Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-12

a pen OF the nod of his head. Hence he is
the slave of his superior, and the bishops
are under the direction of the cardinal arch
bishop of Toledo, who advises with Mgr.
Runildi the papal nuncio, the ambassador
from the holy see to the court of SPAIN IL
is easy to understand that the latter, VINO
receives his instructions from Rome, Is the
most powerful man in the Kingdom, anu
that without his support the throne could
not stand. Therefore he is prepared 10 MAKE
any demands he may consider just anu
reasonable upon the government. ana 'he
ca binet is compelled to submit to his Will
Under Queen Christina, for the last SlA-
teen years this submission has been cheer
full and voluntary. The relations between
the pope and the royal family or SPAIN
have been closer than with any other ma
ton Cardinal Rampolla, before being ele-
waited to the position of secretary or state
was nuncio at Madrid. He was the con-
lessor of the queen. and during the DARK
hours of her married life and early widow
hood was her advisor her closest friend
and the man she leaned upon. Leo ALL
was the godfather of the young king, ana
had an affectionate solicitude for his wei
fare This explains why the government
of Spain is so completely in the hands or
the priesthood and why one OF the pfiH-
cipal planks in the republican platform de-
mandS a change
But beyond this and much more serious
from an economical well as political
point of view, is the rapid growth OF the
various orders of nuns and monks. IhSy
have been allowed to increase and multiply
in Spain with the encouragement or ine
queen regent and liberation OF the ministry
until their numbers, their wealth and their
power have at last reached the degree u
which the government can no longer be in
different The most amazing stories are
told of their wealth. No one can discover
the actual amount because a great part OF
it is held in the name of trustees. laymeh
lawyers agents, managers and other per-
sons in whom the monks and nuns nave
confidence. There are people who assert
that 20 per cent of all the real estate IN
Spain outside of the property of the gov
ernment belongs directly or indirectly TO
the religious orders. Others who have H.
vestigated the subject are more modest
in their figures, and estimate that the
church owns 80 per cent of the real estate
in the cities~an the farms, but 40 per cent
or even 30 per cent, would be an enormous
proportion, and probably the actual value
is somewhere between those ngureS.
Religious Orders.
In the reign of Philip II, when the church
reached it's highest influence, the records
show that there We're 5000 monasteries,
containing 10000 monks. and 1000 nun
neries, containing $1,000 nuns, in Spain,
making a total of 10000 institutions ana
y 900 inmates. In 1871, according to the
Statesman's Year Book there were 1SS625
ecclesiastics, including 61.671 monks, 1850
nuns and 27O5 inqujsa tors. In 1888 when
Isabella II came to the throne, there were
1854 including .727 monks and 24U07
nuns. Soon after her accession there were
terrible revolutions, which were repeated at
intervals down to as late as 1874. During
this time thd religious societies suffered
great losses in numbers and property. Mon
asteries and converts were plundered and
destroyed, and many were cohfiscated by
the government Evidences Off their losses
can be seen in every city of Spain, where
former monasteries are used for hospitals,
bsrracks. government Offices and even
NSaJr .tnh1 nd a palin n
establishments can be seen in every section
of the country. But since those terrible
times the several orders must have recover
&c much of their wealth, and have had
their numbers largely increased by immi-
grafton from France and other countries.
particularly from South America.
According to a report published by the
government in 1896. there were 43,32S
monks and 2S, $40 nuns that year, and on
the 10th of June, 1892. during a debate in
the cortes, the minister of the interior
stated that there were at that time !, 115
religious communities in Spain, with 80, 1913
members, of whom 40.lSS were men and
1918 were women. OF these 2,611 had
obeyed the law, and registered themselves
with the government.
The Statesman's Year Book for 1903 says
there are 3,115 religious congregations in
Spain, with 50.933 members; 1855 for wo-
men, with 40, 1873 members, and $40 for men,
with 10,745 members; but the author does
not name the source of his info m alton. An
annuano or almanac for 1903. published by
one OF the Madrid papers, yes 9,326 mon
asteries and nunneries. with IS. 212 inmates
q, $50 men and % $50 women. Thus the
statistics differ, and there Is no way to as
certain the facts. Probably the approxt- !
mate number could be reached by taking an
average of all the figures given.
The principal orders in Spain are the |
Augustines, the Benedictines, the Clrthus
ans the Franciscans. the Dominicans, the |
Capuchins. the Jesuits and four orders of |
Hyeronomites. who were founded by Saint
Jerome, and were intr0dnced into Spain by
Thomas OF Sienna. There are sisterheods