Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-13
SETTING Bt1fxAMPLE
! z2.1s-su es':f1 =~El
ar Is.
Americans at Manila. Stay
Away From Church.
IN ARMY AND NAVY
CONTRAST WITH PRACTICE OF
BRITISH OFFICERS.
Dr.. Stuntz, Presider Elder, Tells About
the Work and Aims of the
Methodists.
By WILLIAM E. CURTIS
pecial Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.

i
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
! Chicago RecOrd-Herad.
MANILA June H. 1903.
Clergymen of all denominations, Protest
1 ant and Catholic, complain that the Ameri-
| can population of Manila do not go to
| church, and that they neglect other relig-
| ious duties which they are accustomed to,
| observe at home.
| That Is often the case IN foreign coun-
! tries Obligations lie lighter upon the con-
| science and habits are relaxed. 1t is I'M
| doubtedly true that our people here in
| many other respects are not as careful in
| observing the injunctions of pious parents
7 and obeying the commandments as they
| ought to be. Men who are regular church
| goers at home, when separated from their
| families often feel relieved from the duty
| OF setting examples to their children. sleep
| late on Sunday mornings and go to the club
| to gossip and read the newspapers instead
| OF attending divine service. Consequently
| the club is filled and the pews are vacant
Army; officers. the ministers say, are par
| ticularly Indifferent, and few Of them are
ever seen at church, which Is in striking
contrast with the habits Of the British in
India, Egypt, HurmaiSingapore and every
| other colony where the established church
holes service.
Contrast With the English. -
British officers consider 1t matter OF
duty as well as of privilege to attend. and.
out of respect to the church, always wear
full dress uniforms at the morning service.
At evening service they are not So regular
but many of them attend and wear fatigue
dress. The same Is true upon the ships Of
the English navy and merchant marine.
Our naval officers never think Of holding
service on board battle ship gun
h0at unloSq the chaDlafn iS DreSpDt. hit the
British never fail to do so, and in the abb
sence of a chaplain the admiral or captain
or executive officer reads the lessons for
| the day.
On merchant ships It is the same. Divine
worship for the benefit of the crew is en-
Joined by the board Of trade and the reg
ulations obeyed in conscientious man
ner by most ship masters. Precisely at the
hour appointed the officers and members
of the crew and stewards, so far as they
can be spared from their posts. assemble
in the dining salon, where the captain. or
If he is on the bridge, sthe purser, opens
big Bible and a prayer book upon a minia-
ture pulpit draped with the English flag
and reads the morning prayers and the les
sons for the day. You seldom see this upon
an american ship OK those of any other ma
ton. s'i
There are chaplaips for all the regiments
in the Phlippines.s but commissioned Off
GERS are beyond their spiritual Jurisdiction
Their work is limited to the enlisted men.
The Manila elergymen complain of the
lnulI1eTenC6 Oh tAeff fellOW-cOuntrymen to
religion. because Of itS effect upon the Fill
ipinos. who are very mpressionable and so
much influenced by example. No doubt our
people over here night sset-th natives
| ethics and other things. and particularly in
fault Of the asesa s coioas ln rs Mae sas
Mia. N''7'-
Work Of the Meshodists.
1 dropped into the Methodist conference
foil Ln Nfh
prised to see. the number It, earnest and in
telligent native pastors and local preachers
and Bible read ers who were gathered there.
making their reports. discussing the situa-
ton In their various districts, and recetv-
ing instruction. admonftion and advice
from the presiding elder, DIR. Homer C.
SuntZ. DR.. SturtZ comes from Mount Yer
non, Iowa. and has the benefit of seven
years experience a missionary in India
He Is man of great physical and mental
strength and energy. and Is responsible for
the aggressive policy of the Methodist
Church here
Our star of American workers now num-
bers twenty" said DR.. Stuntz in answer to
my questions. Eleven of these are or
dained ministers, one Is deaconess and
the remainder are wives of married mis-
sionaries who are" much part of the
working staff as their husbands. One Chi
nese minister has been transferred from
China. two Filipinos have been received
into membership at the annual conference
and sixty-two more have been licensed as
exhorters and local preachers"
DR.. Stuntz believes that the church in
the Philippines should De self-supporting
! as well as self-prOgagating, and only seven
of the native preachers are paid from mis-
sionary funds. Whatever compensation the
others get comes from the contributions of
their congregations. The preachers work
at their trade during the day and preach
nights and Sundays. The results, which
l gave you in a letter the other day are
that a the latest roundup Ado members
were reported.
AT the last conference Rev. Paul H. c.
| Ciong was transferred from the Foochow
conference and sent TO Manila, said DR..
Stuntz up to that time no attempt at
Christian work for Chinese people had ever
been made in the Philippine Islands, either
There were a few Chinese Christians here
who had come over from China. and they
royalty welcomed their new pastor. The
chapel room at the sailors nome was Sc
cured for their services, ana small be-
ginning was made. There has been steady
progress. and success has crowned the
faithful labors of Brother C1ong and his CO.
laborers. The church now numbers about
fifty members, and the room Is crowded
at each service.
Forty Organized Congregations.
Definite work has been undertaken in
about fifty places. with forty regularly or
ganized congregations. The average week.
Iy attendance Is: from 10000 to 5000. Our
problem is not the mere seeking Of num-
bers-that would be comparatively easy
matter. Within the nfxt fortnight 5000
could be enrolled-but rather We seek the
establishing and tie building up of indie
pendent. self-suppotffng. congregations: We
believe that, particularly In this mission
field, we should aim, very. largely at self
support: In the opening up OF new fields Of
ported by foreign money, but local congre-
cations should and Gan easily support their
own pastors. Earlyin the year we saw that
this could scarcelyo be. secured as yet. 30
we set ourselves about securing and train
ing native exhortsss and local preachers.
with the result that we now have from one
to five in each congregation: These share
| the responsibility foT their religious services
and we go among them as frequently as
| possible. This original plan OF Methodism
makes it possible for US, to push the work
from these fifty centers. with but four
American and five .Fflipinos paid workers.
We have twenty-five chapel buildings. with
| a seating capacity OF from 100 to 1000 each.
The native members build their own
| chapels. with but little help from the church
| extension funds. They maintain all their