Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-04-14
THE EASTERN wAR-REIraIous ELE-
MENTS

tHttftHte cuttF afNttl tutV 1oth eeo7' Wv
consequences. II religion Is not 4
controlling element, !, Is at least modI.
fylng ono.
Let Il be rene nbered that Turkey
ihough nominnIIy Mahomedan l. ,el
tolerant Of other religions. Indeed fol
the last ton or fifteen years, the Chris.
tian population = members Of the Greek
.ehufch-are the only really free mhabi.
tsnts Of Turkey. I, IA dliIieul, 10 &C.
count tor lhlswl,hout recognizing God
Ia history.
The policy Of Russia being TO reduce
the Empire 10 one dead level Of subIee.
ton aud slavery, social and ecclesiastical,
would oblge her to bring her machinery
20 bear on tho free Greek population. To
allow these Christian communities 10
snIoy liberty, to develop Themselves. to
grow up In intelligence, In pIcty, In civ
iSation, in woalth-why, this would be
establishing ,ontrasis In her own do
mlnlons fatal TO the centralized uniform
10y OF her terrible dcspoilsm. To sup
pose thIs, would be to suppose she would
deliberately antegonlsc her own system,
lay trains TO undermine her own power,
and hurl bomb shells and cannon balls
against the walls OF her own citadel
We may BIO assured sho will do no such
shIngi aud, hence, she must consider Il
~ much her mission 10 subdue the Greek
Christians TO obedience, "a to subduc
the Mahomedans. Oh the principal that
the Emperor Is tho anolnicd OF God,
that he Is the embodiment Of deity; that
the Russian Church system is the excel
slor faith, that the eccleslastical domn-
ION of the Car Is the jus diriaum pow
sr in its development aud in It's pro-
gression,-to hold all these opinions,
which are the dogmas Of the Russian
chief and people, then II follows that
they are bound to bring the mitered pa
irlareh Of Constantinople with his ilocks,
under the scePtsred head Of the MuscovIte
Church, and then cruel and destructive
persecution must follow the conquest.-
We have no doubt the religion Of this
Eastern question is the most difficult
matter connected with the affair. A
strange mixture Of fanaticism aud mod
GRAFTON, of justice and cruelty, Of toler-
ance and intolerancc-have marked the
Mussulman rule. We instance one thing
in proof Of the good,-the permission of
the Patriarchate Of Constantinople.-
Would any Christian power have been
equally liberall For four hundred years,
what in the East has alsays been con-
sidered the earthly head OF the Christian
church has been permitted to possess. HE
seat OF government in the capital Of Is
lamism. Would the Pope have been
equally tolerant-would France, would
England, would Russial Certainly they
would not. Dreadful freaks Of cruelty
have been winked at with this liberalty
for all history shows that when the
Turk is aroused from his pipe and his
reveries, he is Of all men the most en-.
ergetic, as il his reposc had had the effect
Of bringing him up for double duty when
occasions called him to stir from his
couch. Then, again, the existence. o
the Holy Places, as they are called, ou
Of which the present dispute began, ndi.
Gates the same tolerance. We ash
agai n-lIrd Mecca been in the midst o
Italy. and had Italy been in the hands o
the Pope, and the Christian powers
would they have permitted the Mahom.
.edan pilgrims 10 have resorted TO thi.
holy place. Would they have allowed
q regular establishment Of churches
shrines, converts, priests, Ito have place
In the holy ground Of western Catholic.
isml Would they have. been at great
expense for many ages to keep these
places In repair, 10 maintain a military
force to protect the pilgrims and prevent
the priests and devotees from cuttInc
eacll others throatsl Allthis the Turk.
have done; with what thanks these pre-
sent squabbles pretty clearly show; and
in all this, il we mistake not, she ha
far exceeded the liberality OF her Chris
tian contemporaries.
The Christian populations OF the Prov
inces Of the Turkish Empire in Europe
are, at the present time in an agiate
state. For many years these peopl
have been progressing in intelligence
in wealth, in power, and in influence
and, at the present time stand in a yer
interesting position. They can n
longer be kept in a state OF serlage
they must possess their rights as Chris
tians and as citizens. The late reform
ofthe government give them their rights
but still, as might be expected, man
practical difficulties stand in the wa
OF their complete emancipation. BY III
side of the Turkish power there ha
grown up a sort Of feudal system, a
aristocratic class with territorial right
property, the power Of a local rule, an
great influence. All this added to Ii
difference ofcreed and the idea of sup,
rioriiy on the part Of the Islam popul
ton, now stands in the way Of the con
plcte amalgamation Of the people. w
believe the government has been SINGER
In It's purposes. manifested much energy
and succeeded to an extent which cou
hardly have been expected in suppress