It is necessary,--for it is just and
useful--to give the Jew equal rights with the Russians; it is
imperative that we should do so not only out of respect to the people
which has rendered and is constantly rendering yeoman service to
humanity and our own nation, but also out of self-respect.
We must make haste with this plain, human reform, for the animosity
against Jews is on the increase in our country, and if we do not make
an attempt to arrest the growth of this blind hatred, it will prove
pernicious to our cultural development. We must bear in mind that the
Russian people have hitherto seen very little good, and therefore,
believe all the evil things that man-haters whisper in their ears. The
Russian peasant does not manifest any organic hatred for the Jew,--on
the contrary, he shows an exceptional attraction for Israel's
religious thought, fascinating for its democratic spirit. As far as I
can remember, the religious sects of "judaizers" exist only in Russia
and Hungary. In late years, the sects of "Sabbathists" and "The New
Israel" have been developing rather rapidly in our country.
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