme,buttheplaceiseasilyfound:YouinquirefortheGreekchurch;andwhenyougettoit,gorightalongby——thenexthouseisthatlittlebeer-mill。Itisremotefromalltrafficandallnoise;itisalwaysSundaythere。Therearetwosmallrooms,withlowceilingssupportedbymassivearches;thearchesandceilingsarewhitewashed,otherwisetheroomswouldpassforcellsinthedungeonsofabastile。
Thefurnitureisplainandcheap,thereisnoornamentationanywhere;yetitisaheavenfortheself-sacrificers,forthebeerthereisincomparable;thereisnothinglikeitelsewhereintheworld。Inthefirstroomyouwillfindtwelveorfifteenladiesandgentlemenofcivilianquality;intheotheroneadozengeneralsandambassadors。OnemayliveinViennamanymonthsandnothearofthisplace;buthavingonceheardofitandsampledit,thesamplerwillafterwardinfestit。
However,thisisallincidental——amerepassingnoteofgratitudeforblessingsreceived——ithasnothingtodowithmysubject。Mysubjectishealthresorts。AllunhealthypeopleoughttodomicilethemselvesinVienna,andusethatasabase,makingflightsfromtimetotimetotheoutlyingresorts,accordingtoneed。AflighttoMarienbadtogetridoffat;aflighttoCarlsbadtogetridofrheumatism;aflighttoKalteneutgebentotakethewatercureandgetridoftherestofthediseases。Itisallsohandy。YoucanstandinViennaandtossabiscuitintoKaltenleutgeben,withatwelve-inchgun。Youcanrunoutthitheratanytimeoftheday;yougobyphenomenallyslowtrains,andyetinsideofanhouryouhaveexchangedtheglareandswelterofthecityforwoodedhills,andshadyforestpaths,andsoftcoolairs,andthemusicofbirds,andthereposeandthepeaceofparadise。
AndthereareplentyofotherhealthresortsatyourserviceandconvenienttogetatfromVienna;charmingplaces,allofthem;Viennasitsinthecentreofabeautifulworldofmountainswithnowandthenalakeandforests;infact,noothercityissofortunatelysituated。
Thereisanabundanceofhealthresorts,asIhavesaid。Amongthemthisplace——Hochberghaus。Itstandssolitaryonthetopofadenselywoodedmountain,andisabuildingofgreatsize。ItiscalledtheAppetiteAnstallt,andpeoplewhohavelosttheirappetitescomeheretogetthemrestored。WhenIarrivedIwastakenbyProfessorHaimbergertohisconsulting-roomandquestioned:
'Itissixo'clock。Whendidyoueatlast?'
'Atnoon。'
'Whatdidyoueat?'
'Nexttonothing。'
'Whatwasonthetable?'
'Theusualthings。'
'Chops,chickens,vegetables,andsoon?'
'Yes;butdon'tmentionthem——Ican'tbearit。'
'Areyoutiredofthem?'
'Oh,utterly。IwishImightneverhearofthemagain。'
'Themeresightoffoodoffendsyou,doesit?'
'More,itrevoltsme。'
Thedoctorconsideredawhile,thengotoutalongmenuandranhiseyeslowlydownit。
'Ithink,'saidhe,'thatwhatyouneedtoeatis——buthere,chooseforyourself。'
Iglancedatthelist,andmystomachthrewahand-spring。Ofallthebarbarouslay-outsthatwereevercontrived,thiswasthemostatrocious。
Atthetopstood'tough,underdone,overduetripe,garnishedwithgarlic;'half-waydownthebillstood'youngcat;oldcat;scrambledcat;'atthebottomstood'sailor-boots,softenedwithtallow——servedraw。'Thewideintervalsofthebillwerepackedwithdishescalculatedtogagacannibal。Isaid:
'Doctor,itisnotfairtojokeoversoseriousacaseasmine。Icameheretogetanappetite,nottothrowawaytheremnantthat'sleft。'
Hesaidgravely:'Iamnotjoking;whyshouldIjoke?'
'ButIcan'teatthesehorrors。'
'Whynot?'
Hesaiditwithanaivetethatwasadmirable,whetheritwasrealorassumed。
'Whynot?Because——why,doctor,formonthsIhaveseldombeenabletoendureanythingmoresubstantialthanomelettesandcustards。Theseunspeakabledishesofyours——'
'Oh,youwillcometolikethem。Theyareverygood。Andyoumusteatthem。Itisaruleoftheplace,andisstrict。Icannotpermitanydeparturefromit。'
Isaidsmiling:'Well,then,doctor,youwillhavetopermitthedepartureofthepatient。Iamgoing。'
Helookedhurt,andsaidinawaywhichchangedtheaspectofthings:
'Iamsureyouwouldnotdomethatinjustice。Iacceptedyouingoodfaith——youwillnotshamethatconfidence。Thisappetite-cureismywholeliving。Ifyoushouldgoforthfromitwiththesortofappetitewhichyounowhave,itcouldbecomeknown,andyoucansee,yourself,thatpeoplewouldsaymycurefailedinyourcaseandhencecanfailinothercases。Youwillnotgo;youwillnotdomethishurt。'
IapologisedandsaidIwouldstay。
'Thatisright。Iwassureyouwouldnotgo;itwouldtakethefoodfrommyfamily'smouths。'
'Wouldtheymindthat?Dotheyeatthesefiendishthings?'
'They?Myfamily?'Hiseyeswerefullofgentlewonder。'Ofcoursenot。'
'Oh,theydon't!Doyou?'
'Certainlynot。'
'Isee。It'sanothercaseofaphysicianwhodoesn'ttakehisownmedicine。'
'Idon'tneedit。Itissixhourssinceyoulunched。Willyouhavesuppernow——orlater?'
'Iamnothungry,butnowisasgoodatimeasany,andIwouldliketobedonewithitandhaveitoffmymind。Itisaboutmyusualtime,andregularityiscommandedbyalltheauthorities。Yes,Iwilltrytonibblealittlenow——Iwishalighthorsewhippingwouldanswerinstead。'
Theprofessorhandedmethatodiousmenu。
'Choose——orwillyouhaveitlater?'
'Oh,dearme,showmetomyroom;Iforgotyourhardrule。'
'Waitjustamomentbeforeyoufinallydecide。Thereisanotherrule。
Ifyouchoosenow,theorderwillbefilledatonce;butifyouwait,youwillhavetoawaitmypleasure。YoucannotgetadishfromthatentirebilluntilIconsent。'
'Allright。Showmetomyroom,andsendthecooktobed;thereisnotgoingtobeanyhurry。'
Theprofessortookmeuponeflightofstairsandshowedmeintoamostinvitingandcomfortableapartmentconsistingofparlour,bedchamber,andbathroom。
Thefrontwindowslookedoutoverafar-reachingspreadofgreengladesandvalleys,andtumbledhillsclothedwithforests——anoblesolitudeunvexedbythefussyworld。Intheparlourweremanyshelvesfilledwithbooks。Theprofessorsaidhewouldnowleavemetomyself;andadded:
'Smokeandreadasmuchasyouplease,drinkallthewateryoulike。
Whenyougethungry,ringandgiveyourorder,andIwilldecidewhetheritshallbefilledornot。Yoursisastubborn,badcase,andIthinkthefirstfourteendishesinthebillareeachandalltoodelicateforitsneeds。Iaskyouasafavourtorestrainyourselfandnotcallforthem。'
'Restrainmyself,isit?Giveyourselfnouneasiness。Youaregoingtosavemoneybyme。Theideaofcoaxingasickman'sappetitebackwiththisbuzzard-fareisclearinsanity。'
Isaiditwithbitterness,forIfeltoutragedbythiscalm,coldtalkovertheseheartlessnewenginesofassassination。Thedoctorlookedgrieved,butnotoffended。Helaidthebilloffareofthecommodeatmybed'shead,'sothatitwouldbehandy,'andsaid:
'YoursisnottheworstcaseIhaveencountered,byanymeans;stillitisabadoneandrequiresrobusttreatment;thereforeIshallbegratifiedifyouwillrestrainyourselfandskipdowntoNo。15andbeginwiththat。'
ThenheleftmeandIbegantoundress,forIwasdog-tiredandverysleepy。Isleptfifteenhoursandwokeupfinelyrefreshedattenthenextmorning。Viennacoffee!ItwasthefirstthingIthoughtof——thatunapproachableluxury——thatsumptuouscoffee-housecoffee,comparedwithwhichallotherEuropeancoffeeandallAmericanhotelcoffeeismerefluidpoverty。Irang,andorderedit;alsoViennabread,thatdeliciousinvention。Theservantspokethroughthewicketinthedoorandsaid——
butyouknowwhathesaid。Hereferredmetothebilloffare。
Iallowedhimtogo——Ihadnofurtheruseforhim。
AfterthebathIdressedandstartedforawalk,andgotasfarasthedoor。Itwaslockedontheoutside。Irang,andtheservantcameandexplainedthatitwasanotherrule。Theseclusionofthepatientwasrequireduntilafterthefirstmeal。Ihadnotbeenparticularlyanxioustogetoutbefore;butitwasdifferentnow。Beinglockedinmakesapersonwishfultogetout。Isoonbegantofinditdifficulttoputinthetime。Attwoo'clockIhadbeentwenty-sixhourswithoutfood。I
hadbeengrowinghungryforsometime;IrecognisedthatIwasnotonlyhungrynow,buthungrywithastrongadjectiveinfrontofit。YetIwasnothungryenoughtofacethebilloffare。
Imustputinthetimesomehow。Iwouldreadandsmoke。Ididit;hourbyhour。Thebookswereallofonebreed——shipwrecks;peoplelostindeserts;peopleshutupincaved-inmines;peoplestarvinginbesiegedcities。Ireadaboutalltherevoltingdishesthateverfamishingmenhadstayedtheirhungerwith。Duringthefirsthoursthesethingsnauseatedme:hoursfollowedinwhichtheydidnotsoaffectme;stillotherhoursfollowedinwhichIfoundmyselfsmackingmylipsoversometolerablyinfernalmesses。WhenIhadbeenwithoutfoodforty-fivehoursIraneagerlytothebellandorderedtheseconddishinthebill,whichwasasortofdumplingscontainingacompostmadeofcaviarandtar。
Itwasrefusedme。DuringthenextfifteenhoursIvisitedthebelleverynowandthenandorderedadishthatwasfurtherdownthelist。
Alwaysarefusal。ButIwasconqueringprejudiceafterprejudice,rightalong;Iwasmakingsureprogress;IwascreepinguponNo。15withdeadlycertainty,andmyheartbeatfasterandfaster,myhopesrosehigherandhigher。
Atlastwhenfoodhadnotpassedmylipsforsixtyhours,victorywasmine,andIorderedNo。15:
'Soft-boiledspringchicken——intheegg;sixdozen,hotandfragrant!'
Infifteenminutesitwasthere;andthedoctoralongwithit,rubbinghishandswithjoy。Hesaidwithgreatexcitement:
'It'sacure,it'sacure!IknewIcoulddoit。Dearsir,mygrandsystemneverfailed——never。You'vegotyourappetiteback——youknowyouhave;sayitandmakemehappy。'
'Bringonyourcarrion——Icaneatanythinginthebill!'
'Oh,thisisnoble,thisissplendid——butIknewIcoulddoit,thesystemneverfails。Howarethebirds?'
'Neverwasanythingsodeliciousintheworld;andyetasaruleIdon'tcareforgame。Butdon'tinterruptme,don't——Ican'tsparemymouth,I
reallycan't。'
Thenthedoctorsaid:
'Thecureisperfect。Thereisnomoredoubtnordanger。Letthepoultryalone;Icantrustyouwithabeefsteak,now。'
Thebeefsteakcame——asmuchasabasketfulofit——withpotatoes,andViennabreadandcoffee;andIateamealthenthatwasworthallthecostlypreparationIhadmadeforit。Anddrippedtearsofgratitudeintothegravyallthetime——gratitudetothedoctorforputtingalittleplaincommon-senseintomewhenIhadbeenemptyofitsomany,manyyears。
II
ThirtyyearsagoHaimbergerwentoffonalongvoyageinasailing-ship。
Therewerefifteenpassengersonboard。Thetable-farewasoftheregulationpatternoftheday:At7inthemorning,acupofbadcoffeeinbed;at9,breakfast:badcoffee,withcondensedmilk;soggyrolls,crackers,saltfish;at1P。M。,luncheon:coldtongue,coldham,coldcornedbeef,soggycoldrolls,crackers;5P。M。,dinner:thickpeasoup,saltfish,hotcornedbeefandsourkraut,boiledporkandbeans,pudding;9till11P。M。,supper:tea,withcondensedmilk,coldtongue,coldham,pickles,sea-biscuit,pickledoysters,pickledpigs'feet,grilledbones,goldenbuck。
Attheendofthefirstweekeatinghadceased,nibblinghadtakenitsplace。Thepassengerscametothetable,butitwaspartlytoputinthetime,andpartlybecausethewisdomoftheagescommandedthemtoberegularintheirmeals。Theyweretiredofthecoarseandmonotonousfare,andtooknointerestinit,hadnoappetiteforit。Alldayandeverydaytheyroamedtheshiphalfhungry,plaguedbytheirgnawingstomachs,moody,untalkative,miserable。Amongthemwerethreeconfirmeddyspeptics。Thesebecameshadowsinthecourseofthreeweeks。Therewasalsoabed-riddeninvalid;helivedonboiledrice;hecouldnotlookattheregulardishes。
Nowcameshipwrecksandlifeinopenboats,withtheusualpaucityoffood。Provisionsranlowerandlower。Theappetitesimproved,then。
Whennothingwasleftbutrawhamandtherationofthatwasdowntotwoouncesadayperperson,theappetiteswereperfect。Attheendoffifteendaysthedyspeptics,theinvalid,andthemostdelicateladiesinthepartywerechewingsailor-bootsinecstasy,andonlycomplainingbecausethesupplyofthemwaslimited。Yetthesewerethesamepeoplewhocouldn'tenduretheship'stediouscornedbeefandsourkrautandothercrudities。TheywererescuedbyanEnglishvessel。Withintendaysthewholefifteenwereinasgoodconditionastheyhadbeenwhentheshipwreckoccurred。
'Theyhadsufferednodamagebytheiradventure,'saidtheprofessor。
'Doyounotethat?'
'Yes。'
'Doyounoteitwell?'
'Yes——IthinkIdo。'
'Butyoudon't。Youhesitate。Youdon'trisetotheimportanceofit。
Iwillsayitagain——withemphasis——notoneofthemsufferedanydamage。'
'NowIbegintosee。Yes,itwasindeedremarkable。'
'Nothingofthekind。Itwasperfectlynatural。Therewasnoreasonwhytheyshouldsufferdamage。TheywereundergoingNature'sAppetite-Cure,thebestandwisestintheworld。'
'Isthatwhereyougotyouridea?'
'ThatiswhereIgotit。'
'Ittaughtthosepeopleavaluablelesson。'
'Whatmakesyouthinkthat?'
'Whyshouldn'tI?Youseemtothinkittaughtyouone。'
'Thatisnothingtothepoint。Iamnotafool。'
'Isee。Weretheyfools?'
'Theywerehumanbeings。'
'Isitthesamething?'
'Whydoyouask?Youknowityourself。Asregardshishealth——andtherestofthethings——theaveragemaniswhathisenvironmentandhissuperstitionshavemadehim;andtheirfunctionistomakehimanass。
Hecan'taddupthreeorfournewcircumstancestogetherandperceivewhattheymean;itisbeyondhim。Heisnotcapableofobservingforhimself;hehastogeteverythingatsecond-hand。Ifwhataremiscalledtheloweranimalswereassillyasmanis,theywouldallperishfromtheearthinayear。'
'Thosepassengerslearnednolesson,then?'
'Notasignofit。TheywenttotheirregularmealsintheEnglishship,andprettysoontheywerenibblingagain——nibbling,appetiteless,disgustedwiththefood,moody,miserable,halfhungry,theiroutragedstomachscursingandswearingandwhiningandsupplicatingalldaylong。
Andinvain,fortheywerethestomachsoffools。'
'Then,asIunderstandit,yourschemeis——'
'Quitesimple。Don'teatuntilyouarehungry。Ifthefoodfailstotastegood,failstosatisfyyou,rejoiceyou,comfortyou,don'teatagainuntilyouareveryhungry。Thenitwillrejoiceyou——anddoyougood,too。'
'AndIamtoobservenoregularity,astohours?'
'Whenyouareconqueringabadappetite——no。Afteritisconquered,regularityisnoharm,solongastheappetiteremainsgood。Assoonastheappetitewavers,applythecorrectiveagain——whichisstarvation,longorshortaccordingtotheneedsofthecase。'
'Thebestdiet,Isuppose——Imeanthewholesomest——'
'Alldietsarewholesome。Somearewholesomerthanothers,butalltheordinarydietsarewholesomeenoughforthepeoplewhousethem。Whetherthefoodbefineorcoarseitwilltastegoodanditwillnourishifawatchbekeptupontheappetiteandalittlestarvationintroducedeverytimeitweakens。Nansenwasusedtofinefare,butwhenhismealswererestrictedtobear-meatmonthsatatimehesufferednodamageandnodiscomfort,becausehisappetitewaskeptatparthroughthedifficultyofgettinghisbear-meatregularly。'
'Butdoctorsarrangecarefullyconsideredanddelicatedietsforinvalids。'
'Theycan'thelpit。Theinvalidisfullofinheritedsuperstitionsandwon'tstarvehimself。Hebelievesitwouldcertainlykillhim。'
'Itwouldweakenhim,wouldn'tit?'
'Nothingtohurt。Lookattheinvalidsinourshipwreck。Theylivedfifteendaysonpinchesofrawham,asuckatsailor-boots,andgeneralstarvation。Itweakenedthem,butitdidn'thurtthem。Itputtheminfineshapetoeatheartilyofheartyfoodandbuildthemselvesuptoaconditionofrobusthealth。Buttheydidnotknowenoughtoprofitbythat;theylosttheiropportunity;theyremainedinvalids;itservedthemright。Doyouknowthetrickthatthehealth-resortdoctorsplay?'
'Whatisit?'
'Mysystemdisguised——covertstarvation。Grape-cure,bath-cure,mud-
cure——itisallthesame。Thegrapeandthebathandthemudmakeashowanddoatrifleofthework——therealworkisdonebythesurreptitiousstarvation。Thepatientaccustomedtofourmealsandlatehours——atbothendsoftheday——nowconsiderwhathehastodoatahealthresort。Hegetsupat6inthemorning。Eatsoneegg。Trampsupanddownapromenadetwohourswiththeotherfools。Eatsabutterfly。Slowlydrinksaglassoffilteredsewagethatsmellslikeabuzzard'sbreath。
Promenadesanothertwohours,butalone;ifyouspeaktohimhesaysanxiously,"Mywater!——Iamwalkingoffmywater!——pleasedon'tinterrupt,"andgoesstumpingalongagain。Eatsacandiedroseleaf。
Liesatrestinthesilenceandsolitudeofhisroomforhours;mustn'tread,mustn'tsmoke。Thedoctorcomesandfeelsofhisheart,now,andhispulse,andthumpshisbreastandhisbackandhisstomach,andlistensforresultsthroughapennyflageolet;thenorderstheman'sbath——halfadegree,Reaumur,coolerthanyesterday。Afterthebathanotheregg。Aglassofsewageatthreeorfourintheafternoon,andpromenadesolemnlywiththeotherfreaks。Dinnerat6——halfadoughnutandacupoftea。Walkagain。Half-past8,supper——morebutterfly;at9,tobed。Sixweeksofthisregime——thinkofit。Itstarvesamanoutandputshiminsplendidcondition。ItwouldhavethesameeffectinLondon,NewYork,Jericho——anywhere。'
'Howlongdoesittaketoputapersoninconditionhere?'
'Itoughttotakebutadayortwo;butinfactittakesfromonetosixweeks,accordingtothecharacterandmentalityofthepatient。'
'Howisthat?'
'Doyouseethatcrowdofwomenplayingfootball,andboxing,andjumpingfencesyonder?Theyhavebeenheresixorsevenweeks。Theywerespectralpoorweaklingswhentheycame。Theywereaccustomedtonibblingatdaintiesanddelicaciesatsethoursfourtimesaday,andtheyhadnoappetiteforanything。Iquestionedthem,andthenlockedthemintotheirrooms——thefrailestonestostarvenineortenhours,theotherstwelveorfifteen。Beforelongtheybegantobeg;andindeedtheysufferedagooddeal。Theycomplainedofnausea,headache,andsoon。
Itwasgoodtoseethemeatwhenthetimewasup。Theycouldnotrememberwhenthedevouringofamealhadaffordedthemsuchrapture——
thatwastheirword。Now,then,thatoughttohaveendedtheircure,butitdidn't。Theywerefreetogotoanymealsinthehouse,andtheychosetheiraccustomedfour。WithinadayortwoIhadtointerfere。
Theirappetiteswereweakening。Imadethemknockoutameal。Thatsetthemupagain。Thentheyresumedthefour。Ibeggedthemtolearntoknockoutamealthemselves,withoutwaitingforme。Uptoafortnightagotheycouldn't;theyreallyhadn'tmanhoodenough;buttheyweregainingit,andnowIthinktheyaresafe。Theydropoutamealeverynowandthenoftheirownaccord。Theyareinfineconditionnow,andtheymightsafelygohome,Ithink,buttheirconfidenceisnotquiteperfectyet,sotheyarewaitingawhile。'
'Othercasesaredifferent?'
'Ohyes。Sometimesamanlearnsthewholetrickinaweek。Learnstoregulatehisappetiteandkeepitinperfectorder。Learnstodropoutamealwithfrequencyandnotmindit。'
'Butwhydroptheentiremealout?Whynotapartofit?'
'It'sapoordevice,andinadequate。Ifthestomachdoesn'tcallvigorously——withashout,asyoumaysay——itisbetternottopesteritbutjustgiveitarealrest。Somepeoplecaneatmoremealsthanothers,andstillthrive。Thereareallsortsofpeople,andallsortsofappetites。Iwillshowyouamanpresentlywhowasaccustomedtonibbleateightmealsaday。Itwasbeyondthepropergaitofhisappetitebytwo。Ihavegothimdowntosixaday,now,andheisallright,andenjoyslife。Howmanymealstoyouaffectperday?'
'Formerly——fortwenty-twoyears——amealandahalf;duringthepasttwoyears,twoandahalf:coffeeandarollat9,luncheonat1,dinnerat7。30or8。'
'Formerlyamealandahalf——thatis,coffeeandarollat9,dinnerintheevening,nothingbetween——isthatit?
'Yes。'
'Whydidyouaddameal?'
'Itwasthefamily'sidea。Theywereuneasy。TheythoughtIwaskillingmyself。'
'Youfoundamealandahalfperdayenough,allthroughthetwenty-twoyears?'
'Plenty。'
'Yourpresentpoorconditionisduetotheextrameal。Dropitout。Youaretryingtoeatoftenerthanyourstomachdemands。Youdon'tgain,youlose。Youeatlessfoodnow,inaday,ontwoandahalfmeals,thanyouformerlyateononeandahalf。'
'True——agooddealless;forinthoseoldsdaysmydinnerwasaverysizeablething。'
'Putyourselfonasinglemealaday,now——dinner——forafewdays,tillyousecureagood,sound,regular,trustworthyappetite,thentaketoyouroneandahalfpermanently,anddon'tlistentothefamilyanymore。
Whenyouhaveanyordinaryailment,particularlyofafeverishsort,eatnothingatallduringtwenty-fourhours。Thatwillcureit。Itwillcurethestubbornestcoldinthehead,too。Nocoldintheheadcansurvivetwenty-fourhours'unmodifiedstarvation。'
Iknowit。Ihaveproveditmanyatime。
CONCERNINGTHEJEWS
SomemonthsagoIpublishedamagazinearticle[1]descriptiveofaremarkablesceneintheImperialParliamentinVienna。SincethenIhavereceivedfromJewsinAmericaseverallettersofinquiry。Theyweredifficultletterstoanswer,fortheywerenotverydefinite。ButatlastIhavereceivedadefiniteone。Itisfromalawyer,andhereallyasksthequestionswhichtheotherwritersprobablybelievedtheywereasking。ByhelpofthistextIwilldothebestIcantopubliclyanswerthiscorrespondent,andalsotheothers——atthesametimeapologisingforhavingfailedtoreplyprivately。Thelawyer'sletterreadsasfollows:
'Ihaveread"StirringTimesinAustria。"Onepointinparticularisofvitalimporttonotafewthousandpeople,includingmyself,beingapointaboutwhichIhaveoftenwantedtoaddressaquestiontosomedisinterestedperson。TheshowofmilitaryforceintheAustrianParliament,whichprecipitatedtheriots,wasnotintroducedbyanyJew。NoJewwasamemberofthatbody。NoJewishquestionwasinvolvedintheAusgleichorinthelanguageproposition。NoJewwasinsultinganybody。Inshort,noJewwasdoinganymischieftowardanybodywhatsoever。Infact,theJewsweretheonlyonesofthenineteendifferentracesinAustriawhichdidnothaveaparty——theyareabsolutenon-participants。Yetinyourarticleyousaythatintheriotingwhichfollowed,allclassesofpeoplewereunanimousonlyononething,viz。,inbeingagainsttheJews。Now,willyoukindlytellmewhy,inyourjudgment,theJewshavethuseverbeen,andareevennow,inthesedaysofsupposedintelligence,thebuttofbaseless,viciousanimosities?
Idaresaythatforcenturiestherehasbeennomorequiet,undisturbing,andwell-behavingcitizen,asaclass,thanthatsameJew。Itseemstomethatignoranceandfanaticismcannotaloneaccountforthesehorribleandunjustpersecutions。
'Tellme,therefore,fromyourvantagepointofcoldview,whatinyourmindisthecause。CanAmericanJewsdoanythingtocorrectiteitherinAmericaorabroad?Willitevercometoanend?WillaJewbepermittedtolivehonestly,decently,andpeaceablyliketherestofmankind?WhathasbecomeoftheGoldenRule?'
IwillbeginbysayingthatifIthoughtmyselfprejudicedagainsttheJew,Ishouldholditfairesttoleavethissubjecttoapersonnotcrippledinthatway。ButIthinkIhavenosuchprejudice。AfewyearsagoaJewobservedtomethattherewasnouncourteousreferencetohispeopleinmybooks,andaskedhowithappened。Ithappenedbecausethedispositionwaslacking。IamquitesurethatbaroneIhavenoraceprejudices,andIthinkIhavenocolourprejudicesnorcasteprejudicesnorcreedprejudices。Indeed,Iknowit。Icanstandanysociety。AllthatIcaretoknowisthatamanisahumanbeing——thatisenoughforme;hecan'tbeanyworse。IhavenospecialregardforSatan;butIcanatleastclaimthatIhavenoprejudiceagainsthim。ItmayevenbethatIleanalittlehisway,onaccountofhisnothavingafairshow。AllreligionsissueBiblesagainsthim,andsaythemostinjuriousthingsabouthim,butweneverhearhisside。Wehavenonebuttheevidencefortheprosecution,andyetwehaverenderedtheverdict。Tomymind,thisisirregular。Itisun-English;itisun-American;itisFrench。
WithoutthisprecedentDreyfuscouldnothavebeencondemned。OfcourseSatanhassomekindofacase,itgoeswithoutsaying。Itmaybeapoorone,butthatisnothing;thatcanbesaidaboutanyofus。AssoonasI
cangetatthefactsIwillundertakehisrehabilitationmyself,ifIcanfindanunpoliticpublisher。Itisathingwhichweoughttobewillingtodoforanyonewhoisunderacloud。WemaynotpaySatanreverence,forthatwouldbeindiscreet,butwecanatleastrespecthistalents。
Apersonwhohasduringalltimemaintainedtheimposingpositionofspiritualheadoffour-fifthsofthehumanrace,andpoliticalheadofthewholeofit,mustbegrantedthepossessionofexecutiveabilitiesoftheloftiestorder。Inhislargepresencetheotherpopesandpoliticiansshrinktomidgesforthemicroscope。Iwouldliketoseehim。IwouldratherseehimandshakehimbythetailthananyothermemberoftheEuropeanConcert。InthepresentpaperIshallallowmyselftousethewordJewasifitstoodforbothreligionandrace。Itishandy;and,besides,thatiswhatthetermmeanstothegeneralworld。
Intheaboveletteronenotesthesepoints:
1。TheJewisawell-behavedcitizen。
2。Canignoranceandfanaticismaloneaccountforhisunjusttreatment?
3。CanJewsdoanythingtoimprovethesituation?
4。TheJewshavenoparty;theyarenon-participants。
5。Willthepersecutionevercometoanend?
6。WhathasbecomeoftheGoldenRule?
PointNo。1——WemustgrantpropositionNo。1,forseveralsufficientreasons。TheJewisnotadisturberofthepeaceofanycountry。Evenhisenemieswillconcedethat。Heisnotaloafer,heisnotasot,heisnotnoisy,heisnotabrawlernorarioter,heisnotquarrelsome。
Inthestatisticsofcrimehispresenceisconspicuouslyrare——inallcountries。Withmurderandothercrimesofviolencehehasbutlittletodo:heisastrangertothehangman。Inthepolicecourt'sdailylongrollof'assaults'and'drunkanddisorderlies'hisnameseldomappears。
ThattheJewishhomeisahomeinthetruestsenseisafactwhichnoonewilldispute。Thefamilyisknittedtogetherbythestrongestaffections;itsmembersshoweachothereveryduerespect;andreverencefortheeldersisaninviolatelawofthehouse。TheJewisnotaburdenonthecharitiesofthestatenorofthecity;thesecouldceasefromtheirfunctionswithoutaffectinghim。Whenheiswellenough,heworks;
whenheisincapacitated,hisownpeopletakecareofhim。Andnotinapoorandstingyway,butwithafineandlargebenevolence。Hisraceisentitledtobecalledthemostbenevolentofalltheracesofmen。A
Jewishbeggarisnotimpossible,perhaps;suchathingmayexist,buttherearefewmenthatcansaytheyhaveseenthatspectacle。TheJewhasbeenstagedinmanyuncomplimentaryforms,but,sofarasIknow,nodramatisthasdonehimtheinjusticetostagehimasabeggar。WheneveraJewhasrealneedtobeg,hispeoplesavehimfromthenecessityofdoingit。ThecharitableinstitutionsoftheJewsaresupportedbyJewishmoney,andamply。TheJewsmakenonoiseaboutit;itisdonequietly;theydonotnagandpesterandharassusforcontributions;theygiveuspeace,andsetusanexample——anexamplewhichhehavenotfoundourselvesabletofollow;forbynaturewearenotfreegivers,andhavetobepatientlyandpersistentlyhunteddownintheinterestoftheunfortunate。
ThesefactsareallonthecreditsideofthepropositionthattheJewisagoodandorderlycitizen。Summedup,theycertifythatheisquiet,peaceable,industrious,unaddictedtohighcrimesandbrutaldispositions;thathisfamilylifeiscommendable;thatheisnotaburdenuponpubliccharities;thatheisnotabeggar;thatinbenevolenceheisabovethereachofcompetition。Thesearetheveryquintessentialsofgoodcitizenship。Ifyoucanaddthatheisashonestastheaverageofhisneighbours——ButIthinkthatquestionisaffirmativelyansweredbythefactthatheisasuccessfulbusinessman。
Thebasisofsuccessfulbusinessishonesty;abusinesscannotthrivewherethepartiestoitcannottrusteachother。InthematterofnumberstheJewcountsforlittleintheoverwhelmingpopulationofNewYork;butthathishonestcountsformuchisguaranteedbythefactthattheimmensewholesalebusinessofBroadway,fromtheBatterytoUnionSquare,issubstantiallyinhishands。
Isupposethatthemostpicturesqueexampleinhistoryofatrader'strustinhisfellow-traderwasonewhereitwasnotChristiantrustingChristian,butChristiantrustingJew。ThatHessianDukewhousedtosellhissubjectstoGeorgeIII。tofightGeorgeWashingtonwithgotrichatit;andby-and-by,whenthewarsengenderedbytheFrenchRevolutionmadehisthronetoowarmforhim,hewasobligedtoflythecountry。Hewasinahurry,andhadtoleavehisearningsbehind——$9,000,000。Hehadtoriskthemoneywithsomeonewithoutsecurity。HedidnotselectaChristian,butaJew——aJewofonlymodestmeans,butofhighcharacter;
acharactersohighthatitlefthimlonesome——RothschildofFrankfort。
Thirtyyearslater,whenEuropehadbecomequietandsafeagain,theDukecamebackfromoverseas,andtheJewreturnedtheloan,withinterestadded。[2]
TheJewhashisotherside。Hehassomediscreditableways,thoughhehasnotamonopolyofthem,becausehecannotgetentirelyridofvexatiousChristiancompetition。Wehaveseenthatheseldomtransgressesthelawsagainstcrimesofviolence。Indeed,hisdealingswithcourtsarealmostrestrictedtomattersconnectedwithcommerce。Hehasareputationforvarioussmallformsofcheating,andforpractisingoppressiveusury,andforburninghimselfouttogettheinsurance,andforarrangingcunningcontractswhichleavehimanexitbutlocktheothermanin,andforsmartevasionswhichfindhimsafeandcomfortablejustwithinthestrictletterofthelaw,whencourtandjuryknowverywellthathehasviolatedthespiritofit。Heisafrequentandfaithfulandcapableofficerinthecivilservice,butheischargedwithanunpatrioticdisinclinationtostandbytheflagasasoldier——liketheChristianQuaker。
Nowifyouoffsetthesediscreditablefeaturesbythecreditableonessummarisedinaprecedingparagraphbeginningwiththewords,'Thesefactsareallonthecreditside,'andstrikeabalance,whatmusttheverdictbe?This,Ithink:that,themeritsanddemeritsbeingfairlyweighedandmeasuredonbothsides,theChristiancanclaimnosuperiorityovertheJewinthematterofgoodcitizenship。
Yetinallcountries,fromthedawnofhistory,theJewhasbeenpersistentlyandimplacablyhated,andwithfrequencypersecuted。
PointNo。2——'Canfanaticismaloneaccountforthis?'
YearsagoIusedtothinkthatitwasresponsiblefornearlyallofit,butlatterlyIhavecometothinkthatthiswasanerror。Indeed,itisnowmyconvictionthatitisresponsibleforhardlyanyofit。
InthisconnectionIcalltomindGenesis,chapterxlvii。
Wehaveallthoughtfully——orunthoughtfully——readthepatheticstoryoftheyearsofplentyandtheyearsoffamineinEgypt,andhowJoseph,withthatopportunity,madeacornerinbrokenhearts,andthecrustsofthepoor,andhumanliberty——acornerwherebyhetookanation'smoneyallaway,tothelastpenny;tookanation'slivestockallaway,tothelasthoof;tookanation'slandaway,tothelastacre;thentookthenationitself,buyingitforbread,manbyman,womanbywoman,childbychild,tillallwereslaves;acornerwhichtookeverything,leftnothing;acornersostupendousthat,bycomparisonwithit,themostgiganticcornersinsubsequenthistoryarebutbabythings,foritdealtinhundredsofmillionsofbushels,anditsprofitswerereckonablebyhundredsofmillionsofdollars,anditwasadisastersocrushingthatitseffectshavenotwhollydisappearedfromEgyptto-day,morethanthreethousandyearsaftertheevent。
IsitpresumablythattheeyeofEgyptwasuponJosephtheforeignJewallthistime?Ithinkitlikely。Wasitfriendly?Wemustdoubtit。
WasJosephestablishingacharacterforhisracewhichwouldsurvivelonginEgypt?andintimewouldhisnamecometobefamiliarlyusedtoexpressthatcharacter——likeShylock's?Itishardlytobedoubted。LetusrememberthatthiswascenturiesbeforetheCrucifixion?
IwishtocomedowneighteenhundredyearslaterandrefertoaremarkmadebyoneoftheLatinhistorians。Ireaditinatranslationmanyyearsago,anditcomesbacktomenowwithforce。ItwasalludingtoatimewhenpeoplewerestilllivingwhocouldhaveseentheSaviourintheflesh。ChristianitywassonewthatthepeopleofRomehadhardlyheardofit,andhadbutconfusednotionsofwhatitwas。Thesubstanceoftheremarkwasthis:SomeChristianswerepersecutedinRomethrougherror,theybeing'mistakenforJews。'
Themeaningseemsplain。ThesepaganshadnothingagainstChristians,buttheywerequitereadytopersecuteJews。ForsomereasonorothertheyhatedaJewbeforetheyevenknewwhataChristianwas。MayInotassume,then,thatthepersecutionofJewsisathingwhichantedatesChristianityandwasnotbornofChristianity?Ithinkso。Whatwastheoriginofthefeeling?
WhenIwasaboy,inthebacksettlementsoftheMississippiValley,whereagraciousandbeautifulSundayschoolsimplicityandpracticalityprevailed,the'Yankee'citizenoftheNewEnglandStateswashatedwithasplendidenergy。Butreligionhadnothingtodowithit。Inatrade,theYankeewasheldtobeaboutfivetimesthematchoftheWesterner。Hisshrewdness,hisinsight,hisjudgment,hisknowledge,hisenterprise,andhisformidableclevernessinapplyingtheseforceswerefranklyconfessed,andmostcompetentlycursed。
InthecottonStates,afterthewar,thesimpleandignorantNegroesmadethecropsforthewhiteplanteronshares。TheJewcamedowninforce,setupshopontheplantation,suppliedallthenegro'swantsoncredit,andattheendoftheseasonwasproprietorofthenegro'sshareofthepresentcropandofpartofhisshareofthenextone。Beforelong,thewhitesdetestedtheJew,anditisdoubtfulifthenegrolovedhim。
TheJewisbeginlegislatedoutofRussia。Thereasonisnotconcealed。
ThemovementwasinstitutedbecausetheChristianpeasantandvillagerstoodnochanceagainsthiscommercialabilities。Hewasalwaysreadytolendmoneyonacrop,andsellvodkaandothernecessitiesoflifeoncreditwhilethecropwasgrowing。Whensettlementdaycameheownedthecrop;andnextyearoryearafterheownedthefarm,likeJoseph。
InthedullandignorantEnglishofJohn'stimeeverybodygotintodebttotheJew。Hegatheredalllucrativeenterprisesintohishands;hewasthekingofcommerce;hewasreadytobehelpfulinallprofitableways;
heevenfinancedcrusadesfortherescueoftheSepulchre。Towipeouthisaccountwiththenationandrestorebusinesstoitsnaturalandincompetentchannelshehadtobebanishedtherealm。
ForthelikereasonsSpainhadtobanishhimfourhundredyearsago,andAustriaaboutacoupleofcenturieslater。
InalltheagesChristianEuropehasbeenobligetocurtailhisactivities。Ifheentereduponamechanicaltrade,theChristianhadtoretirefromit。Ifhesetupasadoctor,hewasthebestone,andhetookthebusiness。Ifheexploitedagriculture,theotherfarmershadtogetatsomethingelse。Sincetherewasnowaytosuccessfullycompetewithhiminanyvocation,thelawhadtostepinandsavetheChristianfromthepoor-house。TradeaftertradewastakenawayfromtheJewbystatutetillpracticallynonewasleft。Hewasforbiddentoengageinagriculture;hewasforbiddentopractiselaw;hewasforbiddentopractisemedicine,exceptamongJews;hewasforbiddenthehandicrafts。
Eventheseatsoflearningandtheschoolsofsciencehadtobeclosedagainstthistremendousantagonist。Still,almostbereftofemployments,hefoundwaystomakemoney,evenwaystogetrich。Alsowaystoinvesthistakingswell,forusurywasnotdeniedhim。Inthehardconditionssuggested,theJewwithoutbrainscouldnotsurvive,andtheJewwithbrainshadtokeepthemingoodtrainingandwellsharpenedup,orstarve。Agesofrestrictiontotheonetoolwhichthelawwasnotabletotakefromhim——hisbrain——havemadethattoolsingularlycompetent;
agesofcompulsorydisuseofhishandshaveatrophiedthem,andheneverusesthemnow。Thishistoryhasavery,verycommerciallook,amostsordidandpracticalcommerciallook,thebusinessaspectofaChinesecheap-labourcrusade。Religiousprejudicesmayaccountforonepartofit,butnotfortheothernine。
ProtestantshavepersecutedCatholics,buttheydidnottaketheirlivelihoodsawayfromthem。TheCatholicshavepersecutedtheProtestantswithbloodyandawfulbitterness,buttheyneverclosedagricultureandthehandicraftsagainstthem。Whywasthat?Thathasthecandidlookofgenuinereligiouspersecution,notatrade-unionboycottinareligiousdispute。
TheJewsareharriedandobstructedinAustriaandGermany,andlatelyinFrance;butEnglandandAmericagivethemanopenfieldandyetsurvive。
Scotlandoffersthemanunembarrassedfieldtoo,buttherearenotmanytakers。ThereareafewJewsinGlasgow,andoneinAberdeen;butthatisbecausetheycan'tearnenoughtogetaway。TheScotchpaythemselvesthatcompliment,butitisauthentic。
IfeelconvincedthattheCrucifixionhasnotmuchtodowiththeworld'sattitudetowardtheJew;thatthereasonsforitareolderthanthatevent,assuggestedbyEgypt'sexperienceandbyRome'sregretforhavingpersecutedanunknownquantitycalledaChristian,underthemistakenimpressionthatshewasmerelypersecutingaJew。MerelyaJew——askinnedeelwhowasusedtoit,presumably。IampersuadedthatinRussia,Austria,andGermanynine-tenthsofthehostilitytotheJewcomesfromtheaverageChristian'sinabilitytocompetesuccessfullywiththeaverageJewinbusiness——ineitherstraightbusinessorthequestionablesort。
InBerlin,afewyearsago,IreadaspeechwhichfranklyurgedtheexpulsionoftheJewsfromGermany;andtheagitator'sreasonwasasfrankashisproposition。Itwasthis:thateighty-fivepercentofthesuccessfullawyersofBerlinwereJews,andthataboutthesamepercentageofthegreatandlucrativebusinessesofallsortsinGermanywereinthehandsoftheJewishrace!Isn'titanamazingconfession?
Itwasbutanotherwayofsayingthatinapopulationof48,000,000,ofwhomonly500,000wereregisteredasJews,eighty-fivepercentofthebrainsandhonestyofthewholewaslodgedintheJews。Imustinsistuponthehonesty——itisanessentialofsuccessfulbusiness,takenbyandlarge。Ofcourseitdoesnotruleoutrascalsentirely,evenamongChristians,butitisagoodworkingrule,nevertheless。Thespeaker'sfiguresmayhavebeeninexact,butthemotiveofpersecutionstandsoutasclearasday。
ThemanclaimedthatinBerlinthebanks,thenewspapers,thetheatres,thegreatmercantile,shipping,mining,andmanufacturinginterests,thebigarmyandcitycontracts,thetramways,andprettymuchallotherpropertiesofhighvalue,andalsothesmallbusinesses,wereinthehandsoftheJews。HesaidtheJewwaspushingtheChristiantothewallallalongtheline;thatitwasallaChristiancoulddotoscrapetogetheraliving;andthattheJewmustbebanished,andsoon——therewasnootherwayofsavingtheChristian。HereinVienna,lastautumn,anagitatorsaidthatallthesedisastrousdetailsweretrueofAustria-
Hungaryalso;andinfiercelanguagehedemandedtheexpulsionoftheJews。Whenpoliticianscomeoutwithoutablushandreadthebabyactinthisfrankway,unrebuked,itisaverygoodindicationthattheyhaveamarketbackofthem,andknowwheretofishforvotes。
Younotethecrucialpointofthementionedagitation;theargumentisthattheChristiancannotcompetewiththeJew,andthathencehisverybreadisinperil。Tohumanbeingsthisisamuchmorehate-inspiringthingthanisanydetailconnectedwithreligion。Withmostpeople,ofanecessity,breadandmeattakefirstrank,religionsecond。IamconvincedthatthepersecutionoftheJewisnotdueinanylargedegreetoreligiousprejudice。
No,theJewisamoney-getter;andingettinghismoneyheisaveryseriousobstructiontolesscapableneighbourswhoareonthesamequest。
Ithinkthatthatisthetrouble。InestimatingworldlyvaluestheJewisnotshallow,butdeep。Withprecociouswisdomhefoundoutinthemorningoftimethatsomemenworshiprank,someworshipheroes,someworshippower,someworshipGod,andthatovertheseidealstheydisputeandcannotunite——butthattheyallworshipmoney;sohemadeittheendandaimofhislifetogetit。HewasatitinEgyptthirty-sixcenturiesago;hewasatitinRomewhenthatChristiangotpersecutedbymistakeforhim;hehasbeenatiteversince。Thecosttohimhasbeenheavy;hissuccesshasmadethewholehumanracehisenemy——butithaspaid,forithasbroughthimenvy,andthatistheonlythingwhichmenwillsellbothsoulandbodytoget。Helongagoobservedthatamillionairecommandsrespect,atwo-millionairehomage,amulti-
millionairethedeepestdeepsofadoration。Weallknowthatfeeling;
wehaveseenitexpressitself。Wehavenoticedthatwhentheaveragemanmentionsthenameofamulti-millionairehedoesitwiththatmixtureinhisvoiceofaweandreverenceandlustwhichburnsinaFrenchman'seyewhenitfallsonanotherman'scentime。
PointNo。4——'TheJewshavenoparty;theyarenon-participants。'
Perhapsyouhaveletthesecretoutandgivenyourselfaway。Itseemshardlyacredittotheracethatitisabletosaythat;ortoyou,sir,thatyoucansayitwithoutremorse;more,thatyoushouldofferitasapleaagainstmaltreatment,injustice,andoppression。WhogivestheJewtheright,whogivesanyracetheright,tositstillinafreecountry,andletsomebodyelselookafteritssafety?TheoppressedJewwasentitledtoallpityintheformertimesunderbrutalautocracies,forhewasweakandfriendless,andhadnowaytohelphiscase。Buthehaswaysnow,andhehashadthemforacentury,butIdonotseethathehastriedtomakeserioususeofthen。WhentheRevolutionsethimfreeinFranceitwasanactofgrace——thegraceofotherpeople;hedoesnotappearinitasahelper。IdonotknowthathehelpedwhenEnglandsethimfree。AmongtheTwelveSaneMenofFrancewhohavesteppedforwardwithgreatZolaattheirheadtofightandwin,Ihopeandbelieve[3]
thebattleforthemostinfamouslymisusedJewofmoderntimes,doyoufindagreatorrichorillustriousJewhelping?IntheUnitedStateshewascreatedfreeinthebeginning——hedidnotneedtohelp,ofcourse。
InAustriaandGermanyandFrancehehasavote,butofwhatconsiderableuseisittohim?Hedoesn'tseemtoknowhowtoapplyittothebesteffect。Withallhissplendidcapacitiesandallhisfatwealthheisto-daynotpoliticallyimportantinanycountry。InAmerica,asearlyas1854,theignorantIrishhod-carrier,whohadaspiritofhisownandawayofexposingittotheweather,madeitapparenttoallthathemustbepoliticallyreckonedwith;yetfifteenyearsbeforethatwehardlyknewwhatanIrishmanlookedlike。Asanintelligentforceandnumerically,hehasalwaysbeenawaydown,buthehasgovernedthecountryjustthesame。Itwasbecausehewasorganised。Itmadehisvotevaluable——infact,essential。
YouwillsaytheJewiseverywherenumericallyfeeble。Thatisnothingtothepoint——withtheIrishman'shistoryforanobject-lesson。ButIamcomingtoyournumericalfeeblenesspresently。InallparliamentarycountriesyoucouldnodoubtelectJewstothelegislatures——andevenonememberinsuchabodyissometimesaforcewhichcounts。HowdeeplyhaveyouconcernedyourselvesaboutthisinAustria,France,andGermany?OreveninAmerica,forthatmatter?YouremarkthattheJewswerenottoblamefortheriotsinthisReichsrathhere,andyouaddwithsatisfactionthattherewasn'toneinthatbody。Thatisnotstrictlycorrect;ifitwere,woulditnotbeinorderforyoutoexplainitandapologiseforit,nottrytomakeameritofit?ButIthinkthattheJewwasbynomeansinaslargeforcethereasheoughttohavebeen,withhischances。Austriaopensthesuffragetohimonfairlyliberalterms,anditmustsurelybehisownfaultthatheissomuchinthebackgroundpolitically。
Astoyournumericalweakness。Imentionedsomefiguresawhileago——
500,00——astheJewishpopulationofGermany。Iwilladdsomemore——
6,000,000inRussia,5,000,000inAustria,250,000intheUnitedStates。
Itakethemfrommemory;Ireadtheminthe'EncyclopaediaBrittannica'
tenortwelveyearsago。Still,Iamentirelysureofthem。Ifthosestatisticsarecorrect,myargumentisnotasstrongasitoughttobeasconcernsAmerica,butitstillhasstrength。ItisplentystrongenoughasconcernsAustria,fortenyearsago5,000,000wasninepercentoftheempire'spopulation。TheIrishwouldgoverntheKingdomofHeaveniftheyhadastrengththerelikethat。
Ihavesomesuspicions;Igotthematsecond-hand,buttheyhaveremainedwithmethesetenortwelveyears。WhenIreadinthe'E。B。'thattheJewishpopulationoftheUnitedStateswas250,000Iwrotetheeditor,andexplainedtohimthatIwaspersonallyacquaintedwithmoreJewsthanthatinmycountry,andthathisfigureswerewithoutadoubtamisprintfor25,000,000。IalsoaddedthatIwaspersonallyacquaintedwiththatmanythere;butthatwasonlytoraisehisconfidenceinme,foritwasnottrue。Hisanswermiscarried,andInevergotit;butIwentaroundtalkingaboutthematter,andpeopletoldmetheyhadreasontosuspectthatforbusinessreasonsmanyJewswhosedealingsweremainlywiththeChristiansdidnotreportthemselvesasJewsinthecensus。Itlookedplausible;itlooksplausibleyet。LookatthecityofNewYork;andlookatBoston,andPhiladelphia,andNewOrleans,andChicago,andCincinnati,andSanFrancisco——howyourraceswarmsinthoseplaces!——andeverywhereelseinAmerica,downtotheleastlittlevillage。Readthesignsonthemartsofcommerceandontheshops;Goldsteingoldstone,Edelsteinpreciousstone,Blumenthalflower-vale,Rosenthalrose-
vale,Veilchenduftviolentodour,Singvogelsong-bird,Rosenzweigrosebranch,andalltheamazinglistofbeautifulandenviablenameswhichPrussiaandAustriaglorifiedyouwithsolongago。ItisanotherinstanceofEurope'scoarseandcruelpersecutionofyourrace;notthatitwascoarseandcrueltooutfititwithprettyandpoeticalnameslikethose,butitwascoarseandcrueltomakeitpayforthemorelsetakesuchhideousandoftenindecentnamesthatto-daytheirownersneverusethem;or,iftheydo,onlyonofficialpapers。Anditwasthemany,notthefew,whogottheodiousnames,theybeingtoopoortobribetheofficialstograntthembetterones。
Nowwhywastheracerenamed?IhavebeentoldthatinPrussiaitwasgiventousingfictitiousnames,andoftenchangingthem,soastobeatthetax-gatherer,escapemilitaryservice,andsoon;andthatfinallytheideawashituponoffurnishingalltheinmatesofahousewithoneandthesamesurname,andthenholdingthehouseresponsiblerightalongforthoseinmates,andaccountableforanydisappearancesthatmightoccur;itmadetheJewskeeptrackofeachother,forself-interest'ssake,andsavedtheGovernmentthetrouble[4]。
IfthatexplanationofhowtheJewsofPrussiacametoberenamediscorrect,ifitistruethattheyfictitiouslyregisteredthemselvestogaincertainadvantages,itmaypossiblebetruethatinAmericatheyrefrainfromregisteredthemselvesasJewstofendoffthedamagingprejudicesoftheChristiancustomer。Ihavenowayofknowingwhetherthisnotioniswellfoundedornot。Theremaybeotherandbetterwaysofexplainingwhyonlythatpoorlittle250,000ofourJewsgotintothe'Encyclopaedia'。Imay,ofcourse,bemistaken,butIamstronglyoftheopinionthatwehaveanimmenseJewishpopulationinAmerica。
PointNo。3——'CanJewsdoanythingtoimprovethesituation?'
Ithinkso。IfImaymakeasuggestionwithoutseemingtobetryingtoteachmygrandmothertosuckeggs,Iwillofferit。Inourdayswehavelearnedthevalueofcombination。Weapplyiteverywhere——inrailwaysystems,intrusts,intradeunions,inSalvationArmies,inminorpolitics,inmajorpolitics,inEuropeanConcerts。Whateverourstrengthmaybe,bigorlittle,weorganiseit。Wehavefoundoutthatthatistheonlywaytogetthemostoutofitthatisinit。Weknowtheweaknessofindividualsticks,andthestrengthoftheconcentratedfaggot。Supposeyoutryaschemelikethis,forinstance。InEnglandandAmericaputeveryJewonthecensus-bookasaJewincaseyouhavenotbeendoingthat。GetupvolunteerregimentscomposedofJewssolely,andwhenthedrumbeats,fallinandgotothefront,soastoremovethereproachthatyouhavefewMassenasamongyou,andthatyoufeedonacountrybutdon'tliketofightforit。Next,inpolitics,organiseyourstrength,bandtogether,anddeliverthecasting-votewhereyoucan,and,whereyoucan't,compelasgoodtermsaspossible。Youhuddletoyourselvesalreadyinallcountries,butyouhuddletonosufficientpurpose,politicallyspeaking。Youdonotseemtobeorganised,exceptforyourcharities。Thereyouareomnipotent;thereyoucompelyourdueofrecognition——youdonothavetobegforit。Itshowswhatyoucandowhenyoubandtogetherforadefinitepurpose。
AndthenfromAmericaandEnglandyoucanencourageyourraceinAustria,France,andGermany,andmateriallyhelpit。ItwasapathetictalethatwastoldbyapoorJewafortnightagoduringtheriots,afterhehadbeenraidedbytheChristianpeasantryanddespoiledofeverythinghehad。Hesaidhisvotewasofnovaluetohim,andhewishedhecouldbeexcusedfromcastingit,forindeed,castingitwasasuredamagetohim,since,nomatterwhichpartyhevotedfor,theotherpartywouldcomestraightandtakeitsrevengeoutofhim。Ninepercentofthepopulation,theseJews,andapparentlytheycannotputaplankintoanycandidate'splatform!IfyouwillsendourIrishladsoverhereIthinktheywillorganiseyourraceandchangetheaspectoftheReichsrath。
YouseemtothinkthattheJewstakenohandinpoliticshere,thattheyare'absolutelynon-participants。'Iamassuredbymencompetenttospeakthatthisisaverylargeerror,thattheJewsareexceedinglyactiveinpoliticsallovertheempire,butthattheyscattertheirworkandtheirvotesamongthenumerousparties,andthuslosetheadvantagestobehadbyconcentration。IthinkthatinAmericatheyscattertoo,butyouknowmoreaboutthatthanIdo。
Speakingofconcentration,Dr。Herzlhasaclearinsightintothevalueofthat。Haveyouheardofhisplan?HewishestogathertheJewsoftheworldtogetherinPalestine,withagovernmentoftheirown——underthesuzeraintyoftheSultan,Isuppose。AttheConventionofBerne,lastyear,thereweredelegatesfromeverywhere,andtheproposalwasreceivedwithdecidedfavour。IamnottheSultan,andIamnotobjecting;butifthatconcentrationofthecunningestbrainsintheworldweregoingtobemadeinafreecountrybarScotland,Ithinkitwouldbepolitictostopit。Itwillnotbewelltoletthatracefindoutitsstrength。Ifthehorsesknewtheirs,weshouldnotrideanymore。
PointNo。5——'WillthepersecutionoftheJewsevercometoanend?'
Onthescoreofreligion,Ithinkithasalreadycometoanend。Onthescoreofraceprejudiceandtrade,Ihavetheideathatitwillcontinue。