THE TABLET
A Weekly Newspaper and Review
D um v o b i s g r a t u l a m u r , a n im o s e t i a m a d d im u s u t i n in c c e p t i s v e s t r i s c o n s t a n t e r m a n e a t i s .
From the B r ie f of His Holiness to T he T a blet, June 4, 1870.
Voi. 48. No. 1906. L o n d o n , O c t o b e r 2 1 , 1876.
P rice sd. By Post s^ d .
[R eg is t e r ed a t th e G en e r a l P ost Offic e a s a N ew spaper
C h ronicle of t h e W e e k :—
Page
The Refusal of Russia.—Its Apparent Injustice.—Reasons Alleged for it.—The Meaning of the Turkish Proposal.—Mr. Forster’s Plea for Russia.—Courses Open to England.—Russian Preparations for War.—Rumoured Alliance between Russia and Austria.— Italy and Russia.—The Failure of Diplomacy.—War Rumours.— Panic in the City.—Russian War Loan.—The Perpetrators of the Atrocities.—Atrocities in the Transvaal.—The Suppression of the Catholic Congress at Bologna. —The Spanish Pilgrimage to Rome.—Spain and Cuba.—Protest of Cardinal Ledochowski, &c. .. 5 1 s 1
CONTENTS
L e a d e r s :
The New Phase of the Eastern
Page
.Question .. . . . . . . •• 5*7 The Progress of Free Trade .. 517 Two Universities .. .. .. 518 The Ecclesiastical Programme of the Progressist Ministry in Italy ...................................5*9 Russia and Turkey.—II. .. .. 520 The Book of the Imitation of
Christ and its Author, John Gersen, Abbot of St Stephen’s, at Vercelli.—VI. .. .. .. 522 R ev iew s :
The “ Month ” for October .. 523 The Contemporary Review .. 524 Life of Felix Mendelsshon Bar-
tholdy ................................... 525
S hort N otices :
Page
Catholic Belief .. .. .. 525 Memoriale Beatissirrue Virginis
Marias .. .. .. .. 525 Lincoln Stamp Album .. .. 525 Magazines for October .. .. 525 Literary, Artistic, & Scientific Gossip 526 C o rrespo n d en c e :
The Catholic Total Abstinence
League of the Cross .. .. 527 The Arnim Trial .. The Church in Japan The Irish Land Question The Turk or the Tartar
R ome :—Letter from our own Cor
respondent .. .. .. 52g
D io cesan N ews :— Westminster ..
Birmingham Hexham and Newcastle Salford
Page
530 53t 531531
I reland
Letter from our Dublin Corre
spondent ..
. . . . 531
F oreign N ews :—
Austria Germany
M emoranda :—
Religious G en e r a l N ews
532 533
533 534
CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.
RUSSIA. I
THE REFUSAL OF
T is now known that Russia refuses the six months armistice. Its rejection by Servia had already been positively announced, and this prepared the world for the reply o f the greater Power, for Servia now means nothing but Russia. A new and very ■ delicate state o f affairs is thus created, and the utmost coolness is required for the formation of a just judgment as to the proper course for this country to pursue. It will not do to rave at Russia, as some English papers are doing, for this will merely precipitate the war which we all profess to deprecate ; nor is it o f the slightest use to make an a d misericordiam appeal to Prince Bismarck, as the Times has done— and has been well snubbed by the Prussian papers fo r doing— for anybody who knows anything about the great ■ German Chancellor ought to know very well that he is not likely to be influenced by any considerations whatever except the interests o f his own State. Accordingly the N a tio nal Zeitung tells the l im e s that, although it is quite true that Germany is very powerful, that is no reason why she should imperil her own peace for the interests o f others. England, therefore, has again to take the initiative with a view to overcoming this fresh difficulty, and has first to examine the precise position o f each o f the two principal disputants, and to form an opinion as to the value o f their respective reasons fo i their mutual opposition with respect to the duration of the armistice.
P r im a facie, no doubt, Russia appears to be ITS in the wrong. The extension o f the truce, as at injustice. fifst proposed, was objected to by Servia on the ground that it was too short, and the ut
most efforts o f the Powers were directed to procure from Turkey an armistice o f sufficient length. We heard nothing then o f the possibility o f its being too long. So when the proposal o f an armistice for six weeks, or a month at least, was met by Turkey by the offer o f an armistice for six months, one had every reason to calculate on the acceptance o f the proposal by those who had refused too short a term. Nor was it possible for them to found any objection upon the Turkish conditions, for Turkey made no conditions at all. Nothing could possibly be more pacific or conciliatory than the Note in which her proposal was conveyed to the Powers. She was content to leave everything to their good will and sense of justice, trusting that they would take care, first, that the positions now occupied by each army should be fixed so that they may be resumed without dispute at the expiration o f the armistice, i f necessary; secondly, that during the armistice the insurgents in the other provinces should not
New Series, Vol. XVI. No. 415
be reinforced or otherwise aided by Servia or Montenegro; and, thirdly, that the manner in which the Servian army is recruited and armed from abroad should be taken into consideration, with a view o f stopping these proceedings during the armistice. A ll these are conditions which Turkey would have had a right to make, and she does not make them conditions, but merely expresses her wishes with regard to these three points.
In rejecting the proposal, therefore, Russia bound to show that she does so on sufficient for i r. reasons, and not for the purpose of bringing about the failure of the negotiations, and a quarrel so hopeless as to justify her own possible intervention. Prince Gortschakoff attempts to do so, as it is reported, by the argument that Servia and Montenegro cannot afford to let the question remain in suspense for so long a period as six months, that they could not hold their armies together, and that finance and commerce would be injured by such a delay. The last argument is absolutely worthless, as it is obvious that whatever offers the greatest chance o f a durable settlement o f the Eastern question will be the best thing for commerce and finance, and the more time is given for the discussion of the details o f reform, and for the practical inauguration o f them, the more reason there will be to hope that the arrangements will be satisfactory and lasting. The other argument has more in it. F o r although, according to the Turkish proposals, the lines occupied by each army will be marked, and the Servians, as well as the Turks, will be able to withdraw their army into winter quarters, it may still be reasonably doubted whether Servia could keep so large a standing army together during the winter, and whether the volunteers may not melt away during the period o f inaction. Russia would not like this, but it is simply one o f the consequences o f such a disingenuous mode o f warfare. It is a Russian army which is fighting under a Servian mask, and we do not see that the other Powers, any more than Turkey, are bound to take measures to keep up the illusion. For this is what is im plied by the objection founded on the probable dispersion of the Servian forces.
Now let us see what is the motive o f Turkey theheaning pr0p0S,ng the longer armistice. I t would be Turkish pro- absurd to suppose that either side is entirely posal. disinterested, or that each is not trying to se
cure, in the event of a resumption o f hostilities,
the utmost possible advantage. Russia, we have seen, objects to the six months because it would be difficult to keep the Russo-Servian army together: but she has probably another object in view— that the next campaign should be a winter one. Six weeks would suffice enormously to increase the force by fresh exportations o f infantry, Cos