The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-06-21
TOWNSEND
IN MINDANAO
Honolulu Teacher
Writes of the
Island.
MALAYANS IN
THE TRIBAL STAGE
Moslems Who Suspect That the
Americans Come to Steal
Their Lands.

Editor Advertiser: Perhaps hinda-
mao has been so much Of a storm CEN
ter for the past few weeks that your
readers win be glad to have an expia-
nation Of the situation from one on the
ground
To 70 back n little into history. the
Malayans seem TO be suffering from ar
rested development. the arrest having
occurred In their tribal stage OF ao-
yancement. II has never been the se-
Mus OF the race to form great nations
hut rather to live In small tribes. loose
iy bound together or entirely independ-
ent and therefore more or less hostile.
IL IL from such tribes as these ina.
the Philippine Islands were peopied
more than a thousand years ago-how
much more ! shall not try To guess
The point TO be made Is that about
thousand years ago Arab missionaries
arrived In the Malay Peninsula, intent
on the conversion OF the people 10 the
religion OF Mohammed. In this they
were soon successful. as the haiayans
seem to have had mixed origin anu
n shifting faith. Four hundred years
later. or. say. In the year 1850. new
access OF missionary zeal sent Arap
missionaries TO North Borneo. Sulu ana
Mindanao. where they successfully
converted to their faith some OF the
DrIncipal chiefs. The conversion or the
pcople seems to have progressed rap
idly In Borneo and Sulu. but more
difficult problem met them on hindahao.
Here they and their successors have
worked ut their task ever since. anu
the net present result Is Mohamme-
dan population at the outside NUMBER
l ing 100000
brought the first Christian priest 10
Mindanao, but no active propagandism
OF the Christian religion occurred I'M
/ I'll the time OF Philip II. This mon
arch. actuated with his usual religious
real. sent a military force out here as
an escort for "A band OF missionaries.
and they made conquests In the ISLANDS
In the name OF the cross. conquerins
the people In order that they might
make Christians Of them ana thus IN
sure their eternal welfare. Those OF
the loose ACCOMMODATION OF tribes who
held 20 the weak religious faiths which
their ancestors had brought with them
into the Islands. yielded readily TO the
arguments and the force OF the Span
lards and thus became Christians But
thoa. who had accepted Mohamme-
danisrn. n strong new faith. forged In
the flames OF religious controversy car
ried ON with words and weapons. gave
them a different problem Thus the
Christian Spaniard and the hohamme-
dan Maiayan began a religious warfare
which kept continually breaking out
anew until the withdrawal OF the Span
iarda In 1885 During these wars IL -
hardly necessary To- say that the MO-
hamrnedan tribes were drawn close To-
rether by the bonds OF their common
faith and common cause But for the
arrest OF development mentioned aoose
this would have moulded these people
into n compact nation; but TINS wa
rot the result. though at times IL seem
ed almost 30.
The Americans came. and by storing
horse feed In the chapels. quartering
aoldlera In the conventos and various
other acts convinced these Mohamne-
dams that ours - not Christian ma
,lon- Thus the bond which had held
them together was weakened and the
feudatories which had been built W
began to crumbie- The Sultanate OF
the Magulndanaos. perhaps the most
dignified OF all these feudatories. seems
10 have forever disappeared from the
face OF the earth.
The mass OF these Mohammedans live
on an interior plateau OF the island
where they have hitherto had things
pretty nearly their own way. In INT
early nIneties the Spaniards penetrated
this highland fastness and conquered
the people Their plan for holding th'
Mace was to people IL with Christians
ana In order to do this resort TO forced
immigration seemed TO be necessary
This brought on the rebellion In whici
AptIualdo first came into notice arc
which lasted practically TIL the end o.
the Spanish occupation Thus was oe
veloped In the minds OF these people
an anxiety for the safety Of their lands
the very garden spot OF TINS saruei
isIand. When the Americans came. a.
IN have said. they soon removed al
Tears from the minds Of these peopi'
on the religious question. but they re
main exceedingly suspicious aoou
,hegr lands I wonder IL Poor Lo ma
been sending them letters!
IRE commander OF this brigade. Gen
l eraI Davis. as kindly n gentleman a
, .ver made war that he might hav
r.ace has done all he could to gan
the confidence OF the Moaainrnedah'
and In this he has been largely sue
cessful. But a detachment OF t"eh''
soldiers some miles away from CAM
- ATTACKED By the men OF one
the principal chiefs OF the rssIon, on
.,,,.-lcan was killed and the other
!. ere compelled TO abandon their horse'
p.s,ttutton was demanded but no
-oda Now these MohammedaDs az
-. nothing so much as martial cour
-. ara for the Americans 70 nav
. -, ., resent this insult ana puhis
,,s uerpetratOr would have DEous
- into contempt with all the othe
.Tohamrnedan chiefs and the END Won.