The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-06-21

| Whenever the governments in Eastern and
Western Europe begin to express great concern
for the condition of the Christians ia Turkey.
We always know that "the sick man OF Europe"
is experiencing another relapse.
| Such is the case at the present moment. All
| the Cabinets are on the anxious seat regarding
the proposed Intervention between the Sultan
and his Christian subjects and the inquiry
which the Russian government desired to have
placed in the hands of the COnsuls of the
| great Powers has been for while headed of
| by the spontaneous action of the Turkish GO
vernment, volunteering to take upon itself the
whole labor, and to make all the inquiry with
| out any foreign assistance whatever. Lord
John Russell and the London Post assume to
believe that this is very generous and noble on
the part Of the Turk, and must be quite satisfac
| tory TO Russia and all others. The vigor Of
the Turkish Official, when he chooses to be
vigorous, Is frankly acknowledged, and the
belief is expressed that .'evl cannot lie deeper
han is within the power of the government to
remove" although perhaps, against 'insubor-
| dinate officials and half fanatcal minority Of
the civil populace.'
There may be people who will agree with
Lord John Russell and the Post as to the ge-
nervous offer of the Turk to relieve the Christian
consuls of all the trouble of making an official
inquiry into the condition Of their coreligion-
lists in Turkey; but We hardly believe that
Prince G0rtschakof or many other Russians
will be found among them. The affair looks
little too much like the jailor volunteering to
relieve inquisiive visiters from the necessity of
looking into the condition of his dungeons and
! the conduct Of his turkeys Some Of the curl
Gus inquirers may think their own eyes and
ears will do just as well, If not little better,
than the unaccompanied 'vgor Of the Turkish
official Then, again, there are certain points
in the matter which lead us more strongly to
this opinion. The Russian Cabinet made
formal communication to the representatives at
ST. Petersburg Of the parties to the treaty of
Paris on the 9th of May, of the points
| it had raised with the Sultan, and
| Sir John Champion thought the subject of sufi-
Gent Importance to remit the entire contents of
| the Russian note to London by telegraph. The
points raised are: first, that the condition of the
| Christians in Turkey has become intolerable
second, that an inquiry must be issued jointly
| by the Turkish officials and the consuis Of the
] four Powers third. that the organization of
the treaty of Paris being inefficient to protect
the Christians, new one must be provided.
The proposition Of Russia here is unequivo-
cal, the proposed method OF verifying it seems
fair. but the remedy is ambiguous. In the first
place, no concern is felt for the Christians else
where than in European Turkey; then. the in
sufficient organization of the treaty Of Paris en-
braces only Moldavia and Wallachia; and,
finally il is pretty evident from the antccedents
OF the case, that no organization to protect the
| Christians in Turkey will be held by Russia as
entirely satisfactory unless it extends the sove-
regnty Of the Car over them. Under these
circumstances We eau hardly believe tina, Lord
John Russell and the London Post are sincere
in affecting to consider that Russia will be salts
fed with the volunteer offer OF Turkey to look
into the matter by herself
We more incline to the belief that the motives
which have stirred up this question about the
Christians in Turkey have more to do with their
political than with their religious condition.
The " sick man y Is in n state Of relapse, his ex-
chequer is bankrupt, and any attempt to anne
liorae the condition Of the Christians will make
the government peculiarly unpopular, and at a
dangerous moment. with the insuborjinate
officials and the half fanatcai minority Of the
populaces' The Christian pilgrims are pouring
forth from Turkey, and preaching religious
crusade through all the southern and middle
provinces Of Russia. The war in the East for
the holy places i not yet over. a worn out
Islamism must retire across the Bosphorus, and
still resist IL il can, the return Of the banners of
Christ to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. When the
81 sick man v retires who shall inherit the broad
lands he now rules In Europe?
That is the question which all are preparing
to answer Russia stirs the religious zeal Of the
Greek Christian, and strives to bind him to the
Russian church by moral ties which turn the
edge Of the sword that would separate them.
France seeks 10 cut through the Isthmus of
suez. and 20 fortify herself opposite to Alden at
the mouth of the Red Sea. And England Is oc-
! onpied in laying from island fortress to island
fortress along the bed Of the ocean. the electric
cable that shall safely bind her distant posses
sions to the British isles. She sees the elements
of continent struggle preparing against her in
the East. and she turns her hopes to the ocean.
and westward to the land which she knows will
not fail her when she is in the right. aud when
the foes Of freedom are her foes.
EXCITEMENT IN THE RELIGIOUS WoRLD-ARcH-