The National tribune., 1902-07-24
THE PHILIPPINE FRIARS.
Who and What They Are, and the
Causes for Gov. Taft's Desire to Get
Rid Of Them.
BY CAPT. HYLAND C. KIRK.

kome concerning Governor Iaft'S neEotla-
tions with the Vatican, n good many
Americans are asking questions about the
priestly orders in the Philippine Archi-
pelago. They want to know how these
monks differ from the ordinary priests
how they originally came to go to the
! philippines. what their duties are there
and especially concerning their elations
with the natives. that should cause the
latter to object to their presence in the
Islands
1t will be understood, of course, that the
monks or friars of the Philippines are of
the great religious bodies organized al yari.
ouS periods in the career of the Roman
Catholic Church. chiefly for the purpose of
proselytins and the saving of souls They
differ from the secular clergy directly sub
Ject to the Bishop of each diocese in being
directly under the contro! of the Superiors
of their respective orders. The word friar,
from frerc. brother. indicates the bencvo-
lent character such organizations are sup
posed to embody
1t WAS ever the policy of Spain to follow
its wars of conquest with the influence of
the missionary; for the saving of such
souls as survived determination by the
Sword-sincc heather have no rights in
this world and 10 valid hope in the next
| Spain considered ample justification for NIL
the blood which might be shed in conquer
ing ANY country. In fact, the Pope. who
:i1O years ago owned. or claimed to own.
the whole world. not only spiritually but
| literally. imposed such a condition on the
right of conquest. Besides we are in
formed by the Spanish historian, Juan Con
celcion. in his General History of the
PhIilpPlncs, published in 11SS that the
right of Spain To these Islands was pre-
dictcd by the Jewish Prophet Isaiah in the
18Th chapter of that sacred book, that il
was attcsted by many miracles, and con
cd ~ ta1, .,,tI
AGENTS OF CIVILIZATION.
Such were the convictions and such was
the spirit with which the Spanish friars
first went to the Philippines; and no one
can consider the question fairly without
admitting that they were from the very
hrst an element of great good in the matter.
OF clviliZing the natives-this without tax
ing into account special questions of faith.
he hrsr to arrive there. in 1J6J. were the
auStlns or AuguStinS. an order founded in
me llth century under IL rcgula or system
dcduced from the writings of st. Angus
tine. They established themselves in Ma
mia and some II provinces of Lrzon; also
in Cebu, 1lolo. Jaro Conccpcinn. Ca,,iz
and San Jose de Buena Vista. They have
converts in Manila. Ccbu. and Gl1ad.:-
i"Upe: boys orphan asylum nj Tambobon
! ana Il girls orphan asylum at MandalOya
The order has total membership of about
coo
The second TO establish themselves in
ne philippines We're the Franciscans in
| ioiI. They constructed churches and
conventos in some II provinces of Luzo;,
also III Cebu, Samar and Leyte. Several
hospitals are, under their control. and n
college at GttlnObatan. in the Province Of
Aibay: They arg said to number about
900. The FTanciScans. it will he rcmem-
hcrcd. were fofndei. as Dean Miman says.
| ny the most, biameleSs and gentle of all
the Saints. st Francis of Assist. in 1910.
! The third order TO arrive in the Islands
were the followers of st. Dominic. an or
ganIZation of friars founded by Dominic de
truman AT Toulouse for the purpose of
! preaching and curing souls" though his
immediate purpose appears to have been
the conversion Of the herefical Albigenses
of Southern France. The Domnicans
reached the philippines in June. 1887, and
now have establishments in some II PROV
| lnces. Their number is estimated at about
800.
The Resoletos, or hare-footed Aurustins
as they are sometimes styled. reached the
lSnnds in the year 1905 They were es-
tabliShed in some 10 provinces, with CON
rentS ut Manila. Cavitr. Ccbn and linus.
Their total number is something over 800
ne kecoietoS from the Latin of recol-
lectuS, gathered t0gether} appear TO have
been founded by Spanish Monk, Louis de
Aontaya. III $50. as an offshoot from the
Augnstlnlans, intent upon greater simplici-
ty of life and habit
The Society of Jesus Gesuits) reacbcd
the Islands IN 10Sl, and exercised an active
ministry throughout the Archipelago till
IbS, IN which year they were expelled.
The Influence of the Augustins. al
ways opposed to the Jesuits. is said
to have been factor in the downfall
OF the latter. The power of the friar or
d"rs ht that period may be CLEANED from
the fact that the Governor General. Jose
itaon, being suspected of having divulgcd
the secret decree for the expulsion of the
JesuitS, was by order of the Archbisbop
placed under guard in his own residence
where he died shortly afterwards The
'leSlllts returned to the Islands in 1859 and
founded missions in Luzon. Mindanao and
,Iol@. They y have charge of several schools
ana the Observatory at Manila They
number l64 members in the Islands
The Paulists, few III number. came TO
the Islands in 1860. the same wear in
which the Sisters of Charity arrived. The
Capnehins arrived in 1886 and the Bene
dIrtines i'll 1S95: there are 36 of the former
pines.
THE POWER OF THE FRIARs
AS the friars We're the first priests to
arrive they We're the first TO take charge
VI PARISHES, ana having the sanction of
Rome, with their close relations In tbc
natives. they soon became the most infu
entail class i'll the Philippines. The chief
draw wback in this respect was differences
among themselves. Each Catholic body"
says Foreman, was supposed to designate
the same road to Heaven-each professcd
TO teach the same means of obtaining the
grace of God: yet. strange to saw each
bore the other an implarable hatrcd-an
inextingushable jealousy"
However, they continued to increase in
numbers and influence. with the increase
OF population and development of the conn
try. so that in 113J the Augustins had
charges in lo5 towns. the DOminicans i'm
II towns. the Jesuits in so towns. and the
Franciscans in 63 towns: making n total
OF 454 towns in. which the friars con-
trolled, while the secular clergy had charges
i'll hut 142 towns. In 1893 the friars COL
lectively possessed over 100000 acres of
the best agricultural lands. md the Arch
bishopric of Manila, including the Bis
hoprics of Cebu, Jaro Nueva Segovia. and
Nueya CacereS. controlled 6,5J9, 1913 Cath
Ollie communicates
Commenting on this progress the Jesuit
historian Of the order in Manila. in his re-
port to the Philippines Commission says:
To whom is due this increase of Cath
ollcism and this growth of the population
of the Philippines in general from the time
of the Spanish conquest? 1t is due to
the regular and secular clergy Scarcely
any Importance can be attached to the i'm
migration into the Philippines in the course
OF wears. The Chinese and the Europeans,