The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-08-11
The situation In Europe.


money markets of France and England as
Erie was won't to hold in the money markets
at home. One cannot resist the impression
when reading news from Belgrade that the
writer was not insensible to the effect 1t
would have on Lombard street One day
we hear that the Servians have all their own
way; that Russia is behind them; that the
Grand Duke Vladimir, or some other grand
duke. is in their ranks; that Kaufman, the
conqueror of Khiva, has joined them; that
there is nm intense Slavic feeling throughout
Russia that will not be controlled, but in
sists upon swaying the Gar against his will
into war. This budget is allowed to have
its proper effect, when the scene changes.
The Servians are in despair. Prince Milan
wants to make peace. The Turks are carry
ing everything before them. The insurrec-
ton is in collapse. In fact, there never was
any Internationally the ambition of the
young prince to become king of a new king
dom to be created out Of the municipalities.
AS for the Turks, they are burning and de-
stroying everything, and all that diplomacy
can do is to interfere between the defeated
insurgents and the triumphant sovereign
Power Even this morning we hear, on the
one hand, that NJ Ristics, the Servian
Premier, is preparing note, in which he
will assert that the atrocities of the Turks
may pave the way either to mediation or
war to the death, and on the other that he
rejects all offers of mediation.
re- Il L. IL
as simply the contest between the Prince of
Serva and the Sultan it will have little in
terest to us. We are cosmopolitan in our
sympathies ande our curiosity and take
profound interest in the affairs of our
friends over the sea. The German and
the French war was as much to us
as our own campaigns on the Potomac, and
even when Don Carlos was making his for
lorn and unavailing fight in the Navarro
mountains we made study of the lying
dispatches, which were as much models Of
mendacity as those from Belgrade, in the hope
of discerning the truth. But it is hard to feel
an interest in Servia, Bosnia, Herzegovina
and that belt Of strange nationalities which
acknowledge the sovereignty of the Porte,
but are really the dividing line between
Islam and the Cross. We might be disposed
to look at the contest with religious eyes
and to pray for the success of the Cross over
the Crescent, even rs our fathers prayed for
the success Of Sobieski. But we learn from
Rome that all Christian sympathies should
60 out to Turkey that the Cross under
which the Servians fight is not the true one
that it is Greek, not q Latin Cross; and that
the true faith has had too much courtesy
and protection from the Turks to justify the
faithful in aiding to destroy their Empire.
Between the Greek Christians and the
Turks the Holy See would prefer the latter
This is puzzling circumstance to Ameri-
cans who strive to understand the Eastern
question, and who, remembering the GEN.
turtles of strife between Christian and pagan
for the possession of the Holy Sepulchre
and the glory of the true faith, expect from
Rome the same support which cheered God
frey and Richard the Lion Hearted. But
the policy of the Greek Christians toward
the Catholics has been harsh while that of
the Turks has been tolerant, and naturally
enough the Holy See would prefer the
triumph of the hereto who tolerates and
protects the true faith to the schismatic
who views it with enmity.
The attitude of the Holy See toward the
instruction will have deep moral influ-
cnce upon the world. 1t takes the conflict
out of the range Of religious wars, and this
is matter for congratulation. The two
other Powers who have a deep interest in it
are Russia and England. We can under
stand the policy of Russia when we look at
the policy and the progress Of that Empire
since the time of Peter the Great. The policy
has been consistent, conservative, nnpaus-
ing; the progress has been steady and onward.
There may have been defeats and repulses,
but the mighty Empire has always advanced
to the west, until she envelopes Finland
and Courland and commands the Baltic to
the east, until she controls Khiva and men,
noes Persia and British India. We find her
trying to pierce China and take an island
from Japan. Russia has always advanced,
and the aim of her policy is now what it
was when Peter laid the foundations of
modern Russia when Catherine united
with Frederic to partition Poland when
Alexander offered to divide the sovereignty
of the world with Napoleon on the raft of
Tilsit when Nicholas sent his armies into
the Crimea. She means to win CONSTANT
nople and to become southern as we'll as q
northern Power. Napoleon recognized the
possibility of this when lie said at ST. Helena
that in fifty years Europe would be republic
can or Cossnck. During these fifty years no
Power has advanced so much rs Russia We
regard Germany as mighty Power, and the
German Empire rs a new force in the govern
ment of the universe. But Germany is the
aggregation of other Powers, the bind
ing Of the rods around the lictor's