“Well, let it pass—­very few of our readers have ever heard of him.  But on the same page you have a Latin quotation.  I don’t say there’s anything wrong in that, but it smacks of Reform.  Our readers don’t understand it and it looks as if our Hebrew were poor.  The Mishna contains texts suited for all purposes.  We are in no need of Roman writers.  On page 6 you speak of the Reform Shool, as if it were to be reasoned with.  Sir, if we mention these freethinkers at all, it must be in the strongest language.  By worshipping bare-headed and by seating the sexes together they have denied Judaism.”

“Stop a minute!” interrupted Raphael warmly.  “Who told you the Reformers do this?”

“Who told me, indeed?  Why, it’s common knowledge.  That’s how they’ve been going on for the last fifty years.”  “Everybody knows it,” said the Committee in chorus.

“Has one of you ever been there?” said Raphael, rising in excitement.

“God forbid!” said the chorus.

“Well, I have, and it’s a lie,” said Raphael.  His arms whirled round to the discomfort of the Committee.

“You ought not to have gone there,” said Schlesinger severely.  “Besides, will you deny they have the organ in their Sabbath services?”

“No, I won’t!”

“Well, then!” said De Haan, triumphantly.  “If they are capable of that, they are capable of any wickedness.  Orthodox people can have nothing to do with them.”

“But orthodox immigrants take their money,” said Raphael.

“Their money is kosher’, they are tripha,” said De Haan sententiously.  “Page 7, now we get to the most dreadful thing of all!” A solemn silence fell on the room, Pinchas sniggered unobtrusively.

“You have a little article headed, ‘Talmudic Tales.’  Why in heaven’s name you couldn’t have finished the column with bits of news I don’t know.  Satan himself must have put the thought into your head.  Just at the end of the paper, too!  For I can’t reckon page 8, which is simply our own advertisement.”

“I thought it would be amusing,” said Raphael.

“Amusing!  If you had simply told the tales, it might have been.  But look how you introduce them!  ’These amusing tales occur in the fifth chapter of Baba Bathra, and are related by Rabbi Bar Bar Channah.  Our readers will see that they are parables or allegories rather than actual facts.’”

“But do you mean to say you look upon them as facts?” cried Raphael, sawing the air wildly and pacing about on the toes of the Committee.

“Surely!” said De Haan, while a low growl at his blasphemous doubts ran along the lips of the Committee.

“Was it treacherously to undermine Judaism that you so eagerly offered to edit for nothing?” said the furniture-dealer who was always failing.

“But listen here!” cried Raphael, exasperated.  “Harmez, the son of Lilith, a demon, saddled two mules and made them stand on opposite sides of the River Doneg.  He then jumped from the back of one to that of the other.  He had, at the time, a cup of wine in each hand, and as he jumped, he threw the wine from each cup into the other without spilling a drop, although a hurricane was blowing at the time.  When the King of demons heard that Harmez had been thus showing off to mortals, he slew him.  Does any of you believe that?”