"The Eastern Question."

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3155, 29 March 1879, Page 2

"The Eastern Question."

Lectube by the Rev. S. Edoab, B.A

The Rev. S. Edgar, 8.A., delivered a lecture on the above subject at the Presbyterian Church last evening, the proceeds of which went to the harmonium fund. There was a fair attendance, and the Rev. S. J. Neill occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the lecturer.

The Rev. S. Edger, who was received with applause, said he was present this evening partly to oblige his friend Mr Neill, and partly from a desire to direct reflection on what he considered the greatest question of the age. He claimed that the so-called " eastern question " was of world-wide significance, and would have a world-wide influence. If it was a question of strategic policy, viz., " Keep what you have got, I'll keep what I've got, aad we'll take what we can," the Berlin Treaty was superficially successful ; but, if the saying of a great statesman was true, " Nothing is settled till rightly settled," the argument would have to be reconsidered. If it was to be a question of right, it unfolded itself in two directions. Firstly—had right been done to the provinces who had for centuries been groaning under Turkish misrule ? and, secondly, had right been done to the world-wide questions involved. He did not think it had been contemplated what was best' to be done for those poor provinces, though he admitted it might have been difficult to give universal satisfaction. Was he not right in saying he could not put his finger on a single spot of the disturbed portion of Europe in which right and justice had taken the place of cruelty and wrong. The Treaty of Berlin might be very well as a strategic policy, but he would designate it as a piece of pettifogging, political huxtiring. When they turned to the world-wide question a more unfavorable 'conclusion would be formed. Never in the world's history -was such an opportunity to do great good thrown away —and all for a doubtful article called Statecraft. All Europe groaned under militaryism which cast* gloom over the whole world; and yet they could not in the history of Europe point out a period during which greater energy was thrown into milifaryism than at the time of the Treaty, and each plenipotentiary went home with the determination "We must increase our Army and Navy." The second question was this, "Has any nation a right to keep a single acre of the territory of another P " and yet there was not a single State in Europe that was not guilty of this. One could only look at the Treaty with sorrow and reflect that the solution of the difficulty had been thrown ; back half a century. The third qufeSWon! he would submit was " Has a uatioft * I right to exercise military despotism Wer | any other nation ? " which was UMtttbanalagous to the position of master &W« slave—degrading to both; nml yet this age which boasted of the wiping out of slavery had overlooked this 'great question on which the whole Treaty rested. The fourth question wius " Sup* posing difficulties nroso between two nations, had they a right to settle it without the interference of other nations P" Lord Beaconsn'eld at the time of the

Treaty objected to Turkey making s treaty with .Russia without other nations being a purty to it, and at the same time he was treacherously making treaties with other nations. If they were willing to learn from the past history of Europe, they woald see that under the sword she had been sinking into complications which in time would involve the breaking up of the European slate—which prophets of evil were so fond of predicting. When people stood up and said we cannot do without war, he replied that as long as it is maintained that there was not another way of settling differences except by fighting them out, there would be war. But there was an alternative. They did not now settle their personal dispute! by an appeal to fists. Why notP Because they had begun to recognise a common conscience. So that with individuals now, in case of disputes, the mind did not gravitate towards fisticuffs. Why not recognise the same principles with respect to countries, which would master the difficulty. The lecturer here read extracts from the Rev. Stockford Brooke, the Times, and the Paris Protocol in support of the sentiments he had expressed. He said here they had ihr voice of the pulpit, the voice of fflb nation, and the voice of the assembled delegates of the nations, all pointing towards international intervention. Then came the question of the possibility of pulling an end to war. This all depended on the. working out of these principles. Was not there the same relation between nations as between individuals, and was there not such a thing as as international morality? He could not conceive that a thoughtful mind could reject this, and should it be rejected by nations. One outcome of the political immorality of the present day was that a man who would not tell a lie would tell a dozen in the name of his nation and think it patriotic,and commit piracies, robberies, and murders in the name of his country. It was this hollow falsehood that laid ruin at the foundations of national life. He believed there was not a single-think-ing man in the world who would come forward and question one of the principles he had enunciated. All such sudden changes as the disbandment of armies would bring their reaction, and he did not advocate it; but for them to get an international conscience and do the same amongst nations as amongst individuals was the one and only solution of the difficulty, and equally did he believe that the future would look back on this age and say, "Then it should have been settled." Supposing these ideas "were believed - in. and . enunciated by great statesmen, an era would be inaugurated second only to the founding of Chris* tianity itself. The time would come when human beings would be considered too sacred to be stuck up as skittles and bowled into eteraity with cannon balls. When justice was dealt out all round, the map of Europe mould be altered. The lecturar referred to the war passion, which, he said, sprang from the simple reason that the moment a national difficulty arose all men's minds gravitated to the idea, "now we must fight it out." If the better state of things was inaugurated, immediately there was a difference the mind of the nations would gravitate to international intervention, and so ring out of the hands of despots their mightiest weapons. The present tendency was for a few large whales to swallow up all the smaller fish, which* would, however, be ended. Then came the hardest question of all, " How are you going to commence (his P " Where would they look but to England, who had so long professed the gospel of peace, and was foremost amongst; the nations. But there were other reasons also which would cut home to the heart of every philanthropist. England was the only country that never closed the doors of the temple of Janus. Was it not time the stain of the iniquitous Chinese opium war was wiped out P Kngland held Gibraltar, Malta and Cyprus, which were notPof the slightest use to her except in time of war. Let England come forward arid yield up these places. After further referring to the subject, he concluded as follows :— Unless he had narrowed his thoughts and sympathies down to the smallest compass, he could not hare helped speaking on this subject. No one ever thought a right thing that did not do some good, and might not he have set a little rill of thought going that would do good P If he went to the grave without seeing the dawning of such things, the first little glimmerings of light and the prospect of light coming wsuld let him feel that he had left his children or his children's children a better heritage than he had had; then, his talking would not have been in vain. (Applause.) A vote of thanks was accorded to the lecturer on the motion of MrMcGowan.

Previous to the commencement of the lecture the organist, Mr Grigg, exhibited some of the beautiful effects obtainable by the manipulation of the various stops of the new harmonium in the performance of the " Benedictus," from Mozart's Twelfth Mass, and at the conclusion the full power of the instrument was heard in a voluntary for three hands by A. Hesse, in which Mr A. Grigg, junr,, assisted. During an interval the choir sang the anthem, "The Lord i*King."