The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-09-23
The Religious Problem in the Philip
pines.
The Boston Herald says :

f%AN~s
The Boston Herald says
A correspondent in Manila has re
Gently commented upon what he be-
lleyes to be the most serious phase
of the Philippine matter, that is, its
religious character It is not always
recogn zed with US that the rebellion
in the Philippine Islands, which had
been going on several years before
our war with Spain, had its origin
less in diGllke by the F,lipinos Of
the Spanish government than in the r
hatred Of the mOnastc orders. Tn y
could have endured the civil a. d
military government Ofiihe Spanlalds,
harsh and unjust as 1t frequently
was, but the control which the mon
sstic orders exercised over them, and
the influence which these had in
shaping the policy of the Spanish
authorities aud IN debating their
action, constituted grievance too
severe to be borne. These orders had
gradually possessed themselves of
enormous estates, and had held the
people dwelling upon the land thus
controlled in state Of servIle subjec-
ton. Their interference ia the fam.
ily life Of the people, particularly as
1t has been IN no way controlled by
moral considerations, caused hatred
of them in great number of indl
vldual instances
Mr.. John Foreman, whose work on
the Philippine Islands is considered,
perhaps. the best authority, has filled
several pages with detailed account
of monastlc oppression and c0rrup-
ton, and this is all the more signif
cant for the reason that Mr.. Foreman
IS himself n Roman Catholic, but one
who does not believe that the church
should lead itself to abuses of this
kind. Long ago the Council Of Trent
decreed that the holding of benefces
by frisrs should not be permitted, as
it was the occasion Of scandal which
did great damage to the church and
the faith. But for some reason an
exception has always been made in
the case of the Philippine Islands,
aud hence system has for genera
tons past existed there which
throughout the rest of the world has
been abolished as detrimental to good
order aud good morals
The correspondent to whom we
have referred states that the monastc
orders in the Philippine Islands are
keenly aliveI to the change that has
taken place in the destinies Of the
archipelago. They are aware that
the principles of our government are
IN antagOnlsm 10 the system of CON
troll which they have maintained for
the last three centuries, ard hence
they are using such IL fluence as they
possess to thwsrt our success Cur-
ously enough, although their immo-
rality, insolence and cupidlty have
been the cause of the popular upris-
ings in the Philippine Islands, they |
are now thought to be in many ways |
allies of the Fllipinos, who are taking |
the advice and aid of their old sdyer.
saries IN their efforts to combat US.
As our authority says. such union
might seem incredible if one did not |
take into account the superstitious |
reverence Of the people for the priest.
hood. and the psychological influence
which It's members have ever then.
We are held by the monastic orders
TO be heretics, and as heretIcs unde
serving Of the least consideration. Ia |
one of the Manila churches within |
the last few weeks one of the priests
said Any ole contributing so
much as cent TO any Pfotestan
obJect-schcols, hospitals. or any
thing PrOtestant-c comes under the
worst form Of communication"
This was obviously intended to apply
20 Americans generally. and il this
IS the doctrine taught within the
lines held by our soldiers, what may
not one suppose is preached and
laugh: to the Filipino insurgents
where the possibilities Of American
interference do not have 10 be con-
sidered
BY our treaty with Spain, we
agreed TO respect the religion and the
of the people, and under
this compact t is not impossible that
we may be held to accord to the
orders, even though it may
be shown that they have strongly
our rights to possession, full
and complete control os the vast
that now stand in their
name, the possession and use of which
Is clearly detrimental to the well
being OF the country. 1t is not a
question Of religious conversion, for
II is inherently probable that the
Roman Catholic creed and practice
are far better adapted to the needs
If the people than any form of Prot
sstant faith. But religious sssocia-
lions. such as those now existing in
he Phi lppine Islands, have been
)vertbro wn in ali of the Roman
Catholic countries of Europe because
experience has shown that they were
ar more productive of harm than of
good. AS we have said above, a great
council of the church has pronounced
against the system which has for
many years past existed in the Phil
ppne Islands, and the extension of
his condemnation to that Spanish ,
olony by papal decree WAS probably
,Dly prevented by the enormous in
luence which the heads of these
nonastic orders were able to exert,
10th in Madrid ard at Rome. The o
problem of how we, with treaty slip
llations standing in the way, are to
Effectively treat this question is one
which it is not easy to solve. 1t is
lot impossible that 1t may turn out
hat our negotistors in Paris engaged
n framing this treaty accepted, in
ertsin respects, larger measure of
responsibility than would have been