The Detroit times., 1917-12-05
Wars Effect Upon Religious Conditions
Around the WOrld-A First Hand Investigation

arc generally termed hereabouts.
and -thn- -nther takes IA the Christians
altho there are sinister reports
current hat one Christian nation,
the Gcorgiaus. have made a compact
with the Tartars against the Armen-
ians
Old Grievances Coming TO the Front
This place used TO belong 20 Per
,ia. a fact which the Persians never
forget. or permit their neighbors 70
forget The new STRINGS OF human
ity by the doctrines OF democracy
are having strange and vexatious
consequences IN this tangled corner
~ the earth, where so much OF
trouble has originated for humanity.
from the days of Genghis, Khan.
fartefiaAt--e ettt the=tFfat tFfatirks-ft -iE
physically impossible for the doc
trines Of self government 10 be
worked out simply. because of the
romantic persistences OF ancient ma
tionalities.
In this part Of Russia. for in
stance. no one national group has a
majority Of the population The
Persiaus once ruled here. but SO
also did the Armenians, and little
further TO the west the GeorgIans
maintained. until somewhat moro
than century ago, an independent
kingdom Lesser tribes and groups
occupy the same territory. Each
wants independence and self-goveru-
mcnt So in all Of yeasty Russia
there rs no more sinister ferment
than hercabouts Each OF these ma
ione also has a grudge against the
old Russian order, which conquered
or ruled them
Add ~ grievances the under
lring mtasonsms of religion. fresh
lg stirred into fame. and YOU have
some idea OF the intricate situation
here For in this part OF the world
nobody for an instant thinks of di-
v0rcinR religion from politics. A
mans religious classification is the
name for which he will fight Thus.
the most skillfUl surgeons knife
could scarcely artiCulate the Per
slams loyalty 10 Mohammedan-
ism from his loyalty 20 his
country Nationalism and re-
lgious zeal are practically one and
lac same thing What Russia has
done 10 Persia in the past is p pres
ent factor in pouring oil upon tho
dres Of religious unrest
The KaiseTs Holy War.
Even al this date the jehad. or
holy war. proclaimed by Turkey at
ne bobest OF the kaiser. is having
on unsettlinc effect out here Ger.
man prOpagandists have been all
jhru this region. not only distribut
M -mnne.-- -huL also hrehrands OF
bigotry The jehad Is being made
q reality despite The fact that the
Shcroei Of Mecca has beep proclaim
cd caliph in opposition tQlthc sultan
of Turkey
10 may secm q late day for the
proclamation Of the holy war" here
a1Outs. but tho stragetic value Of
This region seems 90 be- increasingly
realized 10 Us not merely tho gate
way 40 Persia and Turkestan and
Afghanistan 7nd India. bur it Is also
fhs pivotal roint for oeditiOua Of
feet upon thc Caucasus campaign As
old, VIC have hero center or
~clicious and political influence.
Amid these diversified peoples. 70
S. difficult to detect German propa-
aandist- Up the Voira River. a
hort distance from here. are col
cEios OF German scttlers, planted by
Catherine tho Great. and stiil Ger
man in speech and sympathies Near
hy .u siberia. are tens ot thousands
. Uf German prisoners most OF whom
have learned 10 speak Russian, and
maHy of whom hayc escaped into
rurkestan and Mongolia. IT, rs wen
known t0 everybody that IN Russia
urisoners are propaEandlstF The
network 90 German intrigue ttill on
meshra lhis part Of The world, and
] lits srrougcst cord M religion A
Russia As Moslem Power.
or nta years Russia has given
real ENCOURAGEMENT 10 The Moslems
Hmong.hcr people For a long time
---t---r irr1ittfift ieeH ~ The -terri
tory sho captured from Turkey a
eencratiou ago steadily migrated 20
| thc ottoman Empire have seen