Empire;
that it has in view only its own future strength and greatness and
not our own future prosperity. We are sorry to state that we put no
confidence in the new measures proposed by the ministerial council,
and that we look with gloomy foreboding into the future."

[Footnote 1: I quote from _Max Lilienthal, American Rabbi, Life and
Writings_, by David Philipson, New York, 1915, p, 264.]

In his reply Lilienthal advanced an impressive array of arguments:

What will you gain by your resistance to the new measures? It will
only irritate the Government, and will determine it to pursue its
system of repression, while at present you are offered an
opportunity to prove that the Jews are not enemies of culture and
deserve a better lot.

When questioned as to whether the Jewish community had any guarantee
that the Government plan was not a veiled attempt to undermine the
Jewish religion, Lilienthal, by way of reply, solemnly pledged himself
to throw up his mission the moment he would find that the Government
associated with it secret intentions against Judaism. [1] The circle of
"enlightened" Jews in Vilna pledged its support to Lilienthal, and he
left full of faith in the success of his enterprise.

[Footnote 1: Op. Cit. p. 266.]

A cruel disappointment awaited him in Minsk. Here the arguments which
the opponents advanced in a passionate debate at a public meeting were
of a utilitarian rather than of an idealistic nature.

So long as the Government does not accord equal rights to the Jew,
general culture will only he his misfortune. The plain uneducated
Jew does not balk at the low occupation of factor [1] or peddler,
for, drawing comfort and joy from his religion, he is reconciled to
his miserable lot. But the Jew who is educated and enlightened, and
yet has no means of occupying an honorable position in the country,
will be moved by a feeling of discontent to renounce his religion,
and no honest father will think of giving an education to his
children which may lead to such an issue. [2]

[Footnote 1: The Polish name for agent. See Vol. I, p. 170, n. 1.]

[Footnote 2: Quoted from Lilienthal's own account in _Die Allgemeine
Zeitung des Judentums_, 1842, No. 41, p. 605b.]

The opponents of official enlightenment in Minsk were not content with
advancing arguments that appealed to reason. Both at the meeting and in
the street, Lilienthal was the target of insulting remarks from