The record-union., 1899-11-17

Ing opportunities anu oil uP-lilI IA ~
mainly, such as no other nation can
secure for them save our own.
SOLDIERS AND CHURCH RELICS
IN WAR.
A San Francisco paper publishes tes-
timony showing that relics taken from
churches in Luzon have been brought
to that city and sold to curiosity dealers
and collectors, many Of these being
priestly vestments, altar service and
fittings, mostly broken and in pieces.
these things were brought home by SOL
diers. That is not doubted. Nor is
there anything strange about it.
In every war just such things are
frequent. But in the Philippines sol
diers assert that the churchly articles
are taken by the Filipinos and offered
for sale. In other cases that destruc-
ton of the churches has been caused
by their occupation by the insurgents,
and that house and altar fittings have
been thereby scattered about for the
first conner to pick up. Quite fire.
quently these relics have been taken
from prisoners Filipinos), and some
times from the bodies of dead insur-
gents. No doubt in some instances SOL
from the churches that have been
shelled or occupied, and it is not I'M
probable that in some cases reckless
and sacrilegious men bearing our arms
have robbed affairs Of their fittings.
We have said that such things always
occur in wars. History proves it. In
the European wars such seizure, gath
ering or robbery Of property from
churches and monasteries and from in
dividuals was known, and could not
be wholly prevented. In our own civil
war there were such cases also. It is
'deplorable that any soldier should sink
to the level necessary to be reached
to enable him to commit such an Of
Tense as robbing a church, but it is as
serted by our officers that. there has not
been any permitted looting OF churches
and monasteries in the Philippines;
that they have had strict orders from
the beginning to prevent anything of
the kind. But it is not possible to con-
troll all individuals in the armies from
doing things offensive and against
orders.
The army officials in Luzon aver with
church been despoiled and that no in
jury has been done to property of that
character that was not unavoidable
1t Is history that in many cases the in
surgents have occupied churches and
fired from their shelter upon our men,
who refrained from entering OF assail-
ing such structures until compelled to
do SO in defense or to dislodge the
enemy. One especially notable case will
be recalled where we lost men and Off
GERS who were fired upon from a church,
and that it was necessary to shell the
structure before the enemy could be
checked in thus covering themselves for
assault upon our forces. That was
very early in the war and there have
been some like instances since then, but
none we believe in which the church
was burned as in that case
War is full Of horrors, outrages and
pitiful spectacles. 1t means death, &C.
struction and woe; when on one side
there is a semi-savage foe. an enemy
that loots hospitals, fires upon flags of
truce, makes the white flag the means
Of Turing our soldiers into harms way,
that robs churches and takes shelter
behind affairs, despoils sacred houses of
their property and peddles the plumber
for coin. it is not surprising that church
relics should fall into the hands of our
soldiers. Nor, indeed, is it cause for
exclamation against the army because,
as is probably true, some few Ameri-
can soldiers may in battle, or after,
have wickedly and In despite of orders
to the contrary, carried away as spoil
of war movables from churches.
This fellow Pho del Pillar is a curios-
ity. We have had him killed off in the
Philippines a half dozen times. He
was twice assassinated by the ins,lr-
gent chiefs order. Immediately after
all this dispatching he appeared in our
front and fought US holly just east of
Manila. His latest turn up was as a
huckster of men and officers. He Of
fered not long ago, we are told, to de-
liver himself and his army to Cen
eral Otis for spot cash of given
amount. But his offer was refused We
snail probably next hear of Pho del
Pillar as envoy from Aguinaldo, or he
may conclude to try his hand again on
the line Of Independent negotiation, for
he is a great lover Of money and is
likely to put himself up for price once
more