Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-11-25


DIR. w. F. Oldham, recently of India,
and now Of New York city. one of the
best authorities in this country ON the
relations of Moslem to Christian, or the
religion of Mohammed to the religion of
Christ, or the civilization OF: Islam to the
Christian civilization, spoke the other
day in Boston of the proclamation of the
Jehud, or holy war, by the sheik- ul- Islam,
and expressed some fear that the time
was ripe for the religious fanaticism OF
the Moslem to break loose and engulf the
VIII ole world in whirlpool of blood.
have no doubt that the Balkan war,
and especially the outrageous war OF
Europe now in process, has opened the
eyes of the followers of the false prophet
to the use Of modern armament and
methods OF warfare, and that q large pro-
portion of the Mohammedans are ready to
fight for the supremacy of the religion
and civilization of Islam and this is
saying the same thing, for there is no civ
iliEstion of Islam wi, hout Mohammed,
as there is no Christian civilization with
out Christ. But think, and hope and
pray, this final struggle is to be postponed
for some time.
My reasons are based upon the fact that
iegiaDce. Turkey is fighting will the
Germans, while the Indian Moslems are
fighting with the English and French,
thus iessening the danger OF holy war
at present. His higbness, Aga Khau, the
spiritual head. in a way, of the MohH1n-
medans in India, East Africa, and Central
Asia, according to a British source, is
indigant at the attitude OF Turkey, and
says: "She has drawn her sword in an
nnholy cause, and the duty of Moslems
to-day is to remain loyal and faithful to
their temporal and secular allegiance"
The Nizan OF Hyderabad, the largest
Mohammedan state in India, has issued
manifesto saying, at is the bounden
duty OF the Mohammedans OF India to
adhere to the British"
AS far as the future of Turkey is con-
cerned, it seems very certain that IL the
allies win, the government at Constanti-
nople will go out of business, while, on
the other hand, IL the Germans win, the
Ottoman empire may continue in exist
ence with Germany debating her policies.
All in all, it seems that the wise thing for
Turkey was to have remained neutral, but
we must remember the tremendous in
fiuence of Germany over the young Turk
party now in power.
The big four in the Ottoman empire
are; Russia, determined to have free access
from the Black sea through the Bosporus,
the sea OF Msrmora and the Dardanelles to
the Aegean sea, and thus to the Mediter-
ranesn sea; France and Germany, both
wanting the control of Asia Minor and
Palestine, and England, enlarging her
borders to the east around the Persian
gulf and Euphrates and Tigris rivers as
Red sea.
In all that we think about these mat
tiers, however, we must remember that
there ere Z5o, 900 600 Moslems in the world,
that they are all practically jealous propa-
gandists of their religion, that their num-
bers are rapidly increasing, that they are
a unit when it comes to their civilization
and every last one loyal to the Caliph, the
head of their religion, that Islam is the
one great competitive threatening civili-
cation to our own Christian civilization,
and viii one day try strength with us as
to which shall rule the future destinies
Of mankind.
1t behooves the. last man of us to be at
least as true to our religion and civiliza-
ton as the Moslem is to Islam.