ovna: "From
Christ's enemies I desire no profit." It is precisely in this profit
that both the Exchequer and the higher classes, and--what is most
important--the people at large, are greatly interested. The basic
productive force of a country is the living work of its population.
The body politic of Russia contains about six millions of gifted and
undoubtedly industrious Jews. The manner in which the forces of this
people are applied will be treated further on. For the moment let us
state this: it is to the interest of the Russian State to utilise
economically this living Jewish energy as completely and rationally as
possible. From this standpoint all the obstacles which are created for
the Jews in the field of education are absolutely incomprehensible: it
is as if our country, sorely lacking as it is not only in
representatives of superior qualified labour, but actually in literate
people, were striving to increase its ignorance and intellectual
backwardness. Of course, formal justification can be found for every
act, and every evil-doer endeavours to convince himself of the justice
of his evil deeds. So it is in this case, too: the intentional
shutting-off of the Jewish masses from education is motivated by the
desire to keep them from becoming superior to the Russian population,
which, it is said, is intellectually inferior to the Jews. This
argument is an outright insult flung in the face of the Russian
people. It shows that the official guardians of the nation do not know
its rich natural powers. But this argument cannot obscure the
essential nature of Jewish disabilities as an intentional neglect of
that productive power which is represented by a portion of the Russian
subjects. Our economic organism does not get all the benefits to which
it may rightfully lay claim.

Let us turn to those characteristic social and economic conditions
under which the Jews exist in our country. Nearly all of them, upward
of five millions, live within the Pale of Settlement, which comprises
fifteen governments and Poland, and only six per cent. live outside of
this territory. Within the Pale, Jews are not allowed to buy or take
on lease real estate outside the towns and townlets, which
circumstance makes it impossible for them to become farmers. This, in
connection with the limitation of residence, has naturally resulted in
a peculiar character of the Jewish occupations. It is characteristic
of the part the Jews play in Russia's eco