, 1875-08-22
RACE AND RELIGION,

The insurTection in the northwestern
| provinces Of Turkey, which seems to blaze
With added fury every day, is fresh proof o1
the fact that no appreciable lapse Of time can
eface the character stamped upon nation
by its race and religion. Centuries ago, the
Turks crossed the Bosphorus. In 1853, they
occupied Constantinople. They pushed their
way after many decades Of desperate fighting
to the very walls of Vienna, and, when they
were forced back to the line of the River
Save and the Carpathian Mountains, they
faced about once more and maintained their
position. For mora than two centuries they
have had uninterrupted sway over the coun-
try between the Save and the Balkan Noun
tains. They have garzisoned, taxed, oppress-
ed, and ruled the people, but they have
never assimilated them. Not slav speaks
the Turkish language in his own house. Not
Slav devoutly accepts the Turkish faith.
Not Slav but hates Turkey and the Turks.
Eight generations have been born and died
aince the yoke was rivetcd On the nations
neck, but the hate has been transmitted from
father to son. The land, the commerce, the
productions, the very life Of the s1avonio
provinces has been controlled by Turkey, but
the two races and the two religions are at
swords points now as they were two centu-
ries ago. The Slay and the Turk are oil aud
water. If the oil burns, as it seems to be do
ing now, the water will perforce evaporate
The Turk will slink behind the barrier
Of the BalkanA Force and fear are
the only ties between the two peo-
pies. If force conquers force and cour-
age triumphs over fear, the ties will be
snapped asunder. Il not, two centuries mora
will see the same state Of things,-a ruling
minority, ruled majority, each fearing, dis
trusting, hating the other. Race and religion
are not matters Of a moment.
The same truth is illustrated again in Ire
1and. A minority Of Protestant Ang1o-Sa1ons
rules majority of Catholic Celts. England,
through all her centuries OF occupation, has
smaller island is almost entirely with the
larger, but the ties Of the pocket have not
touched the heart. The North Of Ireland is
settled with euaigrants from England and
Scotland, but even this section is disaffected-
To be sure, it opposes separation, but this
is not because it loves England more, but the
South OF Ireland less. It has been infected
with the prevalent prejudices of race, while
its religion keeps it apart The Celt has even
adopted the language Of his conqueror, but
not the beliefs, the methods Of thought, the
habits. A deeper pit than St. Georges
Chnnnel yawns between Ireland and England,
the differences Of race and religion.
In the United States the case is different
One race has not seized power over the heads
Of another. Our foreign-born citizens have
come here on the same ships, by families, not
by Regiments, for peaceful gain, not for arm
ed rapine. Yet race and religion exert
powerful influence. Race-prejudice shows
itself principally in cities, because it is
in them that rnces, as such, enter politics
and try to subdne and enslave each other by
ballots instead Of bullets. The only way in
which different races and religions can erist
peaceably together is under free Govern
ment, with the ballot-bo1 for cornerstone,
and civilization for an atmosphere. This
may prevent their being enemies, but even
this will not make them readily ama1gamate.
It takes whole generations in this country to
perfectly blend the Celt, the Teuton, and the
Yankee into one harmonious social and po1it-
ical life.