His lips only whispered,
and that tremulously, but his fiery eyes spoke out their triumph in
long and loud hurrahs: "I, too, am a Christian. My foes are the
foes of the English. We are all one people, and Christ is our
King."
If I poorly deserved, yet I liked this claim of brotherhood. Not
all the warnings which I heard against their rascality could hinder
me from feeling kindly towards my fellow-Christians in the East.
English travellers, from a habit perhaps of depreciating sectarians
in their own country, are apt to look down upon the Oriental
Christians as being "dissenters" from the established religion of a
Mahometan empire. I never did thus. By a natural perversity of
disposition, which my nursemaids called contrariness, I felt the
more strongly for my creed when I saw it despised among men. I
quite tolerated the Christianity of Mahometan countries,
notwithstanding its humble aspect and the damaged character of its
followers. I went further and extended some sympathy towards those
who, with all the claims of superior intellect, learning, and
industry, were kept down under the heel of the Mussulmans by reason
of their having OUR faith.
Pages:
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351