The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-27
RELIGIOUS PROGRESS IN CUBA.
Complete Freedom of Worship Now
Enjoyed Under American Control.

Enjoyed Under American Control.
Copyright, 1901. The Christian Herald,
New York.
Havana, Cuba. Jan. 3, 19O1.-Cuba is a
changing country. 1 think that it Is
changing for the better. Certainly many
of the changes that have taken place dur
ing the last two years have been for the
better Moreover. they have been of
kind to encourage those Americans who
may be thinking Of coming to the island
and settling.
In reviewing a few OF the things that
have happened since the American flag
went up, on Jan. l, 1899, and the Spanish
nag went down forever one of the most
important to me seems the complete free
dom of religious worship. OF course, I'M
der the American flag there could be no
union Of Church and State, as had been
the, case with the Spaniards. Up to that
time single Protestant congregation ex-
listed in Havana. This was the Baptist
Church, of which DR.. Diaz is the pastor,
and which has managed to secure the
concession of a cemetery for the burial
of those outside the Catholic faith. Now
there are several English-speaking Pro-
testant congregations, and chapels or mis-
sions are maintained by the Episcopalians,
the Congregationalists, the Methodists,
the Baptists, the Presbyterians and the
Disciples. The Quakers also are estab-
lished in modest way.
All these Protestant churches do not
content themselves simply with the hold
ing of religious services on Sunday. They
do a great deal of practical missionary
work, and most of them hold services in
Spanish as we'll as in English. They are
Havana haPanSA nj
day in Matanzas 1 was told that the
Methodist Episcopal Church there owned
its own house of worship, one of the first
instances of the kind in the island.
Some political changes are going on Of
which 1T is not necessary to treat now,
except to express the belief that, while
Cuba will have its own constitution and
its own dependent government, the NOR
al support and the protection of the
United States will never be entirely with
drawn from the new commonwealth,
which may be known as the Republic of
Cuba. The process of establishing this
new commonwealth will be gradual and
hs various steps can be followed as they
are taken. There is no probability of
sudden and complete withdrawal of the
! American authority and whatever may
be the uncertainties of the future gov
eminent, the protection of the United
| States always will be assured to its citi-
zens in Cuba.
l write of this, because some letters
which have reached me renew inquiries
about the prospect for Americans secur-
/ ing homes in Cuba, the nature of the land
titles, and other matters. Some of these
/ questions have been answered in the past
| but the answers may be repeated in the
| light of the experience of those Ameri-
| cans who have established themselves in
! the island during the last three years.
! Scattered throughout the provinces there
| are surprising number of those who
! have bought land and settled down as
farmers. Some of these came with the
soldiers, or as civil employees of the Amer
lean officials and had the best chance TO
pick out places for setting. Others got
together some means, came down to look
over the ground, and when they saw
what suited them, they bought land. Some
who were drawn into ill-advised projects
of colonies and who suffered loss in con-
sequence, yet had pluck enough to stay
and make home for themselves.
want to emphasize the point about all,
that those who are succeeding are the
ones who have gone out into the coun-
try, and have not tried to make their
fortunes in Havana, Santiago, or the
other cities. They have recognized the
great truth that, since Cuba is one vast
farm, the best chance for the newcomer
is in farming. So they have got land,
and gone to raising fruits, vegetables,
coffee, and in some cases sugar-cane.
have noticed that the Chinese truck gar
deners who are so numerous
around Havana, are no longer
monopolizing the trade. Some Amer
leans who went little further out into
the country and engaged in truck-farming.
are doing very well. Down at Guines,
which is the real market-garden of the
island, and which raises great quantities
of onions and Irish potatoes for the New
York market, Americans are beginning
to make Roadway. In quite a number of
cases where they have gone to raising
oranges, they are doing very WELL though.
OF course, it will be two or three years
yet before they can raise and market a
crop. Americans also are doing well in
pineappes; and in travelling around l
have noticed some progress in dairy-farm-
ing, and even an effort to raise hay and
bale it for the market, after the Ameri-
can way.
These observations apply to the settled
| portions of the island, which, notwith-
standing that they are settled, have much
good land still uncultivated. The era also
has begun of opening up the undeveloped
| portions of Cuba. The most important of