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News and Miscellany

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 1, 1868

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 32, No. 23.

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News and Miscellany.

Can ye not discern the Signs of the Times? Matt. xvi, 3.

Another Blow at the Papacy—Matters in the East.

SINCE our last presentment of political affairs, we have witnessed another struggle on behalf of the people, against the tyranny and corruption of the Papacy. Spain, proverbially blind, and acknowledged as the last great stronghold of Papal rule, has at last arisen from her slumbers, and dealt a blow at the old harlot, which will prove disastrous, if not fatal.
It has been a matter of some astonishment that she has remained quiet so long, but when we consider the actual condition of affairs in her midst, we need not wonder. Her population of 16,000,000 has been studiously blinded by their spiritual advisers, and kept at least a century behind their neighbors, in point of general intelligence. Ruled by fifty-five Archbishops and Bishops, 2,500 Canons and Abbots, 18,000 parish Priests, 24,000 Curates, and from 30,000 to 40,000 Monks and Nuns, we can imagine what obstacles those men have had to contend with, who sought to relieve the popular mind of the ignorance and superstition that brooded over them like a mighty incubus.
Financially speaking, the Papal Nuncio at Madrid acknowledges that Rome will lose 32,000,000 francs a year by the revolution. The Holy Father offered an asylum for the exiled Queen, which was accepted by her, but she is at present under French care. What the final result will be it is hard to determine, inasmuch as it is yet unsettled who shall be the future ruler. The Junta, which was formed provisionally, has been dissolved, and it is now expected that the people will proceed, by popular suffrage, to choose men who shall in turn select a ruler. It is also probable that a Monarchical form of government will be continued. Whether the priests, by their subtlety, will again succeed in shaping matters so as to favor their own ends, remains to be seen. A number of names have been suggested as successors to the throne, among which are Prince Napoleon of France, and Prince Alfred of England. Prince Napoleon, however, has written a letter to General Prim, advocating the claims of the House of Savoy, and Prince Amadeus, Duke of Aosta, second son of Victor Emanuel, and the brother-in-law of Prince Napoleon. The fact of Prince Alfred being a Protestant, is urged as a barrier against his assuming the royal honors. Time will soon determine the future of Spain, so far as a ruler goes.
The provisional government, now organized, has been recognized, first, by the United States, then, by the English, French, Prussian, Italian, and Portuguese Ambassadors. The French Minister and Papal Nuncio expressed their sincere wishes to maintain friendly relations with the new government.
The Ecumenical Council, which is to be held in December of next year, is looked forward to with great interest. The Pope has invited the Bishops of the Church of England to unite with them, as also, the Bishops of the East, who are not in communion with the Holy See, to whom he has issued an apostolic letter.
The Czar, however, does not relish any interference on the part of the Pope, with the spiritual rule of his people, as he himself claims to be their head, spiritually as well as temporally. Relative to this we find the following:
“A significant commentary on recent remarks on the attitude which will be assumed by the Emperor of Russia toward the forthcoming Roman Council of Bishops, has just been supplied by the Czar himself. His ukase, by which he subordinates the direction of the ‘United Greek Church,’ to the Ministry of Public Worship, is nothing less than an anti-Papal manifesto of the most uncompromising kind. These ‘United Greeks’ are precisely in the position which the Pope trusts that he and his council will persuade the separatist Greek Christians to assume; and the Czar has lost no time in informing his own subjects that whatever they may please to think about union with Rome, he himself is still their master, and the exercise of their religion is to be controlled absolutely by his State functionaries. The policy of Rome in the East, it should be remembered, has always been unlike her policy in the West. She requires a certain distinct recognition of the Papal Supremacy, and when that is secured, she allows the Greeks and Orientals to retain all their own peculiar customs, worship, and discipline. Their eucharistic offices remain untouched; the use of the Latin tongue is unknown; they use their own picturesque vestments, and their strange antique ceremonies—many of them far more ancient than the corresponding Roman ceremonies; and their clergy, excepting their Bishops, are allowed, and almost enjoined, to marry. All this, however, affects the Czar not a whit. It is the supremacy of the Russian crown which is involved in the simple fact of the recognition of the spiritual monarchy of the Pope; and therefore, everything of the nature of a compromise between the two autocrats is impossible. What effect may be produced upon hesitating Greek Bishops living beyond the Russian dominions by this last move of the Czar, it is, of course, impossible to foretell. But, judging by the rules of ordinary prudence, one would suppose that nothing could be devised more certain to throw the non-Russian Christians into the arms of the insinuating Pontiff. At the very least, the new ukase is a fresh proclamation of war between the two rival sovereigns.”
The Roman correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, furnishes the information that:
“A strong belief in the imminence of war exists in Rome, and that incessant exertions are being made to get the Pontifical forces into readiness for campaigning. General Dumont, the commander of the French army of occupation, is reported to have held a meeting of the superior officers of the Pope’s army a few days ago, to whom he said: ‘Gentlemen, get all ready. Soon, perhaps, you will be called to combat by the side of France, against the common enemy.’ These prospects are said to have put the Pope into excellent spirits, and he is reported to have exclaimed on a recent occasion: ‘I hope soon to assist at a final triumph over my enemies, and then I shall be ready to render up my soul to God.’”
The tone of the political press indicates clearly that no confidence is felt in the oft-repeated professions of peace, made by the sovereigns of the old world. Speaking of the age in which we live, the New York Herald says:
“The last ten years in Europe have been years of wondrous activity and change. Steam, the printing press, the electric telegraph, have given to hours the power and importance once possessed only by years. Many of the changes which are now taking place every day, would, fifty years ago, have been regarded as simply miraculous. The old prophetic language of Scripture, ‘Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased,’ has but to change its tense to be truthfully descriptive of the facts of today.”
Then turning its attention to the present condition of Europe, it comments as follows:
“The Empire of Austria, as it now is, hangs but loosely together. It is at best but a heterogeneous mass, and the mass is singularly combustible. Gallacia, Bohemia, and some of the Southern provinces are even now with difficulty held in subordination. A little spark would set them on fire.If, however, Austria and Russia could agree, there would be no great difficulty in changing the map of Europe to the advantage of both. By giving Austria, Servia, Bulgaria, Wallachia, and so much of Moldavia as would make her mistress of the Danube, Russia might enthrone herself in Constantinople, and convert the Euxine into a Russian lake. Turkey is too weak to resist with any prospect of success, and Greece might be gratified by receiving an addition of territory commensurate with her ambition. These may be regarded by some persons as vague and unmeaning fancies, but they are fancies which enter largely into the calculations of the powers that be.”
How nearly do these politicians reflect the expectations of prophetic students, and yet how ignorantly! It is a truth that “the wise only shall understand.” Taking a general view of the unsettled condition of affairs, the editor gives answer to an important question as follows:
“Are we on the eve of another popular outbreak? It would not be rash, judging from present signs, to conclude that we are. We have one peninsula in arms, and another apparently ready to follow. We have France standing on the verge of a slumbering volcano. We have Germany in a state of suspense. We have Austria working her way through a severe ordeal. We have Belgium and Holland trembling at the prospect of being swallowed up by some one or other of their powerful neighbors. We have Great Britain in the agony of reform. How it shall all end we know not; but of this we are fully convinced, that the result will be a gain to the popular cause.”
“How it shall end we know not,” says the politician. Of course not, neither can he know, except by the unerring word of prophecy. God has told us how it will end. The storm will come—a time of trouble, such as the world never saw—and afterwards a day of rest for the people of God, which has been a subject of hope by them for ages past. Glorious day, soon may it come.
Turning our eyes eastward, we find events transpiring in harmony with the expectations of prophetic students. That giant power, Russia, is rapidly extending her dominion in Asia, thus preparing herself for the part she will perform in the drama of the last days. The telegraph informs us that “the Russians are making rapid progress in North Asia, and that the town of Calish had been captured.” Also that the Khan of Khokhan has sent an embassy to St. Petersburg to make offers of friendship and submission to the Czar.
Our last chronicle of progress on the part of this Northern Colossus, was the capture of Bokhara. The present announcement of the submission of Khokhan shows how Russian arms are feared as this country borders upon Bokhara, and would doubtless have been the next to bow to superior force, if the sagacious Khan had not submitted in a friendly manner. It has a population of about 3,000,000, mostly composed of Uzbeck shepherds and wandering Kirghese tribes. Along the rivers the soil is fertile, but elsewhere it is said to be thin and sterile. The summer heat is excessive, and the winters proportionately cold. The chief wealth consists in cattle, horses, sheep, and camels, but grain and fruits are raised to some extent. Cotton and wool are also staples of that country, and a very valuable variety of silk is produced. The people are described as being well formed, fair complexioned, quiet, and hospitable to strangers. The capital, Khokhan, is a city of about 50,000 inhabitants, and is situated in a fertile and well-cultivated valley on the Jaxartes. How soon we may be called upon to record another addition to Russian territory we cannot say, but one thing is certain, the arms of this giant power are not kept idle.
Whilst she is gathering under her wing, by entreaty and coercion, the millions of Asiatic tribes, she is not slack in her intrigues against Turkey. Her emissaries are continually at work, undermining Turkish influence, and, consequently, her power, in the provinces over which she bears rule. Relative to this, we submit the following:
“The Turkish authorities at Toultcha and Widdin have discovered that the Russian Consuls at those towns are distributing among the Bulgarians a great number of Russian prayer-books, evidently destined to serve as instruments of a propaganda against the Government of the Sultan. These books contain prayers for the happiness of the Czar of the Slavonians, Alexander II, and all his family, and for the success of his troops, who are described as having a mission to destroy the Mahometan and all other heterodox religions all over the world, and to subject non-believers to the sceptre of the Czar. After various blessings on the ruler of Russia, come a series of maledictions on Mahomet and his wives, and on the Sultan and all who willingly obey him. There is also a regular form of ritual to be used for the christening of Mahometans converted to the orthodox (Russian) faith, and a large portion of the book is occupied with hymns to be sung during the new crusade against Mahometanism, in which all true believers are invited to join.”
Thus we see how unremittingly the Czar works in preparing the way for the overthrow of the Sultan. It is well known that a great proportion of the Sultan’s subjects are not Mahometans, but are members of the Greek Church, of which the Czar is the acknowledged head. It is easy to see, therefore, how willingly these worshippers will submit to the rule of their spiritual leader, when an opportunity presents itself. “The Czar of the Slavonians” is the name assumed by Alexander II, as one around which all Slavonians are invited to rally. The Slavi of Europe and Asia have been for centuries divided into factions by reason of controversies which have shorn them of their strength. Numbering some 90,000,000, it is seen, by many discreet politicians, to be a power which, if united by any means, must prove a terror to all others. In view of this, we find numerous leaders have advocated such a union of late, and the idea has been fostered by Russia. The Slavi are urged to “drop their numerous family feuds, and consider themselves as one great nation, and their related languages essentially as one.” The idea has been seized upon with eagerness by Bohemian and other Slavi of Austria, who hope, by such a Pan-Slavic movement, to prevent their absorption by German and Hungarian races. It has also been advocated by able men in Poland and Russia, both literary and political.
Some advocate a federative union of all Slavi under a Democratic form of government, whilst others seek a union under the sceptre of the Czar. When it is remembered that of the ninety millions of Slavi nearly one-half are Russians, and that the claims of the Czar come backed up by wealth and political influence, it is not difficult to see that a Democratic union will never prevail, but a union under the Czar may. Truly it will be a power such as will strike terror into the hearts of all opponents, and will win glory for itself until overthrown by the King of kings.
We cannot do better, brethren, than keep our eyes fixed upon the movements of “the powers that be,” whilst they fill up the measure of their iniquity. Then, when the Gentile cup is full, the Lord’s hand will be visible in their overthrow and the raising up of the captive tribes of Israel from their scattered condition. Lord, hasten the day!—Herald of Coming Kingdom.