The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-13
In. Political Condition Of Europe.


Russia and England; tho projected new
laws Of war; the new French Republic; Ger
many and the Pope; Germany and Spain;
Germany and France; Germany and the rest
of the world, in short-these are topics that
are very lively now in Europe. and ruffle more
than usually the surface of public thought.
1t may always remain mystery whether
Russia was really sincere in her propositions in
regard to the mitigation of the horrors of war;
Was humanity truly her object? Did the
Colossus of the North indeed come down to
the level Of human sympathies, and was the
Conference of Brussels inspired by an honest
wish to establish between nations some gene
raj rules as to the treatment of prisoners and
wounded and the people of occupied countries,
such as might lessen in some degree the neces-
sary barbarities of war or was England right
in the suspicion that the alleged purpose was
only the cover for one far less acceptable? In
England it is firmly believed that the PROPOSE
ton to regulate war in the interest of humanity
was only . dishonest manouvre intended
really to cripple and disarm the fee
bier nations, by securing their adhesion
to set of rules that would practically put
them at the mercy Of Powers with great
armies, simply because it would require them
to sign away the right to use that last resort
of patriotic resistance, ''an armed people"
There is a singular inconsistency in the
British character. No other country in the
world equals England in the production of
dihuse philanthropy and cheap hardware.
Witness her anxiety over our wickedness in
regard to slavery and her exertions tor our
welfare during twenty years before the war.
Witness the millions she has spent in the ex-
tension of the Gospel to all the heathens,
especially the Hindoos. Note the money she
has spent on Africa and it is doubtful if in
this generation she will get out of that
country enough cotton to reimburse the
smaller items of her expenditure.
Yet that country of expansive philanthropy
is the first to suspect the motives of other
humsnitarians and to find them guilty of
hypocrisy and lalsehood and all the kindred
vices when they come forward with beautiful
schemes that have the breath of the millen-
MUM in them. Is it the old difficulty about
two of trade? Is not Europe big enough
for two missionary. establishments? And is
it her knowledge Of her own ways that in
spires England with the fancy that wherever
humanity is put forward as the pretence there
is cheap hardware or some analogous reality
behind that standard? However this may be,
it remains q singular circumstance that
England, which is the professional philan-
thropist of the world, should be the only
Power in Europe to impugn the honesty of
the philanthropy of Russis
With all that we do not pretend to say that
England impugned Russia uujustly. 1t is
true, however, that it is only in Russia that
any great piece of national benevolence has
been done within the memory of very many
generations, and if in this haphazard world
thought should be given to the fact that the
creatures who 60 out as military machines to
defend and cast down empires are human
creatures, and worthy consideration as such,
that thought might we'll come from the coun-
try in which many millions of slaves had been
emancipated without the urgent pressure of
necessity, and where the government, from its
paternal character. acquires the habit of look
ing upon the people with some paternal care
Thoughtfulness for human miseries is more
likely to come from such quarter than from
Birmingham. 1t is nevertheless, certainly
suspicious element in the case Of the Russian
propositions that they were SO thoroughly sat-
isfactory at Berlin. Indeed, it would scarcely
be too much to say that large number
of them were mere reduction to
rs he af
mans while in France in the last war, and
this circumstance would be sufficient to
justify almost any suspicion with regard to
them. But whether Russia had really
phjlanthropc impulse, or whether she was
induced to put forth programme which rep
resents tho purposes of Berlin, and was only
not dated from that city because no such pro-
iect from that source would have received
moments consideration anywhere, it is clear
enough that there is bad blood between
England and Russia over their difference on
this subject. This fact is likely to give inter-
est to their relations as rivals and even
opponents in Asia, as it gave its only signif-
canoe to the telegram we had some days ago
from Calcutta, that an order had been re-
ceived there to hold every regiment in readi-
ness. 1t was of course, not intended that
such fact should get out, and so it was
denied the next day by authority, but some
order of that nature none the less certainly
went from England to India. In the attitude
of these two Powers in Asia there is relation
that inevitably leads to war, and the war that
has got to come, and to which the minds are
made up on either side, is always likely to
blaze out on the occasion of irritation Just
like this that England has now excited in
Russia.
The next step that seems to be menaced in
the battle of Prussia with the Pope may
give new aspect to the whole case. 1t