The San Francisco call., 1910-10-02

statistics will almost certainly come
seeping through into our own papers
over here from Spain or Paris or Lon
don in due course of time We there
fore furnish here one sample of their
untrustworthiness
'Gerundio" tells us that the Spanish
government gives every year some
100000 duros for the support of the
clergy, religious orders and lay asso
Citations of the diocese of Barcelona.
But, in reality, this is the sum spent
by the Spanish government for the
entire church in alle Spain; very diff
ferent matter!
Furthermore, it does not all go to the
clergy. The salaries of the minister of
worship and his clerks form large
portion of this sum, and the remainder
goes to the upkeep of church buildings,
and for salaries and stipends of the
clergy in actual charge of the churches
and parishes.
The religious orders get none of it,
except three orders actually engaged in
the charitable and benevolent instftu-
tions of the state, who receive their
bare maintenance as individuals in lieu
of salary.
Barcelona pays nineteenth of the
total sum set aside for the church and
the government employees above men
toned, so that each individual inha BIZ
tant of Barcelona has to pay AZ cents
annually Gnstead of $50, as claimed by
''Gerundio') for the support of the
church, What congregation of any
church in America gets off SO cheaply
as this?
The rest of the figures in this latest
book are about as true as the figures
which the anonymous author gave for
the Barcelona diocese; the falsity and
unfairness Of which we have just ex-
posed.
Certain writer's are still much con-
cerned about the very large proportion
of religious in the population of Spain.
Just how wide they are of the mark
is evident from the well authenticated
fact that, while for every 10000 of the
population there are in Belgium % re-
Hgious. in England 80, in Germany 20
and in Ireland 27, in Spain there are
only 26. In 1901 France had A re-
ligious for the same relative proper
tion Of her population The pretended
alarm about the multiplication OF
Spanish monks and nuns is the shallow
est Of pretexts, designed to cover anti
clerical animus.
It is about equivalent to computing
the percentage of school teachers IN
our schools, nurses in our hospitals and
persons caring for our klndergartens,
day nurseries, orphan asylums, boy
scouts and other benevolent institu-
tfons; and then pointing out the terri
BILE danger threatening our republic
from having such an immense number
of such characters in our midst; espe-
cfally as their salaries run away up
into the thousands each year just
picture this financial drain upon the
country.
When. the Spanish American war
ended. the church in the Philippines
found itself with ruined buildings and
disorganized parishes everywhere.
After brave struggle to bring order
ont of chaos. one great difficulty re-
mains: the difficulty of supplying money
enough to repair the churches, build
seminaries and educate native priest
hood.
fall upon the church in the United
States. Rightly or wrongly, it was the
guns of our nation which wiped out
spanish sovereignty in Manila bay.
Rightly or wrongly. it is our flag that
floats over the islands; and IL does
not seem as if it would cease to float
there for many. many years to come
American shot destroyed the churches
and converts; American soldiers looted
them; at the demand of an American
government the pastors were with
drawn and the churches were closed
Today these churches are without
priests-50 of them In one diocese
alone Pastors who had civilized and
Chrfstianized the Philippines have been
dispersed; all the help that Spain had
given to religion in the islands. has
been withdrawn, and desolation reigns.
Under the folds of our flag was this
desolation wrought. and under the folds
of our flag must solace be brought to
the afflicted people.
Fifty thousand dollars year for the
next 10 or Is years, placed in the hands
of the apostolic delegates and by him
distributed through the bishops, would
effect wonders for religion in the
Philippines. And what IS $4,000 a year
to us?
An average gift Of cents a week
by the Catholics of the United States
alone for foreign missions. 1t has been
computed. would bring our expendi-
ture for the entire world UP to the
expenditures of our non Catholic breth-
rem Yet, through the efforts of the
different Protestant denominations, 1t
is claimed. over 100000 Fi1ipinos have
been made indifferentists or worse since
American occupation.
non Catholic writer, who spent
eight years on the islands a a public
school teacher, has spoken these plain.
unvarnished words when danger
really threatens the church in the
Philippines, it will be no half way dan
ger. The Filipino will be orthodox, as
he is now, formally, positively orthodox,
or he will be cynically heterodox."