The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-07-23
WORKS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
IN THE ISLANDS.
High PRAISE FOR The JESUIT ORDER
FROM A GOOD AUTHORITY on THE
SPANISH COLONY.
The DoMIAICAHS' MISSIONARY LABoRS
THE PRIESTS ARE ACTIVE IN THE
SPREAD OF KNOWLEDGE.

The tyranny" of the Church in the
Philippines, says the London Tablet, and
the large share of responsibility for the
present troubles and disasters of those.
islands which falls to the friars and
monks of the various orders, are pretty
we'll taken as commonplaccs in both the
! English and American press. So little
is really known of the archipelago in
| this country that most of these charges
pass unchallengeh even by Catholic OBJ
servers. The German monthly, Die
katholischcn Missioner, has, therefore,
, done a real service is printing a long
extract from Prof Ferdinand Blumen-
tritt upon the work of the Catholic mis-
sions in the Philippines testimony all
the more valuable because his authority
has been quoted more than once in sup
| port of these attacks upon the religious
| orders In the great Spanish colony
| Blumentritt is indeed universally ac-
knowledged to be the most competent
| authority on all that regards the Phil
| ippines, as may be seen by consulting
our most recent manual on cthnography,
| that Of Prof. Keane, or the article,
| philippines" in either the Encyclopac-
dia Britannica or in Chambers Encyclo-
paedia. He thus speaks with more
| weight than any other authority on the
| subject, and here is his account of the
work of Catholic missionaries, published
in the proceedings of the Vienna Geo.
graphical society for 1896:
| l wish to add some remarks about the
Philippines, as here the Catholic mis-
sionaries are unusually active, not only
! in regard to the spread of Christianity
| and its civilization, but also in the geo
graphical and ethnographical cxplora-
ton Of the archipelago. Unfortunately,
the reports of the missions of the vari-
GUS orders are not equally accessible,
e. g., we have very little account of tho
Augustinian missions, which are located
principally in the lands of the Igorrotcs
| northwest Luzon), and on the island of
Negroes, among the Bullidnon savages.
The only important publication upon
Augustinian missions which have been
able to see is the Memoria acerca de las
Misiones de los p. p, Augustinos CAL
zados; Madrid, 1892. According to this
the Calced Augustines, in 1895, had in
the province of Abra, among the Tin
guians, who inhabit it, eight missions,
! with 25,1 100 souls; in that of IcpantO
two missions, with 1900. souls (Igor-
rotes); in that of Bengnet, also with
two missions, $40 souls Ugorrotes)-to-
tai, %, 149 souls, as against 5,3O2 in 1929
Between 1874 and 1885 the number Of
savages and heathens converted to
Christianity was 1856; fifteen new mis-
sions were projected in the provinces of
Tiagan, Bontok, Amburayan and GUAM
gan.
| Tho Discalced Augustians, called i'm the
Philippines "RccoletOs,' have missions
in the island of ralawan Tor Paraguay,
and in the group Of the Caamianes or
these missioncrs, Father Cipriano Ma
varro has especially distinguished him
self by his chronological researches,
and we owe to him exhaustive reports
concerning the Tinltians, Togbanuas,
Tandolans and Bulalacaunos, among
whom Christianity is making steady
progress.
The Franciscans have missions in the
peninsula OF Camarines, in Llzon, and in
every large island on the Pacific coast
Ethnography and philology are much in
debted to their labors ] need only refer
to the works published by myself in the
proceedings of our society; the Vocabll-
larry of the Negrito dialect of Balcr, by
Father Fernandez, and the accounts OF
the Bikols, Dumagats and Atlas, by Fa-
Their Castano.
| We POSSESS fuller accounts of the Do
minicans, who are occupied in convert
ing to Christianity the Aims, Apayaos,
Aripas, Buayas, Bumanguis, Bunglans,
Calauas, Calingas, Catalangans, Dada
yags, Gaddans, Ibibalons, Ibilaos and
llongotcs, lpituys, Isinays, Mayayaos,
Guiangans and other Ifuagao races. In
the missionary review, Corrco Sno-
Anamita, we find numerous descriptions
Of popular manners and customs. Some
Of these, particularly those written by
Fathers Villaverdc, Buenavcntura, Cam
pa, Malumb:es, Ruiz and Fernando, l
have already in part made more gcner-
ally known in these proceedings. The
review also publishes occasional sketch
es, and especially such as throw light
| upon the river system Of North LuZon,
the valley Of the Rio Grande de Caga-
yam. The results of their strictly mis-
sionary labors are very fruitful.
| But, however successful the evangeli-
cal and scientific activity Of the mis-