Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-28


is a young and newcomer, but the
church is a popular one. DR.. Homer
Stunzs return to the states because of
illness removed a forceful personality from
the Philippines. The Episcopalians have
built St. Marys and St Johns Cathedral,
the finest modern ecclesiastical structure
in Manila.
An adjunct of this is the Columbia Club,
a handsomely equipped clubhouse, run on
liberal and gentlemanly lines by the men,
bers, and having about 1t no faint of pa
tronage or the eleemosynary spirit. Its
members are men from all walks in life.
1t differs from other high-grade clubs
chiefly in that gambling and drinking are
tabooed. Altogether it is by far the most
seen.
Bishop Brent has fifteen workers asso-
ciated with him, and services for Amerl-
cans are maintained in several places
The distinctvey missionary work of the
church has been almost wholly confined TO
the non-Christian tribes.
Some interesting statistics concerning the
American men in Manila were recently
gathered by the Young Mems Christian AS
ISOLATION. OF the 3, 4s2 American young men
in Manila, SO 1-3 per cent are unmarried.
OF the total number. 351 have Filipino
wives or live with Filipino women The
others are distributed as follows: Five hun
dren and sixty-five are living in American
homes; 627 living in messes; S13 are
rooming in Filipino families; 28 are living
in hotels So are soldiers, 81 are in Bil1bid
prison.
Apparently the average American does
not find the atmosphere of the islands con-
duClve to churchgoing. A count was made,
upon recent Sunday, of all the American
men in attendance upon the citys twenty
churches, Roman Catholic and Protestant.
and the aggregate number was found to be
416. At the Columbia Club were 81 and at
the Luneta sacred concert were 800. Over
against these S92 among whom were doubt
less many duplicates) who were under re-
ligious or wholesome" influences. may be
placed the count of ] 695 in attendance
upon base ball games, races, etc. At two
similar resorts where the count could not
be made, the estimated number was go
more
This does not mean that Manila is an i'm
moral city: in truth. 1 was amazed at the
quietness and orderliness Of it. and at the
manifestly high character of the people. SO
far as could ascertain. the attacks upon
the morality of Americans in the Philip
pines have been cruel exaggerations.
While they apparently do not lean
Mia yet manifest an alert interest in the
moral welfare of the city. The project to
build hundred thousand-dolIar Young
Men s Christian Association building with
lodgings for hundred men. was made
civic matter, and pushed through enthu-
siastically The Y. NJ. c. A. by the way.
was the first Protestant agency at work in
soldlers, now supplemented by work for
civilians. has continued to this day, win
ming warmest praise in all quarters.
The first outstanding fact concerning the
distinctively missionary work OF the islands
by the Protestant churches is the plan of
cooperation which lately adopted
Fronting by the experience of other mission
fields, the denominations early got together
to apportion the territory. so that dupjca-
ton and conflict might be avoided In or
der also to present united front for Prot
estantiSm, common name" E,vanpelicaI
churches'-was adopted in place of the
varied and confusing UNCONVENTIONAL appel
la tons. From the first there have been snh
stantlal unity and cooperation among the
missionaries. who are. as already indi-
Gated superior body of sensible, capable
men.
In the division of the islands among the
denominations. the Methodists have the
greater part of LuZon, north of Manila
and the Presbyterians the southern portion
OF the same islands as well as four other
Islands The Disciples of Christ also have
-FOUR stations In the most northerly part of
LuZon Since 1900 the Baptists have occu-
pied Negroes, northern and southern Panay
and the Island of Romblon. with seven
teen missionaries and seventy native con
gregations. Congregatioralists are located
on the Island of Mindanao, where thew
work in close cooperation with the Pres
DyteFianS Inc EpiScopalianS have a work
Tor the pagan 1gorrotes. and also for the
chinese Methodists likewise have a mis-
SION among the Chinese. The United
Brethren are strongly established about
San Fernando. Spiritualists and Christian
Scientists have work in Manila
The total Protestant membership of the
Islands, reported to the Evangelical Union
last year. was $1,000 exclusive of 10000
probationers recorded In the Methodist
Church. The last named body Is Witness
Ing an extraordinary growth; with only
nine Americans engaged in the Filipino
work, 1t now reports, according to Rev NJ
A. RAIDER, presiding elder. no less than
$1,000 members. including probationers
curious fact about its congregations and
those of the other missions Is that two
thirds OF them are men. and of their num-
Der three-quarters are young men. There
are 800 licensed native workers in the Meth
odist Church. only a few of whom receive
any financial assistance. This characteristic
of independence and self-support runs
through all the Protestant missions The
great bulk of their churches, throughout
the islands has been built by the natives
themselves.
Educational and eleemosynary effort on
the part of the missions includes the Pres
byterian hospitals at Iloilo and Dema guete
and the Silliman Industrial Institute for
Boys at the latter place, the Protestant
Episcopal Dispensary and Settlement House
schools the Jaro Industrial School of the
Baptists with about 800 students, and va
ricus training schools for native workers
and periodical religious publications MAIN
tained by the different denominations