The National tribune., 1904-01-14

ing an animal, the Negritos fling piece
heavenward, crying out at the same time,
This is for theer
Gironiere. who visited a community of
Aetas, early in the last century, says:
.Fhe Aetas have no religion: they do not
adore any star. 1t seems, however, that
they have transmitted to, or received from,
the Tinguianes, the practice of adoring.
during one day, rock or q trunk Of any
tree on which they find any resemblance
whatever Of an animal; they then abandon
1t, and think no more of an idol until they
meet with a strange form, which, for a
short time, constitutes the object of their
frivolous worship"
81 thought of speaking to my interpre-
ter on religion, an6h asked her if she did
not believe in supreme being-an all
powerful Divinity, on whom all Nature
even we ourselyes-depend in all things;
and who had created the armament, and
who was looking on at our acts! She
looked at me with smile and said: When
i was young, among your brothers, / re-
member that they spoke to me of mas
ter, who. as they said, had Heaven for
his dwelling-place: but all that was lies;
for see there she took up small stone
and threw 1T into the air, saying. in a very
serious tone How can a king, as you
say, remain in the sky any more than
that stoneYo.' What answer could give
20 such reasoning? left religion aside"
no INSTRUCTIVE RELIGION.
The Dumagas, hybrid Negrito race liv-
ing in the foothills of the Sierra Madre
range, Province Of Ell Principe, have no
known religion; and the same is true of
the Manguianes Of Mindoro, who also pos
sess some Negrito blood. "AlI of the tribe
with whom We talked" says Professor
Worcester, "emphatically denied any be-
lief in future life. AS the headman of
this clearing tersely put it, When Mang-
gan Is dead, he is dead. We asked our
Interpreter to inquire as to their belief in
q god or gods, but he informed us that
they had no words for such ideas. At no
time during any of our three visits to Min
doro did We find the slightest evidence of
fdolatry, spirit worship, or, for that mat
ter, OF worship Of any sort whatever
- 1t appears that the Manguianes prac-
fiee the ordeal by fire to determine the
guilt or innocence OF any person accused
and though they do not inflict the death
penalty as punishment for crime, for all
unenligbfened people they exhibit a sur.
prising degree Of honesty and morality
Says Professor Worcester: Zone nigh;
imagine that morality would be at low
ebb among people whose women are al
most without modesty, and where all alike
agree that there is no future life, nor any
sure retribution for evil deeds i'm this
Nothing could be further from the truth
Such thing as faitbless wife is almost
unknown Again and again we left
wholly unprotected. enough property I,
8 make dozen OF them very wealthy ac
cording to their standards, yet they never
! stole q pennys worth from U.S.
The Manguian, il appears, is fatalis
30 far as the practical events of life arr
concerned, so that il locusts destroy hi,
rice or cane. his camOte crop proves 4
failure; or lightning kills his mother-in
law, he contents kimself with the stoica
observation: 1T was so to be"' He womb
take kindly. perhaps, to Calyinistic doc
= trine Of religion. Il was a good dea
amused" says Professor Worcester, "a
the account which padre at Naujan CAV,
me of the reply he received from a Mang
yam to whom he had been setting fortl
the benefits Of Christianity. The unre
generate heather had answered that il h
became Christian it would cost mone
to be baptized, TO live, TO marry. 70 die
and to be buried. In his existing stat
none of these more or less necessary oper
atoms cost him anything, and he could sc
no advantages to be derived from embrac
ing Christianity, commensurate with tn
increased expense.'
Certain of the Igorrotes Of northern Lu
zon have apparently no religious belief
and have resisted all attempts to Chris
tianize them. Foreman attributes thi
distrust to the treatment they have re
ceiyed from the white race. ~ was told,
he says, that a priest who had endeayor
ed to teach them the precepts Of Chris
fianity, and had explained to them tn
marvellous life Of Saint Augustine, wa
6smayed to hear an Igorrote exclaim tina