The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-01-06
A NEW STATE RELIGION.

Sckurman of Cornell university, re
garding the Philippines. What give
added interest to Mr.. schurman's dict;
is the fact that he is also president o
the commission sent to the Philippine
by Mr.. Mckinley to compose and ad
just affairs in that and adiacen
islands.
With one exception there is moth
ing in Mr.. Schurman's latest utteranct
which he has not published already. 1
is the exception which makes his inter
view notable. Realizing that the people
in the Philippines are Roman Catholics
with centuries of Roman Catholic ira
dition behind them, Mr.. Schurman sees
danger if a horde of American mission
aries were to swoop down on the peo-
pie in the Philippines, bringing to them
contrary and contradictory doctrines
with the consequent disttrust on the
part of the natives of everything Amer
lean.
Because of this Mr. Schurman pro-
poses a scheme which, in reality is the
making of a new state religion to serve
to those people in the east. He would
have the different sects get together
which could be taught by single class
of missionaries, and obviate the natural
distrust that would spring up from the
teaching of a thousand and one isms.
OF course this is all very nice, but
Mr.. Schurman understands but little
OF the spirit and genius of Protestant
| ism if he presumes for an instant that
from such a mass of contradictions a
system of Protestant teaching can ever
be evolved. It can only be done, as
we say, by the establishment of a state
religion, which would be taught to the
natives by government officials. In case
of failure to make the Filipino aban-
don the faith of his fathers and adopt
the new state religion, for ecclesiastical
officials might shoot the new faith into
them, which is, in our opinion the only
way that Professionalism will ever make
it's impress on the Filipino charac-
ter.
The sects have only one common
bond, and that is their hatred of Ca
thohcity. 1t win hardly be contended
that such a common faith would be ac-
ceptable to the Filipfnos
1.-THE Independent realizes the folly of
Mr.. schurman's suggestion-at least
the folly of any attempt to give it
practical applications. It says:
I'VE have no doubt that the chief de-
nominations, and a score of small ones,
will all establish missions there. Most
of them have their headquarters in
Manila. Each sect, Presbyterian, Meth
odist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Congrega-
tional, Disciples, Seventh Day Advent
list, will have it's own organization.
Join u.s." Join u.s. 1--WE are the true
Church" will be the cry. AT present
there is no chance for anything else.
What more can we expect? BaDtists
and Episcopalians, Presbyterians and
Methodists, cannot unite even in fed
GRAFTON here in America We fail even
to see the scandal of the division; and
the scandal is more offensive there"
Yes, indeed, the scandal is more of
fensive in Manila-and Mr.. Schurman's
idea can never have efficacy except
through a state religion, which, of
course, is absurd.
The Independent vainly hopes that,
may be, by some sort of federation a
workable Protestant religion can be
wrought out for use among the Fill
pinos. On this point it observes:
What can be done to remove the scan
lal? Nothing, we fear, until the de-
nominations here are federated. Why
IAN it not be done? Shall the century
md and nothing accomplished? In Eng
and already there Us federation of all
he Free Churches, and the conscience
If our Churches ought to demand as
much.
Can we have a federation of our for
ign missionary societies, such as NAV
nap out the field and secure some form
f apparent unity, at least mitigation
f our schismatic condition? Let Presf-
ent Schurman's words be considered"
After adj, what would such fedora
ion amount to? AS we have pointed
ut, the essential basis of any possible
Protestant federation must be of a ma
ure insufferably offensive to the Cath
lies in the Philippine islands, and. con-
full of dangers from many :
oints os view.
We are sure that all the sects are I
nxious to map out the field"-but the c
respects are poor, indeed.
The Roman Catholic Church alone is
apable of dealing with the Filipinos,
nd it will continue to civilize and '
them in the future as it t
as done in the past I
1t is not generally known that one Of
lie largest institutions for the care of
lie insane in America is conducted by