The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-01
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| ing that moral suasi0n would not suc-
coed, he resorted to physical force, and
placing himself at tie head of an army
Of robbers overran all the country, and
In ten years found himself master of all
Arabia. He died in 632.
The spirftof conquest which he inau-
gurated was continued by his followers
as faf as what Is now known as Algeria.
in which march the magnificent library
at Alexandria, containing 700, 900 manu-
SCRIPT volumes, was burnt.
The result Of this first epoch was that
/ within ninety. years from the rise Of Ma
hometanlsm, bne half of the world had
| bowed dOwnto the yoke of the crescent,
| and had achieved q conquest greater
than that which the Roman eagles bad
accomplished in seven hundred years.
The world trembled In the balance.
In the full flush Of victory two severe
checks were received, the failure to take
Constantinople, and the defeat at Tours,
in the heart of France, by Chas. Martcl,
by which their energies were broken
for centuries, and comparative peace was
restored.
The second era was then taken up, ard
the events which led to the crusades
spoken of, The indignities and cruel
ties to the Pilgrims In the Holy Land,
the rise Of Peter, the Hermit, his enlist
ing the sympathies of the Pope and
kings and princes of Europe, the pro-
gress of the cIkvalry of Europe in their
march OH the Holy Land, their battles
and successes, were then wildly de-
scribed by the lecturer. 3
These expeditions, eight in number,
have been called fanatical and mischiev-
Gus. The argument of Voltaire was
that zoe, 900 persons persisted. They ran
through q period OF nearly two centu-
ries, and this. the speaker said, would
which was a small number for the All
cient style of fighting. He thought that
almost that number would have died
had they stayed at home. If It was
fanaticism, 1t was one springing from the
tenderest emotions of the human heart,
as warmed by faith, hope and charity.
There was deep policy and motive of
action which will be appreciated even in
this age--the spirit of chivalry which has
given place to that spirit which has been
called the love Of the almighty dollar.
He argued that nothing else could have
been done; that it was the means of
saving Europe; and that the most bene-
fetal results were obtained.
The third epoch was then taken up,
and the march of the Turk into Europe,
and Malta, the famous sea-flght for the
mastery of the Mediterranean, and the
final defeat of the Eastern hordes by
John Sobieski, King of Poland, with
10000 warriors were eloquently de-
scribed
The lecture was closed by summingup
the results Of this thousand years strug-
gle between the Crescent and the Cross.
Various and startling were the vicissi-
tudes which attended this contest. Va
rious were the fortunes of the cross, but
In the end the cross conquered, as the
cross ever will conquer, and under the
cross we have every blessing, we now
enjoy, and under the cross we are deliv-
cred from the fearful calamities which
tfafth f1r rne 'uusr, and the Impure cres-
cent waved in triumph over our heads.
We owe all this to the cross and it's
brave defenders, to Godfrey de Bouillon,
to Tancreed, and all the brave men of
the eight crusades, and to Sobieskie and
his little army. Weowe it to the Popes
of Rome, who were the originators, the
life and soul of all those expeditions for
saving the cross from degradation, to
the chivalry of the crusaders, and to the
noble, energetic, indomitable energies
of the Roman Pontifis.