The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-20

WINGED that in the present instance Greece has
put herself in q wrong position, the preserva-
tion of peace, II only temporary, must be re-
garded as positive gain. II deserves to be
noticed, however, in connection with this
matter, that while peace was the aim of the
conference, the powers represented seemed
specially desirous to avoid committing them
selves to war olicy in the event of the par
ties at variance refusing to follow out their
recommendations. The bnllying propensitv
was less manifest than 1t was wont to be on
the part OF the great powers. This, too, Is a
gain; Tor 1t encourages the hope that the time
Is coming when expensive wars will be studi
ously avoided, and when differences between
nations will be settled by reason and argu-
ment rather than by the sword and the bullet
Az the same time we cannot close our eyes
to the fact that the Eastern question, as we
are in the habit of naming it, must become
more and more a source of trouble TO Europe
The Ottoman power is as much an exotic on
the European side of the Bosphorus in the
nineteenth as it was in the fifteenth century.
For four hundred years the Moslems have
ruled in the city Of Constantine and been
masters of the empire of which Constantine
may be said to have been the founder. But
while the Slaves, the Roumans, and the
Greeks have submitted to the authority of
their new masters, they have cluug tena-
ciously to their ancient faith and maintained
line which separates the original races from the
Turks is not perhaps, so broad or so sharply
defined as it once was; but it is broad enough
and sharp enough to convince the most scep.
tical that final amalgamation is impossible.
After well-nigh five hundred years rule in
Europe, it has still to be admitted that there
are twelve millions of Christians to five mil
lions of Mussulmen. The Rayahs, as the
Greeks of Turkey are named, differ in nothing
from the HELENE Greeks of the kingdom but
in this, that the former are the subjects of the
Sultan and the latter are the subjects of King
George. The Slavic races between the Balkan
and the line of the Danube, though they speak
in other tongues than that of Greece, have
been as little Influenced by Turkish ascend
ancy as their Rouman and Grecian neighbors.
The Turk is known to be the ruler; but in no
part of European Turkey is the ruler
loved, or does the belief exist that
his rule shall be permanent Four hundred
years. experience has not convinced any of
the European races now within the bounds of
the Turkish Empire that Christian should be
governed by a Mussulman. The love of life
in the general case is stronger than the love of
country, the love of race, or the love of reli-
gion; but all over European Turkey a better
time is looked for and anxiously awaited,
when the love OF life shall be compatible with
all the other nobler instincts of humanity. 1t
does not follow, from anything we have said,
LQaJ turkish RUE is necessarily DAG. IL only
follows that it is the rule of the stranger and
that to that rule time has not reconciled the
governed.
These facts are not unknown to the govern
ments of Europe In London, in Paris, in
Vienna, at Berlin, at st. Petersburg, it is
known and understood that the continued
integrity OF the Ottoman empire in Europe is
an impOssibility They know that no assist
ance from without, no treaties, no armed in
reference save it long from internal COL
lapse. They See that the Christian elements
of the population are being stirred up; that
they are waking from long sleep and reveal
ing some newness Of life; and that time only
is required to make them masters of the
situation. But the governments of Europe
cannot see beyond the deluge. The Mussul-
man power destroyed, what is to follow
This no one can answer. Russia is as am
| bilious as ever to sit enthroned in Con-
stantinople and to "water her horses along
the Hellespont;" but to this the Western
powers will never consent. There is
smaller objection to the enlargement OF the
! Greek kingdom, but the kingdom is not yet
ripe for any such enlargement. The time,
however, may come, and may come soon,
| when a South SlavOnic empire along the line
of the Danube, and Greek kingdom, stretch
| ing north as far as the Balkan, and east as
far as the Dardanelles, will reconcile Europe
generally to the downfall of the Moslem en-
pre-. mat time, however, Is not YET. IN
trigue, therefore, is busy, and deceit is every
where. The Western powers are jealous of
Russia, and Russia is impatient of their re-
sistance. Russia has acquired a new power
in Asia which makes Great Britain more
fearful than ever. Another Crimean war
would place India in jeopardy. 1t will not
surprise us to learn that the fresh difficulty
between Persia and Turkey is the result of
Russian intrigue. In spite, however, of all
appearance to the contrary, we are willing
to believe that the result of the Paris Con-
ference will prove the means of preserving
peace for the present, and that the final set
tlement of the Eastern question will be post
poned for at least another decade.