The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-09

living principle that moved the hearts Of men
during the first ten centuries Of the Christian
era VS. igous zeal. Christianity steadily
encroached upon Paganism in the West until
the whole of tn savage invaders of Gaul and
Germany became cow rts; then, SO soon as it
was firmly rooted in the pr udic of the peo-
pie, the time was rife for tn final contest for
the mastery Of the continc mt, and wars between
the adherents of the Christian churches and the
unbelievers ensued as WI in til west and
south Of Europe as on the confines of Asia
Whatever temporary pr KITS for these wars
may have arous them at one particular
period rath 4 than another, it is verj clear that
they were in point of fact q struggle between
the civilizing principle of Christianity on the
one side, and the barbarous ethics of Paganism
on the eth r. The enlightened philosophy Of
republican Rome had waged the same war
against still d.rker form of barbarism some
centuries before now, it, in its turn, had been
outshone by the yet brighter light Of Christian
ity, and was rapidly fading from the globe.
This enforcement of Christianity at Rome was
its first victory. The wars which ended in the
expulsion of the Moors from Spain, the Crusades,
and the final victories of the Frank kings over
their Pagan enemies, comprise the second strug-
gle of our faith The war now bre king out on
the contn of Turkey is the third.
1t must always be remembered that Russia is
at least 200 years younger as known country
han the rest of Europe. One thousand years ago,
is impossible for the most erudite to say what
Russia was. Our earliest accounts only date from
Ruvick, Grand Duke of Novogorod in A. D. 8s2.
About a hundred years afterwards, that is to
say two centuries after Charlemagne, Chris
ianity seems to have penetrated the wilds of
Russia; but whether there was within the pre-
sent dominions of the Gear any thing more per-
manent tn few lomad tribes, previous to
the foundation of Moscow in 1856, seems ex-
ceedir gly doubtful. The Tartar conquest Of
course sw, pit away most of the trees of Chris
tianity and three centuries again passed over
without advancing the cause of civiliz alton in
Russia. In l474 the present monarchy was
founded. Simultaneously with the expulsion of
the Tartars in the north, the Mahomedans were
gaining ground upon the Greek Christians in
of the Russian empire, Constantinople had fallen
into the hands Of the Turks Under their ruth
less sway, most of the subjects of the old By
zantine empire fed to Christian countries: the
bulk of the members of the Greek Church took
refuge in Russia. A furious controversy then
handing that the Gar be regarded as the Vice
gerent of God upon earth, the other insisting
on what would be called to-day the separation
of Church and State. This quarrel naturally
retarded the progress of Russian Christianity
and civilization. At length, however, the for
mer sect preponderated, and the fruits of Chris
tianity began to appear. The eighteenth cen
fury saw the throne of Russia occupied sue
cessively by two of the ablest sovereigns that
ever reigned-Peter and Catharine; and now in
the middle of the nineteenth, the dOminions of
Nicholas are prosperous, thickly peopled, and
amply provided for war.
There is not more of superstition in the Greek
Church in Russia than there was in the Latin
Church of the eighth, ninth or tenth cent,l-
ries: perhaps less. 1t contains the same vivify-
ing and civilizing principle which constituted
he strength Of the Church Of the Popes; and it
s as manifestly its destiny to uproot the re
mains of Mahomedan barbarism in Turkey a
it was that of the Roman Catholics in Spain to
expcl the Moors, or that of Austria and Italy to
destroy the Turkish feet at the battle of Lee
panto.
For their own purposes, the maritime powers
Of Europe may interfere to prevent this con-
Of the DEGREES of fate in the East,
just as they would interfere to prevent the ac-
Of our destiny in Europe. But
the issue of the Turkish war is one of those
things concerning which no careful student of
history can entertain any serious doubt. Rus
STA, in the end, must succeed. Christianity and
civilization must prevail over Mahomedanism
and barbarism. All the struggles of England
and France may avail in prolonging the agony
but the end must be the final fate of Moslemism,
and the triumph of the Greek Church in the
East.