The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-04-02
ENGLAND and Russia.

S-o ~~~~'
y of giants, which cannot long be deferred
9 AS soon as Russia seizes Turkey and Eng
a land garrisons Egypt the great war o
moderH history will be fully opened. Indis
. is the rich booty for which the strife will
take place, a booty to which neither con
testaut has shadow of tight. In the con.
r test it is to be hoped that the captive will
escape and sst up business on his own
account.
1t is strange that jast at the moment
when her continued possession of the East
Indies is about to become dependent on the
dread arbitrament of war, the British
Sovereign should suddenly aspire to the
title of Empress of India. There is immense
discomfort at the plan among English
Democrats, but Dsraeli pushes the project
with a pertinacity which looks strange.
I There must be something more than the
sound of word in a measure to forward
! which Cabinet is putting its tenure of Office
in 8mmnent peril. Time will probably de-
velop the Minister'S secret motive.
But whatever it may be worth it must be
considered very positive Indication of
approaching war. Indeed, the indications
of such convictions among Englishmen arc
numerous. The Times, we are told by
telegraph, manifests unfeigned alarm at the
rapid decline of popularity of the present
ministry in consequence of the Titles bill.
Not that it has any affection for the minis
try or its policy, but that, if driven out, it
must be succeeded by weaker men. In
ordinary times that would not alarm the
Thunderer 80 much.
Then we have the military excitement in
England over a reorganization and increase
of the army, and the significant fact that
recruits cannot be had. At laskthe gov
ernment will be forced to offer increased
pay and better inducements than those
which have become traditional. Men are
wanted to defend wealth and those men are
determined that wealth shall come down
more handsomely than heretofore.
In a short time England will be fighting
for her very existence, and with antagonists
that are no longer half developed in
strength and half civilized in their know
ledge of the appliances of war. Russia is a
mighty power to-day, mighty in her skill
as we'll as her physical strength, instead of
being, as she once was, vast hive of half
savage hordes. Germany, too, instead
of being a family divided in itself and
weakened by the spirit of feud and dissen-
sion, is now a single household submitting
its combined strength to single impulse.
Great Britain has now to deal with equals
on equal terms. She is no longer the die
tatress of favorable OCCASION.
And thus the inexorable law of Justice
works slowly, perhaps, but surely at last.
The great, Unsuitable robber that sat in
her Island fastness and sent forth her fleets,
that levied her tributes on hundreds of
millions of far off people and set up her
flag over broad empires that belonged not
to her, that fomented wars and revolu-
tions among those nations that might
gather up their strength and
dispute her mastery-she, the strong, the
wary, the bold, is finding the tolls tighten
ing around her at last. O.her nations are
tired of her Wanted supremacy other ma,
tions have learned the trick of her cunning
policy, and have prepared themselves eau
tlously for another trial of strength with
her. Eogland gained her supremacy by a
marvellous dexterity she will have to
maintain it by strength, and strength still
more marvellous.
Has she the elements of that strength at
home? She has the money has she the
hardihood that used to be there before
money was 80 plenty Is the brawny
yeomanry there that furnished of old the
"hearts of oak Z" We see two classes
the fabulously rich, the unutterably poor
princes and paupers. In other countries it
has been found that both extremes, of
wealth and of poverty, are demoralizing to
a people. Luxury and vice generally follow
profuse riches, while debasement and
slavishness are as ordinary an accompani-
ment of pauperism. Will England fur
nish an exception to the rule
Aud then, again, can England depend as
of yore on her Irish soldiery7 In several
emergencies already passed. Trelan5 fonn5