Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-28
NEED MISSION WORK.
Plenty to Do in Philippines,
Said Schuman.
THE CATHOLICS DID MUCH GOOD.
Their Work Done In Luzon-Frotestnnts
Would Find Mindanno More Prom
ising Place to Iegin-sbouId lie On ,
One Denomination.

New YonK, Dec. 2S.--The Ind epend
ent, for the current week. will contain
an article by Jacob G.. Schurman. presi
dent Of Cornell university, chairman OF
the United States commission to the
Philippine islands. entitled "Our Duty
to the Philippines" in which he wrote
in part:
We have 40 to 10 tribes to civilze and sevep
or eight OF these tribes have some eOo,OOJ mem
bers each, On the island of Luzon there is
ono tribe Of 50),O00 people who speak one lam
guage as totally distinct from the other Ian
guagcs ns Spanish is from English. Another
tribeon the same island, numbering about
6O,.0JO is as distinct from the others In Ian
guage and characteristics as they are from
the Spaniards. Then on the great island Of
Mindanno there are many tribes that are en-
tfroly different from each other. In the Sulu
archipelago we come to another class OF ma
tlvcs, about whose custom of slavery so much
has been said recently. These are all Moham
medans, whilo 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 lOJ years and the archipelago was
really governed by the priests, and not by tho
spanish civil or military commanders. OF the
Sld,oU0UOJ raised on the island annually ubout
81 5UO,OJO was used for the church's support
Each small church would receive about $50.
for ats support and the priest an allowance OF
s3OO We must credit the church with having
done great deal Of good work among the ma.
uves. We must reckon with these facts when
we send missionaries to the Philippines.
Missionaries are needed in the ands, alnids
hope they will bo sent there In large mum
bers There IL plenty OF work for them TO do,
and hope they will 60 with complete un-
Outstanding of the situation to accomplish
good. They must realize that they ARE con
tending with Catholc.educated population
that knows nothing about the fine din fsrences
between Protestant sects and denominations.
Therefore 1t would be highly impoiitic to
send missionaries of different denominations
to confisa the minds of the people. i do
hope that when we send the missionaries we
Will deciIc beforehand ON one form OF Pro-
testant Christianity, send one type of mis-
s.onary. The Filipines will then have Catho
lie Christianity and Protestant Christianity
presented to them so they can take their
choice.
We have no adequate idea low confusing 10
the simple minds OF uncivilzed people the
different forms OF our Protestant faith ap
pear. The Chinese, who are perhaps more in
telliRent than the Bilipinos regard our differ.
ent denominations as 50 many different reiig
iops.
Think the island of Mindanao Is moro
promising field for missionaries to begin their
work in than Luzon.
| believe the lighting in tho Philippines Is
nearly over. and out armies now fighting in
northern Luzon will soon he required only to
keep down the bandits.
do not say that all Of tho insurgept leaders
lwere dishonest.a Il believe that many OF those
who fought against the Americans were ami
mated by tho highest ida Of loyalty to indie
pendence. Think probably Aguinaldo is one
OF this class aud that he IL AN honest man.