Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1854-10-03
Prom the Pittsburgh Com. Jour.
The Greek Revelation.

30 strongly as ihe Gfeeks. II - now thirty
years since this nation was stirred deeply il
their behalf. From our, national halls th.
eloquent voices Of the great champions o
freedom were heard; money was given; tht
muses. united their voice, and poetry, ant
elpquence. and music we're all exlolling ihs
Greeks. Tie gallant Clay plead, and lhs
great Campbell sang. and The noble Byron
fought and died for Them. Their ,name,vas
one 20 coniure with, Athens. The city oI
the world-Greece. The mother Of poels, phi.
losophers, patriots, heroes, IN every depart.
meni, the originalors Of asl, The pioneers q
science, The home.of SCcraies. 81 II
~ s.From whose mouth issued ~
Mellifuous streams, that watered oil the schools
OF the Academies old and new''--- Il
these, and a thousand other considerations,
have rendered Greece 10 US a country Of
peculiar interest. II was natural that we
should have lel, peculiar interest in her
from these considerations, and also from
ihe fact thai we claim our national birth from
a revolution such as Greece was attempting.
There was in lha. struggle Of thirty years
ago, such a spontaneous outbursl Of feeling
in their behalf, that some efforts are now
making 10 awaken feeling in this country.
Before we lavish our sympathy. however, il
would be well to see if they are honest. Are
they oppressed? Do they no, enjoy freedom
to worship according TO their own ri.uall Is
not greater liberty Of speech guaranteed to
them than 10 any olher people in Europe!
The word revolution, has nothing in ilsell
TO excite our sympathy. |, should be coup.
led with an honest purpose. Revolution
after revolution has desolaled Mexico, and
Central ard difftren. States Of South Amer.
lea, 10 crafty The ambition or The revenge ol
some individual, bu, having no hon est pur.
pose, grounded in no sincere desire FOR The
good OF the people, either social, political, oil
moral, they have bul degraded and demor.
allied their victims.
LIE, us examine for moment the condi.
lion Of the Greeks Of day. We think
that those who sympalhize with them because
they have descended from noble race, dis.
play an unaccounlabe confusion OF ideas on
history and geography. The ancien, Greeks
The Greeks of Athens and Spana--are
not to be confounded with The mongrel races
which made up The lower Greek Empire
They are no, the Greeks that gave models
10 the chisels Of Phidias. For centuries
previous to the fall Of The Byzantine Empire,
the advancing Schlavonian and Bulgarian
tribes had gradually ex.inguished the Greek
race which may once have been found in
ancient Thessaly. The Greek provinces
became, one after another, dependencies ol
foreign princes. Venice and Genoa, the
rival misiresses Of the sens, possessed the
islands; Frenchmen and Italians intrigued
and diploma,ized, until Athens and Pelopon.
nesus came under their dominion. The
Greek Of former days, with his fierce proud
spiri, Of Independence, sunk without sWug'
gle into petty provincialist and The Byzan'
tine Court became scene and source Of in
rigue and corruption. cruelty and vice, tha
could not have been surpassed by tha, o
Sardanapalus ITSELF Even The glowing per
Of Gibbon has failed TO excite an interest in
the lives and deeds Of a long line Of blood
thirsty lyrants end imposen. debauchess. :
And in this condition The Byzantine EN-
pire continued for centuries, iis court the
fountain head os The corruption tha, flowed
through the land, It's people The sport o
iyranis. Here and there In the gloomy cell
Of some closi,er the devoui scholar may have
cherished in his memory the story Of days
past, ihe glorious deeds Of these whose name
he bore, bu,lh spiri, Of that race had fed
andIhe race itself was but degenerate
ImOngrel breed five are correci, our sym
pa,hy with The name is misplaced. y Tf'li9
Greece, under The Turkish rule, is said tc
enjoy many privileges. They have every
facility they will use 10 educate their chill,
dren, and very many Of them have attained
to high honors in the State. A traveller
writing in. 1845 says: Jol MA'b a.55
"Each village has its school on the Ian
casIehan system, and frequently a second
school for common instructions; and / wa:
assured in one place that there were ther
1888 children OF bo,h sexes receiving in,
s.rucIion, out Of a population Of $4,000"
4 The religious and political privileges which
the Sullans from ,he, time of the conques
have granted all their subjects protesting The
Greek religion, were confirmed and extend
ed soon afler The accession Of The presen
Sultan. The diplomatic agents Of all The
powers al court we're present at the ceremon,
by which on the Sd Of November, 1889. The
Sultan acknowledged the equal rights before
the law Of all his subjects, whether Greek
Turk or Jew. Projection for properly anc
life, equal social privileges leaving each K
enjoy such as he would, equal taxation, anc
The same system oflevyine troops with 9th
ers, was guaranteed, and the pledge, ,heiI
Magma Charia has, we believe, never beer
broken. Had we space or time, we conlc
show from The most authentic eocument
that The Greek has had guaranteed to hin
every right as 10 liberty Of speech and free
dom Of The press, which tho inhabitants 0
Western Europe, under 50 called Christian
sway have been laboring and revolu.ioniziGI
and giving their blood like water 10 enjoy
We have no great love for .he Mussulmans
but we believe that brighter day is dawn
ing upon them, and that 10 The people unde
their sway more liberaIpoIicy is being pur
sued, which should be- encouraged q. lbi
crisis In her affairs BY aid In her behalf, in
stead Of extending !, 10 people the geniu
Of whose Is entirely and Increasingly des
potic, whose colossal power is bull, upon III
ignorance Of lis hordes, on the indiyiduaiil
of man so 70 speak making him q mere ap