The Recent Riots in Constantinople.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 107, 2 November 1895, Page 2

The Recent Riots in Constantinople.

♦ (Napier Telegragh; The Armenian riot in Constantinople is a theological fracas. The cry of "Lib* erty or death" means to the Armenian* the right to serve God in the mode they think the correct one. The Turks deserve to be well trounced tor denying their fellow subjects what they claim. That they should dare to do so is an ill* ustration of the evils which always follow when a State attempts not only to govern its people civilly, bat to make then subscribe to a creed also, or to pay for the the propagation of that creed. The fact* generally teach the moral that the State, as a State, must not teach any reugion but the true one if it teaches religion at all. And as the Btate cannot tell which is the true religion— for this cannot be determined by counting noses— it should teach no religion whatever, subsidise no religion whatever, favor no religion what* ever. As illustrating the utter impossibility of discovering the true religion by takiog a vote, it is only necessary to add that Christianity, as compared with nonChristian systems is hopelessly in the minority. But we do not because of that fact conclnde that Paganism or heathenism is superior to Christianity because the latter is in the minority. To argue to that effect would be exceedingly stupid As St. Paul puts it, " spiritual things are spiritually discerned." The ballot box can make them neither better nor worse, and each man should be left to judge for himself bo for as anything beyond mere moral suasion is concerned. The follow* ing gives the numerical strength of Christianity as compared with all the other religions:—Tbe population of the earth is estimated at fifteen hundred millions, distributed as follows : Europe. 881,200,. 000 ; Africa, 127,000,000 ; Asia, 854,000,. 000; Australia, 4,730,000; America, 133,670,000; total, 1,500,000,000. The leading religions are represented by the following figures :— Protestant Christians, 200,000,000; Roman Catholic Christians, 195,000,000; Greek Catholic Christians, 105,000,000 ; total Christians, 500,000,000. Jews, 8,000,000 ; Mahomedans, 180,000,* 000 ; Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucian* ism, &c, 812,000,000 ; total non Christians 1,000,000,000.