Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-12

| toms and insular affairs Father Thomas l..
| Sherman's interesting and instructive re
! port to General Brooke of his recent trip
| through the Island OF Porto Rico.
| Father Sherman left San Juan october 10
and visited Arec.ho, Utado and Lares, and
| thence proceeded 10 Adjuntas alone and I'M
| armed and without witnessing any disor-
| der. Subsequently he visited Coamo, Albo-
| nito Cayoy, Caguas, Aguas. Buenas, Jun
| cos and Humacao. All of these towns he
| found in perfect peace ana fun of the sense
of security. Late IN December, Father Sher-
man says ne VlsIte- Towns of Nieques,
| tajardo ana Carolina, with the same re-
| suit.
| The People Gentle and Dociie.
| AS far as his observations went Father
| Sherman says that he found the people of
| Porto hlco gentle, docIIe and kind, and that
| the Spanlarus IlVIng there rejoice with their
! Porto hIcan trIsnus in the change of SOW
| ereignty. 1he olsUroerIy element is a very
| sniaII tIacIion in The teemng population OF
| Tie island. There Is some ulniuIIy eX-
pressed on the pant OF property hoIuers, but
| TINS IS IaiSeIy uue 10 the pdterHal system TO
| wnIcn they nave become accustomed. The
state OF the Ioaus on the island is Wretched.
Excepting the mann carnage road from
Ponce 10 San Juan, with a few short
branches, the remaining roads are UNIT Tor
car RACES ana Wagons, ana are IN desperate
neeu eA.eAsiNe repairs and improve
| ments. In MANY pIaces they are absolutely
| lmpassaDe 10y wagons. Inc municipalities
pIeau lnaDluty 10 make Improvements ow-
| ing to "a lack OF means. tather sherman
| says that a liberal public outlay on the
roaus would adu immensely to the COM
merce ana security OF the island. The first
piece OF IUau 20 De improved should be that
from Ponce 10 Arecipo, connecting with the
portions Glreauy projected, ana partially
constructed by the spanish government.
Cause OF the Disorders.
Father Sherman says it is common talk
that the disorders of the past few months
have been caused by bands composed
parity of prisoners released by-the Span
larGs and of Spanish soldiers discharged
and remaining on the island. Having, lac
says, ridden about the island alone, and, as
rule, unarmed, for the past three months,
having visited many priests and aicaldes
and prominent merchants, he is strongly
Impressed by the fact that profound re-
spect Is felt for American authority and
utmost confidence in the courage of amy
and all of our men. The Latin races, he
says, are far less frank than our own and
somewhat more unid. The ties of kinshIp
and friendship often lead TO the shelterins
Oh the CRIMINALS and failure to bear wit
ness. Fear magniies the slightest dangers
ana wars alarms cast long shadows. He
thlnkS we have reason to look with pride
on the fact that Porto Rico has passed
through a serious political and national
crisis without losing town crop
in any way enduring the serious conse-
quences of war, save in the suffering of
some individuals.
At the same time. Father Sherman says
he cannot too strongly emphasize the needs
of an island, at once tropical and noun
famous; where the bandit finds myriad
hooks for hiding and easy sustenance even
on the mountain top where passions are
easily heated and an oVercrowded popula-
ton leaves large numbers out of employ
ment; 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 guards, composed
where possible, of some of the better class
of Porto Ricans, and in holding all civil
authorities, beginning with the commits
SarieS of the barrioS, personally RESPONSE
bic for the good order of their districts
The barrio in Porto Rico is the initial poiti-
cal unit, like the town in New England
The commissary is the justice of the
peace He and his friends and relatives
can and should prevent the gathering of
bandits. All commanders even of the
smallest detachments, should be well adj
Fertised of all this, and should help to en-
phaslZe the responsibility of the commits
sarles This being done, ii would seem
that Porto Rico can be easily governed
ana VIII prove to be in many senses a YER
itaole paradise The telephone can easily
be uSed IN districts where danger exists
10 give prompt warning to the authorities
state of Religion Unsatisfactory.
Father Sherman says that the state of re-
hSlon On the island is very unsatisfactory
Though in every town of any size there is
found a large and handsome edifice the
services are very poorly attended All the
inhabitants of the island, with few excen-
tlons, are nominally. at least, Roman Cath
ollcs. Very few of the men are more than
Catholic in name. They are baptized mar
ried and buried by the priest; thai is The
extent of their Catholicism. Now that the
priests are deprived of governmental aid
many are leaving the country and more in
tend to depart before the winter is over A
moderate percentage of the clergy is of
native origin, and these will be more in
clined to stay, as they are more in sym
pathy 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 so united
with the state and so identified with it in
the eyes of the people that it must share
the odium with which the Spanish rule is
commonly regarded. Complaint is made that
the priests were too much interested in
political matters; that they preached Spain
instead of the Gospel, and that many dis
played the mercenary spirit. There are
many excellent priests in Porto Rico, and
the women and children are in great part
practically Catholic.
The sacrament of confirmation has not
been administered for many years in a
great part of the island. 1t would seem
that a change in the ecclesiastical system
was too sudden, causing "A kind of paraly-
sis and CONSERVATION among a body of
and find in it their normal means of sun
port. Religion is dead on the island
Whether it can be revived a living in
'fiuence is highly problematical.
There is little or no observance of the
sanctity of Sunday. Stores are open, the
country people gather into the villages and
traffic is far more active on that day than
on any other The plaZas of many towns
on Sunday morning present the aspect of
a market and fair combined Saturday
could readily be substituted with great ma
a tNsgff n
for the country people.
Condition of Education
With regard to education, Father Sher-
man says he is not prepared to make any
thing like full report. There are many
schools 10th in town and country Those
in the country are poorly and irregularly
attended The children are bright and
quick, develop earlier than ours and many
are capable of learning to read and write
much sooner than the American children.
The prompt sending of teachers of the
lower grades acquainted with both En-
glish and Spanish would, he thinks, be the