Of what value are all the opinions and advice given here without the aid of the press? We will attain our aim only when the press will be in our hands. Our people must direct the daily publications.... We need great political newspapers which will mold public opinion—criticism, the literature of the street and the stage. In this way we will crowd out the Christians step by step, and will dictate to the world what it should believe in, what it should respect and what it should curse. We will repeat the sorrowful cry of Israel and the complaints against the persecutions which are directed against us.... With the press in our hands we can turn wrong into right, dishonesty into honesty. We can shake all foundations and separate families. We can destroy faith in all that our enemies believed until now. We can ruin credits and arouse passions. We can declare war; we can give fame or disgrace. We can uplift or ruin talent. (Page 43.) [_The following are parallel extracts from the imaginary Rabbi’s speech vouched for by the author of the novelette as fact a number of years later._] SECOND STAGE OF THE LIE—“THE RABBI’S SPEECH” When we become at last the sole possessors of all the gold to be found on earth, the power will practically be transferred to our hands, and the promises made to Abraham will be fulfilled. Gold—is the greatest power on earth, it is might, reward, the instrument of every authority, it is all man, both fears and desires.... The problem before us now is to facilitate even to a greater extent the means of contracting these loans and thus to become the sole managers of all the valuables, after which the exploitation of all their railroads, mines, forests, large factories and industrial plants, as well as of all other real property, including duties and taxes, will fall into our hands, as a security for the capital lent to us by the various states. Agriculture will forever remain the principal source of a country’s wealth. The possession of large plots of land will pave for us even a broader way to honors and will strengthen our influence over the highest officials of the country. From this follows, that our efforts will be directed towards inducing our brethren in Israel to make large agricultural purchases. We must, therefore, do our utmost to break up large estates into small parcels, in order to be able to purchase them in the easiest and quickest way. Under the pretext of trying to help the working classes, it is necessary to oppress the large landowners with taxation in all its severity. When these possessions will thus gradually be transferred in our hands, the whole labor of the Christian proletariat will become for us a new source of tremendous profits.