Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-08

OF all but six OF the native priests of tho
diocese Of Iloilo (Jaro) who had not all
ready Joined Aglipay. They demanded OF
Monsignor Gufdi the appointment of a ma
| i've as bishop, instead OF the American
| soon TO take charge, and, when he said hs
could do nothing. organized another schisn,
the Philippine Apostolic Church." ac-
knowlcdging the pope's supremacy as to
| dogma. but denouncing 1t as to discipline.
| and electfng one Of their number "eccle.
siastical governor Of the diocese More
recently, nearly all the native priests of
| this Iloilo movement.
Rent in Twain.
Plainly the Catholic Church in the Philip
| pines is split asunder. Protestants might
say: All the better" But the government
which must see neither Protestant nor
catholic must yet see anything which
threatens the preservation of peace and
order. Good luck, Governor Taft and
| some remnants of Filipino common sense
nave SO far saved the situation from de-
generating into semianarehy, as the reli-
gious question has been at the bottom Of
all the troubles in the past in the Philip.
pines. Meanwhile, Filipino officers and PEG.
pie have been going to school to Governor
Taft in the elements of civil government in
state where freedom of worship is en-
forced IN the Stricte st sense. For the first
Time i'll the history OF those sIa DIS an anti
friar movement. for such the schlsm rs and
nothing more, is confined to peaceful meth
odS and is working within legal channels
I Does the solution OF the friar question lie
herein? Can the people be made fully to
understand that they are now under gov
eminent which leaves il entirely to them to
support or abandon any minister or wor.
ship they have turned against and wor.
ship elsewhere or not al all, as they choose?
1t was because the mass of the Filipnos
did not comprehend this. to them totally
new idea, and because the permanence OF
the hated friars would be interpreted by
them as involving the governments sane
hon, at least, that Governor Taft under
TOOK the unprece dented negotiations at the
Vatican. Lately, there have been indica-
tons that he was willing. If the Roman
Church was, TO let things drift If so,
that can only be because he feels that the
past years experience with the schism has
taught the Filipinos a lesson and has made
them care less keenly whether the friars
stay or go. seeing they have an easy rem
edy i'll their own hands-viz, to disregard
them ard their ministrations.
A Source of Danger.
Where such an outcome would leave the
Roman Church Is a matter for concern
primarily to its rulers. They are in danger
of losing their control over the Filipnos, IL,
| indeed, they have not already done so. For
Rome to regain there her prestige will re-
quire heroic measures and first the proc
lamation on the part of Plus Y of differ
ent policy from that which Mons.g or Guidi
was sent out to execute. There are rea-
sons for believing that the latter has moro
than recommended a more popular course
as to the friarS. 1t seems impossible that
Rome could ever treat with the schismatic
leaders, and yet, unless there is a right
about face, they held the whiphand over
the situation. This particular phase of at
fairs is not of concern to the American
government as government. But even the
Protestant citizen of our country cannot
view with indifference too sudden and
violent loosing of the ties between the Fill
pinos and the one great institution of con-
servatism in the islands. Social progress
and individual education we want to be
sure, in measure and a manner alto
gether unprecedented hitherto among that
people; but there has been of late years so
| much following after false gods. whether
of religious fanaticism of political DEM
agoguery, that nothing which would in
crease this social Semi-anarchy can be
viewed with complacency.