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extinguished, by a stronger race. The Jews, however, are beyond all doubt the strongest, toughest, and purest race at present living in Europe, they know how to succeed even under the worst conditions (in fact better than under favourable ones), by means of virtues of some sort, which one would like nowadays to label as vices⁠—owing above all to a resolute faith which does not need to be ashamed before “modern ideas,” they alter only, when they do alter, in the same way that the Russian Empire makes its conquest⁠—as an empire that has plenty of time and is not of yesterday⁠—namely, according to the principle, “as slowly as possible”! A thinker who has the future of Europe at heart, will, in all his perspectives concerning the future, calculate upon the Jews, as he will calculate upon the Russians, as above all the surest and likeliest factors in the great play and battle of forces. That which is at present called a “nation” in Europe, and is really rather a res facta than nata (indeed, sometimes confusingly similar to a res ficta et picta ), is in every case something evolving, young, easily displaced, and not yet a race, much less such a race aere perennus , as the Jews are: such “nations” should most carefully avoid all hotheaded rivalry and hostility! It is certain that the Jews, if they desired⁠—or if they were driven to it, as the anti-Semites seem to wish⁠— could now have the ascendancy, nay, literally the supremacy, over Europe, that they are not working and planning for that end is equally certain. Meanwhile, they rather wish and desire, even somewhat importunely, to be insorbed and absorbed by Europe, they long to be finally settled, authorized, and respected somewhere, and wish to put an end to the nomadic life, to the “wandering Jew”⁠—and one should certainly take account of this impulse and tendency, and make advances to it (it possibly betokens a mitigation of the Jewish instincts) for which purpose it would perhaps be useful and fair to banish the antisemitic bawlers out of the country. One should make advances with all prudence, and with selection, pretty much as the English nobility do. It stands to reason that the more powerful and strongly marked types of new Germanism could enter into relation with the Jews with the least