BOOKS.

THE JEWISH PERIL.*

WE have dealt in our leading columns with what we consider should be the attitude of sane and cautious men towards this amazing pamphlet. Here we must write in detail of the work Itself. Let us begin by saying that if, as we are inclined to believe on internal evidence, it is not a forgery but the genuine product of some half-crazy, wholly evil Jewish political philosopher, we by no means desire to pooh-pooh it as unworthy of any attention. At the lowest it is a symptom of social disease, or, if you will, an omen and a warning which ought not to be neglected, even though it must be treated with the calmness of the physician and not with the access of hysteria • The Jewish Peril : Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. London : Eyre lad Spott1swoode. 12e. bd. net.;

which is too often produced in the layman by an extreme exhi- bition of mental depravity. These outpourings of Machiavellian mysticism constitute a curious study not only from the literary point of view but from that of diabolic science. They are indeed some of the most remarkable productions of their kind which the present writer has ever encountered. The " Protocols " are of very great ability, and they exercise an intellectual fascination which enthralls while it disgusts. There is madness in the writing, but it is certainly madness with a method, and though we are strong in the belief that publicity is the safest cure for such mani- festations of political disease, we are fully alive to the bad results that the book may very easily have upon unbalanced minds.

We do not in the least imply by this that The Jewish Peril will make converts to Machiavellism. The danger is rather that its perusal will tend to make people believe that there really is a great and world-wide Jewish conspiracy in existence and a deliberate plot to set up Anti-Christ. That is a delusion which it is very difficult to disprove, and one which is most insidiously' incited. For nearly two thousand years the world has every now and then been distracted by the dread of Anti-Christ. In the later Middle Ages the world was intensely disturbed by wild tales as to an attempt to set up the reign of Anti-Christ, and there was not wanting so-called written evidence of various kinds to prove the truth of these arguments. Take, for example, the legend of the "Dc Tribus Impostoribus." This work, which we now know was never written and never existed in any shape or form, was believed to be the text-book for a great plot to overthrow the States of Christendom and to destroy and explode Christianity. At the same time there FM very likely some sort of shadowy foundation for the great illusion in the teachings of anarchical and atheistic Oriental philosophers. It is not true that there is never smoke without fire in the sense of fire that is dan- gerous. But smoke has always some origin, though often of a comparatively harmless kind. The work before us may of course be a pure forgery, though, if so, it is a very ingenious one. We think it more likely, however, that it rests on real documents, though they point not to any serious plot but merely to the vaticinations of a particular Russian Jew or group of Russian Jews of a mind and imagination depraved far beyond ordinary experience. Again, it is quite possible, as Mr. Maude suggests in his able and timely letter in the Times of Wednesday, that the origin of the pamphlet is the reports of the agents provocateurs of the old Russian Secret Police. If so, they were men of great

ability in their vile work.

Our best way of telling the story of the book is to quote the Preface in full :—

"At a moment when the whole of Western Europe is enlarging upon the benefits of constitutional governments and discussing on the one hand the merits and on the other the sins of Maxi- malism (Bolshevism), I think that I may with advantage put before the English-speaking public, the translation of a book published at Tsarskoye Sielo, in Russia, in the year 1905. A copy of the original may be seen at the British Museum Library, under No. 3926 d 17, stamped British Museum, 10th August, 1906. How many more copies of the book may be seen in the world, I can hardly say, as, shortly after its appearance in 1905, most copies seem to have been bought up simultaneously and apparently with a purpose. On this point I would only warn my readers that they must not take a copy of this translation to Russia, as anybody in whose possession it is found by the Bolsheviki is immediately shot, as being the bearer of re- actionary propaganda.' The book was presented to the Russian public by Professor Sergyei Nilus. It contains :—

(1) An introduction to the main text, written by Sergyei Nilus in 1905.

(ii) Notes on lectures delivered to Jewish students in Paris in the year 1901. (iii) A portion of an epilogue written by the same Sergyei Nilus. I have not considered it necessary to reproduce the whole of the epilogue, as portions of it would be of no interest to the British public, and do not bear upon the question before me, namely, that of the Jewish Peril.

I would ask my readers to bear in mind that the lectures above referred to were delivered in 1901, and that Nilus's Introduction and Epilogue were written in 1905. It is impossible to read iny of the parts of this volume to-day without being struck by the strong prophetic note which runs through them au, not only as regards the once Holy Russia' but also as regards certain sinister developments, which may 130 observed at the present moment throughout the whole world. Gentiles—Beware ! London, 2nd December, 1919."

Our only comment upon this Preface is to ask who is "I." We also desire to draw the attention of our readers to a letter which appeared in the Times of Tuesday written by Mrs. Sonia E. Howe, who tells us that she has been reading in the original Professor Nilus's book from which The Jewish Peril pamphlet is taken, and that the English translation does not always give an accurate account of the work. Her contention apparently is that the book as read in the original setting gives a stronger case for its authenticity and for its " Anti-Christ " character, and further that it gives the impression that Professor Nilus was not as fanatical and anti-Semitic as might be imagined. Mrs. Howe's letter should, however, be read in =tens°. It is obviously a genuine letter, though it appears to us to show certain signs of what we may term the Anti-Christ conspiracy mania.

The Preface which we have just quoted is followed by Professor Nilus's own Introduction to the Russian book. He tells us that "A manuscript has been handed to me by a personal friend, now deceased, which with extraordinary precision and clearness describes the plan and development of a sinister world-wide conspiracy, having for its object that of bringing the unre- generate World to its inevitable dismemberment. This docu- ment came into my possession some four years ago (1901), with the positive assurance that it is a true copy in translation, of original documents stolen by a woman from one of the most influential and most highly initiated leaders of Freemasonry." The theft was accomplished at the close of a secret meeting of the 'initiated' in France, that nest of Jewish masonic conspiracy.' To those who would see and hear, I venture to reveal this manuscript under the title of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.' . . . The world's last rampart and last refuge from the coming storm is Russia. Her true faith is still alive, and the anointed Emperor still stands as her sure protector. All the efforts of destruction on the part of the sinister and evident servants of the Anti-Christ, his conscious and unconscious workers, are concentrated on Russia. The reasons are understood, the objects are known, they must be known to believing and faithful Russia. The more threaten- ing the coming historical moment is, the more frightening the approaching events concealed in the dense clouds are, the more courageously and with greater determination the brave and Intrepid hearts of the Russians must beat. Bravely ought they to join hands round the sacred banner of their Church and round the throne of their Emperor. So long as the soul lives, so long also the flaming heart beats in the bosom, there is no room for the deathly spectre of despair ; but it is for us and for our fidelity, to gain the Almighty's mercy and to delay the hour of Russia's fall (1905)."

These passages are important and curious, first in showing that Professor Nilus, whoever he was, had a mind of just the un- balanced sort which finds conspiracies everywhere, and that he was the kind of man who might very easily have thought It his duty to invent or compile campaign ,literature when he wanted to incite men to a pogrom. On the whole we do not think he did invent these papers, though it is quite possible that he might have done so. We are bound to say, from internal evidence, however, that there is something extremely " fishy " in such phrases as "a manuscript has been handed to me by a personal friend, now deceased." They always are "now deceased." Again, we are bound to say that our suspicions are very much aroused by such statements as the positive assurance that "it is a true copy in translation, of original docu- ments stolen by a woman 'from one of the most influential and most highly initiated leaders of Freemasonry." That woman is very familiar to the students of conspiracy. She comes from the Adelphi or from the sanctum of Sherlock Holmes. Further, the qualifying remark that "The theft was accomplished at the close of a secret meeting of the 'initiated' in France" is just the kind of remark which would put any trained criminal investigator or archaeologist (conf. the Ossian controversy) face to face with an alleged new document very much on his guard. At the same time, and to be strictly fair, it is very curious to note that Professor Niluu3's remarks were made, as the documents show, before the Russian Revolution, and that for Russia, at any rate, his words were prophetic. Who knows I We admit, however, that we cannot say "Who cares "

The Epilogue starts what may be called a new hare, or partly new hare, in regard to the origin of the work. Though there is no distinctive join in "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion," it is really divided into two parts. The first part appears to be a kind of pamphlet, the second notes upon lectures purporting to have been given by some Jew or group of Jews in Paris to would-be Anti-Christ conspirators. There they were taught the art of producing chaos in Christendom, and so bringing on the reign of Anti-Christ, or, as they would say, the King of Zion, the ruler of the line of David. This second or lecture-note half of the book is somewhat vaguely described in the Epilogue as follows

These minutes were stealthily removed from a large book of notes on lectures. My friend found them in the safes at the headquarter offices of the Society of Zion, which is at present situated in France. . . . It will soon be four years since

" • Orient Freemasonry."

'the Prot000ls of the Elders of Zion' have been in my possession. God alone knows how numerous have been the unsuccessful attempts which I have made in order to bring them to light or even to warn those who are in power and reveal to them the causes of the storm which hangs over apathetio Russia, who seems unfortunately to have lost all count of what is going on around her. And only now when I fear that it is too late, have I succeeded in pub- lishing my work, in the hope that I may be able to warn those who still have ears to hear and eyes to see. There is no room left for doubt. With all the might and terror of Satan, the reign of the triumphant King of Israel is approaching our unregenerate world ; the King born of the blood of Zion— the Anti-Christ---is near to the throne of universal power. Events in the world are rushing with stupendous rapidity dis- sensions, wars, rumours, famines, epidemics, and earthquakes— what was but yesterday impossible has to-day become an accom- plished fact. Days rush past as it were for the benefit of the chosen people. There is no time to minutely enter into the history of humanity from the point of view of the revealed 'mysteries of iniquity,' to historically prove the influence which the elders of Israel' have had on the misfortunes of humanity, to foretell the already approaching certain future of mankind or to disclose the final act of the world's tragedy. The Light of Christ alone and that of His Holy Universal Church can penetrate into the Satanic depths and reveal the extent of their wickedness. In my heart I feel that the hour had struck for summoning the Eighth Ecumenical Council to which, oblivious of the quarrels which have parted them for so many centuries, will congregate the pastors and representa- tives of the whole of Christianity, to meet the advent of the Anti-Christ."

Of this passage we will only say thatif the "Protocols" really are

the genuine product of some crazy Jewish mystic, then Professor Nilus runs him hard in the art of mysterious and apocalyptical vaticinationa. But here we are bound to note that Christian Russians might very well point to the words which we have placed in italics in our quotation. The words "Days rush past

as it were for the benefit of the chosen people" are not a bad description of the Soviet Government in which something like 70 or 80 per cent. of the leaders are Jews.

We must now deal with the pamphlet itself, but it is so packed with interesting, strange, curious, and notable things that we must ask those of our readers who can find the time, to read it for themselves, though we warn persons without a good deal of mental training and some knowledge of history, politics, and philosophy that they will probably not find their way in the maze and will be painfully bewildered by the process. Those, however, who are properly equipped for the task will be deeply interested by its perusal. Except that it may seem to be fantaatio to say so of a production in some ways so important, the best description of the pamphlet that we can think of is that it is a wild and fantastic mixture of what we might call Diaraelian idealism in regard to the Jewish race, with plentiful additions from German State metaphysics. Add a big dash of Machiavellism, and a large ingredient from the ideas of Robespierre and Saint-Just and the other Revolutionary advocates of the autocratic, State created and maintained by slaughter and the terror that slaughter produces. Next follow fantastic elements from Nietzsche, and, unless we mistake, even from Wagner. Those are thrown in like the borage and slices of strawberries into cham- pagne-cup, and the result is a seething, bubbling, heady mixture of a. very curious kind ; but always remember that the main elements are perverted Jewish idealism, German State philosophy, and the most violent and subversive ideas of the French Revolu- tion and of Machiavellism. To illustrate what we have been saying we will quote from the beginning of what we may term the pamphlet side of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" :— " We will be plainspoken and discuss the significance of each reflection, and by comparisons and deductions we will produce full explanations. By this means I will expose the conception of our policy and that of the Goys (i.e., Jewish definition of all Gentiles). It must be noted that people with corrupt instincts are more numerous than those of noble instinct. Therefore in governing the world the best results are obtained by means of violence and intimidation, and not by academic discussions. Every man aims at power ; everyone would like to become a dictator if he only could do so, and rare indeed are the men who would not be disposed to sacrifice the welfare of others in order to attain their own personal aims. What restrained the wild beasts of prey which we call men ? What has ruled them up to now ? In the first stages of social life they submitted to brute and blind force, then to law, which inrmlity is the same force, only masked. From this I am led to deduct that by the law of nature, right lies in might. Political freedom is not a fact, but an idea. This idea one must know how to apply when it is necessary, in order to use the same as a bait to attract the power of the populace to one's party, if such party has decided to usurp the power of a rival. The problem is simplified if the said rival becomes infected with ideas of freedom, so-called liberalism, and for the sake of this idea yields some of his power. in this the triumph of our idea will become apparent. The relinquished reins of government by the. law of life are immedi- ately seized by a new hand, because the blind strength of the populace cannot exist for a single day without a leader, and the new government only fills the place of the old, which has been weakened by its liberalism. Nowadays the power of gold has superseded liberal rulers. There was a time when religion ruled. The idea of freedom is not realisable, because no one knows how to use it with discretion. It suffices to give the populace self-government for a short period for this populace to become a disorganised rabble. From that very moment dissensions start which soon develop into social battles : the States are set in flames and their total significance vanishes. Whether the state is exhausted by its own internal convulsions, or whether civil ware hand it over to an external foe, it can in any case be considered as definitely and finally destroyed—it will be in our power. The despotism of capital, which is entirely In our hands, will hold out to it a straw, to which the state will be unavoidably compelled to cling ; if it does not do so, it will Inevitably fall into the abyss. Of anybody who might, from motives of liberalism, be inclined to remark that discussions of this kind are immoral, I would ask the question, why is it not immoral for a state which has two enemies, one external and one Internal, to use different means of defence against the former to that which it would use against the latter, to make secret plans of defence, to attack him by night or with superior forces ? Why should it then be immoral for the state to use these means against that which ruins the foundations and welfare of its life ? . . . Alone an autocrat can conceive vast plans clearly assigning Its proper part to everything in the mechanism of the machine of state. Hence we conclude that it is expedient for the welfare of the country that the government of the same should be in the hands of one responsible person. Without absolute des- potism civilisation cannot exist, for civilisation is capable of being promoted only under the protection of the ruler, whoever he may be, and not at the hands of the masses. The crowd is a barbarian, and acts as suoh on every occasion. As soon as the mob has secured freedom it speedily turns it into anarchy, which in itself is the height of barbarism. Just look at these oleo- holised animals stupefied by the drink, of which unlimited use Is tolerated by freedom ! Should we allow ourselves and our fellow creatures to do likewise? The people of the Christians, bewildered by alcohol, their youths turned crazy by classics and early debauchery, to which they have been instigated by our agents, tutors, servants, governesses in rich houses, clerks, and so forth, by our women in places of their amusement—to the latter I add the so-called ` society women '—their volun followers in corruption and luxury. Our motto must be

means of force and hypocrisy.'"

We may draw special attention to the passage on absolute despotism. It reads almost as a translation from one of Saint-Just's later speeches. Here let us say that the passages whioh follow are filled with very clever taunts about the folly of such phrases as "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity." These and the assurances that under the Universal Jewish Monarchy they will be absolutely obliterated may be compared with the passage in Disraeli's Vindication of the English Consti- tution, in which he, in effect, claims that the Jewish spirit has always opposed utilitarianism and Benthamism, and protested against what he deems the dangerous political illusion of equality. On p. 13 of the pamphlet there also is a very curious and very Disraelian passage about the greatness of the power of gold and capital in the hands of the Jews, and also about the intellectual superiority of the Jews and their secrets of government. A portion of this Jewish fanfare is very close to a passage in the Apocrypha, so close indeed that it is difficult to believe that it was not written by a true Jew. Again, the insistence upon secrets of policy with which the pamphlet is shot is intensely Oriental. Orientals often pretend to have wonderful secrets of government and whatnot. They are of course, as a matter of fact, secrets d,e Polichineile; but the Oriental, like the Celt, is never happy unless he thinks he has got a secret up his sleeve.

Remarkably Oriental, too, are the passages declaring how the Christian States must be undermined by extracting from them the very conception of God and replacing that by arithmetical Ideas and material things. Deprived of religion, the Christians are to be kept occupied with trade and commerce. Interesting also is a Machiavellian dissertation upon the use of words to govern men. "The main problem for our government is : how to weaken the brain of the public by criticism, how to make it lose its power of reasoning whioh creates opposition, and how to distract the public mind by senseless phraseology."

Not a little curious is the passage describing how cities :airy be destroyed by explosions, especially under the new develop- ments of underground railways. "Metropolitan railways and underground passages" will give good opportunities. "From these subterranean places we will explode all the cities of the world, together with their institutions and documents." It is interesting to note the absence of any threat in regard to aircraft in these passages. That, in our opinion, would alone prove that the notes—for we are probably now in the note part of the document—were written, as they profess to be, in 1901. We will end our quotations with a particularly vile piece of Maohiavellism. The conspirators for the New Zion are to get a hold upon the Presidents, which no doubt includes great Ministers, of States by means of blackmail :—

" In order to achieve these results, we will prearrange for the election of such presidents, whose past record is marked with some ' Panama ' scandal or other shady hidden trans- action. A president of such a kind will be a faithful executor of our plans, as he will fear denouncement, and will be under the influence of the fear which always possesses a man whq has attained power and is anxious to retain the privileges and honours associated with his high office. The House of Repre- sentatives will elect, protect, and screen the president ; but we will deprive this House of its power of introducing and altering laws."

There are passages also in regard to the use of death and of the "great call" to make loss and other acts of Government laconio which is an exact copy or parallel of a praise of " laconicism " to be found in one of Saint-Just's speeches.

And now a final word of warning. One of the first things which will strike readers of the pamphlet is the almost uncanny prophetic character both as regards the Russian Revolution and the after effects of the war. It is sometimes hardly possible to believe that it was written in 1906 at latest, and most probably in 1901. But the apparent exactness of these prophecies must not delude us into thinking that they are in any sense examples of cause and effect. That is, they do not in the least show, in our opinion, that anything in the nature of a conspiracy has been at work. Perhaps the beet way of illus- trating what we mean is to take once more a medical analogy. It is, we believe, a commonplace amongst doctors that patients in the crisis of an illness, looking back to find some cause for their woes, often show extraordinary ingenuity in discovering how they fell ill, and how they felt sure at the time that this or that accident or meeting with this or that infection was the source of their troubles_ Yet these apparently authentic sources are usually either pure delusions on the patient's part, or else false analogies which are ingeniously painted up by the patient's quiok imaginings.