The San Francisco call., 1909-03-09

homesick A visit of a delegation from
every Philippine province to Nicaragua
would be powerful object lesson.
NATIONS LAPSING
INTO PAGANIsM
Only satire would call Central Amer
ica Christian today. Once it was Chris
tian, but now it's people are lapsing
into papanism, even as the Haitian
negroes. have lapsed into African VOC
dooism. BY people one means the ma
tive Indian. who. with those of half
Indian blood make up nearer four
fifths than three-fourths of the 3.OOO,-
600 who live between Mexico and Costa
Rica.
The history of the church here is.
broadly, it's history in the Philippines
and other Spanish American countries.
The priests who came with the con-
querors settled the Indians on the land
and taught them agriculture and re-
ligion. Generally the conqueror was
an adventurer and gold hunter He
did not come as settler. When the
movement against Spain eliminated in
La Libertad of the 18th of September,
which Is the fourth of July south of
the Rio Grande. the church was re-
garded in many quarters as part or
the oppression. But in Mexico the mar
tyr of independence was a heroic priest,
Hidalgo, who first raised the banner OF
rebellion and was excommunicated for
his act
To his career is due largely the atti-
tude of the Mexican toward church and
state. man could still be q good
priest and fight the politics OF the
archbishop. The peon who applauded
Diazs outright confiscation of church
property and destruction of the
church's temporal power is neverthe-
less the most devout of Roman Catho-
lics--a Hidalgo Catholic.
Undoubtedly the church was on the
side of Spain. Later its influence was
with the conservatives representing the
well to do the land holders and the
old Spanish element, which sought to
rule by force of intellect but fell
through its own factions and unworthi-
ress and is now engulfed by the lib
eralism." so called, of the Zelayas and
| the Cabreras-of the man who can
gather a band of soldiers and capture
the capital. which he holds as long
as he can or until his fortune is made.
And the vandal play of this new class
of leaders in public opinion. so far as
there is any public opinion, was against
the church and the we'll to do. whose
wealth they would despoil.
PRIESTHOOD LOSES
ALL POWER
In, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicara-
qua the priesthood has fallen into the
lowest state of any country in Chris
tendon not in the Caribbean region.
The bayonet no longer considers 1t as a
factor to be reckoned with. 1t has
neither political power nor religious
power of any account. When 1 asked a
young woman, head of girls school in
Guatemala, If she had been educated in
a convent she was quick to free herself
from any such prejudicial charge
against the administration, which does
rot permit converts to exist When
asked IL she were d Catholic she an
swered: 20 yes carelessly. The pope
| of Guatemala is Cabrera His name is
posted in every school as the giver of
education and all blessings.
II you are looking for real church
ruins go to Central America Many
churches are disused and those that are
not are almost invariably in disrepair
The people, poverty stricken and hope
less. take little interest In them. Re
| ligious ideas are dying and with them
moral ideas. A settled indifference of
day by day existence characterizes the
masses. who are reverting to Indian
superstition. What support there is
! for religion comes from the women of
the better classes.
In morals the people have the exam
pies of their leaders. Your hopeful poll
itician in a Central American country,
usually a lawyer, regards himself as
an intellectual" His views of life are
formed on all the faults of Latin civili-
zation, which are so frequently and
wrongly mistaken for Latin standards.
His ambition is any government posi-
tion or revolutionary opportunity that
may win one.
MULATTOEs IN
The ASCENDANT
Gradually the old Spanish element is
being driven to the wall; the old fami-
lies are being ruined; their heads per-
secuted and assassinated. Among the
masses Spanish courtesy. which makes
a Mexican peon knight, is disappear
! ing. Added to the Indian blood and the
buccaneer strain is the infltration of
negro blood, especially predominant on
/ the east coast of Nicaragua and Hondu-
ras. The Indian stra.n is purest in
Guatemala. Some of the mountain
tribes have never been civilized. though
they are within three days of New Or
| leans, and they are better of than the
ones who were Christians and have
! lapsed into paganism.
! On paper much is done for education.
But that is to be expected in countries
with constitutions forbidding confisca-
! ton, when confiscation is regu1ar1v
| practiced, with constitutions that most
amply protect the rights of its citizen
when execution without trial is fre-
| quent. Everything to which free and
| independent nations are entitled. the
military despots are bound to have.
Frequently they amend the constitu-
| tions In order to make them more lib-
| eral. They make progressive laws
without any thought that laws are
made to be obeyed.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION
| A FARCE
/ All the glowing reports of progress
/ w uhicE a re- sent to the IInifad cfn 49,. l..