Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-05-03
ALI CmR1sTENDoM is alive TO the

ALL CHRIsTENDOM is alive TO the
fact that Europe is in the midst of a
most terrible conflict. The little cloud
no larger than mans hand has be-
come a mighty cloud enveloping the
nations, surcharged with the electricity
of terrible war.
We who are thousands of miles
away, separated by trackless oceans
can scarcely comprehend how dis
pute between two nations like Russia
and Turkey must necessarily Involve
in conflict other powers, nevertheless
such will be the inevitable result The
interests of any one great power of
Europe which seem to be here alone,
and conducive to her growth and de-
velopment must necessarily be inter-
woven with the interests of all other
nations where soil is contiguous and
where water communication unites in
one common destiny the varied inter
ests of all.
The war in Europe in not religious
war it is not war Of aggrandizment,
neither is it a political war. is hard
to tell why it has arisen. It may pro-
porly be termed perhaps triune fight
savoring of religion, agrandizment and
politics, enacted by dust of nations
which will end in general chorus. 1t
could have been postponed it could
have been avoided wholly had spirit
Of liberation and concession been exer-
cised by both the powers now face to
face in deadly conflict upon the banks
OF the Danube and the Pruth. Ma
tons like men find it easy to revoke
disputes and they too frequently court
conflict. individuals appeal to the
law and adjudicate they bring their
grievances before Justice of the
Peace and give security for costs,
Nations appeal to the artibrament OF
the sword and sign their treaties in the
blood of their slaughtered subjects.
No person in America can SO fully
and clearly discover or understand why
Russia and Turkey are engaged in
combat, or the primal cause of the
conflict, as the subjects of tho two
great powers, though we fatter our
selves that we have understood fron,
the beginning just the cause and where
diplomacy has failed to- apply the balm
which might have healed the wound
Jeaiousies have much to do with it.
An ostensible protection Of certain
peoples who have been wrenged by the
one power claimed to be barbarian by
the other but little less barbarous may
be valid pretext; but what The
cause, or whether We are able to deter
mine the why and wherefore of tn,
contest we are assured that it means
war untempercd with mercy.
Patriotism signifies as much to
brutal Turk or a less brutal Russian a
it does to an American, and the wore
Home" with all that that one wore
signifies whether spoken by Cossack
Muscovite, or Angio-Saxon will have
power in the conflict waging to stimu
late to heroic action, though spoken b,
lips that have been wont to lisp tn
theachings of the Koran IN contradis
tinchon to the sublime teachings of TIL
Gospel of Peace.
The sympathies of America as ma
ton will be with Russia for more rea
sons than one. In our civil war sh
was neutral power with her sympathie
bending toward the North. Will
England and France wished success t
the Southern arms, these powers wer
constrained to effect and preserve
neutrality they did not feel lest Rus
STA should increase her domain by az
grandizment at their expense.
Russian intellect and soul have be
ing upon higher plane than wher
moves the bigOted and brutal Turk
Hence our sympathies and hopes ar
all with her, making no enquiry as t
the right or the wrong Of the conflict
That the war will be long and blood
admits of little doubt That it viii j
the end move forward the great pro
cession of civilization is equally true a
much as We may deplore the fact tina
progress must come through the medi
um Of sword and bullet rather than b
the gentler agents incident to ezalte
Christian civilization.
The TELEGRAPH brings the INTEL
2cnce that Constantinople, the Capita