The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-15
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

The Crescent and the Cross. In all
 history there is no stranger thing than
 the rise of Mahometanism.
 This Is not to be story which seeks
 to go deep into the religious question,
 but merely to bring out some side lights,
 on Mahomet and the Kaiser, now that a
 rumor is afloat coming by way of
 Switzerland that the Turks will seek q
 separate peace True or not, it brings up
 many intefesting points.
 Bear in mind that when the seat of the Roman empire was transferred to Con- stantinople, Christianity was three cen
 turies old, and that about the time st. Sophia was completed there was born at Mecca, in Arabia, little babe, who was given the name of Mahomet
 Strange, is it not, that after lapse l of more than 13 centuries he is still through his followers fighting those who walk in the way of that other babe, born in a manager, and that the. Crescent to- day floats above the Cross on 8 church which was built for Christian worship and largely through the Kaiser's help? From Mahomet sprung a mighty mis- sionary religion which numbers it's ad- herents by the hundreds of millions and which is active in its propaganda, and stands in the path of Christianity in DOT tions of Europe, Asia and Africa A re- ligion which has affected the fortunes of the eastern empire and church, and given Christians more trouble than any of the other faiths It is said on what seems to be good authority that Eng land has 100000 more Mos1ems than Christians under her rule.
 Now this is why Mahometanism loomed so large in this present war. This is why the Christian Emperor of Germany, who pretends to rule by divine right and to be follower of the lowly Nazarene, was so anxious to form a partnership with the willy old Sultan, the protector of the Moslems and the butcher of the Chris tians, because he thought to strike at the heart of Englands power in the east by getting holy war started. The story of German intrigue to set loose the brutal Turks on the helpless Armenians and fo- ment a religious crusade in India is on gium I haven't the time ora the space to go into why Prussian diplomacy failed both in Arabia and in India.
 The Moslem religion is religion Of blood. Mahomet, it's founder, said: Par adise is under the shadow of swords" This dovetails finely into Germany's ideal of blood and ron."e The more I study the question the more l am convinced Sultan for an alliance. It will be hard for the future historian to decide between the two as to which was the more blood thirsty. The Kaiser will be charged with Belgium, while the Sultan will be cred ited with Armenia. The conquest of both countries drip with the blood of helpless old men, outraged women, and slaugh-- tered children. Mahomet strove to make religious converts with the sword while Wilhelms s idea is to spread kultur with blood and iron" Mahometanism stands for force in religion, while Kaiserism rests on might in government.
 I have often seen Emperor William ride through the streets of Berlin, and for a score of years he, by hook or crook, got the title of the "peace keeper" of Flu rope. But all the while he was getting ready against 'The Day" when German arms were to conquer MitteI Europa l once saw Abdul Hamid, the Sultan of Turkey, who won the sobriquet of .'the Butcher of Europe" and having seen the two, my wish and hope and prayer is that the so-called peace apostle" of the north will finally be driven from lis throne by an outraged people, awake to the fact that they were used as pawns to make Roman holiday for the Hohsn- zollern dynastys selfish ambitions.
 For centuries the world stood in dread of the ''Moslem Menace and I know Of no intenser moment in the worlds his- tory than when in Gaul, in 7S2, the Ma hometans were checked by the Franks under Charles Martel, in the battle of Tours, and this defeat, combined with internal dissensions, saved Europe to Christianity and turned back the horde of Mahometans. The battle of Tours and the battle of the Marne will live in his tory. The one for the overthrow of the followers of the false prophet, the other for the stopping. of the twentieth century Huns. Strange, is it not, the noble part France has played as the savior of Chris tian civilization?
 Moslem made bloody entrance into the world family of religions. The pages Of Mahometansm are wet with the blood of martyrs It has ever been a cult of the sword. It is a religion of conquest tainted by the ignorance, cruelty. and sensuality of seventh century Adabs It was by untold bloodshed and bitter cru city that Mahomet finally made himself master of Mecca, and at the time of his natical zeal and lust of rule urged on a movement of foreign conquest such as the world had never seen. In 30 years Ma hometanism conquered more territory than Rome conquered in four centuries. Syria, Persia, Egypt northern Africa ma Spain passed under the rule of the Caliphs, successors of Mahomet At one time it got as far as Tours in the west and almost to the gates of Vienna in the east.