The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-05-16
4 Tcrocious Bishop.

here on earth " cnn do when his blood X up.
Worc it the inspired cffusion OF the Shck
ul Islam or n Mohammedan moollah preach
ing n jchad, with the crescent substituted
for the cross to which the Bishop appeals,
we should regret its intocrant spirit and
bloodthirsty tone, but should accept 1t rs
an additional evidence OF that fcro-
cious religious fanaticsm with which
the Moslem has SO often been charged, and
fer-yhieii hc has been So Justly condemned
in years gone by with the progress Of
civilization. however, the parts seem likely
to lc reversed.
The propagandism Of the faith of Islam
10y the sword Is a matter of the past.
and centuries have elapsed since popu-
ations subjected by the soldiers Of the
prol met have lccn compelled to adout his
creed. I'm the present struggle the standard
Of holy war has been first raised
hy the Christian. and doubtless many
bishops of the Greek Church have
sought To- stimulate the warlike ardor Of
their ilucks with just such strains a have
now issued from the western Episcopalian
diocese Of New York. or all branches of the
Christian Church there is none moro dcgrad-
ed in its supcrstltionS. or more OPP
prcssiye in its prosecutions, than that
which in Eastern Europe claims to be
the parent stem from which all other
Christian sects have been the ofishoots: and
no Church treats with more unrelenting se-
verify the professors of forms of Chris
tinnty which presume to differ from
what is considered the orthodox con-
fession. The scourging Of the nuns Of
MiIlsk and the fearful barbarty with which
these poor unofiending women were treated
on account OF their religion, reused at the
time the indignation of Europe, and called
down a chorus OF cXccratlon on the cruel
and intolerant ecclesia-tcs who melted
the Russian Government To the perpctra-
ton of horrors unsurpassed in the annals
Of VI sem fanatici=m. But the constant
and increasing persecution to which the
Russian Haskoniks are still subjected
for vcnturing TO have religious opinions OF
their own, are unknown and unsupported In
this country. Imprisonment, scourging,
exile, or even death is the portion melted
out to them, for no other reason than that
they cannot conscicntiously conform to the
State relig ion; while the massacre of Ismail,
the memory of which still fingers
in the ncighhorhood where nearly g, 00Omcn.
cause they were Mussulmans, was directly
due to the religious fanaticisnI which in
| splrcd their murderers.
1t is upon the same fanatic crusaders,
and apparently in hope Of deeds of SINH
lar ruthless and sangunary barbarity,
that an eminent, and we had almost said.
Christian divine, now inyokes the bless
ing Of the Almighty. The bugle blasts of
Gen kAUFFMAN's troops in central Asia re-
Gently engaged under the orders of that
General in sparin4 neither woman
nor child In their wholesale slaugh-
ter, Bishop COKE sacrlcgiously Describes
as tho Trump Of the Lord" and in
/ his fear lest commercial considerations may
arise TO check the glorious and sacred work
OF indiscrminate massacre, he piously cX-
claims, Shame on the swords that trade
can mar" There is, to be sure, n
! little ambiguity about this line; Il
may contain warning 10 the manu-
facturers Of arms for the Russians
in this country or elsewhere, not 10 impose
! upon the holy Cossack weapons which may
! give ont through imperfect temper in the
| early stages Of women and baby hcwing In
another tine burst Of religious fcrvor, in
which the somewhat involved state of the
metaphor may be pardoned for the noble
sentiment which lies behind it, this Epi-co-
palian priest cxclaims "Wakc swords that
rustw
We should treat this bombastic ciusuu
with the contempt which it deserves as a
poem, il it were not that We felt bound to
protest against prominent teacher Of men,
vino is CLOTHED with the authority and dig
. liza,
his sacred functions by a rhapsody which
We can only regard az ptoianr and which,
in the minds Of all serious and earnest
Christmas must bring i.-crcdlt on that To-
ligonof peace and love which il Is the H~h-
ops duty To- incuicatc. What rig has
he t. invoke L9 slams or auy one
else to work vengeance dir" upon
any nation or people simply because he hap
pens 30 differ with them in religion belief ;
The Master whom the Bishop IS supposed to
serve has said " Nougcancci- mine; :" and We
can safely leave the retnhutiun which IN the
Divine providence Will overtake those peo-
pie who have incurred it, to lin who hold
the nations in His hand.
When Bishop COKE recalls tho glorics Of
STEAMBOAT Of yore and wishes to SEQ the cross
restored there, does lac remember that the
Christian Emperors who msgoyerned "a pco-
pie as no Turks have misgoyerncl them,
were chiefly celebrated for the crimes OF
murder ana incest, and that the
or. : glory Of which s.amhoul could
boast was that of being moro licon-
tious and deprayed than any other city OF
Europc2 We advise the Bishop, before
chantins tho glttering glorlos Of high
STEAMBOAT undor the cross, TO read littlC
about its past history; and we woald fur
ther suggest a closer study Of those sacrc,
prcccpt5 which he so presumptuously repU
di.tcs in his war song. TO arms l.
urmsM sounds Ike a shout Of defiance Il
his mild and gentle Master, when Tie 10
ilkol the impctuou- disciple whose highr-
conceptions Of moral obligation rs1iVo'
Themselves, like This Bishops, into hrut.
Ioron lat up again thy sword into IT,
place, for all they that take tho sword hal
perish by the sword"
We know nothing about Bishop CoXr'
practices in propagating his own rellgiou
, nuiuious in the community amid which Ii