no simple political
questions which can be answered merely by Yes and No. The masses are
also more prone even than Parliaments to be led away by heterodox
opinions, and to be swayed by vigorous ranting. It is impossible to
formulate a wise internal or external policy in a popular assembly.

Politics must take shape in the upper strata and work downwards. But
no member of the Jewish State will be oppressed, every man will be
able and will wish to rise in it. Thus a great upward tendency will
pass through our people; every individual by trying to raise himself,
raising also the whole body of citizens. The ascent will take a normal
form, useful to the State and serviceable to the National Idea.

Hence I incline to an aristocratic republic. This would satisfy the
ambitious spirit in our people, which has now degenerated into petty
vanity. Many of the institutions of Venice pass through my mind; but
all that which caused the ruin of Venice must be carefully avoided. We
shall learn from the historic mistakes of others, in the same way as
we learn from our own; for we are a modern nation, and wish to be the
most modern in the world. Our people, who are receiving the new
country from the Society, will also thankfully accept the new
constitution it offers them. Should any opposition manifest itself,
the Society will suppress it. The Society cannot permit the exercise
of its functions to be interpreted by short-sighted or ill-disposed
individuals.

LANGUAGE

It might be suggested that our want of a common current language would
present difficulties. We cannot converse with one another in Hebrew.
Who amongst us has a sufficient acquaintance with Hebrew to ask for a
railway ticket in that language? Such a thing cannot be done. Yet the
difficulty is very easily circumvented. Every man can preserve the
language in which his thoughts are at home. Switzerland affords a
conclusive proof of the possibility of a federation of tongues. We
shall remain in the new country what we now are here, and we shall
never cease to cherish with sadness the memory of the native land out
of which we have been driven.

We shall give up using those miserable stunted jargons, those Ghetto
languages which we still employ, for these were the stealthy tongues
of prisoners. Our national teachers will give due attention to this
matter; and the language which proves itself to be of greatest utility
for general intercourse will be adopted without compulsi