The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-04-15
The Gar and the Qualkers.


Men have been doing strange things for
the last five or six thousand years; that is,
ever since man has been historical subject.
OF the strange things lately enacted, we think
the self-constituted mission of three estima-
ble Friends" Messrs. Surge, Charleton and
Pease. to st. Petersburg last month, for the
purpose Of bringing the Gar to reason, and
of inclining him to a pacific course with
regard to the eastern question, is about the
strangest. These excellent, philanthropic,
and most well meaning men, besides repre-
senting themselves and their own views and
wishes were the formal or informal repre-
sentatives of the whole society of Friends in
Englaud-a very respectable, and pretty nu-
nerons one. They went, they saw, they
talked but they did not conquer, and we
much marvel that they should have thought
it within the compass OF human efforts, OF
logic, or of eloquence,. to make any lmpres-
sion on so impenetrable and lmpractlcable
subject as Nicholas, who is, as maligners say
of woman--if he will he will; II he won't
he won't, and there's an end ont. lie Is an
other dcmirbash, as the Turks called Charles
XII. of Sweden-iron hedd--and his English
vituperators say that his heart is OF the same
metal, or, which not much better, OF stone.
The Gar received the Quaker plenipoten-
tiaries very courteously, listened patiently
and with kind attention. an English paper
saws. to what they had to say, and then made
them studied reply, which IS one OF the
best gotten up documents OF all that have
been produced by the eastern question Tor
the last twelve months. 1t follows this ar
ticle. The Autocrat deals little in histor-
ical recolectons, and regards the Greek re-
ligion as "a link of connection between
himself and the Greek subjects of the Porte.
This is amusing to those who know how the
Greek religion was introduced into Russia,
which was done by Vladimir, between eight
and nine hundred years ago. He had some
of the characteristics of great man, and
percaivng that the gross idolatry OF his
countrymen was not even an apology tor
religion. he resolved to import better one.
For this purpose he appointed commission
10 examine and report upon the religion OF
Mohammed, of the Jews, of the Roman Cath
olics. and of the Greeks. He decided finally
in favor of the Greek religion, rejecting ISL
amjsm because of circumcision, which he
said was abominable, and because it did not
tolerate the use of strong liquors, which the
Autocrat said would not suit his country
men. The Jewish religion he contemned,
because the Jews had been driven from their
own country, and were but vagabonds on
the face of the earth. He decided at once
against the Roman Catholic, because he
would not acknowledge any superior on earth
(ike the pope J but was pleased with the
Greek religion, on account of the pomp and
splendor of the worship, and because by ad-
opting It he would be the head of his own
national church. The matter being settled,
and the choice being made, his next move
was to attack Greek city, which stood near
where Sebastopol now stands, with no prov
ocation, and with no object, except to kid
nap Greek bishop and priests, who should
inaugurate his new religion for him, his pride
not permitting him to ask the loan OF them
from the Greek emperor at Constantinople.
He succeeded in taking the city and captur-
ing the priests, and his next move was to
solicit. or rather demand, the daughter of the
Emperor for a wife, which demand was
granted, the feeble Greek being afraid to de-
nv ANYTHING that the ambitious and not very
scrupulous proselyte might request. From
that dav to this Russia has been Greek with
respect to religion, and the faith which was
inaugurated in violence and bloodshed, is
now. and has been for long time, the =" link
of connection" that is to bind Turkey to
Russia; and if the allies do not succeed in
crippling and putting the Car utterly horS
du combat, this consummation of his plans,
and that before many years, is one of the