Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-02-19
The Mohammpdan Power.

The progress of Ell Mahdi and the
death of Gordon will probably awaken
the Christian world from the idea that
the faith of Islam is a decaying force.
1t is now arrayed against the strongest
pC wer or the Christian world, and it is
by no means to be reckoned second best
in the conflict. The faith of the Arabi-
an prophet is not a decaying one. It. is
spreading in Asia and Africa in greater
proportion than it is declining in Eure~
pean Turkey. 1t is a fact that there are
in the world about 2O0.o0O.OOO Moham-
medans, more than half of whom are
Asiatics. and the remainder Africans.
Persia has 100000 Mussulmans, Tur
key some 1S,O00,000, Arabia, Afghanist-
an and Central Asia perhaps 100000.
willie Hindostan had over 50000,000 in
1881, and now has mauy more, slime not
only is he population OF that country in
cIeasIug bul MohamnedaDism is spread
ing among The Hindc"s and perpetually
Sdlhilg iAOh
ism. The chief tteatels OF IslAmte ac-
tiyity in the present age are. in tact,
Hiudostan and Africa. In the former
they need but a leader To again seize the
sovereignty of which the British depriv-
ed them not very many years ago. In
Africa they have radiated southwark
from the Barbary coast across the Saba
IA into Central Africa, and have even
penetrated to the region of the great
lakes. The negro who accepts Islamism
becomes the hunter instead Of the hunt
ed, the attacker instead OF the attacked,
warrior and slave dealer instead of
a cultiyator of the soil, an enemy not
only to Christianity but to the introduc-
tion of European civilization instead of
willing trader and learner.
The great movement Ell Mahdi leads
is not sporadic insurrectian, but indi
Gates growing purpose of Mohamme-
dan populations to spread their faith as
the Prophet did by fire and sword. 1t
is war based on religions fanaticism,
and conducted by people who have hard
ly their equals, and certainly not their
superiors, in personal courage. If arm
ed and officered as efficiently and skill
fully as the British, it is not wild
statement that they would soon drive
English power from India and Egypt.
So far the Mahdi. False Prophet as
we oall him, has been the victor of eve>
ry force sent against him. To day he
antagonizes the whole power of the
British empire. They are not rebels, as
the British press calls them, but cour-
ageous people fighting for their desert
homes and against intolerable eppresr
sion. The Mahdi's fame is now spread
far and wide throughout Islam, and uH-
less England, with her italian and Abys-
sinian allies, promptly delivers crash
ing blow. the wave of religious enthusi-
asm may spread across the whole of AT
RIGA, all Europeans may be be swept off
or killed, and the Dark Continent may
be darker than of yore; and worse than
that, an insurrection in India is probar
BILE that will equal that of Nena Sahib
thirty years ago. In the interest of civ
ilization we can wish the British suc+
cess, because If they lose, the battle will
have 10 be fought over again. As mat
ters stand. il is not war of words and
missionaries between Islam and Chris
tianity, but of gunpowder, of rifles and
the strongest artillery at the right place
at the right time.-Pitts. Post.