Evening star., 1898-12-16
CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP
Addresses Before the Closing Session Of the
National Convention.
Prof. Priest Discusses Conditions in
the New American TerritOry-Ex-
Senator Blair's Theme.

The feature Of the closing session of the
National Christian citizenship convention,
which took place last evening at the First
Presbyterian Church, was an address on
Cuba. Porto Rico and the Philippines by
Prof. W. Edwin Priest of the Central High
School. The address was profusely illustra-
ted with lantern slides, thrown by means of
a stereopticon on large white surface.
In regard to the Philippines Prof. Priest
said in part:
However lacking the Malays of the Phil
iI.pines may be in Intelligence they cannot
with truth be classed as savages The
Tagals of Iuzon, the island on which Ma
nj a stands, are copper-Coored race, ana
like all of the Malay family short of stat
ure. These Taga!s are the most advanced
and influential element in the whole popu-
lation of the islands. They are charmingly
courteous. honest. orderly and hospitable,
taking life happily and easily.
There are great many Chinese IN the
islands whc have intermarried with the ma
tives. The resulting mixed race forms
large proportion of the merchants and
landed proprietors. The interiors OF the
Chinese homes are often very luxurious
One Chinese half breed in Manila is SAID TO
be worth $i.obotS8.
The climate of the Philippines, of course
is very warm, lying. as they do. so near
hotter than il is in Washington during the
Warmest months
Spain has effectuany prohibited any kind
of Protestant missionary work in the fhil~
ipD;nes. She has paced every possible OBJ
structiOn in the way Of any sort OF teNet-
opnent in her effort to exclude from the
islands under her control all commerce ana
enterprise other than her own. Othciai rob-
berry has been practiced openly. unbluShlhS-
ly. in the highest as in the lowest places.
Good government has been the last thing
thought of-not thought of at all.
Forms OF Oppression.
Oppression in the Philippines has been
something fearful, but has been even worse
than in Cuba. There have been poll taxes
taxes on every kind of property-taxes on
carriages at s. wheel, taxes on all mer-
camille transactions taxes on every kind
of amusement, taxes on marriages, taxes
on funerals. In some parts Of the islands
the native must carry his tax receipts con-
stantIy with him. If found without them
he has been liable to arrest and punish
ment. For nOn-payment the penalties.
after confscatjou of properly, have been
whipping and imprisonment-Or worse still,
those unable to pay have been shipped a 5
conscripts to die in the savage wars with
the fierce MorOs in Mindanao. or they have
been deported far from family and friends
to remote government plantations, and
there condemned to slavery.
The Spaniards attempted with mercIless
severity to put down the instructions. Ii
was deliberately agreed in council by the
Spanish officers at Manila that the insur-
gents should be given no quarter. Thou
sands have been arrested and shot on sus-
piciOn. In 1886 there We're in the city of
Manila 500 executions in a single month.
Public executions of suspects have always
been made occasions of general holiday by
the Spania rds in Manila. The deadly work
was usually performed on the Lunita in
the cool of the morning, so that the Span
ish public and gentry might attend.
Should we have returned the Philippines
to the tender mercies of Spain? To the
conscience of a Christian and enlightened
nation there is but one answer. We can
afford to take no other than the broad
world view. We dare not be narrow or
mercanary. Our country is to become more
and more the great. peaceful, civilizing in
fuenCe of the world.
The world is much smaller than when
Washington read his farewell address. 1t
is an age of commerce. The center of trade
is the center of empire There is soon to
be such an u-heaVal in Asiatic waters
as the world has never seen, and in the
disintegration of the great Chinese empire
the God in history intends that we, the rep
resentatives OF progress, shall be in evil
dence. 1t requires no prophetic eye to dis
Germ that our great republic is to lead the
mighty coalition of all Engiish-speaking
raCes-the empire of thought, and con-
science, and right"
FOrmer senator HAIRS Address.
After an address by Mrs. Mary H. Hunt,
In which she urged that "our duties to
childhood on the islands acquired recently
by the United States are that the prin-
ciples CT prohibition be carried into effect
there, Former Senator Henry w. Blair
of New HamI Ishire. chairman of the meet
ing. made the closing address Of the con-
Vention. in the course of which he, among
other things. said:
For nearly a century portions of the
American people have been prosecuting the
temperance reform. There is savage
state which preCedes civilization. but the
savage state which follows civilization as a
result of alcoholic poisoning is Il thousand
times worse; and the fact that the con-
sumption of alcohol is increasing is shown
by authoritative data gathered by men not
interested to demonstrate any increase of
the evil.
The country will gradually fill up in
population to its full capacity. The per
capita increase in the consumption of poi
son, If continued, viii, by cOncentra ton,
develop conditions which in their turn will
assume the aggressive, eating out and de-
stT0ylnS the arrested powers of growth in
the nation; all TO end in the final conquest
OF our civilization and the disappearance
of our people from the face of the earth. or
in their subjectton by some more powerful,
be, duSe more VIrtuOuS and temperate race
ou can never carry any great reform
unless you have behrd it the organized re-
ligiOus sentiment of the people To saw
that the church and the clergy and the re
Agious press shall not actively take part in
all proper methods and efforts of political
parties with a view To- political results, in
promotion of the temperance reform, is to
say that there shall be no such reform:
and TO say that there shall be no such re-
form Is TO say that there shah ultimately
be no Christian religion"
Photographs to Appear on Commute
ton tickets. The Pennsylvania Railroad
Company announces that beginning Janu-
airy l. 1888. appncants for UJ-trip month
~ Communication tickets between the cities
of Washington and Baltimore must furnish
the selling agent of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company photograph OF himself or
herself, as per sample TO be seen at SELL
ing agents office. No tickets of the class