The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-04-14
THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

IhE BEGlNNlNG Of THE END.
bnThat Europe is on the verge of an
eventful crisis is everywhere conceded.
All the arts and subterfuges of diplom
acy, for twelVe-m0nth most vigorously
exercised, have failed to pacificate the
two Empires whose dominions are mix ed
Asiatic and European. Should the con-
ilct now impending be actually COM
menced between Russia and Turkey, it
will be war of races now the mos
ancient this side of China. The Russian
Is the Scythian, the Turk is the Tartar;
each the descendant OF cognate tribes
moving Westward from the interior OF
asia, and both older than the Christian
era.
That these two ancient Asiatic races
should have so powerfully impinged
upon Europe as to draw the nations of
that continent within the influence OF
Asiatic politics, is circumstance OF
great historic moment, foreshadowing
results that may lead to change in the
seat of empire and important advance
ment in civilization. Though the ter
ritorial dominions of the Turks in
Europe are even greater than Russia in
Europe, still the Turks have remained
emphatically Asiatic, while Russia has
become as positively European in the
progress of their national development
md characteristic civilization. The
consequence is, that while Russia
is a growing power, Turkey is retro
grading and falling into decay. And it
is a circumstance not little remark
able, that the advent Of these two Ash
attic races upon the frontiers OF
Europe occurred at about the same pc.
riod; and that, of the two great
religious antagonisms OF the world, the
Scythian embraced Christianity and the
Tartar adopted Mahommedanism. And
there they now stand, each the cham.
pion Of religious system directly op.
posed to each other. and both struggling
for ultimate mastery over the wide re-
gions of the populous continent OF Asia.
These considerations show us that in
q war now most imminent between those
two great Oriental races, the Scy THAN
and the Tartar, issues and consequences
are involved infinitely more vast than
the mere conquest Of any province can
imply, and which must react upon
Europe and the world with measure of
power little considered by those who
look simply upon the political as
poets presented by diploma attic protocols.
And whether Europe becomes embroiled
in the conflict, or not, these secondary
and more important consequences will
doubtless be the same. Let politicians
and diplomats call it by what name they
will, the war now anticipated is but
another war of religions and races
That such a war should now find its
theater In the far of East can not be re-
garded as unnatural. 1t is in those
very regions OF the East where
those contrasted and opposing ideas
Of religion ana OF race are
just now most sharply defined
and impelled into conflict. The follow
ers and deyotees Of the False Prophet
are torturing and slaughtering the Chris
tian population of their own dominions;
and when demonstrated with by Russia,
to whom those slaughtered Christians
are united by both religious faith and
the kinship ofrace, the Turks scornful-
ly repel such remonstrance as med
ding interference with her internal and
domestic affairs. And this they reiter-
ate in the face of all the Christian Pow
ers of Western Europe. What then
could be expected but war? Human
nature would demand it. Hence war
becomes inevitable.
More than a thousand years ago, at
the very time when Charlemagne was
valiantly. championing the cause of
Christianity ON the continent of Europe,
those Tartars, the Turks, were uproot-
ing 1t in the seat OF its original home by
ravagiDg Palestine and all Asia Minor