"'The head will protect us against the fists, as in the past. Labor
is the slave of speculation, and violence is the slave of wisdom.
Who will deny that cunning is the distinctive trait of our nation?
"'Our nation is ostentatious and greedy, arrogant and
pleasure-loving.
"'Where there is light there is also shadow. It is not in vain that
Adonai our God gave his chosen people the tenacity of a snake, the
cunning of a fox, the look of a falcon, the memory of a dog, the
diligence of an ant, and the sociability of a beaver. We were in
captivity on the rivers of Babylon, and have become powerful! Our
temple was destroyed, but we have built a thousand new temples! For
eighteen hundreds years we were slaves; now we have grown head and
shoulders above all other nations.'
"All the twelve pronounced the concluding words--
"'Brethren,' said the Levite, 'the time has come when, in
accordance with the laws of the founder of our union, we must
determine ways and means by which the Jews shall attain their goal
as soon as possible; our experience of a hundred years will help us
in this. We who know must direct and guide the masses which are
blind. We, the builders, will combine the dead stones into a pillar
which must reach the sky.'
"'The Tower of Babel was destroyed by the hand of Him whose name I
dare not pronounce,' said the sceptic.
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