The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-04


| manner peculiar only to men deficient in
practical common sense, such as clcrgymcn
often are.
Like Christianity, Mohammedanlsm IL Mt
once q reforming and proselytlng faith.
Tho object of its founder was to destroy
idolatry and replace it with the worship OF
tho ono invisible COP. Its first successes
were gained in regions where Christianity
had failed to make converts at all, or at
least failod to keep them when they were
made. At this moment it Is advancing rap
| idly In regions, both OF Asia and OF Africa,
In which Christian missionaries have been
| unable to gain q foothold. African tribes.
which are insensiblo to tho subtleties Of
Christian theology, welcome the simpler doc
trincs OF the Koran and willingly accept
the comparative civilization which they pro-
duce In India, sixty millions OF Moham-
mcdans, living side by side with less than
two millions OF Christians, attest tho
comparative superiority in the estimation
Of the population, OF Islam over Christianity.
And, while the total Christian population OF
the world does not greatly exceed three
hundred millions. the Mohammodans num-
Der over one hundred and fifty millions.
The history Of religious prosecutions proves
that far less numerous scots have resisted
violent efforts for their suppression; and the
means which have failed with them arc not
likely to succeed with a system whose ad-
hercnts comprise one-tenth the inhabitants
of the globe. and who, less than two cen
turtles ago. were powerful enough to imperil
the integrity of Europe.
Nor is IL easy for an impartial Judge to
discover grounds upon which Christians
may rghtfully rcproach Mohammodans for
their intolerance and fanaticsm. Deeds
such as those which their Tuesday evening
meeting was called TO condemn, spring not
from Mohammcdanism but from those evil
passions which all religions cndcavor to
subduc; and they disilguro the annals OF
Christcndpm no less than those of the empire
Of the Turks Catholics havc burned here
ties at the stake, Protestants have pcrse-
cutcd Catholics and Quakers. II is only a few
years since Jews were not permitted to sit
in the British Parliament, and within the
recollection Of readers OF The Sun, n mob
protesting one kind of Christian faith burned,
in Philadelphia, the church cdiflces Of Chris
tians OF another Not long ago man was
convicted and punished in Massachusetts, for
not keeping the Christian Sabbath, and the
testimony Of disbelicver in God such az
Christians believe in, is not received in our
courts Of justice. II our intolerance does
not result in atrocities like those practised
on the Bulgarians, 1t is because Of our
superior refinement, and not Of our greater
goodness.
The worst of It IL, that exhibitions Of i'll
tppppr su.h No tho Christiopa NJ Auc,.io.
ton Hall made on Tuesday evening, tend to
bring their religion into disreputc, and inn
pair its real usefulness. When, halfa century
ago, the Christian population of the country
was called on to sympathize with the Greeks
against the Turks, as they are now called
ON TO sympathze with the Bulgarians,
the caustic JOHN RANDOLPH protested that
the real Greeks were at our own doors.
The clergymcn who spoke at Assoc
citation Hall might probably turn
their eyes away from the Mohamme-
dan ruflans in Bulgaria to the Christian
hu -bands among Us who murder their wives,
and the Christian fathers who burn their
children ON rci-hot stoves and scald them
with boiling water; to the Christian states
men who sell their votes and the Christian
merchants who buy them; to the Christian
bank presidents and cashiers who rob their
stockholders, the Christian trustees who
cmbezzlc the money Of widows and orphans,
and the Christian swind!crs of every kind
who swarm about the country. And II this
Is not enough to occupy their time, they will
find multitudes Of Christian sick and poor
and suffering all over the land who need the
aid Of Christian philanthropy. dcnun-
citation Of Mohammcians for their cruelty
while there IS so much misery all about us
mrelevcd, shows that christianity as well
as Mohommcdanism has its weak points,
and dwels in fragile house which cannot
safely provoke stOne-throwing.