Evening star., 1905-10-07

is poor match. as we are finding out In
the Philippines.
And England? Is she too old, as some
say, to be dangerous player any more:
Is the fact that she no longer plans to sur
round her colonies with a steel ring of de.
fense as she surrounds her own island o1
Britain symptom of world-weariness? Is
the German right when he says that he is
the heir of thA world that was England's?
If that be SO there is but one play left
for England, and that play is war before
the game goes against her too far.
LET it fame fade. and the war roll down lik
We have proved we have hearts In cause, We ar
noble STILL"
A Wonderful Player.
And this enemy of hers, this would-be OF
perhaps actual heir of her seas, is surely
dealing his cards with firm and unfalter
ing hand, with a wonderful run of luck tt
his credit, with unshaken steady purpose
and with designs SO great that they
frighten the rest, even though they are
only half guessed and though they aHec
to laugh at them.
Germany is. by all odds, the most com
manding player at the board today. 1t Il
around Germany that the spectators wht
know the fine points of the game croWe
most closely, while all the little players ane
.piker" nations aim to follow her lead; fol
Germany is playing to break the bank
Russia's defeat in the east has handicap
ped Germanys game somewhat. she neve.
Imagined, as the superficial argued, that
Russian defeat in the east would weaken
her in the west and lessen her danger as a
neighbor. Germany's diplomacy has re-
mained constant to the line laid out by
Bismarck She hoped that Russia might
win overwhelmingly in Asia, and in that
hope Germany was guided by the iron hand
of the dead chancellor, still reaching from
the graye-because Russia as great east
ern power Is an element In working out
Germany's vast destinies.
Russia has no business In the west,
said Bismarck. Let her work out empire
in the east That Is her true domain; there
she. the Tartar nation. belongs:
Steadfastly Germany has desired that
Russia might gain such mighty interests
in northeastern Asia that she might be-
come Indifferent to, or even acquiescent to-
ward Germany's huge designs IN the SOUTH
east of Europe and beyond that In the
Syrian peninsula of Asia.
And so 1t was no careless or fmpuiSive
"sword-rattling" in which the German en-
peror engaged when he stepped in so spec
tacularly in Morocco, going to the length
of appearing in person to spoil France
game.
The Real and Deep Reason.
Germany's interest in Morocco are great
-ss, ,OoO, 900 annually of trade. which Is ID
per cent of Moroccos total commerce; and
his action was justified well enough in it
self But behind it was an old. steady
policy-the policy of being the great Euro
pean friend of the Mussulman
France and Spain and Great Britain and
America may plan to beat him In the spe-
cific game for Morocco, but he has won a
Cgreater game with the sons of the prophet.
Thar ai4 talking Of the great Christian
Khalif IN the desert camps today and half
a million of dangerous and fanatical fight
ing men are full of praise and full of
hatred of the rest of the Ghiaour world.
Even so, seven years ago, when the Turk
was very sick. the kaiser appeared in Da-
mascus the ancient and made "Bruder-
schaft'' with the Mussulmans Of the Syrian
peninsula.
That is Germany's fight-for the Pacific.
Through the Moslem countries lies her way
through the Balkans where 3,350OJO (al-
most one-quarter of the inhabitants) are
Mohammedans: through the Syrian pentn-
sula, where the great railroad to the Per-
sian gulf, purely German undertaking, is
being pushed with all expedition.
Not only geographically is Germany fight
ing for the Pacific through the Mussulman.
She sees that MohammedaniSm Is a great
world-force, blindly neglected by her rivals.
She sees it spreading amazingly throughout
Asia and conquering Africa.
Triumphant Islamism.
India is shown the fact that in the presi-
dency of Bombay Accommodation has
gained by nearly IA per cent of the entire
population In Assam there has been an in
crease of 13 per cent. In the Punjab 10 per
cent.
The growth of Mohammedanism through
out India has been such that the creed has
gained 100000 converts in ten years.
In Burmah Mohammedanism has made a
gain representing fully ene-quarter Of the
entire population. In the Malay archipelago
three-quarters of the population have en-
braced the religion. In China 1t has made
such great strides that most competent au-
thorities foreign as well as native, admit
that China in time will become purely
Mohammedan country
But it Is in Africa that the growth of the
prophets religion has been most wonder
full Since 1870 one-third of the popula ton
of Sierra Leone and Lagos, till then quite
untouched by Islamism, have become Mo-
haInmedans.
The Algerian Senussis have sent their
brethren through the length and breadth
of the dark continent and are converting
whole tribes, so that today the Mohamnle-
dan sphere of influence reaches as far as
the northern frontier of the French Congo
country, although at the beginning OF the
nineteenth century there was scarcely q
Mohammedan settlement in the region OF
the Niger, with the exception of T1mbuctoo
1t is estimated that Africa contains
so O0OOOO of Mohammedans out of its 2oo,-
coo 900 population today, which means that
the dark continent is fairly on the way
to becoming a Mohammedan continent.
The Orient in Africa.
Throughout all that continent the bearers
of the triumphing Mohammedan religion are
traders of the orient. The Moslem does
not spread the creed through missionaries.
The trader, the traveller, the merchantmen
from the far east-these are the teachers
ana the priests. And when the Emperor OF
Germany rode through the streets of Mo
rocco he obeyed no mere imperial whim
lover of poses though he may be. He was
making bid and a successful one. for the
good will of the Mussulnans of the whole
world.
That the good will of the Moslem will
be of more than mere sentimental value is
not to be ignored. Those same Senussi are
working mysteriously, vastly. There are
arms pliing up In Africa, there Is treasure
being gathered, there are cities and forts
being built In unknown places; men say
that great Moslem war is being planned
war not OF mad Mullahs and other fanat-
les, but a war OF conquest. In which the
Moslem hopes TO gain Africa and Arabia
for a mighty Moslem empire.
49, 4 <1~f-k I<~.o H.