The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-26
A NEW SECT IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Spread of the Gabinistic Religion
and Its Doctrine That Work Is

Needless.
From the Manila American.
Latest reports received from San Luis
affirm that the Gabinsistic religion, the
new creed being embraced by the natives
of that region. is growing in strength,
but not in popL' arity- In spite OF che
fact that the high pontiff Felipe Saliva
dora, was taken into custody by the
American authorities his followers still
believe he is with them. His body con-
ssts of two parts, they say, one is mater
ial and the other spiritual. While the ma
terlal part is being detained by the Amer
leans, the spiritual body is with the
Gabinistic congregation. leading it in its
long and fervent prayers.
A scouting party of the Twenty-second
infantry not long ago Travelled by night
to the barTio of San Isidro, in the swamp
five miles from San Luis, where the head
shrine of the new religion is situated. At
o'clock in the morning, carefully creep
ing close to the big bamboo church in
the woods, the soldiers were able to see
a large throng of natives engaged in their
religious devotions. They were all on
their knees, grooming and praying. Occa-
sionally a weird chant pealed forth on
the night air, to be followed by plenty
of weird shrieking. Thus they kept at it
all through the night, until morning.
One of the leading doctrines of this new
religion provides that all believers must
make at least one pilgrimage a year to
the chief temple in the Candaba swamp.
1t is said that the roads at the present
time in the vicinity of San Luis are
thronged daily with persons making this
pilgrimage. And they do not come from
close by, all of them. Some natives have
been known to have journeyed afoot from
Manila.
The new religion also assures it's fol-
lowers that there is no need to do any
work on this earth. The Supreme Being.
to whom all prayers are directed, will
provide food in some mysterious way #
the worshiper is but firm enough in his
belief This part of the doctrine is play
ing havoc with several crops in the re-
gion where the new dogma has taken
deepest root The laborers becoming sud-
denly possessed of the idea that they must
make a pilgrimage, have thrown down
their tools and started without further
ado, much to the land owners disgust.
This peculiar religion is said to have
been started by a man named Cabin at
time when Spanish rule fiourished in
these islands. Gabini and a few of his
followers were one day taken quietly to
Apalit and shot. This successfully stop
ped the career of the new belief as long
as the Spaniards held the islands. With
the advent of the Americans and their
proclaimed intention to give everybody
right to have whatever religion best suited
him, the fame was famed into fresh life,
and Gabnis chief clerk took up the work
where Cabin had left off for the purpose
of becoming a martyr. The name of this
chief clerk was Salvadora, and he is the
Filipino who has lately been so prominent
| in propagating the new religion.
Salvatore was able, by means of his
power as a preacher, to pull down for
himself a commission in Aguinaldos
army, and he appeared in all the glorious
| trappings of an insurgent major in
few of the opening battles of the cam
paign in the vicinity of Malabon. He was
in command of forces there when the Kan
sas boys made their charge at Caloocan,
and the shock he received gave him what
is known in army parlance as cold
feet" There was less glory in disseninat-
ing religion. but 1t was whole lot safer.
Salvatore, therefore, went back to his
ecclesiastical la bors aftor handing his res
igna ton to Aguinaldo.
Salvatore settled down to steady exhort-
ing and he had wonderful success. He
seemed to have much power over the ma
tives around him, especially the c'ass
known as the ignorantes. They hocked -
his meeting at the rude rendezvous in the