National Republican., 1874-04-02
MEXICO.
I.Es,TIJRE or pIsuop uAvr,

LECTURE OF BISHOP HAVEN y :
Notwithstanding the inclsnency Of the weather
. large and cultured audience greeted Bishop
q ilbert Haven, Of the Msthoaist Episcopal
church, last night at the Hamline church. corner
Of Ninth and Pstreets, 70 hear his celebrated
lecture on Mexico. t
Among those present We noticed President
Grant and Hon. Benjamin r Butler; slso q large
| representation Of the clergy Of the District.
After al opening prayer BY DR.. Tiffany, Bishop
Haven was introduced BY Rev. @. q. Baker,
pastor OF the church In which the lecture was de-
| iivered and began his lecture By picturesque
DESCRIPTION of Eastern Mexico which he said very
much resembled the surroundings Of Jerusalem.
He added graphic account OF the first approach
i Of Fernanco CorteI to Mexico, and the scenes of
4 its subsequent settlement.
An effort has been made for $50 years back to
civIIze the native element Of this country and n
has succeeded only 90 far as force has carried IT,
| but CorteI subdued Mexico in thirty months.
Tbs element met BY Cortez was far different from
that encountered In the aborlgInes Of this eoun-
try.
The Spanisrds had to subdue greater civili-
| Eation than It Introduced into Mexico. Art and
science were wonderfully developed here, and
traces Of the msnufseture Of gems In stone, gold
and other precious metals are still extant, show
ing Q great degree Of genius. Portraits were
wrought most naturally by the poorer classes In
vsrtegated feathers and sdorn the cabinets Of the
country. 2
How did It happen that this country was sub
dued In thirty months by 400 menf We must look
for moral cause to explain this wonderful event.
Oorte5, viewing the wrongs perpetratet on the
people Of this country in the name Of religion.
changed ct once into Q crusader and sought to
overthrow the religion OF the country and free its
victims, who were being offered as religious sacri-
fees by the thousands; and only thus was he en-
abIed to accomplish the great work Of subiuga-
tIou in thirty months, and substitute the beauti-
fuI virgin in the place OF the horrid idols, and
since then this virgin has been more reverently
worshiped in Mexico than in any other country In
the world. -...
This worship continued without q break for 500
years, when one day q procession Of the Holy
Ghost passed the door Of q shoemaker-an Amer
ican-and all parties being compelled to fall on
the knee q the approach of the priest heading
such professions carrying the sacred waters, and,
the shoemaker falling to make the necessary bow
Of reverence, was observed by . Spaniard stand
ing In the door Of his shop, who demanded that
he do sol declining he was at at once slain BY the
dagger Of the Spaniard.
A young American In the city OF Vera Crux at
the time determined to give his oountryman an
American burial Finding the consul absent from
the city, he employed two vehicles-one for him
self, the other for the corpse-a1d, amid storm Of
stones, passed through the city three miles, and
buried his friend by reading the Protestant EpIs-
copal burial service. And this was the FIRST light
Of Protestantism which ever shone on Mexican
soil. The Word OF God, as used by the Protest
ants, was first introduced into Mexico by the
American army, and the first formal Protestant
services were performed by the chaplain Of Gene
raj Scott.
The OIty OF Mexico, now o fne open city Of
200, 900 Inhabitants, was then cut up into many
parts by great walls which shut OF the apart
ments Of the church, the frisrs, the nuns and con-
vents. In the Improvement OF the city In straight
ening the streets, these had to be abolished, and
with much opposition, the first street was cut
through the "Oonvent of San Francisco" }" and was
named "Independence" street.
The Church at this time was the owner of all
Mexico, as 1t had q lien upon the whole land.
This power was broken one morning BY procla-
nation from the president that all mortgages held
BY the Church were thereafter void. The latest
movement has been the conhscation Of convent
property. Thus Protestsntism has been admitted
to honest rivalry in the work Of the redemption OF
this land, which Is grandly worth redemption.
The land is remarkable In its resourees-as yet
almost untouehed-of silver and precious stones,
and rich In agricultural capacities, all Of which
will be brought out when civilization shall equal
ize this country through the modern forms Of
Protestant Christianity moving In to enlighten
and develop the people. The work is fastening
On, and though intolerance is exercised yet In
some portions OF this country, and though efforts
are being made to XII 2r3testantism don't die
easily Keep In miG,. the nearest land to you
my friends, so capable OF being an integral repub-
lie or a helper of the American continent in the
great struggle for universal independence.