New-York daily tribune., 1854-03-27
centuries ago. 1t ia true that it is not 50 violently
mar Tested DOW a. when the provinces Of southeastern

Blu. though il is thus clesr that the Turks nave no
coed claim to domneer over their European provinces
az they have done hitherto the question still remains
whether the reform initiated by Matmoud II may not
be carried out so as 10 ccnr equality Of rights on all
oasses of the empire and thus regenerase and revive
It. without deprsing The Moslens Of their eadng Po-
siton ard without leaving open tae opportunity
for expressing the Christians. On this head we
may advantseeously refer 70 the fundamental
spirit and principles of the book OF books the Ko-
ran In their general outlines these may be cassed
as absolute fatslism raised to the intensity OF regi
Gus creed penetrating the whole nature Of the believer,
ater and destroy al its loier and progressive
iupues Further the disciple of this creed from his
religious pride locks down all who without the
sphere of the Koran scarcely worthy OF existence,
scarcely worthy ofthe name and the rights Of human
being Mainly BY these two ideas that religious fana-
tcilm was generated and warmed to life, which IN
spred the Mosems with iercer o. aggression to-
word all other and nations unknown else
where in tie annals of the human family. Mahom-
etsrsm in its essence is without elasticity it
contracts the powers and faculties of the soul, de-
pryipg them Of spontaneity giving them outlet only
in fixed and wilful direction This creed once having
penetrated into oil the recesses Of the Eastern mind
and taken root there it and its believers can
Dot charge part from each other but must stand or
fall together Besides the chief feature of MahOmetsn
lem is contempt sni hatred of Christianity, aud its
special religious mission and aim can only be found ia
tie struggle for life apd death with the Christian that
is with the progressive world. Ia the expansion OF
iis onward and conqueriDg course there appeared
brilliant epOchs, sueh the reign OF the Calphs
Of Bogdad above all under the dynasty Of the FL
Raschds aud the dominion of the Moors in Spain pc
rods eminenty marked by culture polish aud various
criteria of civilization But those transient flashes in
the history Of Mahometanism for the most part
only tie results Of individual minds soaring above the
narrow limits of the creed and softeaDg t iufezi-
bility. Those epOchs were sooner o. later followed
BY relapse into the genuine spirit of Msho netnnism
as fanaca gloomy, and unrelentng in its hatred OF
the outside world in the times when it applied tue
in,enda1y torch to the treasures accumulated in the
library az Alexandria. The MOors in Morocco sank
under the stsgnant influence of the Koran aud the
transient rays OF Moorish culture were forever
tiDguished But the true spirit Of IssmSm found its
most con plete and absolute manifestation, when, TO-
ward the end of the thirteenth century, the savage
Onrhlian tribe of the Osmaas, the present Turks,
tatll.hed their supremacy over the Mabometans OF
Asia Minor and Syria.
From that epoch history records that for five cen
tuIies they wSged aggressive, uninterrupted war
against the West ard repeatedly attempted the slbju-
CATION of tie European world. War was the sacred
occupation of tie faithful Mahometan the conquered
were compelled TO toll under oppression, to furnish
means for the warke enterprises of Islam to give
up their and daughters TO its lust. In this
ner the resources Of in mense empire, extending
over the finest parts Of the globe once the seat of
civilization and Of tic highest culture, deyoured
The Turk nowhere attempted to take root in The SOIL
to identify himself with its cultivation, TO foster any
ar. OF peace the haughty master lived by spoils and
by the tribute levied arbitrarily his subjects The
Sultdns were absolute, unlimited, religious and
political despots, over all those submitted to
their rUe each Mahometan was in turn the lord
over tie lives and fortunes of all who differed
from hin in religious creed And now began the dc.
coy Of this naughty and bar5arous power Wealth
AID luxury reigned within the palace OF the Suaus,
al d they sank into efiminacy. From the end of the
sixteenth century they 70 longer CLEANED like de-
s'royng whirlwind upon Europe at the head of their
JanssaIies and spabis. When they ceased to be az
gressye tIoy began TO fall Fanaticsm night conquer,
but not preserve, and while Europe hls!ened forward
in the path of science aud industry Turkey sunk be-
hind without development without culture, without
Lope.
Out Of this abyss, Mahmoud II, the father of the
present Sultan sough. by reform to raise his empire
In so doing he necessarily failed see thai what most
of all made Turkey inferior to Europe was Madom-
etsnsm ana that the only reform which could prove
efficient would be TO overthrow the sagnant, arOphic
spirit of that religion and let in light upon the minds
of the people. Instead OF this he tried superficial
sonnittrative changes, all good and proper in then
selves. but utterly inadequate 70 the end in view. Ac
cordipg the testimony of travellers and those the
must friendly TO the Turks and the best acquainted
with their present condition such as Madame de Bel
gio oso and Mr. Layard, these reforms have proved
abortive, as indeed was to be expected from their
tagoIm 10 the spirit of the Koran and to all Mosem
habits. The famous Tdn-im4t decree of reform, in
consistent end impracticabe it is while the Turks
adhere to the law OF Mahomet is scarcely observed at
the Capital and its immediate vicinity and counts for
nothing in the distant provinces and especially in Asia
Its sole result appears to be that msrule and confusion
have increased and extended their work OF decompo.
sition more intensely and wider than befor..
The Turks in ceasing to lie martial have 10. learned
tot Industrious They neithert the soil nor ply the
mechanic arts, but lounge in lordly ndOenee, which
10 reform can touch except overthrowng the fatal
ism, poygamy and concubinage of the Koran. Even
the little branches of manufacture formerly carried on
among them they have sacrificed in order TO crafty
of tie socalled friendly powers by tariff based On
the principles of British free trade Their Incidence
does rot however, infect the various tribes they still