se malcontents were among the first to seize the opportunity of
bettering their condition, Mendel could afford to shrug his shoulders
and smile at their insinuations.

The principal class to benefit by the new order of things were the poor,
who now found abundant room and greedily availed themselves of it. To
them Mendel was a saviour in the practical sense of the word, and many a
grateful woman whose hovel had been exchanged for a more commodious
dwelling would kiss the Rabbi's hand as he passed through the quarter on
his errands of mercy.

But the young Rabbi's zeal did not end here. He convinced the Governor
that the taxes exacted from the Jews were not only excessive, but
disproportionate, and, as a result, they were lowered to a level with
those paid by the gentiles.

Hitherto the Jews had been forbidden to cultivate land on their own
account. Mendel, in presenting this subject to the Governor, laid stress
upon the fact that vast tracts were lying fallow for want of
agriculturists, and that the crown was thereby losing much revenue which
could easily be raised by a judicious distribution of these fields among
the thrifty and industrious Hebrews. Pomeroff saw the justice of the
argument and a proclamation resulted, removing the restrictions placed
upon the cultivation of land by the Jews.

The Jews of Kief and the surrounding provinces felt that a day of
prosperity and happiness had dawned for them. In a measure they enjoyed
the same liberty and privileges as did the lower classes of Russians.
They were free to come and go, to live where they pleased and to engage
in a score of occupations which had hitherto been forbidden, and Mendel
was justly honored as the author of these changes. His fame spread at
home and was heralded abroad. During his frequent visits to the Governor
he came in contact with many of the great and brilliant men of the
Empire. Dignitaries who at first met the Jew with a feeling of
repugnance gradually yielded to the charm of his personal influence and
vied with each other in honoring him, and through him Judaism was
honored and respected. His character, his benevolence, his patriotism
and his great mental gifts did more to convince those gentiles of what
the Jew could be than the keenest arguments could have done.

A great general one day asked him:

"Why are you so different from the Jews one usually meets?"

"Your excellency is in error," Mendel replied. "I am not unlike my
fellow-men