The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-15
Benevo-
PHILIPPINE CHURCHES.
Cathedral of Manila Cost $1,OOO,O 900,
and Was Twelve Years I'm Building.


Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, May 14.-Church conditions
among the people of the Philippine islands
are not ideal. Spain, which demoralzes
everything she touches, has used the Roman
Catholic Church there for political ends,
and many priests are VIGOROUSLY far from
what they ought to be as spiritual advisers
and also as men. By the law of the islands
everybody is Roman Catholic No other
church services of any kind are allowed.
There are church buildings in every town,
and the churches are the finest buildings,
as a rule, In the town. The Roman Catholic
Cathedral is the finest edifice in the city of
Manila. 1t is under the care of the JeSuits,
as are many of the churches on the islands.
1t was twelve years in building, and cost
81 900. The very finest and hardest woods
in the Philippines were used for the finish
ing, and the structure Is Of bluish-tint
marble. There are exquisite carvings, some
of which have recently been made. The
education of the young on the islands is in
the care of the Roman Catholic Church au-
thorities. There are no endowed schools
and no hospitals The children go to school
only one hour per day for two days each
week, and study almost nothing save church
history and few proverbs. Writing is not
taught, and reading is taught only to the
upper classes.
All news published is censored by the
Archbishop of Luzon. This island gets it's
name, by the way, from 'losong," a wood
mortar kept by the Indians just outside
their doors in which they daily wash their
rice before cooking 1t. The only newspaper
in the Philippines is printed in Spanish, and
everything in it has been approved by the
archbishop.
All marriages have TO be celebrated by the
priests. Some time ago a marriage was per-
formed between British subjects in the
British legation, and so much trouble came
from it that battle we'll nigh ensued.
The men who are best off in the world are
the priests. A reason for this is the fact
that cargoes in the harbors may not be
unloaded on feast days, except by permits
sion from the priests, which permission
has to be paid for. AS feast days are rather
more numerous than those that are not
feast days, the fees are given as a regular
thing and the church greatly enriched. No
music is permitted in the houses of the
people after 10 o'clock at night unless by
special permission from the priest, and this
permission has also to be paid for.
The great institution of Manila is the lot
terry. This is drawn monthly, the prizes
ranging from S. to $4,000. 1t is managed
by the public officials and by the arch
bishop, and 100000 each month is collected,
for the state and the church. 1t is from
this lottery that Spain and the Roman
Catholic Church in the Philippines derive
much of their enormous revenues.
Wages of farm male laborers are about
5 cents per day, and each man is required
to pay an annual tax of from $3.50 to $25.
Much Of this tax goes to the church, since
it is church officials who collect it ALL The
archbishop forbids the sale of farm prod-
ucts, but requires them to be simply ex-
changed. There is a tax for the benefit of
the church on cocoanut trees, on animals
when killed for food, on shops, mills and
oil presses, and particularly high tax on
cock fights, which are the national
pastimes of the people. incidentally it may
be explained that the word Cavite means
fish hook.