The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-12-28
MUST SHOW THEM.
President Schurman Says FiIipinos
Do Not Respect Promises.

President Schurman Says FiIipinos
Do Not Respect Promises.
New York, Dec. 2S.-The Independent
for the current week will contain an ar
ticle by Jacob G. Schurman president
of Cornell university, chairman of the
United States commission to the Phil
ippines entitled our Duty to the Phil
1ppines."
Following is an abstract;
We have forty to fifty tribes to
civilize. and seven or eight of these
tribes have some 800. 600 members each.
On the island OF LuZon there IS one
tribe of a million and a half people who
speak one language as totally distinct
from the other languages as Spanish Is
from English. Another tribe on the
same island, numbering about 100000.
ia as distinct from the others in Ian
guage and characteristics as they are
from the SpaniardS themselves. Then
on the great island of AIindanaO there
are many tribes that are entirely differ
ent from one another. In the Sulu
archipelago we come to another class of
natives, about whose customs OF slavery
much has been said recently. These
are all MOhammedanS, while IN LuZOn
the natives are all Catholic Christians.
The priests have ruled in Luzon so
long that their influence is widespread,
and the natives know of no other form
of Christianity. The Roman Catholic
church has been established there for
200 years and the archipelago was real
~ Governed by the priests and not Dy
the Spanish civil or military command
erS. Or the &l3.DUUsUUU raised on the IS
land annually, about 81, 100000 was used
for the church'S support Each small
church would receive about $500 for its
support and the priests an allowance
Of $500 We must credit the church with
having done a great deal of good work
among the natives. We must reckon
with these facts when We send mission
aries to the Philippines.
Missionaries are needed in the is
lands and hope they viii be sent there
in large numbers. There is plenty OF
FL dr. hex
will go with a complete understanding
of the situation to accomplish good.
They must realize that they are con-
tending with a Catholic educated pop
ulatiOn that knows nothing about the
fine differences between Protestant
Eects and denominations. Therefore, it
would be highly impolitic to send mis-
sionaries of different denominations to
confuse the minds of the people. I do
hope that when we send the mission
aries we will decide beforehand on one
form Of Protestant Christianity. Send
only one type of missionary. The Fill
pinos viii then have Catholic Christian
1ty and Protestant Christianity present
ed to them so they can take their
choice. We have no adequate idea how
confusing to the simple minds of an I'M
civilized people the different forms of
our Protestant faith appear. The
Chinese, who are more intelligent than
the Filipinos, regard our different de-
nominations as SO many different re-
Ngions.
II think the island Of Mindanao is a
more promising field for missionaries
to begin their work in than Luzon. The
influence of the Catholic church has
not been extended to AIindanao and the
simple natives would readily accept the
type Of faith which the Americans
would teach them. 1t is possible that
It would be dangerous TO send mission
aries to the interior of the island at
present, but as conditions become more
settled and the Americans are looked
upon with a more friendly feeling this
place viii be a rich field for the Ameri-
can missionary. We owe 1t to the Fill
pinos to give them the best in our re-
hgtcn as we'll as in our education.
7 believe the fighting in the Philip
pines is nearly over. and that our armies
now fighting in northern Luzon will
soon be required only to keep down the
bandits The organized army has dis
appeared and with It we might say
the whole insurrection. Most of the
leaders of the Instruction have been
dispersed or have been won over to our
side.
I do not say that all of the insurgent