The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-16 00:00:00

ARCHE It CLARKE,

71, HIGH STREET,

(L-4 TOURBRIDGE.
Cr)

ONE Box of CLARKE'S B 41 Pills in
warranted to cure all discharges from the Urinar
Organs, in either sex, acquired or constitutional, Grave
and Pains in the Back.—sold in boxes, 4s 6d each, by
all Chemibts and Patent Medicine Vendors; or sent to
any address for 60 Stamps by the Maker, F. J. CLARK'S
Consulting Chemist, High-street, Lincoln.—Wholesale
A Zelit3, B.IIICLAY& SoNs, London,and all the Wholesale
Souses.

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FRAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH. They unite the
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Sold by all Chemists, at ii. 11„ and is. 9a. per box.

GOUT AND RHEUMATISNI.—Tho ex-
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lialicine, BLAIR'S GOUr and EFIEbitATIc PILLS.
They rcquiro no reatraint of diet or confinernent during
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ng any vital part.
gold by all chemists at 1.. 1141.:and 2s. Dd. per box.

Often as the attention of other nations has
been directed towards Constantinople in all its
long and varied history, seldom has greater
interest been concentrated upon any gathering
there, than at the present time. When it is
said that its history is a long and varied one, it
will be seen that it extends over a period
of about 2,500 years. Originally termed
Byzantium, in the ancient Thrace, it was
founded by a colony of Megarlans, under Byzas,
667 years before the Christian era. In the
earlier vicissitudes of its career it was taken
successively by the Medes, the Athenians and
the Spartans. When it had been in existence
three centuries, its people, in alliance with the
Athenians, defeated the fleet of Philip of
Macedon. Next it was besieged and taken by
the Romans, who laid the place in ruins. Con-
stantine the Great made it the seat of the
Eastern Empire ; and from him it derived its
pleasantly-sounding name which we all know so
well. But its existence was even then a
shequered one, for it suffered mach from
religious dissensions, was partially destroyed by
fire, and rebuilt by the Emperor Justinia. It
manfully resisted the attacks of the Saracens
and the Russians, was taken by the Latins and
recovered by the Greeks, was besieged by
Amurath the Ottoman, and afterwards taken by
Mahomet 11. Its life has been one continued
series of sieges and of struggles ; and since
the foundation of the Russian empire. Hs great
northern neighbour has been credited with an
unappeasable desire to gain possession of it, in
order to transfer for its own seat of Govern-
ment to a land of pleasanter skies and longer
days than any which can be found within the
wide radius of frost-bound Russia.

Such is the city which has been selected as
the scene of one of the most important
European conferences of modern times. Am-
bassadors and Plenipotentiaries have gathered
together from the various capitals of Europe,
to make an effort to avert a war which has for
months been looked upon as imminent. Upon
the verge of Christmas, underneath the shadows
of the mosques and minartes which the Moslem
delights to set up in order to mark the earnest-
ness of his religion, the collective wisdom of a
continent has assembled in the hope of warding
off a scourge which combined with pestilence is
about the most terrible which can fall upon the
children of men. Long ago, in sacred story,
the time was fondly dwelt upon when men
should beat their swords into ploughshares and
their spears into praning-hooks, when nation
should no longer rise up against nation, nor
should they learn war any more. But, so far
from that period arriving, the various nationali-
ties of Europe seem to be going further away
from it year by year. The wars of the past
quarter of a century have been far more awful
and destructive than any previously recorded.
Take the war between the Western Powers and
Russia in 1854, the four years' civil war in
America from 1861 to 1865, and the life
and death struggle between France and
Germany in 1870, and it will haye been seen
that the sacrifice of human life was far greater
than in the most sanguinary conflicts of old.
International competitions are not so much in
the arts of peace as in the exertion to turn out
the best deadly engine of war. If England
produces an ironclad believed to be invulnerable,
Russia goes to work and builds ono which shall
overmatch her. England constructs a 35-ton
gun of enormous power, and facetiously dubbed
"the Woolwich infant." It is speedily super-
seded by the 81-ton gun. Italy turns out a
cannon of 100 tons, and the experiments with it
at Spezzia are read with the deepest interest by
scientific men in naval and military circles.
But the authorities at the royal arsenal at
Woolwich are not to be outdone like this.
They at once prepare plans for a gun of 160
tons, and another of the enormous calibre of
200 tons is talked of. In fact such has been
the development of the warlike spirit during the
past twenty years or so, that Europe is more
like an armed camp than a great centre for
offerings to the Temple of Peace.
The diplomatists have met at the very gates
of Isia, the continent above all others which is
, most intimately associated with the scenes in
the Bible from which so many lessons have been
drawn in all ages. They endeavour to ward off
the shock of war upon the very threshold of a
season dear in all Christian lands for its
reminiscences of peace. "On earth peace and
goodwill towards men! " was the legend many
a year ago, when a stir of dazzling brightness
was seen in the East. It is not given to Am-
bassadors to be overcome by sentiment; if it
were, the lessons of that time would not be lost.
But while the peoples are hoping for peace, the
sound of the heavy tramp of armed men is borne
upon the wind. The forces of the Czar, like
those of the kings in Old Testament chronicles
are gathering together to battle. They are
hurrying down from the northern limits of the
vast Russian empire, and collecting in great
masses upon the frontier line of the Pruth, ready
to cross it and seize upon their prey should the
conference prove abortive. The star which is
seen in the heavens is not that which guided
the Magi to the City of Bethlehem, but there is
one which appears there with a bloothred hue,
and known as Mara, the god of war. Will the
efforts of the ambassadors cause him to pale his
ineffectual fires 2 All that the peoples can do
is to hope for the best, and to trust that peace
may yet be proem ed to Europe.