The New York herald., 1867-04-18
The EASTERN QUESTION:.
Gan rho Su,tnn do Justice 20 the Chrisfians:-
Russian Review of the Late Reforms Of the
Portc-Thc Bible Against the Koran.


Russian Review Of the Late Reforms Of the
Portc-Thc Bible Against the Koran.
fFrom the I.evant Herald March 20
Undor the title OF What are Turkish Rerorms?" the
Iardtids Ruse publishes review OF the Hatti-huma-
youm which, as piece Of criticism Is, must admit,
much closer and moro exhaustive than our the
v,cw--hat not only have the pledges OF that famous
charter not becn redeemed but that thor fulament
I'm possible means snor ofa compltS admin!s,ra
The arsicle has attracted much attention., much
from the importance Of les subject at tho pre-.
sent moment as because the Journal In which
II appears Is known to echo the views and
opinions Of the Cabinet OF St Petersburg on the exist
detail the ns Mahumayonm % which, reiss co
h ooan "f tho the Sultan and contends that
improved less toeAble !" s,nrs lSs ,o mnvns
Of that document The oppressiC. Ia E =.
while the clause of the HIATT whereby large
the civil decided that time she
courts We're s g % me s ~
into the prospects of the future, altar having
stated the shor.osmings Of the past. Il admits
aha reforms promised In the Hatti-humayoum must
necessarily encounter In facs Of the Mshammedan law
IS unatsraSis and nviosbs Is do Sosmss' @ srSuss he
writer utterly opposed 70 the civil equality and
political Independence Of the Aussuman subjects Of
a Mussulman Power He affects astonishment that the
Porte should venture 70 have charged i..sf before
Europe with the RESPONSIBILITY "f Songasons whloa a
Did the Ottoman government he asks, negissntIy-
allow itself 10 be entangied with pledges serious
consequences Of their nonfulaimcns, Or fdId IL
deliberately mean % deceive Europe with futile
pcssS % sns % " i: e.
subjects To this query II might perhaps be answered
thai the Ottoman statesmen when they Issued solemn
probably reckoned only the execution Of many of
Its provisions would satisfy the outside world without
remainder We should be sorry 70 charge ali ihs TURK.
ish Ministers who have from time To time professedy
endsavored 70 realize such Of these reforms as may have
appeared urgent at the time, with deliberate puf-
pose to deceive Europe. II quito possible that recou
ing onfdeny the MORO or less liberal intsprc-
customary in the capital, they may have underated
the obsnacy Of the old provincial administrations aud
Of the uiema, whose me@oers pass .ne,r lives 70 ,ss
tunatey, for the OF reply 10 such critics as ths
Inualid Il matters little whether the original Trainers
remains that II has yet been found impossible TO rc
deem its pledges and that not few OF tho same hin.
ORANGES which have existed hitherto must sin operae
with all their old force and intensity long asthe prn
cipes Of the Mussulman fai h continue uncnasged.
Tho lnrdidc cites wel-kncwn passage OF tive kofan
wherein sohaIimedans ara commanded TO strike the
jew Christian who docs not acknowledge the frie
faith,' and TO "ssy tho unbelieyer who refuTes 20
Yield wherever he may bo found But little is ansd
by quoting such texts, whcn may fairly and honesty DO
explained away by others botn In Tia, Koran itself and
in many OF s voiun nous commentaries IL ia lone
the true however that the former expressly per-
mits the ndel TO retain both lie aud property on5 on
conditions which are hard to reccnc 10 With tho perfect
expressly promised by the Halti.humayoum. That
document provides for instance, fsr the ad.
mission of Christians into tho Imperial army
willis. the leading principle OF the Koran Is tbe
promugatlon cf tho faith by force OF arms. War No.
tween Mnssulsnau and Christian nations Is according
the theory permanent and necessary, and IA
oniy DO suspended, not terminated, oven by treats.
Chrisicndom ss remains, In spite OF modern intcs.
national relations, "dar M hrrb." the country OF thu
enemy, according TO the express and received dcctrn
OF the sacrd book fhc Introduction OF the Chrtia
element Into a Mussuman army Is therefore logically
at all events impossible; and only less opposed both
the text and the spirit OF the Koran the other cause
of tho charter Of 1885, which promise civil EQUALITY be-
tween all classes OF the subjects Of the Sultan Such
equality is In fact contrary not only TO the moro en-
phatc passages OF the Koran the whole spirit Of
Mohammcdan law. 10y
The inrufide secs only or two solutions possible
Either the principle Of the Koranhat solo obstacle Ia
all Turkish orms-must DO overrdden or the Chris
their complete autonomy which alone protect them
from Mussuman oppression To upset the Koran sicni.
cs tho conversion OF tho Mohammednns 10 Christianity
which Is simply an impossblty for the dominant Tuix
will never consent 70 sink into the Rayah Between him
and the gaour who Is subject 10 him. there Is great guf
fixed which only centuries bridge To dream OF
forcing conversion upon him would simply be absurd
tho OF religious wars past 10 return There
remains, therefore, only the second OF the two sou-
tonsthe separation OF the Christians from the Moham.
mcdans, and the gifting them with an independent
life" We more than doubt, however, the practIcably
Of go extreme dualism ths--i duasm the Russian
exchange Of relation between the Christian and tho
Turk The coming Programme OF reforms may--we
hope will--suppy solution OF the difficulty at onco
feasible and complete.