With
his back turned upon this marvellous India, the Sultan's face is turned
toward Europe, where six great Empires are looking with eager and longing
eyes at the golden prize behind him in the East; and each glaring
suspiciously and defiantly at the other at the slightest move toward the
coveted land, to which the Ottoman Empire bars the way.
So you can see that disturbing the Turk while he is butchering Christians
might be dangerous business for these Great Powers.
England knows that Russia is watching her opportunity to slip in at the
first opening, and may get to the prize first. And Russia, and Germany,
and the rest all alike fear the same thing of each other. If any one of
them _alone_ should make a move against the Turk,--the rest, like a pack
of wolves, would be at her throat in an hour.
So the Powers must all act together or in _concert_. And this is what is
known as the "Concert of Europe."
And this much talked-of Concert of Europe has for its chief object the
preservation of the _balance of power._ That is, not permitting any one of
the European States to become very much more powerful than it already is,
and thus disturb the _equilibrium_ of the whole.
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