The Washington times., 1914-11-30

in negligible minority to the rest of
the population. But elsewhere, and
practically everywhere else, they
constitute the predominating ele-
ment in recently acquired colonies.
Where they are, they are concen-
trated. There are 100000 in Tur-
kestan. They form the people of
northern India, Egypt, Morocco, AL
giers, Tunis, Zanzibar, Madagascar;
and, unless it be in Turkestan, they
are guarded by very inadequate Eu-
ropean forces. Both France and
England, and especially the latter,
have had as their policy the building
up of native armies. Great Brit
aims army of occupation in Egypt
numbers in times of peace only
1000; the native force 10000.
France maintains in Algeria and
Tunis about $4,000 men, all highly
trained and half French, half native
MohaIlTEadSN- In Madagascar her
10000 troSRS are two-thirds Moham-
medan. And all through the east,
from Alden to Penang, England has
been content to keep hundreds of
thousands of natives quiet with gar
risons of one company here, two
there-and these often enough only
Indian troops with English officers.
1t is only by such survey that we
can appreciate the tremendous mo-
ment of the question as to whether
the Sultan can make his call heard
or not. If he succeeds, England's
empire, an organization built up all
over the east on the supposed loyalty
of her Mohammedan subjects, would |
be open to successful revolution at a |
hundred different points, some of |
them of great strategical and most |
of them of great commercial impor-
lance. The diversity of attack would |
be enormous, and even though it |
should succeed in but half the at
tempts, the strain it would put on
her resources for defense would be
as much as she could bear without a |
war with Germany.
But the possibility of such a dis
aster is remote. Against the one
time influence which the Sultan ex-
erted as the nominal head of the
Mohammedan church and his ap-
pointee, the Sheikh-el-Islam of Tur-
key as its practical head, the stabil-
izing force of European rule and Eu-
ropean commerce comes into play.
Fifty years ago Turkestan was a
country of intense fanaticism. In the
last ten years, had there been a re-
volt in Central Asia, it would have
been OF the one remaining independ-
ent state, Bokhara, against its Emir
and i'm favor of absorption by Rus
STA. If this be true, the process of
divorcing religious enthusiasm from
material welfare has been still bet
ter learned in the possessions of Eng
land and France. 1t is hatred of thef
unknown that breeds fanaticism. Sc
curity in trade, regular employment,
relatively low taxation, fair judicial
systems, are potent weapons against
it. The Sultan's leadership has never
promoted them. Mohammedanism
per Sc has never promoted them. A
century or even fifty years ago such
a call as has now been issued would
have. shaken the Mohammedan
world. 1t may be doubted whether
today it will cause more than a rip
pie of discomfort throughout the
greater portion of it. 1t is more to
be feared that an indiscriminate
anti Christian outburst in Turkey it.
self, where local mixed religious and
racial antagonisms abound, may fol-
low the summons than that it will be
heard in any place-with the pos
sible exception of Egypt-where
western civilization has once gained
a footing.