The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-11-15
FRANCISCAN VIEW
OF THE PHILIPPINES

vi III iblEtl ] IuG "
Continued from Page II
on fire at the beginning of the war
between the Americans and rebels.
Some say Americans did the burning,
others claim the rebels did it. Both
charges contain truth Yet it we
wanted proof we must rely upon the
natives whose word does not inspire
confidence in such cases. Many houses
were also fired on account of the
cholera, in order to restrict the pest,
it is said.
Cremation of Cholera Patients Of
Tended Natives.
During the cholera season the sick
were transported to camps for treat
ment and separated from their rela-
tives. The sick were taken from their
families and cared by Americans only;
but in a manner which to the natives
appears savage, since the doctors were
only surgeons, who gave all the same
treatment. The first was an lection
of some drug; then re patient was
stripped of his clothes then covered
with a sheet and bathed with ice water
continually. This method may be good,
but none of the old doctors in these
islands practiced it. Therefore the
treatment was blamed for the great
number of deaths. Among the natives
it is said that all the sick taken care
of by the Americans. died. Add to this
that the Americans burnt the corpseS,
and thus offended the native SENSIBLE
tiles. increasing their enmity against
the Americans You will not wonder
that many natives hide their sick, and
that after any died they were secretly
buried or thrown into the river or the
sea- The people have a great dislike
for the American way of treating the
sick, and will not permit their visits, If
possible, In the provinces the Amer
leans have been very rigid and incon-
siderate to the natives the quarantine
was so strict that many people died for
not being able to leave their houses to
procure the necessities of life or OBJ
tain medical treatment. What the
Americans did in this matter will nevel
be forgotten by the inhabitants of Dag
upan.
The American Pedagogues.
About the teachers; it is to be re-
GREETED that so many Protestant
teachers have charge of instructing
Catholic people, but do not hear that
they are fierce at proselytism in teach
ing their Protestant doctrines. There
is a Catholic superintendent at Ben
gued or Bontoe. L do not know wheth-
er or not any superintendent are
Protestant ministers, as people say,
Two Catholic teachers who have con-
fessed to me. are now in the Laguna
province. In Cebu there is one more,
and in other places, l suppose there
are fifty more or less, whilst the Prot
estant teachers number about 1,5OO.
Attempts to Force Children to Attend
Public School.
That the graduates of the normal
school at Manila all turn Protestants
is not true If there are some cases
1 am not aware of them; but L do
know that in Manila there are many
Catholic schools, sustained by tie
Catholics themselves, where all the
teachers, male and female, are Catho-
lies. of course. That the Protestant
teachers, or many of them, have con-
Quoted Sunday schools, l have not
heard but that some Americans try
by force or threats to get the children
from the Catholic school, is unfortu-
nately true There are many such
cases, and some even worse. Children
were taken from the Catholic school
and carried to the public, because the
teacher was alone.
Why the Philippine Clergy Have
Been Silent.
The hierarchy and the clergy OF The
Philippines have been reticent in re-
gard to these questions because their
position is peculiar. If the bishops had
tried to do anything, it is probable
that they would haze obtained less
from the authorities, whose DISPOSE
tions regarding them were not known.
The present bishop of Cebu, Francis
can of our province, now administrator
of the archdiocese, has corrected many
evils, sometimes by means of pastoral
letters, and sometimes by personal
conferences. The church has many
enemies here today, and the bishop
has endeavored to obtain justice for
the church more by peaceful than
other means. Yet many times the au-
thorities disappointed him, and ex-
cused themselves until Washington
could be heard from. Another reason
why the prelates and priests have been
silent is they wish to await the coming
of the apostolic delegate before speak
ing.
The "New Filipino Church"
Two weeks ago the New Filipino
of this city Do you know who is to
be the head? Problete and Reyes, two
Filipinos more dangerous to the coun-
try than all other calamities COM
bined. These are the same men that
organized the demonstration against
the friars four weeks ago. The press
has been filled with silly stories about
friars. One paper asked its readers
to state whether the friars should go
or stay, and the reasons therefor.
Charges came in, but neither reason
nor proofs against the friars came
from the enemies, whereas those that
contended that the friars should be
gave ample reasons for
their views. The whole thing appears
to me like a ridiculous farce. Our
enemies here as we'll as elsewhere,
conduct themselves like unreasoning
sectaries always do; their arguments
are mudslinging and noise.
If American priests came here, they
could easily learn one dialect of the
people; but there is another difficulty
the people hate everything American.
Yet they could effect much good in be-
half of Christianity, and no harm
would befall them, since they would
be protected as we are now. By all
means let them come.
Wealth of Religious Corporations.
Our province of st. Gregory in the
Philippines has been faithful to the
rule of st. Francis these 325 years
Neither the community or the indiyid-