The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-07
TEODORO SANTA ANA A SCHOLAR
Aguinaldo's Minister of the Interior
Is Poet, Patriot and Filipino.

~-OOOANO Oa4t - AAN u n OAlAOLAN
Aguinaldo's Minister of the Interior
Is Poet, Patriot and Filipino.
Teodoro SandicO Santa Ana, poet,
patriot and Filipino. a remarkable
history has Santa Ana, now student
in the Imeprial college at Toxic, now
baniShed from Manila by priests. now
a student in a medieval town of Bel
/ Sium, now one of a band of ardent con-
/ spirators against the government Of
t Spain. And the last chapter is being
| written today. with Teodoro SandicO y
Santa Ana, minister Of the interior IN
der AguinaidO at the insurgent capital
| Of MalOlOS.
1t was while studying three years ago
in the Belgian town of Liege that Santa
Ana met a handsome American, Dem
I Yer woman, who was music student
pursuing her studies jim the same place.
| With his roses, his verses and Japan
I csc refnement-a refinement SO eX-
/ QuisiJe that nothing can surpass it
/ among the nations of EurODe-the
/ young Filipino for year was almost
daily companion TO Mrs. Clara Van
Buren,. 1t was during these walks and
excursions in Liege that Mrs. Van Bu-
rem learned the story of Santa Ana's
/ life.
He came to Europe" she says. be
cause of the influence of the priests of
LuzOn, who looked on his work Or the
| betterment of the people of his country
with suspicion. He was Of Japanese
ancestry. as are many of the best fam
! lilies in the islands. His father was a
| Judge of Manila and very wealthy. His
mother. to whom he was DaSsiOnately
devoted, was a beautiful and loving
woman. He was a warm friend of Ag-
uinaldO, who even then was plotting
r feh
While a child Santa Ana was sent
from Manila to be educated in the land
of his fOrefatherS. He graduated from
the Imperial university with all the
Japanese customs and beliefs. As il is
a trait Of the Japanese to love flowers,
so did he. Poetry was alive, calling TO
him, the key TO unlock the purest and
best that was in him. He returned to
Manila, entered his fathers office and
studied law. Here is where his reVO-
lutiOnary instincts We're first given life
LuZOn. MindanaO, in truth. all of the
islands. were under the rule of priests.
To keep the FiIipinos in subsection. ev-
erything of an enhghtening nature, e.
pecially in the way of books. was de-
MED inSress to the ports. Even st.
Pierre'S beautItui anc eXalting Paul
and Virginia was condemned as i'm
moral and u penalty attached to its
being read
II was utSn lAlllt u CotcLAAASAA q ~
versity, and TeOdOrO Santa Ana turn
ed his gold in that direction. In a mod :
ern quarter Of. Manila. he opened his
school, employed Japanese and Fill
Dinos as teachers, and taught the
higher branches Of science. He had
several hundred scholars and was pro-
crossing in such way that the ven
ture was bringing him much money
when the church Dut its foot upon IT,
Santa Ana was but % years OF age
and a devOut Catholic, but he was TO
be feared. He was enliShtening the
people TO their own detrimsnt. claimed
the priests. and for fear of his life he
fed with others from Manila.
He had been in Europe five years
when I met him. His sole aim was to
perfect himself in everything that
would helm his country for he had an
eVer-abiding faith that some day he
would see its shackles broken. He was
continuing his studies in languages, Tor
he was an expert lingUist. being pro-
ficient in some ten different tongues
and speaking English with such a
slight accent that it was scarcely no
ticeable. He was dark. and his appear
ance was distinctly Japanese. He IS
a man who astOnishes everyone he
comes in contact with. He has Observ-
ed deeply and in every country he has
visited he has made himself familiar
with its people, its government and its
his-Or--.
I'VE knew vaguely that Santa Ana
was in correspondence with and often
received visits from darl--skinned
young men hailing from his own cOun-
try and that one day he would take
a hand in saving his beloved Islands.
Liege is a large town. almost the size
Of Denver. but the students We're clan
uish and we Americans came to know
the Filipino intimately. He was a IA
miliar figure on the streets of that old
town. the darkness of his complexion
contrasting oddly with the fair skins
and blue eyes Of the natives Of Bel
GUM. He was a good athlete. a member
of a cricket club. and once won a BIZ
cycle race on a fete day Indeed. he
went into everything. serious or for
pleasure, with the determination TO win.
In Liege he was TO all intents studying
langua ges. but he was really learning
civil engineering He was so popular
that he was invited by the best S2rni-
lies of Liege on yachting parties and
picnics. He dressed faultlessly. and
was retiring in his manner, but with Il
pOliteness that was superior even TO
that of French gentleman.
He stayed on at Liege, then rejOined
his COMPANIONS in Paris. whittier they
had gone, and when Spain and the
United States Clashed together took
the first steamer for the Philippines.
AguinaldO. who was already in the
Philippines imprisoned him. I read in
the dispatches. on the suspicion Of
treachery but evidently he saw the
error ne had committed. for a recent
cablegram states that he has raised
Santa Ana to the position Of minister
of tie interior"