Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-04-24
WORK OF LAS CASAS.
DR.. Fiske Reviews the Life and
Successes Of the spanish Priest
HIS DOCTRINE OF LOVE PREVAILS
And the supsrstitioas Sons of the Forest
Are Freed Prem Their shaekies and
Converted TO the Religion OF Chris
tianity-Ihe Work of La CAsAs.

A large audience greeted DIR. John
Fiske last evening, at Hartman's Hall,
to hear his lecture upon LAS Casas,
the Protector of the Indians" After
describing the manner IA which slavery
was first established among the In-
dians, he said:
Bartholomew Las Casas was born in
Seville, in li43. He came across and
lived with Ovando. and was the first
Christian minister in this country. He
Was diplomatist, an able man In all
respects, fearless and true. His was q
tervld temperament, and volumlnous
writer OF the history of the time. Las
Casas WAS = truthful writer. 1t was ne
that said of Oyando, "He WAS q good
governor, but not for Indians" BY
1929, communities of Indians were suf-
ferlng serfdom. In 1905, Oyando was
given carte Blanche 10 enforce work
from the Indians for wages and to sell
the Cards into slavery. Ii was disas-
ferrous order, for he did as he pleased
and paid no wages. He distributed
groups of Indians among the Spaniards
and they made them absolute slaves.
With such supply of cheap labor they
were worked 10 death. They were
burned alive, and torn To pieces by
bioodhounOs.
They tortured them ain the name of
Christ" The Indians became scarce
and soon the system OF kidnapping
began. Diego was Ovando's successor.
and vested rights" began to be talked
OF. The Dominican Monks. who came
over later, decrIed the vested rights"
Rudely spurned by the Bishop.
A Franciscan Monk took the side of
the Spanards, but nothing came of it
at that time. Las Casas was kind to
Diego made up hls mind TO conquer
Cuba, and Las Casas went along. AS he
was the only priest, he was the church
IN all its power, ana he did much to
alleviate suffering. On reading the
Bible later he became convinced of the
sin ut slavery. He determined to op-
pose 1T, root and branch. He gave up
his own slaves and preached against
slavery. He was violently opposed.
He went to Spain and appealed to the
bishop, who treated hiEl rudely. The
king had died and the throne went to
Charles, a boy of Is. He went to the
regent and received encouragement.
The Spaniards in America were held as
transgressors of the law. and Las Casas
was made Protector of the Indians"
The mines must be worked and there
WAS the difficulty. He was hindered at
every step by the bishop, and he could
do no good work among the colonists.
Then he proposed to establish a colony
where there should be no slavery. On
account Of misdeeds before, the colony
was attacked and massacred.
In 1880 Las Casas obtained decree
prohibiting enslaving of Indians IN the
new countries conquered bv the Span
iards. His mind became broader and
clearer and, wonderful as it seems, he
announced that ii was sinful to convert
sinners except by words of love and by
reason.
Conquered Them by Love.
he was two centuries in advance of
his time. North of Guatemala was a
country of people like the Aztecs, great
fighters, semi-civIized, whom the Span
Iards had attempted in vain to conquer.
Las Casas determined to carry his doc
trne OF love into this country. BY
agreement no slavery would be allowed
in the country II Las Casas should sue
ceed IN securing this country. He trans
lated the Bible INTO couplets in the Ian
language of this people and sent by
traders these'translatiOns into the coun-
try. The traders did good work, and
chanted their magic couplets. In an-
swer to questions the traders told of
these monks as men of good deeds. The
king sent chieftan to see if these
monks were as good as the traders SAID.
He was satisfied ant the monks were
invited to 60 To the country. The king
was converted and IN the course of
year the country was converted.
The peaceful victory was won. The
king was taken to visit the Spanish
governor who was rufiian. The gov
ernor bent his head reverently to Las
Casas. In 1913 the order that no lay
Spanard should go into that country,
was ratified. 1t was called Vera Paz
"True Peace" The work Was perma-
nent. In the meanwhile the reforma-
ton was beginning and the Pope threat.
ened accommodation to- those who
made any more slaves. There the
spread of slavery stopped. About the
middle of the 18th century Indian
slavery died natural death. This
was all result of the work of Las