The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-05


try and rob the natives of their faith?
Will it make them better or more loyal
citizens? No such claim is made. No
religious interference was the first
promise made by Admiral Dewey. Cath
Ollie dignitaries were perfectly satisfied
with the change of governments, pro-
vided the faith of their flock was not
tempered with. To all of this Rev. Mr..
Carlisle testifies in his address. He
said:
Catholic Christianity prevails in
these islands. 1t has prevailed there
always. 1t has, as 1 have said, grown
SO deeply down into the hearts of these
people as to defy extirpatio at the
hands of anyone.
Catholicism has been wrought into
every fiber of the being of the natives.
It's existence there has become a po-
litical and social necessity And from
my study believe that this existence
is based on conditions negative of all
compromise. BY the right of it's
Christian homestead, it's long self-sac-
rificing service, the Catholic church
and the Catholic constituency is nat
urally jealous of any religious en-
croachment. This encroachment can
not be made without causing serious
| trouble.
Among the very first assurances Ad-
miral Dewey gave the archbishop of
Manila was that there was to be no
organized interference in these religi-
Gus affairs.
There is nothing promising or sig
nif1cant to the Protestant cause, that
the high prelates of the Catholic church
are in favor of the Unied States con-
troll. In pastoral letter which 1 read
in Manila, the prelate said: We are
convinced that the changs of sover-
eighty is for the good of the country,
because it was done bv the word and
deed of God, who always ministers
with those who love him, and we do
not believe it necessary to say more
to our Catholic people to secure their
entire devotion and adherence to the
church under the new conditions
These dignitaries are simply looking,
as is their right, to the safety of their
church interests.
1 have good reasons for saying that
this part of the world is no place for
men who, under the stimulus of religi
Gus delirium or moral Mysteries, go
there with the avowed purpose of max
ing an aggressive fight against the pre-
vailing religion. If such men possessed
a decently working conscience it would
question both right and motive
But they do not question They claim
the right to abuse, misrepresent and
even tell falsehoods. That seems to be
their only stock in trade. That it is
| done cannot be denied. Mr.. Carlisle,
speaking from personal experience,
says: ~
while 1 was in Cuba a man of this
class representing one of the numeri-
cally large denominations, came to
Santiago, and his first pulpit effort
was a bitter denunciation of the Cath
Ole church and Catholic faith. General
Lawton had to summarily squelch him
in order to avoid serious trouble. In
March, 1900, preachers of this same de-
nomination filed the columns of the
Manila daily papers with articles bit
terly venomous and vituperative
against the Catholics. Manila is no
place for religious geniuses lacking
sanctified common sense"
The revilers see the moat in their
brothers eye, but cannot see the camel
in their own, or if they do, why are
they silent? What Mr. Carlisle says of
the conduct of our officers and soldiers
in Manila proves that what with the
character and conduct of the average
soldier of the regular army, the drunk
enness that flows out of more than 300
American owned and operated saloons
in Manila, as counted them, the hab-
itual Sunday chicken fighting and horse
racing by army officers, some of them
on the staff of the commanding gem
| eral; races publicly advertised in the
Manila papers, the beastly and in
| famous manners of the soldiers in the
presence of native females. old and
young, a RIGHTEOUSNESS that shames
every sense of justice and fhonor; the
villanies of the soldiers of Erasmus re-
peated and the disgusting profanity of
both officers and men, we are not max
ing an enviable impression on the mind
of the Filipino as to the character of
either cur moral or religious American
ism.
Looking at all this, an intelligent
native school teacher said to me, and
with infinite contempt in his tone: rs
that the civilization you want to give?
Is that sample of your boosted Amer
lean civilization? We had better keep
what we now have"
The chaplain felt like the man who
was kicked by the mule-done up.
Facts were against him. and he might
wrestle with the Lord in prayer all
his life, and the only answer he could
give in the end was vanquished. He
admits this. hence his sound judgment
gave this advice:
Personally, as a minister and a
Christian, would not vote dollar or
man or sympathy for any Protestant
religious campaign in the Philippines.
In saying this, l am not open to the
charge of being an apologist for the
Catholic church. Behind these state
ments lies the sense of Christian JUS
tice and the wish for the best good
willing towards these people.
There is Catholicity enough in me
to say that am willing to look be-
meath the differences which separate
me from these other people. and to be-
lieve that they may love truth and
work righteousness acceptable to God;