The Penn's Grove record., 1882-08-05
The Situation in Egypt.

From Egypt the news is meagre and
unsatisfactory, and until the arrival Of
additional troops from England the
present status Of the ~contending forces
is not likely to be seriously disturbed.
Arab Pacba is strongly intrenohed at
a safe distance from Alexandria, In q
state of blissful indifference a. to his
dismissal by the Khedive. The Porte
still maintains its attitude of grave un-
concern, and temporizes with Lord
Dufferin on the question OF sending
troops to Egypt with most non-com-
initial adroitness. Meanwhile the Eu-
ropeans who are forced to remain In
Cairo and adjacent towns are occupy
ing a most precarious position, exposed
to the attacks of marsuding Arabs and
in daily danger of massacre. Reports,
apparently we'll founded, OF the procla-
nation of q holy wal in Cairo will not
tend to allay the solicitude with which
the Christian world watches the
Egyptian situation for a holy war in
Egypt means determination to its Eu-
rolean population. The stoutest de-
fence, the most stubborn resistance, Is
vain against the whirlwind Of religious
fervor, the blind zeal to destroy, with
the Arab is imbued by the announce
ment of q holy war.
Since the days of Haroun the Great
there has been but one holy war pro-
claimed, and that against the invad'
ing Crusaders. Banded together to
resist the infidel, the folio Ters OF Is
lamism wsged uncessing and bloodv
strife with the despoilers OF their sa
cred cities who came In the name of q
strange God. With the gradual disco
luton of the powerful ~confederacy
which beat back the Crusaders there
was an end of religious wars, and the
banner of Islam, that Is unfurled to
call the Moslem to arms for the faith,
now rots with the Prophets dress and
other sacred relics in the Hall of the
Noble Vestments at Constantinople.
When, in 1877, the Sultan vas hard
pressed by Russia, and the cleaning
Muscovite bayonets flashed from the
heights overlooking the Bosphorus,
the threat to unfurl the sacred stand
ard aroused only scorn and mocking
laughter from the victorious Russians
and the experiment. was spoken of no
more For all the purposes of the
Porte, the rallying cry that In l76s
aroused the Turks to q ferocior3 and
indiscTiminate massacre of Christians
Is now but the babble of an unknown
tongue.
But in Egypt the fanatical spirit of
Islam still slumbers in the souls of
fierce Arabs whose only lesson has
been to reverence the Prophet and
hate the infidel. With q bigoted Mos
lem sternly facing the foreign troops
at Alexandria, with every Sheikh and
holy man and scholar lending aid to
the movement to repel the invaders,
but httlsancentive will be required to
set the blood Of Egyptian Bedouins
seething through their veins in re-
Spouse to a call for the determination
of the Franks. Once the demon of
destruction is aroused there may be a
repetition at Cairo of the scenes of 176S
at Constantinople, when Christians
who had rented windows in Moslem
houses from whichLo witness the up
lifting of the holy standard were
pushed out on the street by their hosts
and murdered by the mob. The dan
ger may not be near at hand, but a
desperate man like Arab would not
hesitate to bring it down on the heads
of foreigners in Egypt If thereby he
might ecu the recognition vouch-
safed only to the violent.