| Show CURRENT TOPICS IN EUROPE lutheran conservatism sym pa thy for russia hincer emperors ors visit katser kaiser and anaw pontiff signer big nor crisel prince ol of wales in aus tria general gordons statue dr parkers rebuke etc editor desere desmet news the murder of alexander I 1 II 11 I 1 of russia and the cancer of frederick III sh of prussia russia placed two inexperienced youths at the heads of the two great nort northern Aern empires hence too toe interest felt in trying to guess at what lies bidden in the oe secret recesses recedes of the minds of two young monarchs monar cbs perhaps destined to reign for many a year an interest all the greater from the youth and inexperience of both bolh indubitably the politics politic and character of the young emperor are wholly opposite to those of his fattier father toe the young emperor is a sti strictly icily orthodox lutheran toe the tolerance of amerl ameri can customs for forbids tilds us from dorang a clear conception of the customs the passions and we might say the superstitious that underlie the 8 silence and the concentrative mode of 01 thought of these men of the north with frede frederick rick the great truo true reli religious tole tolerance died lie he was suc succeeded ceede d by his nephew frederick william A king of shreds and patches took the place ot of a sublime hero intolerance checked the spirit of progress yo routine utice took the place of new idedo and dogmas marred the progress of the nation A As the catholic looks hack back to the middle ages for his ideal so i ih lie orthodox german would draw atie world back to the days of luther to both the last fast three centuries have been nothing better than three centuries of ignominious error the one salvation to be hoped tor for in this world is a rea return to the past with the autocrats on the thrones and the people in the dust As an instance they hold bold it to le be an intolerable tyranny that prayer shall be offered tor for the parliament especially for the popular branch which owes i 1 8 existence to the suffrage of the people and the advance of modern ideas now as regards foreign politics lelitica peli tica both lutheran Lut herau and the cartic li elook toward russia with the warmest sympathy there they see what appears to them the most perfect of human institutions hence the sympathy of the two young monarchs and 11 hence ace the policy of the german em bin which has evidently gained him the affections of a large part of the german people the statement made a few days ago ag 0 in the independence bele that belgium bontem contemplates making a german loan kan for the purpose of buying lines of belgian railways which at present are mortgaged or dr leased to french com companies tea has caused considerable app V ision in political circles the fact that the belgian government desires to possess the railways on its own territory is in no way remarkable but when the transfer I 1 is to be made imade by the help of ef germany it ib points to an understanding at variance with fei veaty eaty 0 obligations bli gati lations ewi and one that may bring brine about the gravest complications the neutrality of belgium is one of the chief guarantees for the peace of europe and a belgian alliance with either france or germany would most certainly precipitate the catastrophe of a franco german war under the dread of which europe has haq been living for the past ten years by the expenditure of fabulous sums the german frontier of france has been so fortified dasin as in the opinion of competent authorities to be almost impregnable it is only on oa the belgian frontier that france offers the possibilities bili ties of ingress this being the case a german belgian alliance would be an act the meaning rae aning of which it would be impossible to misunderstand the advantage dd vantage offered off erad to both france and germany in such such an alliance would arouse suspicion throughout europe england can lone alone be looked to for the enforcement of the absolute neutrality of belgium but bat the great question that has mostly engrossed public attention during the past fortnight has been the emperor wiliams WilU Willi ams sugs visit to rome so in much it has been said by the daily press tut that the te chief features are well known to the public german sympathy for i italy has always been very marked among all grades of society and well todo to do and well informed germans germane spend their holidays more among the art treasures of italian cities than anywhere else this art sympathy has aided greatly in developing lev eloping the political sympathy which exists between the two countries bedee the words of the german official organ are true every german patriots heart beats quicker at the grand and festal reception accorded the kaiser wilhelm an the italian capital the day before the emperors visit a drenching rain visited the city a if to prepare it for the imperial visit by settling the dust and alleviating the complex smell peculiar to the eternal city a smell which seems to be a of bitable stable yard meat roasted garlic 11 and decayed cheese it was not the emperor and his suite merely that vi visited sited rome the th e largest number n u abe r of newspaper correspondents that the world has ever seen together were aldo there gathered from ivery every civilized country and bality under tho the bun while photograph holograph via era draughtsman draughtsmen draughts draugh tomen men and carleaner alst ista were visible from a hundred house tops along aloe which the groces passed the whole distance from king humberts palace of the quirinal to the popes pope palace of the vatican was thickly lined on both sides by ital italian I 1 an solda soldiers ra for more than four hours all traffic was stopped throughout I 1 the ion ions range of streets and piazze comprised within the relli a hilary cordon which was held with i KIM severity that eved evac a tuot toot passe dm were not permitted to cross from we sidewalk to aether and doctors on their way to visit thelt their patients we were r e compelled to make a circuit of two or r three miles in order to reach their destination over the i ay it may maybe be that this display was in the nature of a precautionary measure to insure the emperors safety fears having been entertained that emis emissaries sarkes et of the anarchists anarchist might attempt his bis life in the very streets of rome home or it may have been a demonstration of italis military power alts to guard the dinglas gue gueft t up to the very pates atea of the vatican As to the Inte interview between the emperor and the pontiff it was arranged previously to abstain from all reference to political matters the pope received t the V emperor sur rounded by his hi whole wurt urt his maj esty advanced and bout bent the knee to ills holiness as a mark of veneration whereupon the pope invited the emperor vo 0 a seat beside him After afterwards warde Ui led the way to a private apartment ment where lie he had bad an interview with the emperor bastin lasting twenty three minutes min inin utts no other person was pres when the emperor reappeared tas faue face bore traces of jeep deep emotion the successful ful bringing together of emperor king and pope to extend to each other PL A greeting Is 18 con si deredin europe as a masts r diplomacy on the part of italis prime minister signor bignor francesco crispi indeed few men have been so generally frene rally popular as is this enterprising statesman and 8 I 1 patriot we whole ita italian a ian I 1 Pen in anis nis popularity is not so much buelto his bis cleverness as to others of his bis attributes itis it is nothing out adut ot of the way for an italian to be talented but it 4 i unusual that he should be persevering as well what has awakened and kept up his fellow admiration for him is lilt his sustained energy inexhaustible power of application and appetite for handwork hard har work dwork the italians are essentially an indolent people no wonder that a M man an w who b 0 is never happy unless busy who is not only prime 41 Jiu ister nister but likewise holds the two most important portfolios in his bis cabinet those of foreign and home affairs should be respected sin signer crispi much resembles hon geo Q caution in appearance he is provably years of gray hair and mustache a rout and well nalla oal lanced head a firmly set mouth and a pair of keen quick eyed conveying the impression tuat that their awner lil has kept them open to IL a rood good purpose for many a year past flus in 11 a watchful earned face the tension of its clear cut features being now and then relaxed by a peculiarly kind looked pleasant jugle aniie while bwy is a visit from the emperor william austria H HI gary an d Koi imelia are rejoicing J visit from the prince of wales V is attired in her gala dress the M ml bains of the tyrol resound wit merrymaking of royal bunting parties and fetes and banquets are the topic of the time in london the statue of general gordon was quietly unveiled on the of october it was well tor for silence was more eloquent than that a few haphazard haphazard speakers should attempt to pay inadequate tribute to the i memory of this great man to do some good in the world 0 to o care nothing for ease money or life compared wah the faithful discharge of duty such finch were his aspirations and ideas since the era 0 of the commonwealth no british soldier ever went into battle who seemed deemed more conscious of heavens guidance this gentler 1 cromwell was of theer the cruel tiel ties that marked th the dolder older Pa puritan ritan no massacre of irish garrisons because they were fists papists ts stains his name the tae poorest chinaman the meanest arab the largest negro oi of the soudan was in his bis eyes a man to be treated always with justice it if possible with kindness no sweeter purer nobler nature an eug english heart in reference to those terrible east odd and murders the rev kev dr parker in his bis last discourse at city temple makes some pertinent remarks he said aad the pulpit has lost its hold on the tragic and impetuous lite life of the world the outcasts of society turn away from the model preacher as from a man who talks in an unknown tongue and tron troubles bles himself about metaphysics for which the sad bad and maddened heart of the world cares cafes nothing away with such machines and such sack machinery what is wanted are men who know the country they live in the sorrows which surge in billows around their very homes the poverty that ends in hopelessness les and the mental unrest that cannot be touched by ancient controversies or living pedagogues gues J J H W europe october 1888 |
