The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-24

lago has been converted to the Catholic
faith by the Spanish monks, and a
wonderful improvement in their social
condition has been the result He then
goes on to show that if any one doubts
this improvement it can easily be made
manifest by comparing the Christian
native with his southern neighbOr of
the same blood, the fanatical Moro.
CAS- to the confiscation of the es-
tates, you might as well talk of con-
hscating the estates of the Wander
bilts, the AstOrs. and other million
aires whose estates have in the course
of years grown SO wonderfully. There
would be just as much right and justice
in one case as in the other. The relig-
ious estates have been acquired in the
usual way by purchase and in the
course of nearly four centuries they
have naturally grown large; but, if
even unbiased Protestant witnesses are
to be credited, large as they are, all are
used for the betterment and uplifting
of the natives.
"A former British consul "a Protest
anti writing on this subject says:
1t was by means Of these estates,
the friars introduced agriculture and
settled habits of life among tribes or
iginally nomadic.'
&c It was by means of these estates
that they got them to live in villages
and introduced amongst them the arts
of civilized life
1T was by means of these estates
that they acquired the power of induc-
Ing IneIl TO LABOR with a certain
amount of regularity and method the
great safeguard against a relapse again
into their original state of savagery.'
The natives" he says, are with
some rare exceptions in need of tute-
lage, without which they would fall
back to the customs of their ancestors,
a tutelage that no one can exercise bet
ter than the friars. Within the pre-
cincts of the monasteries are to be
found carpenter shops, forges, brick
and tile yards, ETC., to teach the natives
various trades. The villages formed
about them presented a pleasing pic
ture of happiness and content in start
ling contrast to those who were still
pagan and unciviliZed.'
''In a short time I will start for the
Philippines, and I will personally in
vestigate all charges made against re-
hgious orders. titles of property, etc.
Until I have completed my work I
would ask the good people of the Uni
ted States not to be too ready to swal-
low as facts the opinions of gentlemen,
who in previous training and lack of
opportunities to get at the real facts
do not warrant their statements con-
cerning the Catholic ministers of relig-
ion, the intellectual capacity, the moral
and social condition of the people of the
archipelago, to be taken as undisputed
facts by sensible and just minds; nor
can they, therefore, be taken as an ex-
act representation of a condition of
things in the Philippines upon which
the United States government could
prudently base its policy with regard to
this archipelago. The church asks only
justice, and I will not countenance the
retention of one inch of property which
is not now legitimately held.
"One word now on another subject.
I see that it is said that the object of
my visit to the White House on Satur-
day was to protest against the looting
and desecrating of the churches in the
Philippines. This was not the case. AS
to the looting and desecrating of these
churches, I am informed by a person
whose word can not doubt that this
Iooting was not done by our American
soldiers, but the insurgents and the
Chinese. P. L. CHAPPELLE,
Archbishop of New Orleans, Delegate
Apostolic"