The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-31
BATTLE OF LEpANYO.
THE ENGAGEMENT THAT SAVED
 EUROPE FROM THE1URK.
Sir Edwin Arnold on the Memorable Struggle In Which the Cross Tri- umphed Over the Crescent

NNSSAC Ah WIZ tho SEOHA Irl-
 umphed Over the Crescent.
 T had to apologize last week." writes
 Sir Edwin Arnold in the woman's page
 of the London Telegraph of October F.
 for introducing to this placid page the
 agitating topic of earthquakes, and at
 hrst l may seem to be guilty of a worse
 offense in speaking of q mighty sea
 battle. But there is a reason for it not
 unconnected with the peaceful and
 graceful subjects to which these col
 umns are dedicated. How would ladies
 of the present day like it if at this mo-
 ment they were going about in public
 1n long white or black mantles shroud-
 ing them and their costumes from head
 to foot with baggy trousers, and yellow
 or red slippers turned up at the points,
 and the "yashmak,' or face-veil, cov-
 ering all theirscountenances except for
 two little .peep-holes through which
 their sparkling eyes would shine?
 How would they like it to be going in
 Kensington or elsewhere on Fridays to
 a mosque instead of a church; to be
 talking Arabic or Turkish, and to have
 their boys and girls taught reading out
 OI tllt AOIdU lllSlGStQ Ol illc bIDlt'
 Nay, more serious still, to be perhaps
 one of four wives in their British
 household, and never to go out shop
 ping or making calls without black
 slaves to watch them while their jeal-
 ous lords at home with turbaned heads
 smoked chibouks and nargilehs in the
 drawing-rooms, squatted upon stlken
 cushions instead of being seated de-
 gently on Christian chairs and sofas?
 "Well, but all this might have been,
 and very probably would have been,
 but for something which happened
 three hundred and thirty years ago.
 Last Monday was the anniversary of
 the battle of Lepanto! To that mo-
 mentous event nobody now gives thought. Yet is there no man, woman or child in these islands, nor on the
 continent of Europe, whose life history has not been influenced by the memora- ble engagement of October ', 1571? Those historically minded, throwing their fancy back to that date, will re-
 member what a stormy time it was for Europe The soldiers of Philip II of Spain were ravaging the low countries the reformation had divided the conti- nent into two hostile camps of Protes- tant and Papist, those incidents were arising which were to lead to the sail ing of the Spanish Armada and the Emperor Charles V. had but lately fin- ished his warlike reign. But in eastern Europe a terrible peril for Chrstendom contantly impended. It was the dark advancing cloud of the Ottoman power which threw the deepest shadow upon the period. Vaster than any danger near home, more dire in its possibili- ties, was the victorious advance of the | Crescent, which, with its headquarters at Constantinople, was averaging upon the cross the memories of the Crusades. l If you would know how deep in the | hearts of the epoch lay the silent dread | of those Ottoman standards see what i, Shakespeare makes King Henry V. say to the French Princess whom he was wooing for bride. Shall not thou and I. Kate compound boy who shall go to .Constantinople and take the Great Turk by the beard?' That same great Turk was the 'bogy- man of the mo- 1nent He threatened the Adriatic shores; he had driven the Venetians out of Cyprus; he was attacking Malta, where the garrison fired at him from a l great gun the keyes of Valetta, which he had demanded, to which his admi- rals responded by utilizing the heads of Christian captives as bombshells, He held all the north coast of Africa from the Straits round to Aegean, and was nreparing for the re-conquest of Spain. But above all he had gathered at I.epanto a monstrous fleet manned by the flower of his fierce troops and rpwed by twenty thousand Christian galley slaves, and, with that fleet, he intended and hoped a sweep the Greek and Italian seas, while huge land ,rmy rolled through Vienna and cen ,ral Europe to the western Christian capitals.
 In all great emergencies events pro- luce the chosen hero and Christendom vas really saved by the genius of an man. A defensive fleet IS strongl as could be collected and equipped by the three active allies, Spain, Venice and the Pope, had been brought together and manned at Mes hnat, numbered at least two hundred { md fifty galleys and galliasses, but what would these be against the huge lotilla of the Turks unless the utmost , kill in seamanship guided and anima- ed the undoubted valor of the Chris ian crew? They found, however, the , fight leader in Don John of Austria f Ie was the illegitimate son of Charles I y., his mother being beautiful, but i ow- bred, woman of Ratisbon. But f rom the first the emperor loved the oy; had him trained and treated as , rince' of the blood, and Philip IT. of f pain, his half brother, continued this steem and favor. The royal bastard r rev to be the greatest soldier of his \ me, winning such triumphs of daring nd strategy that when appointed ad- f liral of. the Christian fleets the mere dings of 1t doubled the confidence of 2 ne sailors of the Cross. Don John was nly twenty-seven years old when he r teered with his armament from Messi- a for that Hateful Bay of Lepanto, the l, ncient Naupaktus The engagement S 'hich ensued there, more bloody than alamis or Astium, was even more im- il ortant and decisive. = Prescott has well described the aw- o Il encounter, which, contrary to the uItan's calculations, utterly routed