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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1876)
hEs' .'" .. . '' I I'HJM , P The Etivtcm Question. n K t knowledge of either Church or Empire. The "Greek of the Lower Empire hits been held in contempt, and all the members of the Eastern Church have been jumbled together under the common name of Greek. The great mass of the Christian subjects of the Turk have been little known or considered. Accordingly, the people of Western Europe have given their sympathies to Italian, Pole and Hun garian, while Or eek, Slave and Bulgarian the' have regarded with indilference or dislike. Hut the utrocit'es of the Turk in Servia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzego vina, which are struggling Jo throw oil' his hated yoke, are now directing the at tention of the chilizcd world lo along outraged and enslaved people. Mr. Glad stone, we are glad to see is doing noble service in arraigning the Disraeli govern for its apathy, and in arousing the Eng lish people to a jiiit sense of these barbarities. The Turkish government rules a popu lation of over 12,000,000 people, of which only ii.000,000 or a quarter of its popula tion are Mussulmans. This 's exclusive of other millions in Servia and Houmania which have in some nteiiburo successfully repudiated any direct interference in their rovernment. The Mohammedan, then, is to the Christian population as one to three; and yet the non-Mohammedan pop ulation is rigidly excluded from the army, which consists nominally of about 700,000 men. By this army the Sultan's power is maintained. Titus it may be seen that the position oi the Turkish government is that of a foreign garrison having no con nection with the people. This govern ment and garrison cohere by the force of religious ties, and how strong this is has been abundantly attested ; for Mohmitmcd anism is at once a religion, a code and a civil polity; or rather these are but modc.s of the one central power, in the exercise of which are now enacting scenes which would disgrace the lowest barbarism, and which demand the prompt intervention of Christian nations. It has been common lo speak of the subjects of Turkey as we speak of Eng land and the English, France and the French ; but this is qiiito erroneous. The Turks remain as when they landed in South-eastern Europe an army of occupa tion, a horde of invading barbarians. As in other cases of conquest, they have not by fusion with the conquered become an integral part of the people. The distinc tions national and religious areas broadly marked and sharply dclined as in the days of their first invasion. The Sultan is an alien master and nowhere do Turks and Christians regard each other as fellow countrymen, as in the case of English men and Frenchmen. The Christians have been subjected to the most grindine fiscal exactions; their daughters have been seized and carried oil' to the harem, and in countless ways they have been made to feel the ty nut's power. Promises of reform have been made; that there should be mixed tribunals of justice, codification of the laws, translations of the code into dilferent languages of tin Empire, and settled modes of procedure; that the farming of the revenue should be abolished and a sounder fiscal system lie established; that banks should be estab lished lo meet the immediate demands of trade; that foreign capital should be en couraged for the development of the coun try; that christians should be admitted to the army on terms of equality with Mo hommedaus. None of these promises have been kept. Justice continues a mockery, the proceedings of the courts arbitrary, the decisions corrupt; the farmer of the revenue is as exacting and merciless nsev or; banks have not been established, nor have interna improvements been made commensurate with the needs of the peo ple; foieign capital has been excluded b the most vexatious obstructions; Chris, lians huve not been admitted to the arm upon terms of equality. The attempts at reform have been as futile as they have been insincere. By thepayineutof tribute thcconqueied hb MW1