I said in the last chapter, "The Jewish Company will organize trade
and commerce in the new country." I shall here insert a few remarks on
that point.
A scheme such as mine is gravely imperilled if it is opposed by
"practical" people. Now "practical" people are as a rule nothing more
than men sunk into the groove of daily routine, unable to emerge from
a narrow circle of antiquated ideas. At the same time, their adverse
opinion carries great weight, and can do considerable harm to a new
project, at any rate until this new thing is sufficiently strong to
throw the "practical" people and their mouldy notions to the winds.
In the earliest period of European railway construction some
"practical" people were of the opinion that it was foolish to build
certain lines "because there were not even sufficient passengers to
fill the mail-coaches." They did not realize the truth--which now
seems obvious to us--that travellers do not produce railways, but,
conversely, railways produce travellers, the latent demand, of course,
is taken for granted.
The impossibility of comprehending how trade and commerce are to be
created in a new country which has yet to be acquired and cultivated,
may be classed with those doubts of "practical" persons concerning the
need of railways. A "practical" person would express himself somewhat
in this fashion:
"Granted that the present situation of the Jews is in many places
unendurable, and aggravated day by day; granted that there exists a
desire to emigrate; granted even that the Jews do emigrate to the new
country; how will they earn their living there, and what will they
earn? What are they to live on when there? The business of many people
cannot be artificially organized in a day."
To this I should reply: We have not the slightest intention of
organizing trade artificially, and we should certainly not attempt to
do it in a day. But, though the organization of it may be impossible,
the promotion of it is not. And how is commerce to be encouraged?
Through the medium of a demand. The demand recognized, the medium
created, it will establish itself.
If there is a real earnest demand among Jews for an improvement of
their status; if the medium to be created--the Jewish Company--is
sufficiently powerful, then commerce will extend itself freely in the
new country.
_III. The Jewish Company_