Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-20
Demonstrations in the Philippines
Against Them.
MOBS THREATEN AUGUSfINIlNS
Concerted Action by Filipinos in
Luzon and Cebu.
NO FIGHT ON THE CHURCH

| From the Manila New American July II.
The anti-friar movement has been inau-
| gurated in the islands and 1t has broken
| out simultaneously in the north and south.
| 1t is not confined only to Luzon, but is
spreading over the southern islands. AS
| La Fraternidad says, it seems TO be a con-
certed movement against the friars-a
| peaceful way of reaching what a majority
| of the F'ilipinos consider a great evil and
| against which they have battled many
| years. The New American is in receipt OF
| informat ton showing that most of the cen
| trail provinces, especially the larger centers
| of population, have been thoroughly or
ganiZed and that committees working
everywhere to arouse the people for war
| fare against the return of the friars.
| What has occurred at Pangasnan and
Cebu will probably be repeated elsewhere.
| The friars are warned that they are not
wanted. Why they are not is a matter of
history, by which friars do not seem to be
able to profit. There is no Disgusting that
| this is the Inauguration of revolution,
| one that will be bIoodleSS, let 1t be hoped.
That is a serious matter any thoughtful
man Will recognize, but there need be no
alarm, for there must be no breach of the
peace. Wherever there are clashes there
will be found the strong arm of the govern
ment. 1t will brook no fractures of the
peace, though it will be slow to interfere in
so delicate matter. The policy of the
United States is to permit priests and lay
men to settle their own differences, in their
own way, so long as they do not come to
blows. 1t is difficult to guess by what right
the military threatened to interfere in the
Cebu affair, related below, though 1t
was perfectly proper for them to be at
hand to prevent an actual clash.
| The fact is that heretofore the friars
ruled the F'ilipinos with an iron hand.
| They owned them body and soul, dictated
not only their religion, but their politics,
and had the Cebu affair occurred in Span
ish time the men who protested against the
return of the friarS would have been shot
down by the military. All that is a thing
of the past on these islands, and the friars
ought to recognize ana not press the limit
The dominant power of any one religious
organization is forever dead. The Filipino
people realize that, and they also know
their rights. The present movement indi-
Gates that they mean to exercise them to
the fullest limit.
This is shown by the following account
of this movement:
Protests Against Friars.
DAGUPAN, July 10-It is learned today
that on Sunday next there will be peaceful
| protests against all friars in this province,
Benguet and to the northward. Secret
meetings of natives have been held
! throughout the province, and while it is
difficult to ascertain just what is doing,
there is no doubt judging by the temper of
| the people, that the friars will be bluntly
| told that they are not wanted here
We do not want the friarS.' said a
prominent and educated Filipino to me to-
day, land We do not mean to have them.
| We love the church, but hate the friars,
and mean to exercise every peaceful right
| We have under the American rule to keep
| them away from us-away from our wo-
| men, especially our young women.
This is a fight 400 years old on these
! islands, and now that we feel free We feel
! strong, knowing that the troops will not
| shoot us down when we make our peaceful
| protests.
1.-The church owns the churches? Maybe it
| does, by title, but generation upon genera
! tionS of Filipino manhood have paid for
| them We at least have an equity In them,
! and if we care to walk out when a friar
| comes or the priests attempt to tell us
what to do politically we can do so.
why do We oppose the frlarS? Read
| the history of the Philippines. They have
| been our real oppressors- They were the
| government. Now want to preserve our
! liberties, the sanctity of our homes, the
| purity of our sisters and daughters.
| That is the sentiment l hear everywhere
| over this region. 1t is not a revolt against
! the church, but the friars.
| 1t is difficult to get definite information
! but it is 'in the air. and it is certain
| that the movement is a concerted one
| There is much bitter feeling, but no dan
| ger need be apprehended-the leaders are
|
their rights in the premises; even on legal
/ advice. When I suggested to one of the
movers in the matter today that this action
would probably call down upon the faithful
! the anathema of the church, he promptly
replied:
1.-The awful circle of the church which
! Cardinal Richelieu is said to have drawn is
no longer effective. Light has dawned;
| liberty of thought and speech and con-
| science has come. The people think for
themselves. AT the worst, the curse of
Rome cannot be a circumstance to the
| curse the friarS have been to these islands
| and God will not be very hard on the Fill
| ipno who in defense of his home and his
domestic honor and of his recently acquired
liberty will defy the friars-aye Rome.
"And here" he said, "let say that the
| friarS cannot longer control our women,
and where they do the women can no
| longer control the men,
There's the spirit. What will we see?
repeat that this seems to be a peaceful
| movement, but will 1t remain so?
Demonstration in Cebu.
| The New Day of Cebu has this detailed
and specific account of the demonstrations
of the public against the friars in the
cathedral at that place on Saturday:
"All day Saturday nothing else was
spoken of in aristocratic circles, among the
bourgeois and among the popular masses
but the events of the morning. Seldom be-
| fore has a subject aroused so much wide
| spread discussion among the common peo-
pie.
| I'VE say it without circumlocution that
| the public, that great aggregation of diver
Sified elements, that mass composed of the
| learned and untaught, the rich and the
| poor, those of lineage and the plebeian with
out, expressed their protest, as if obeying
| a common sentiment, single and latent and
all impulsed by the same desire.
That such sentiment exists cannot be
denied; the animadverson is apparent 1t
is quite easy to say it now as the event has
occurred and we can comment on the oc-
currence.
1T was announced that Father Pedro
Medina, an Augustian friar, would preach
the sermon of st. Peter and St. Paul on
this occasion in the cathedral.
After this became generally known
among the public, comments were heard on
all sides. and in public and private people
were saying: is it not sufficient that the
friars should be allowed to come and go at
their free will? Shall they continue to ex-
ercise their ministerial functions by public
| utterance in the cathedral of the city
parish?