“Purely and Distinctly Christian.”
—There is an unconscious irony in a note in The Independent of August 11, on the situation in Crete and Bulgaria. It says of Crete: “The Powers have recognized the Assembly, but the Turks have not, and the result is that it is purely and distinctly Christian. The first meeting was characterized by bitter contests between different deputies, resulting in a scene of great confusion, in which rifles were loaded and pointed and knives were flourished in the courtyard outside the building.” (1) What does The Independent mean by “and the result is,” etc.? How does the recognition or non-recognition of the Powers or of Turkey affect the Christianity of the Cretan Assembly? Does the recognition of the so-called Christian Powers make a thing “purely and distinctly Christian”? And would recognition on the part of the Turks prevent this or make it non-Christian? (2) And is the scene described above “purely and distinctly Christian”? The Book of Christianity says, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.” It is a strange kind of Christianity The Independent stands for. There is already too much of that kind in the world. The world would be better without it. Let us have the genuine.