The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1899-01-18
FATHER TOM SHERMAN
Submits His Report About Recent
Trip In Our New Territory.
FAoTs ABOUT FoRgo RIoo.
Owing TO Lsxlly In Martial Rsiations nj
WIN Probably he Several Gonera-
tionS before the Vital Static.
tea VIII SO Correct.


tionS IIeforc the Vital Static.
t.Ca VIII Sc Correct.
Washington. Jan. 12.-Assistant Sec
rotary Meiklejohn made public through
the division of customs and insular aft
fairs Father Thomas Il. Sherman's
very interesting and instructive re-
port to General Brooke of his recent
trip through the island of Porto Rico.
Father Sherman left San Juan Oct
10 and visited Arecibo. Utado and
Lares, and from thence south proceed
ell to Adjuntas alone and unarmed,
and without witnessing any disorder.
AS far as his observations went
Father sherman says that he found
the people of Porto Rico gentle. docile
and kindly; that the Spanierds living
there rejoice with their Porto Rican
friends i'll the change of sovereignty.
At the same time Tather Sherman
says we can not too strongly emphasize
the needs of an island ut once tropical
and mountainous, where the bandit
finds myriad hooks for hiding and
easy sustenance even on the mountain
top; where passions are easily heated
and an overcrowded population leaves
large numbers out of employment. An
island whose needs can only be met
by the strong hand of the military arm,
aided and abetted by a system of civil
police and rural guard. composed
where possible of some of the better
class of Porto Rlcans. and in holding
all civil authorities. beginning with
the commissaries of the Barrios, per-
sonally responsible for the good order
of their districts.
ReIIrIous Conditions.
Father Sherman says that the state
of religion on the island is very un-
satisfactory. Though in every town of
any size there is found n large and
handsome edifice. the services are very
poorly attended.
All the inhabitants of the island with
few exceptions are nominally at least
Roman Catholics. Very few of the
men are more than Catholic in name.
They are baptized. married and buried
by the priest; that is the extent of
their Catholicism.
Now that the priests are deprived of
government aid, many are leaving the
country, and more intend to depart
before the winter is over. A moderate
percentage of the clergy are of native
origin. and these will be more inclined
to stay, as they are more in sympathy
with the new order of things, and have
chance of procuring more desirable
parishes, owing to the vacancies left
by the departure of the Spanish clergy.
The church in Porto Rico has been
united with the state, and SO Identified
with 1t in the eyes of the people, that
1t must share the odium with which
the Spanish rule is commonly regarded
Complaint Ia made that the priests
tON tnN In
matters; that they preached Spain in
stead of tho gospel, and that many dis
played the mercenary spirit
Father Sherman says the system of
burial in Porto Rico has been barbnr-
Gus. In places corpses are thrown into
shallow graves. sometimes without
box or casket. The cemeteries are too
small and frequently crowded. The
state of morality can be inferred from
the fact that the number of illegitimate
children exceeds that of the legitimate.
Concubinage is said to be common, and
is not sufficiently discountenanced
either legally or socially.
The eradication of this great evil
presents one of the most difficult prob
lens in Porto Rico, owing to the mix
ture of races there. II is often asserted
that the Catholic clergy ara partly to
blame for this deplorable state of af-
fairs. because marriage is said to be
expensive. This, says Father sher-
man. is calumny. In conclusion he
says:
They are highly civilized. have thou
sands of educated men. able lawyers,
excellent doctors. merchants and man
ufacturers, whose establishments ag-
gregate millions of annual output"
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