The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-05-01

The gospel of Christ was preached to
the Greeks by st. Paul and his COM
panfons and several Of his epistles were
addressed to them with gratifying sue
cess. He spoke to the Greek philoso-
pliers at their invitation in the court
of the Aeropagus and plainly informed
them that their religion was supersti-
tious. They listened patiently to his
new doctrines, and the ''men of Athens"
said they would hear him again.
The modern Greeks seem to inherit
the noble characteristics of their cul-
:tured ancestors. AS in the olden days
riors, and they are determined not to
be the slaves of an illiterate race of for
eigners. During the present century
they have met the same barbarous foe
on several occasions and fought gallant
~, for. national independence. In 1921
they enlisted the sympathy Of Lord BY
ron, and that great Republican poet and
lover of freedom gave his pen, purse
and person to their cause. In this conn
try at that time, just as at present, the
United States congress was slow to Of
fer moral support to the struggling
Greeks, and Henry Clay found it neces-
sary to speak as follows: care we so
humbled, SO low, so debased that we
dare. not express our sympathy for SUI
fering Greece? That we dare not attic
ulate our detestation of the brutal ex-
cesses of which she has been the bleed
Ing victim lest we might offend some
one or more of their imperial and royal
majesties?"
Were the brilliant orator and states
man living today he could have spoken
with propriety in the same strain to the
present members OF the senate and
house of representatives. A week ago
one of the senators introduced a reso-
luton of sympathy for the Greeks which
was referred to the committee on for
:eign relations, of which G. X. Davis, of
that gentleman promised to attend to
the matter, we have heard nothing Of it
since If it is sent to the Greeks it will
arrive too late to give them any encoIr-
agement.
The big European powers have acted
UNANIMOUSLY in the Cretan affair by Civ
ing their moral support to Turkey ami
handicapping Greece by their Interior
ence. Herald Frederic, the able London
correspondent of the New York Times,
has this to say about it: Greece was
deliberately held back iron, action when
the advantages would nave been more
nearer even by the sternest threats Of
the powers, and she was kept quiet UNI
til Turkey had time to bring up scores
of thousands of troops and to perfect all
| necessary arrangements along frontier
on which every strong place belonged
to Greece under the treaty of Berlin,
but had been stolen from her by The Sui
! tan, with the connivance of these same
| powers. When Turkey was at last
| ready she received the signal from Ber-
lin togo ahead, and war Began
1T was actually proposed by Ger
many, supported by Russia and Aus
| tria, that despite the fact that war had
been declared the Greek fleets should
lie blocked up in the Cuffs of Vt,lo and
Arta so that they could not harass the
Turkish coasts. So sure were the en-
perors that this scoundrelly plan OF
theirs could be rammed down Europea
throat that they gave the Turks to I'M
derstand that it was quite settled, and
the sultan's officers accordingly piled up
provisions and military stores at depots
| on both the Macedonian and the Epirote
coasts, in full confidence that no Greek
squadron would be allowed to come near
them. The suggested blockade, how
ever, was too gross an infamy for Vest
ern Europe to stand, and the project
was dropped
King George of Greece, whose wife ia
the sister of William of Germany,
blames that naughty emperor for urging
the sultan against hts own Judgment to
precipitate war upon Greece. Russia
I desires to gain possession of CONSTANT
| nop1e and has egged on Turkey TO its
own detriment, and Salisbury, the Brit
ish premier, left England and is at the
Riviera for the recuperation of his
health, waiting to see what the other
powers will do. Shame upon the des-
pots who would allow the Moslems to