Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-18

seen Of them on their island I think they
are, then two centuries and a half under
enlightened British influence and posses
sion and three generations of freedom under
the same sovereignty has done but little for
them. But few can read and write, and
but few indeed know how to work-com-
pared with what 'priest-ridden" Ecuador
has done for her poems In much less than a
century of time. I never heard any ono
accuse Froude Of being prejudiced In favor
Of the Catholics. He says in his THE
English in the West Indies:" II had
marked the respect with which the Catholic
clergy were treated In Dominica, and
even the Haytien republic still maintains
the French episcopate and priesthood. But
1 could not fnd that the Church of England
In Jamaica either was at present or had
ever been more than the church of the Eng
lish in Jamaica, respected as long as the
English gentry were a dominant power
there. but with no Independent charm to
work on imagination or superstition. . .
The Olympian gods survived
for seven centuries after Aristophanes with
the help of allegory and economy" The
church Of Rom may survive as long after
Calvin and Luther. Carlyle Knocked at the
possibility when I ventured to say so to
him. Yet Carlyle SCENE to think that the
mass was the only form of faith in Europe
which had any sincerity remaining in 1t.
And in another chapter, after visiting Cuba,
FrOude says: The Jesuits were as we'll
spoken of In Havana as the Moravians In
Jamaica. Every one had a good word for
them. -" They have a college there
where there are 400 lads and young men
who pay for their education; some hundreds
more are taken out Of charity. The Jesuits
conduct the whole and do it all unaided on
their W resources. And this Ia far from
all that they do. They keep on a level with
the age; they are men of learning; they are
men Of science; they are the Royal Society
of Cuba"
Now. II other creeds have done so little
and are unable to do more, even with pow
erful state assistance, for the people Of the
West Indies and the Catholics have done SO
much there and in South America and they
have not yet given satisfaction, what ia
there to substitute? Man must have some
creed or form Of worship; his very nature
requires 1t. Who desires to be so brutal as
to be brought into this world or sent out
OF 1t without form or ceremony? Should
the "imperialist' faction dominate the re-
publican party we may see what effect
proselytism will have on the Latin race
during the coming generation. And let us
hope for the good of all that there will be no
obstacles put in the way Of any creed or
form Of worship, free and fair to all alike.
I would remark that I have observed among
the so-called liberals of the race, not alone
In South America, but in Europe, that when
they throw off Catholicism they go over to
unbelief and l should warn any Protestant
missionary minister to beware Of the
liberal" He is apt to have an ak to grind
and use when sharpened.
Devout People.
The most interesting type of character I
have found in South America is a COM
munity OF negroes, the descendants OF the
old Spanish slaves, located here in Ecuador
on the Santiago river. They are a most
happy, simple and honest people, without the
repulsive African features we are accus-
toned to in the negro. Their customs are
rather patriarchial, and from whom we,
the-SOo-(or more)- years-in advance. might
learn something. 1t is very interesting to
see the father Of the household at daylight
flor here. directly under the equator. there
Is no dawn and no twilight-time is either
night or day. take his position and each
member OF the family, big and little, In turn
kneel before him. recite a few simple
prayers. receive his blessing for the day and
the next instant away. They have their
evening prayers. too. which are on a more
elaborate scale. A very pretty and touch
ing custom Of theirs is, no matter
where a young person meets an aged one. the
younger one uncovers. falls upon one knee
and with barred head in a most respectful
and reverend manner recites the bendito.
This finished the aged one. with uncovered