, 1877-09-30
THE SECRET OF TURKISH CRUELTY.

" constituted that they sympathiza with til,
Turks in their war with Russia There ar
many Christian people, including even min
listers and missionaries who have given pub
lie expression to that sympathy. There art
newspapers, like the Chicago Times for in
stance, which mainly sympathize with the
Turks because they mainly sympathize with
everything else that is malignant, venomous
and cruel. There is, however, bat one
nation which has publicly manifested sym
pathy with the 31ussulman, and that is
England, whose sympathy is matter of dol.
lars and cents on the one hand, and political
jealousy Of Russia on the other.
There is little volume recently published
By a1r. FREEMAN, the eminent English his
torian, upon ''The Ottoman Power il
Europe" which ought to command the care
ful attention of every sympathizer with the
Turk. It shows very clearly the secret of
those h;deous atrocities which have charac-
terized the Turkish army in its conduct of
the present war. It explains why no wounded
Russian soldiers are allowed to live; why the
plains and mountains of Bulgaria are strewn
with the muti1ated bodies Of her people !;
why the streets of Adrianopls are
daily witnesses to the executions of
Bulgarians; why the populations Of
villages and towns are massacred BY thou
sands; why women are violated and children
are tortured why those who have escaped
death or torture by the sword are dying by
starvation; and why the perpetrators Of these
horrors are rewarded by the Porte. The re-
ligious element is the nll-controlling influence
that characterizes the Turks in the conduct
Of the war. Their political and military in
stitutions are based upon the religious, which
are Interchangeable. The law of Turkey, says
Mr.. FREEMAN, declares that 'sThe blood of
the infdel is Of no value till it is protected
by the Aman-" The Aman is pardon for
not embracing Islamism, but its conditions
are horrible The infdel must pay whatever
tribute the Mussulman may impose, may
be part of his substance, or the wife of his
bosom, or the fruit OF his body" Hehas no
right of self-defensc. He Is not allowed to
bear arms. His evidence is not received in
the courts. Hindoos, Chinese, and the
whole Pagan world ara not entitled to clam
the Aman- They can be put to death at
pleasure. As to the Christian, Mr. FREEMAN
says:
At this moment the Turks under no Obligation by
his law or religion to spare the lives OF his Russian
captives. They haye not asked nor has he grant,
ed them, the anan and without the aman the life
Of any Russian who falls into his hands is forfeit.
II he spares him, it is concession to Europcan |
opinion, which 1t might be awkward to Offend.
But to take the life OF Christian, fighting against
hfussulmans, is to do meritorous act: and the |
more such lives True Believer takes the greater
n his reward in Paradise. That is the iue1a1ned |
belief of every soldier in the Sultans army who il
oyaf to his creed, and it is doctrine which is |
preached by multitudes Of ulemas and deryishes !!
throughout the Turkish Empire.
The only exception to Mussulman fanati-
;ism is the Jew; and he is secure, because he |
S not the rival Of the Mussulman, does not
and is unambitious. Turkey and |
.slamism are in no danger from him, SO he is |
rcated with sublime Indifference. The Turk
:annot be civilized, because his law is ILL.,
He cannot be merciful, for the
anne reason For the same reason his prom
6es can never be fulfilled. In the face OF
uch facts as these, it is hard to understand
low any one who is not Turk can sympa-
llize with Turk.