The Irish standard., 1900-04-21
HARD UPON THE FIL1P1Nos.
what Q Spanish Priest Told News
paper Correspondent.

paper Correspondent.
Speaking Of the Philippines, says F.
R. Guernsey, the well-known Mexican
correspondent of the Boston Herald,
met, yesterday, priest, Spaniard
who has spent many years of his life
out there, and also in China; he hal
much to say of our conquest, or nom
inal conquest, of the islands.
l asked him, "Shall we be able to
vanquish all resistance and hold the
islands in peace?"
eyes, if the Germans do not stir up
trouble by intrigues That is danger
ahead"
"You have passed years among the
Filipinos; what is their cl1aracter?"
"They are not loyal or sincere; they
will take any oath you demand OF them,
but without any idea OF keeping it. l
have laughed on reading of the new
town presidents, or alcaldes, your mill
tary government is appointing all over
Luzon. They will deceive you; they
are not true to YOU"
"Then you have little confidence in
the Filipinos?"
"They are cunning children. they will
lie and deceive you, as they did with us.
They have not solid basis of charac-
ter. 1 have lived in China as mission
airy, wearing my pigtail as native, and
have had much to do with all classes.
The Chinese are a nobler people, a
more honest people, and, if ever con-
verified to Christianity, will astonish the
world with their virtues. l believe them
to be very superior race; they have no
equals in many things. They are tire
less in industry; they are, when Chris
tians, say the second generation, the
children Of converts, the best and most
sincere OF Catholics. They know our
doctrine and they lead Christian life.
All, so different from those island peo-
pies"
"Wlat are the Protestant missiona-
ries doing i'll Chna?"
They are excellent people, but they
keep away, i'll a lofty manner, from the
people; they dress in the foreign way,
and the Chinese do not like that. They
are not making much impression And
yet China is so immense that it is hard
to feel that any Christian effort effects
anything"
care there many Buddl,ists in
China?"
Every few pure Buddhists; the Chi
nese mingle Buddhism, Confucianism
and gross idolatry, and yet have talked
with poor men who have come out oi
temples after offering to idols and they
have told me that the idol was but a
symbol, that they had been worsllipping
the pure and only God whom the idol
symbolzed in some attributed They
always make me admire the Chinese
intelligence. A wonderful people, Sc
nor people OF much brain power,
who will yet astonish the world. China
is not so decrepit 1t has wonderful
virtues. There are no Europeans ST.
perior in essential qualities to the Chi
nese.'
"Then you regard the Chinese as the
best people in the Orient?"
"The most substantial, the most solid
in their qualities. The Filipinos are not
to be named with them Look to China
for great things Ii the Chinese had
only charity, love in their hearts, they
would be the worlds greatest nation;
but they are SO stony-fearted, so cold,
so selfish and SO unaffected by sad
sights and the sufferings OF others. They
will let their aged people die OF starva-
ton i'll the streets. And this goes will,
SO much intelligence, so much honesty
in business, SO much that makes you
respect them They are my admiration,
and my marvel, those Chinese among
whom l lived as one OF them, eating as
they did, dressing in their garb and
speaking their tongue. l could gladly
be again. in China, for love the people
and the country. We can only work
there and trust to God for the harvest
in future years. If once love enters the
hearts OF those people, you will see true
Christianity exemplifed."
My friend, the missionary priest, is
man of excellent brain, ardent and,
though Spaniard, sees much to admire
in the American and the American char
acter. He regards the Philippine ques-
ton as tough job" and seems to pity
us for having taken UP the load. He
has seen his fellow priests cruelty killed
by Aguinaldo's men, and has seen NOM
inal Catholicism in Luzon go down like
house of cards, at the touch of fana-
teal patriotism embodied in great
secret society. Here is type of the
great Catholic missionaries who came
to Mexico after the conquistadores had
begun their CRUEL work of subjugation
and threw themselves between the bru-
tai soldiers and the Indians. How in
tense is the faith OF these Catholic mis-
sionaries who have been in many lands.
In an age OF super6ciality OF conviction,
OF. widespread incredulousness, they
tower up like great cliffs of adamantine
rock, impregnable to all assaults Of
scepticism.
There are lots OF Spaniards who like