The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-07-04

A great war ia impending over Europe.
Everywh We hear the note of prepara
tion weapous are being looked TO, garri-
cons strengthened, troops raised. The
rumble of artillery, the tramp of gather
ing armies. How the storm will break, or
when we cannot say, bNt it is certain to
come; aud it may be, the most terrible
war that the world has ever witnessed, is
now at the door.
And why is THE Z It is simply because
an empire founded by the sword must be
maintained by the sword. 1t is because
ope man has been allowed to assert the
right of conquest, and t0 roll back civiliza-
tion three centuries. There 10 no longer
any security, there can be no settled peace
until q new balance Of power is established.
Let us look, in the briefest possible man
ner, at the leading links in the chain of
events for the last ten years. Prussia, who
had long wanted seaports and harbOrs on
the Baltic persuaded the Germanic Diet
to occupy the Duchies of Schleswig, Hols'
tein and Lauenburg, which belonged to
Denmark, in the name of certain claim
ant called the Prince of Augustenburg.
This was accomplished by the results of
the Danish war, which terminated in 1864.
Prussia and Austria seized the Duchies and
held them rs trustees for the claimant.
Austria was ready to hand them over to the
Prince, Prussia meant to keep them for her.
self. Austria proposed that the Estates of
Holstein should declare their wishes as to
their government. Prussia prevented their
assembling by marching in troops. Austria
protested in the Diet, and demanded that
Prussia should be forced to hand over the
Duchies to that body. Hanover, Saxony
and Hesse voted for the Austrian motion.
Prussia declared the Germanic Confedera-
tion at an end, and next day declared war
against Hanover, Saxony aud Hesse, while
her ally, Italy, did the same by Austria
and Bavaria.
The brilliant campaign of 1866, splendid
as 1t was in military point of view, was
neither more nor lees than the foray. of a
Schinderhannes. 1t was not a dispute set
on the head and rifling his pocket. As be-
fore she bad seized the Dachies by trick, so
now che seized Hanover and Hesse by open
violence, and all North Germany, catching
the Eadbess, burst into rapturous plaudits.
Before their patriotism had been appealed
tot was German against Dane now a
German kingdom was stricken out of the
rolt of nations, German people brought
under the iron yoke, and patriotism was
silenced by the fierce outcries of insane
ambition and infamed rapacily. e
After Sadowa, war with France was
Inevitable Napoleon HI. committed a
grave error in not being content with the
withdrawal of the Hohepzollern candida
taFe bat the result would bave been only
postponed, not changed. Had he been
able to win an important battle, he would
have had the corporation of Austria, but
the fatal weakness of his army was appar
ent from the first, aud Austria wisely held
aioof. The war was ostensibly wage8,
ON Prussias part. to avenge personal
iasult. But when the insult had been
furly avenged, and the offender had lost
his throne, her honor could not be entirely =
satisfied without clutching mass of
treasure and two provinces frUm-nnt Ma
poleon, but the French Repub ic. Sedan
ssfa ablisiHd the Umpire, aud made all the
States of Germany provinces of Prussia.
Prussia's cup;dity now seems turned
towards Belgium. AS abe can neither pre-
tend, as in the case of the Duchiss, the
wish of the population, nor, as in the case
of Atsace, ancient possession by the Em
pire, the religions question js made thu
pTetext. Belgium may possibly be abi'
to avoid the danger, in which cases ii Q tria
may be made on Holland OF the Tyro', o
the remainder of Denmark.
Russia. all ths time, is spreading east
ward, keeploE firm to her old tradition
III carry ing out the plans of Alexander tn,
Great, aud founding great Eastern EN-
pire. Her movements are cautiou-, we'll
calculated, silent and there is no step back
wards. Taking advantage of the prostra
Liou of France Ivy u simple diplomatic not
she regained the ground lost IN the Grim
ean War. What power can now stop he
eastward advance?
SuppOSc uO" h.su husSla aCliu
in perfect accord, what is Co hinder thet
from doing as they pleaseR How long wi
Austria, part German aud part Slav, b
allowed to bar the Savonic empire froI
Turkey and the Germanic from ItalyS
Remembering that the one pursues pol
icy never deviated from since the founda
ton of her Empire, that the other has uu
surpassed perfection in military organiza
ton, aud q leader whose audacity shrink
at nothing aud has known 40 check, it
aot at all impossible that the present ger
GRAFTON may see all the land from the ster
pes of Tartary to the Atlantic Ocean, an
frou the Artkc to the Equator, under til
Gway of two sceptres. Aud suppose th
steppes crossed, and hundred millions
Rien who laugh at death and can live on
handful of rice a day, armed with Russia
weapons and brought under Russian d i
what then
The chief place of the manufacture
marbes-those little pieces of stone whc
contribute so largely to the enjoyment
boys-is at ObersteIn, on the Nahe, in Ge