The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1895-11-12
AS TO MISSION
Au Answer to the A. p. A. Doctrines
by Father ferguson of San Fran


cisco
In st. Patrick's church, San Fran
cisco, Father Ferguson preached a
sermon which the Call reports as
follows:
Mexico and the South American
republics are the pet bette noir OF
the clerical leaders of the A. P. A.
They deplore the conditions of those
countries. The people dwelling
south of the gulf are represented as
in a most uncivilized state. The
Mexican has never viewed with favor
the evangelical attempts put forth
to decoy him from Rome. Emerson
and the rest of the philosophers
have pointed out that the best way
to be happy is to be content with
little. This doctrine has never found
favor with the evangelicals.
DISTINGUISHED Mexicans are the
happiest and most contented peo-
pie in the world. Have they not
progressed to wonderful extent in
comparatively short space Of time?
Christianity and civilization came
to them less than 800 years ago.
The races on this side OF the gulf
have enjoyed its blessings for over
800 years. Have the races here,
then, reason to boast much of their
superiority
These lecturers are fond of draw
ing the deadly parallel. Let us
compare the state of the South Am.
erican native with that Of the native
of North America, where Anglo.
Saxon Christianity dominated. Poor
Lo is fast disappearing from the
face of the earth. In fifty years
there will not be tradition of him
left.
Down in the southern part Of the
continent he is alive and developing
rapidly. He was in far lower stage
OF bar oarism than the North Ameri-
can Indian when the Catholic
church came to him. The majority
of the Mexican Cabinet are to-day
full-blooded Indians, who, in intelli-
gence and ability will compare favor
ably with the rulers Of other coun-
tries Catholic colonists, indoctrin-
ated with the teachings of the
church, have uniformly respected
the rights Of the native. Unbiased
Professionals willingly concede this.
In speeches at the Worlds Fair
to the representatives of foreign ma
tions President Palmer and Senator
Sherman freely acknowledged it.
The latter said: "By injustice and
cruelty the chief nations OF Europe
seized and held all parts of America.
But it is due to the Spanish, French
and Portuguese people to note that
while their conquests of the native
tribes of America we're sometimes
marked with cruelty, yet they pre-
served and engrafted the body OF
the native population into aud
among their conquerors, and have
thus formed sixteen independent re-
publics, peopled chiefly by descend
ants OF native American tribes, while
the Anglo-Saxon domination result
ed in the remorseless determination
of the native tribes wherever our
race planted it's feet.
We might invite the maligners OF
everything Catholic to turn their
gaze toward Hawaii, and explain to
their audiences why the very name
Of missionary rouses to madness the
otherwise mild and inoffensive native
of those islands. There the mis-.
sionaries were in full control for
nearly ninety years. What have
they done to improve the condition
OF the native? They have robbed
him Of his Government, lands and
possessions, and left him in a far
worse condition than when they
found him. He was the happy and
contented possessor of his own soil
before their arrival.
Now his fertile lands have been
wrested from him, and his Christian
! in ruotora daolara hin, unf;t for III n