You are safe, Keidansky; the orthodox will never forgive you. We change, yet those who fail also come to their own, and even lost souls make great discoveries. Did you not say that "Life is the profoundest of all platitudes?" B. G. R. New York, March, 1903. Contents I Keidansky Decides to Leave the Social Problem Unsolved for the Present 1 II He Defends the Holy Sabbath 7 III Sometimes He is a Zionist 13 IV Art for Tolstoy's Sake 23 V "Three Stages of the Game" 33 VI "The Badness of a Good Man" 41 VII "The Goodness of a Bad Man" 53 VIII "The Feminine Traits of Men" 65 IX The Value of Ignorance 75 X Days of Atonement 85 XI Why the World is Growing Better 95 XII Home, the Last Resort 105 XIII A Jewish Jester 117 XIV What Constitutes the Jew? 129 XV The Tragedy of Humor 139 XVI The Immorality of Principles 149 XVII The Exile of the Earnest 157 XVIII Why Social Reformers Should be Abolished 165 XIX Buying a Book in Salem Street 173 XX The Purpose of Immoral Plays 183 XXI The Poet and the Problem 193 XXII "My Vacation on the East Side" 199 XXIII Our Rivals in Fiction 211 XXIV On Enjoying One's Own Writings 219 _DISCOURSES OF KEIDANSKY_ I Keidansky Decides to Leave the Social Problem Unsolved for the Present The lecture at the Revolutionary Club, Canal street, was over, the audience rose, one by one, and ere their departure, those who made it up, lingered on for awhile and stood in little groups of two, three and four, and earnestly discussed the things that had been, and particularly the things that might have been, said on the subject. The peroration was delivered with fervor and gusto by one of the "red ones" of the Ghetto. It was on "The Emancipation of Society from Government," a theme packed with meaning for those present, and as almost everybody was willing to be interviewed on his or her impressions, there was quite a little exchange of opinion afterwards. The speaker, besieged by a small circle of questioning dissenters and commentators, was holding an informal, compulsory reception. A few hard workers of the sweat-shops, who slumbered peacefully during the discourse, came up towards the platform to tell the speaker how well they liked it. It was during this hobnob medley of varying voices that I introduced Keidansky to a lady, a friend of mine, who, having heard of the wicked things he says, and the queer things he does, desired very much to meet him. As she greeted him the lady rather perfunctorily remarked: