Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-16
DR. STUNH PROTESTS
Opposes Holiday on the Day
of Virgin Of Antipolo.
BELOVED BY FILIPINOS
OCCASION RECOGNIZED BY THE
PHILIPPINE COMMISSION.
Not Determined What Action Will BE
Taken-A Much-Prized Relic
of Magellan in Cebu.
BELOVED BY PILIpINos
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

| Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald
| The Rev. DR.. Homer c. Stuntz. presiding
| elder of the Methodist conference of the
| Pi--ippine archipelago, has made a formal
| protest to The President against the action
! of the Philippine commission in making a
| legal holiday and closing the offices of the
government on the anniversary of the "Vir
| gin of Antipolo,' the patron saint of the
Philippine Islands This anniversary. which
has always been celebrated with great
| pomp and festivity by the Spaniards and
the native members of the Catholic Church,
occurred recently, and as usual, all public
offices, banks, factories, wholesale and re-
| tail stores were closed, labor was suspend
| ed on all public work, no business was
| transacted and the entire population were
given a holiday This was done in pursu-
ance of the policy Of the administration to
| encourage the observance of all the Gus
| toms and traditions of the people and to
| give them complete religious and social lib
! erty.
| DIR. Stuntz demonstrates against the off,
cial recognition of religious feast day cell
| ebrated by one denomination only. and par
| ticularly because 1t is.an official and formal
| Endorsement and encouragement of su-
| perstition and form of idolatry repugnant
! to the intelligence OF the American people
! and the spirit Of American institutions
Christmas. Thanksgiving day and Good Fri
| day are recognized by the nation at large
| as holidays, when business is suspended for
| the purpose of permitting government off,
| Gals and the public at large to engage in
religious worship and other forms of cele-
| bration that are observed In different parts
| of the country. But the anniversary of
| the Virgin of AntipolO" he considers pure
| ly local and UNCONVENTIONAL affair, which
| the government cannot recognize with pro-
| priety.
Action Undetermined.
| I. has not yet been decided what action
| will be taken by the President. but it may
| be expected that he will sustain the COM
mission on the theory that the government
| should respect and permit the observance
| of the ancient social and religious customs
| of the people, who, with the exception of
| very small fraction-less than / per cent
| are members of the Catholic Church and
| have been accustomed for centuries to pay
| their homage to their patron saint on a
| certain day each year. For centuries 1t
has been a national holiday, social as well
| as religious, and the failure to recognize
| this ancient custom. would cause almost
| universal dissatisfaction. The recent OBJ
| servance of the day, according to the re-
ports in the Manila papers, was even more
| general than during Spanish times. The
| procession of boats upon the Pasig river
| and in the harbor this year was spectacle
| surprising that of all previous years with
| IN the memory OF the OtQeSt lnndDltdnI. IN
| the opinion of the commission, to have ig-
| nored 1t would have shaken the confidence
| of the natives In the government, and II
! the ceremonies had been forbidden a revo-
! luton would have followed. The entire
| population took part in the demonstration.
4 Prizes were offered for the finest decora-
| lions and the most Original designs-bOtn
banks of the river were decorated in an
| elaborate manner, from the village OF Anti
| polo. where the image Is kept, to the bay.
| All the shipping In the harbor was draped
| with bunting; the public buildings were
| covered with flags, and 1t is worthy Of
note that the police reported no disorder.
| The newspapers say that the crowds were
very orderly; there was very little drunk
| enness and no more than the usual number
| of arrests.
| The Virgin Of Antipo1o.
| The Virgin of Antipolo" is little. black
image. rudely carved from ebony or some
| similar wood It's origin is unknown but.
| like many similar objects Of worship, 1t is
ascribed to St. Luke. It must be very an
cient, for it was venerated in Mexico be-
| fore it went to the Philippines, and tradi-
| ton says that Ia was an object of worship
| in Spain for centuries before the Conquista-
| dores carried 1t across the Atlantic.
| In 1926 1t was taken from Acapulco to Ma
Mia In the flagship OF Juan Nino de Tabora,
! governor general of the Philippines under
| Philip Nv of Spain, and its arrival was an
event of such Importance that it was es-
| corted from the ship by procession OF &C.
clesiastics, civil officials. soldiers and the
general public. and the archbishop cele-
brated solemn mass of thanksgiving for
| its presence. 1t remained upon the altar Of
| the cathedral for six years, until Tabora
| died. In his will he Entrusted the image to
the care Of the Jesuits and made provision
| for a church to shelter 1t at the village of
| Antipolo on the Pasig river, few miles
| from Manila While the church was build
Ing the Holy Virgin, according to the tradi-
| ton, appeared several times to encourage
4 the progress of the work and occupied q
seat upon the limb of a tree which has been
carried off in fragments as relics, which are
| scattered throughout the churches of the
| islands and are highly revered.
| The Resort Of Pilgrims.
Since that time Antipolo has been the re-
sort of pilgrims. Its hotels and boarding
| houses are filled with suppliants for the In
| tercesson of this virgin, who Is supposed to
work miracles; and considerable popula-
ton are supported by the pilgrims and dew
otees by the sale of prints, rosartes and
other religious embiems.
Many remarkable miracles are attributed
! to ''Our Lady of Good Voyages and Peace"
| who not only heals the sick, the lame and
| the blind, but assists in restoring the lost,
! reconciles enemies. cures the plague, scares
away locusts and has protected the people
against disasters and calamities upon land
and sea. In 1899. during the Chinese rebel
lion, 1t was carried BY the soldiers in bat
tie. In 1850 1t rescued a feet of galleons
from Spain that were loaded with immi-
grants and treasure and were exposed to
| the fury of a typho0n. AS soon as the
| image was taken on board the flagship the
storm subsidized. Since that date the image
has been carried on many expeditions. both
military and ecclesiastical. It was taken
back and forth to and from Acapulco sew
eral times by the royal feet: 1t has occu-
pied conspicuous place In public ceiebra-
tions for three centuries. and 1t Is the
most sacred and important object in the
| entire Philippine Islands in the eyes of 70
per cent Of the Christian population. While
original religious Significance. 1t has been
celebrated as a national feast day SO long
and Is considered so significant that any
attempt on the part OF the government to
interfere or discourage the festivities would
| be almost unanimously resented
"The Holy Child Of Cebu."
There is another image called THE Holy
Child OF Cebu." that Is almost as sacred.
and is even more interesting in many re-
spects. An Italian gentleman Of wealth
and social Importance. named Pigafetti. &C
l comnan MAD Maca1lan unon his famOua yOy-