The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-08-15
r. c.,..a,.. S,,ri, sail, Alive.


Itha. been the fashion Of many authors TO
trsat the Crusades as examples of folly and
fanatieism, not to be accounted for upon any
principle consistent with reason and common
sense. They were filibustering expeditions,
undertaken by whole nations. Their military
preparations We're upon scale which, TO can
gigantic, were to express them by very ih-
significant metaphor. The object they soug"'
to accomplish was the restoration OF the noiy
Land TO Christian government. Ihis o',.N'
appears so small in comparison WIN 'Ae
blood and treasure expended IN inc
obtain it, that the Crusaders are 10 '"'' ""'
REGARDED as little better than madmeH'
D., ,,a eysn,s that are now agitating Syria,
and through her the whole Christian woria,
$50, ne 20 he n little cautious in passing iudg
800 unon the men and times of the Crusades.
All Chris,endom is profoundly excited by the
late massacres. The impression is geaerai
that they form but the commencement of a
war against the Christians Of the whole world
by the Monammedans. 1t is, in fact but new
chapter in the history of the eternal war be-
tween the sons of SHRM and the sons of IA
pHET, commencing more than thousand
years before the reign of CHRIST. The remote
causes of this strife lie hidden in the words OF
the Patriarch. The immediate origin OF TINS
portion of 1t is plain enough. The Moha"inae
dan world are accus toned to regard the sultan
as the head of their religion. They know no oe'-
ter than that all Europe is tributary 10 nun
Russia they believe to be powerful ana ieoo''
lious yassal England aud France are Also vas
sails The Crimean war was war OF repeli'o"
by the great vassal of Russia, against MS s"fe-
rior Lord and Master, the ottoman oi 10
This yassal was checked and punlshed, oy tue
two other vassals named, at the command vi
the Sultan Such is the view OF the case care
fully taught the Mohammedans everywhere,
| by their holy men. The Porte, according to
them, instead of being "a sick man." upon
whose effects contending soyereigns are pre-
naring to admins ter as soon as he dies, is at
| the very zenith of his power with all Europe
for his slaves. Itwes this view of the Crimean
war that brought on the revolt in India. 1t Is
this that is everywhere stirring mp the Mo-
hammedans in to fanatical crusade upon all
the Christians to be found in the dominions OF
the Porte. The Druses, 1t is true, are rot ex-
actly Mohammedans, but the extreme proba-
biity is that they are instgated by them.
They are, in fact, in very much the same situa-
ton with regard to the Mohammedan world,
that the Crusaders were before the singular
expeditions from which they derived their
title began.
We eau now feel that the impulse which pre-
cipitated these strange expeditions was at least
natural Lett BE- recollected that 1nfdels were
in possession of the sepulchre of CHRIST
| that pilgrimage to his shrine was considered
almost essential to salvation-that news were
continually brought 10 Europe of the inhu-
man cruelty practiced upon Christians in the
land where CHRIST was born and lived all
the days of his sojourn upon this EARTH let it be
further remembered, that the end of the world
appeared to be near at hand, and that the hopes
of the race SCENE in terwoyen with the restora-
ton of the Gross. Easily, then, can we under
stand how semi bar barous people-like those
| of Europe at that day-could be impelled by
| the enthusiasm of the moment.