The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-08-24

east. If We Judge only by the obedience
and faith of its adhsrents, and the
| authority exerted by its ecclesiastics.
Another extraordinary phenomenon
! Is the universal conversion of the wild
| tribes of the East India Islands to Mo-
| hammedanism Where did the Ara
| bian missionaries obtain their influ-
| ence, what was the source of the power
| they exercised over the barbarians?
| The same influence, the same power,
was exercised all the way from the
| Bosphorus to the China Sea, not only
| by disciples of Mohamet but by those
| of Buddha, who were sent out from
| Benares for the conversion OF the
| World. Christian missionaries have
money where the Buddhists and Mo-
hammedans had none; they have uni
versities, colleges and schools. hospi-
! tails and dispensaries: they have mod
ern facilities for conveying informa-
ton and giving instructions concern
ling their doctrines and creed: they
have the printing press. the postof'ce.
steamships. railway trains, and pow
erful governments, armies and navies.
and great learning and ability to sup
port and assist them. Yet In compar-
ison with the results accomplished by
the mendicant missionaries of Buddha.
1000 years ago. and those of Mahomet,
LII
a failure.
There is not a member of any of the
Moro tribes, no matter how ignorant,
depraved, or savage he may be, but
turns his face FIVE times a day in the
| direction of Mecca and proclaims Allah
| to be the only God and Mahomet to be
his only true prophet. There is not u
Mohammedan in Asia, Africa, or in the
| islands of the ocean but scrupulously
l 1f l. Cot nkra N
| II he is ignorant of its meaning or
merits. The same is true of Budd-
hism, which has an even larger num-
| her of adherents. and of Brahminism,
| which absorbs the faith and zeal of
| zoo, O00, 900 in India, regardless of its
cruel doctrines and hideous rites.
The recognition of the Sultan of Sulu
| by the other chiefs of the Moros is due
to religious scruples only. for he exer-
cises no authority or power. and is
otherwise treated with indifference and
contempt.
Ethnologically all the Moros trace
their lineage back to an obscure tribe
| In Sumatra. which had the enterprise,
the force of character and the courage
to conquer and absorb all Malaysia.
and give their name. their language
| and character to the entire population
of the East Indies. Upon the arrival
of Mazellon in 1921 the authority of
these fierce navigators extended from
the coral reefs of Ceylon to. Manila
Bay. The Spaniafds checked their fur
theI progress in the PHILIPPINES. as did
the Dutch, Portuguese and English in
other parts of the East Indies, and
kept them we'll within the southern
| islands of the Philippine group. which
the Moros now occupy, but they were
never able to bring them under sub
lection or convert them to Christianity.
These are the same people. the semi
barbarians which General Wood is now
endeavoring to organize into a system
of self government. and he has been
entrusted with an almost hopeless task
The record of ais years show that
| there was almost continuous warfare
between them and the Spanish gov
ernment with occasional intervals,
during which missionaries would be
sent out with messages of peace, which
were invariably rejected or accepted
with treacherous designs. Even the
most sanguine of the friars considered
them hopeless. The other day. while
| talking with an earnest serious padre
who has spent several years among