Therefore the unpopular boy has a bad time of it, and the more he perseveres in working the worse it is for him. In every country where there is money to be made by being early in the field, by enterprise, and by business capacity, the Jew appears. The diamond - buyers, whose shops in Kimberley bear Hebrew names all along the street, the gold merchants of the Transvaal, and many other Jewish colonies of merchants, attest the readiness of the Jew to venture on new fields. When the British expedition went up, in 1884, into Bechuanaland, the Boers along the route shut their doors. The Jewish contractor appeared at once on the scene, supplying all that was wanted at a fair price, and bringing to the columns every sort of delicacy or comfort that could be bought cheap and easily carried. At Vrijburg, where half-a-dozen brick cottages represented a Boer capital, there sprang up in six months a town of iron houses, with a hotel having excellent billiard rooms, and a French cook. All this change was due to Jewish enterprise, and all was intended merely to supply a passing want, for it was foreseen that the recall of the troops would leave hotel and billiard-rooms without a customer.

The successes which have thus been continually gained by Jews, sometimes by fair means, and sometimes by taking unfair advantage of the necessities of others, have however been mainly in trade and finance. It is generally doubted whether the Jew will put his hand to the plough, since he appears rather to prefer to buy the crop which others raise. The success of an agricultural colony consisting entirely of Jews has often been doubted; and if such a colony is to succeed, it can only be because the colonists are

carefully chosen, and are fitted and willing to lead an agricultural life. That which makes the present movement of practical interest is the determination expressed by the Jews themselves to found to found agricultural colonies, and their assertion that colonists skilled in agriculture are to be found among those whom they propose to send out. For this reason it is of real interest to consider what their success is likely to be.

When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem he found grievous complaints against the Jews, that they had become mortgagees of the peasant lands; but it must be remembered that the class that returned with Ezra was not an agricultural class-the Babylonians had left the vine-dressers and tillers of the soil in their own country when they took away captive the priests, princes, and merchants of Judah; and it is notable, from cruciform tablets of sales, that the Jews were trading in Babylon, in land, slaves, and houses, even during their captivity and in later times. In the same way the Jews who about 1880 fled to Palestine, and invaded Jerusalem, made a living by becoming middlemen between the peasants and their customers in the cities. Half a century ago it is said that there were not above 8000 Jews in Palestine: at the present moment their numbers are reckoned as not less than 100,000, of whom some 15,000 are settled in or close to Jerusalem, representing nearly half of the present population of the town. Most of the new-comers arrived in a state bordering on destitution; but have in a few years so increased their means as to be able to buy land and found building clubs, which have raised long

streets of houses where there was once nothing but rock to be seen The arrangement for inhabiting such houses is curious, since the contributors drew lots among themselves for the first tenancy. It

is now stated in the Jewish press that the erection of 4000 houses is contemplated along the southern road which leads to Bethlehem. The main difficulty in such building is the water-supply; for Jerusalem possesses only one very indifferent spring, and its inhabitants are mainly dependent on rain-water cisterns. This is a very ancient question, and one which in Pilate's time the Romans solved by making two long aqueducts from the springs of Etam and from other fountains south of Bethlehem; but these have been allowed to fall into ruins the lower one only from time to time, when mended, bringing water to the Temple enclosure, while the upper channel has been entirely deserted. An An English company has, however, of late proposed to remedy this defect although it may be doubted if the available supplies will be sufficient for a largely increased population.

In addition to these purely Jewish settlements, efforts have been made by the Missions to assist the Jews by a special fund, which was intended to found a colony in the low hills west of the city at Artûf. The choice of a site cannot be considered very judicious, since the villages in the valleys suffer much from fever in autumn. Nevertheless, an agricultural centre has actually been founded, and many of the destitute emigrants were thus drawn away from the overcrowded capital. It does not, however, appear that any large proportion of the Jews so assisted by Christian Missions have as yet embraced Christianity; and the

VOL. CXLIX.-NO. DCCCCVIII.

action of the Mission is regarded with much sorrow by their coreligionists in England, and has had the effect of stirring up many to assist their brethren in the East, rather than leave them to the charity of the Gentiles.

The method whereby these destitute immigrants made their remarkable advance is characteristic and simple. They offered themselves as intermediaries and capitalists, though possessing very little cash. They met the peasants, who were bringing their produce to the capital, at some distance from the gates, and purchased all their stock. The peasants were both willing so to save the loss of time and the uncertainty belonging to a sale in the crowded markets, and were also very willing to shorten their day's journey by several miles. But the Jew did not pay in cash but in small promissory notes, which they had agreed to accept between themselves. By this means the peasant was forced, if he accepted the Jew's offer, either to resell his notes at a discount, or to deal solely with Jewish sellers. These notes were pronounced illegal by the Government, and their withdrawal was ordered. The Jews refused to accept them save at a very large discount: the loss fell on the peasantry, and the consequence was that they very soon reappeared in the market. When by these means the Jewish middleman has made a considerable profit, there is no doubt that some will undersell their fellows by offering cash to the peasants; but meantime the city population falls into the hands of Jewish traders, who hold the food-supply in their power; and the increase of prices, and the coercion thus made practicable, cannot be said to have made the Jews popular with the more primitive population, by whom

3 K

such sudden changes from ancient methods were entirely unforeseen.

It is on the same principles that the newly arrived Jews proceed in other countries. They are willing to work hard for long hours and very small pay, and to live in a manner entirely impossible, or at least most distasteful, to the working classes with which they compete. The result is a "sweating" of Jews by Jews, which has terribly reduced the wages of our towns, and increased our Jewish population to an unprecedented extent. The proposed remedy is the exclusion-partial or complete -of such immigrants in the future; but we may well doubt if such a remedy is likely to be applied, or would be very efficacious if an attempt to enforce it were made. It is contrary to the best traditions of the country to deny asylum to any who are driven out of other lands, and especially so when the new-comers are able and willing to work for bread. It is by such free admission that much of our prosperity has been built up. Iberians, Celts, Saxons, Norsemen, and Normans, have followed each other to England from the Continent, and we have the blood of all of them in our veins; but, in addition to these, England has ever been open to the oppressed or the adventurous from all parts of the world, and not least to the Jews. Had we excluded the Huguenots whom France expelled, we should have never developed some of the industries they taught

us.

Had the Saxon element alone prevailed, the advance of England in the general progress of civilisation would certainly have been delayed by the sluggish temperament which we note in the South African Boer, who is a blood-relation of the Saxon.

On the other hand, the Jew is

too clever to be restrained by preventive laws, except when enforced with ruthless severity. However often expelled, he finds his way back to countries where there is something to gain. The names borne by Hebrew families are evidence of the concealment of nationality which became necessary in the middle ages in consequence of penal enactments. Under the assumed names, which were either translations or phonetic equivalents for their real ones, the Jews passed as natives of the country in which they dwelt, being much assisted by their facility in learning languages. In short, the energy and genius of this most remarkable people has in all times of modern history enabled them to triumph over the various obstacles which Churches and Governments have placed in their way.

If, then, the Jew is determined to come to England, it is next to impossible to close the door. Men may, however, be led when they cannot be driven. It is better to point to some other preferable alternative, and to convince the Jewish leaders of opinion that a cheaper and more effective method exists in dealing with the present emergency, one which is thoroughly in harmony with the aspirations of the race, and which at the same time is more likely to be profitable, both to those who are now in trouble, and also to those who feel it a duty to assist them.

Suggestions from without are not likely to be received with enthusiasm by a proud and able race which has devoted all its energies to the question of securing the interests of the "ancient people," as they delight to call themselves. Suspicion as to motives is at once aroused, and the Jew sees the attempt to prose

lytise hidden under a humanitarian cloak, or partially avowed as an ultimate result to be gained. But the present movement is from within, and it has consequently stirred an enthusiasm during the past year which seems to increase rather than to diminish. The Chovevey Sion association is intended to unite the "friends of Sion" in a powerful organisation, having for its object the agricultural colonisation of Palestine by Jews expelled from Russia and from Europe; and it already numbers among its leaders several wellknown men of influence and wealth. Its affiliated local centres are widely spread, and the number of its adherents is increasing from hundreds to thousands. In spite of the difficulties to be encountered -and in what scheme will no difficulties be found? - it appears destined to affect the fortunes of Palestine, and to make a remarkable change in the distribution, and in the status, of the Jewish

race.

The advantages which such a scheme presents are obvious. The Jew of Russia and of the East is very different from the civilised Jew of the West. He has not attained to either the education or the refinement of his more favoured brethren, and he is an Oriental, not a European. For this reason he is better fitted at the present time for oriental life, and for the conditions which prevail in Eastern countries. Moreover, the journey from Russia to Palestine is short and inexpensive, as compared with the task of crossing Europe to reach England. The country is almost next door to the home from which, in Austria or at Moscow, he is likely to be expelled. The question remains, Will he be allowed to return to the land of his fathers? and

will he be able to live there in peace and in prosperity when he gains admission?

From a political point of view, no real objection can be urged, save on the part of the Russians, who are taking energetic action to bring about a result which has already been prejudicial to their interests, and which in the end may be yet more damaging. The Jews are a peace-loving people,

and all their interests are bound up in peace, and in the commerce which so much depends on tranquillity. The persecution of Jews has already rendered abortive the recent Russian attempt to raise money, which may be suspected to be mainly useful for warlike purposes. Public opinion is too strong among the Jews to be disregarded by even the most wealthy and powerful among their great capitalists. No great Hebrew banker can assist a people who are active in ruining Hebrew commerce. On the other hand, the Sultan might expect to find useful allies among those who cannot but nourish for many years a bitter resentment against their persecutors. A Jewish population in Palestine would rank on the side of their hosts, were they received with open arms; and would represent a much more powerful interest than do the Circassians, to whom the Sultan has already given shelter, settling them in the Jaulan plains, south of Mount Hermon. It may be that such an argument may not appeal to the Khalif, who, as the head of Islam, must see with suspicion the increasing power of his non-Moslem subjects; but surely the presence of the Jewish ally is better than the future approach of the Greek Christian enemy. The Moslem population does not increase in Syria: the country is empty, com

pared with its capability of supporting a population; and appears to be a prey already within the grasp of Russian armies from the East, whenever the signal is given. To England such a change would be certainly beneficial. It would prevent the dreaded influx of hungry foreigners, and it would establish on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean a population friendly to ourselves, since no other country has treated the Jew with greater justice and consideration than has Great Britain. For such reasons the Jewish proposals should therefore be acceptable to the whole of Europe, with the exception of Russia, who has left herself no real ground for objection.

The objections which are raised by those who claim to be practical critics of such a scheme are briefly, -first, that the Turkish Government will not consent, and will make it impossible for a Jewish colony to succeed; secondly, that the country is already populated, and is little better than a rocky desert; thirdly, that the Jews will never take to agricultural pursuits, being entirely addicted to trade; and lastly, that the movement is "enthusiastic," which in the present times is equivalent to saying that it is a mere religious delusion, not organised by practical men of business.

As regards the first point, it remains to be proved that the Sultan is averse to such projects. It is stated in the Jewish press that the restrictions which prevented foreigners from acquiring land in the East have quite recently been withdrawn. They have never really prevented such titles being acquired and recognised. Missionary societies have evaded the law by making purchases through Moslem agents. Jewish and other

capitalists have already acquired land, and have prospered in spite of the dreaded bakshish system. The financial position of the Jews would probably render it easier for them than for others to overcome the Sultan's objections, and they can hardly be recognised as having a common interest with any of those who covet his dominions. The spirit of nationality might no doubt arise among them when gathered in a fatherland; but the Jewish bond of union is religious rather than national, and the Koran places the Jew, and the Christian also, in a different category-as tributaries allowed the exercise of their own creed-to that in which it ranks those who

have no "religion of a book."

The Government of the Porte holds in its gift the waste lands which, according to law, it can besto w without payment on those who are willing to cultivate; and some years ago it was calculated that 200,000 acres of such land existed in Lower Galilee, while beyond Jordan the healthy region of Gilead sustains only a very sparse settled population. The ruined condition of the peasantry also makes them willing to dispose of their freehold lands to any purchaser, although such arrangements should be so concluded as not to discourage or dispossess the native population, which, however small, is sturdy and laborious, and better fitted than any other element of population to till the land, under just and favourable conditions.

To say that the country is already populated is to make a statement applicable to any other part of the world. The new colonies in South Africa already contain so large a Kaffir population that it seems impossible in many parts. to find room for white men, without grievous injustice to a law-abid