We publish elsewhere two letters in regard to the question
of the Jews and secret societies which, though in our opinion written in too sensational a key and thus having a provocative effect, are from the historical point of view of no little interest. We note that some of the organs of Jewish public opinion, for example the Jewish Chronicle, are very angry with the Spectator for daring to deal with this problem, and seem to be perturbed in regard to our investigations. What is the Spectator doing this for ? is the interrogatory sequestered in every sentence of the columns devoted to the subject. Considering what Jewish persecution has been in the past we are not surprised at this agitation of mind, but we can assure our Jewish contem- poraries that we are after nothing and doing nothing except trying to get at the troth. We do not believe in a great Jewish conspiracy, but we do, as we have said before, believe in another type of Jewish peril, though of a very different kind to that ingeminated by the egregious Nilus. We also see the danger, and a very real and very great danger, of an unjust prejudice being created against the Jews as a whole bemuse of the follies and crimes of certain Jews in countries where the Jewish perse- cution has been of a specially horrible kind. The persecuted Jews are made evil by their persecution and by wrongs that cry aloud to heaven for reparation—the worst of those wrongs being false accusations in regard to crimes of which they are innocent. Then they commit real crimes as bad as those alleged crimes for which they were originally persecuted. Then follow more persecutions, this time to some extent justified, and so the evil ding-dong of prejudice, craft, persecution and vengeanoe goes merrily on. Cause and effect are combined and merged In a hideous welter of shame, and blood, and oppression, and retaliation.
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