El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-14

T lisbon, Portugal. July 14-Tangled
problems presented themselves to
the members Of the provisional
government of Portugal when they
found themselves in power. 1t was a
comparatively easy task to cast out
backbon eless boy king. It was a harder
one to say how the country was to be
run after he was cast out.
Friction Between Church and State.
The problem of church and state, as
old in Portugal as in Spain. bobbed up,
of course. among the first Of the prob
lens. The state church in Portugal is,
of course, the Roman Catholic. 1t is
claimed in this country, as in Spain.
that the clergy have been guilty Of
laxity and many abuses Whether or
not this is true, is a matter determined
in the minds of most persons In accord
ance with the degree of their fealty TO
the church or their lack of it. Laying
aside all questions Of religious learn
ing or prejudice. the fact that remains
is that there Is large element of pop
ulation holly antagonistic toward the
Roman Catholic church and the various
religious ORDERS The latter, 1t is as
serted. have bSen left to do the work
that the secular clergymen have left
undone. Their manner Of proceeding
has caused endless friction. The fric-
ton has bred gossip, and doubtless
scandal
The highly colored. and doubtless
exaggerated accounts of the wrong
doings Of the members Of religious or
ders are implicitly believed by many
Portuguese and have affected the
course of events in the country 1t
may also be added that in many parish
churches ceremonies are conducted In
the most casual manner. The want OF
reverence is most noticea BILE The prac
tice of confession IS rarely seen and
a sermon is the exception 10 the rule.
Reporter is Jailed.
The Roman Catholic clergy never
wore their cassocl1s before the revolu-
ton and since the revolution most Of
them have worn the ordinary dress of
laymen even TO the collar opening in
front The ambitions Of hotel walters
to be mistaken for priests has led them
to the device Of cultivatinS mustaches.
and various amusing mistakes have
been made. A London newspaper man.
soon after the revolution, was arrested
as a priest and cast into prison He
happened to be wearing mourning Tor
the death Of a relative and his somoer
garb convinced the authorities that he
was prelate and not a reporter.
After the proclamation of the repub-
lie. several priests wrote. or declared,
against the celibacy of the clergy and
upon the advantages Of matrimony.
disregarding the teachings OF their
church. Bishop Antonio Barroso was
an exception He. as bishop of Oporto,
invited the reading of the pastoral oy
the clergy. This pastoral. although IL
enjoired respect for the laws of the
government, still expected obedience
where they differed from the COM
mands of the church and the conscience
of the faithful The bishop Of Oporto
was promptly arrested for taking this
action. He was carried off to prison.
tried and condemned to be deprived OF
his office without any reference to the
! holy see or his flock. He was, as
result of the trial pensioned as an ola
army chaplain. but exiled from his
province.
Clergy Arrested.
Although it IS hardly necessary 70
comment upon additional indignities
and humiliations in the case OF a bish-
Cd thus summarily kicked out. 1t may
! be said that the Portuguese exiled from
his province feels exiled from MS
country, because the sense Of local at
tachment is peculiarly strong, rising IN
most cases above national feeling. TINS
is an example Of the Incorporate zeal
with which the provisional government
set ABOUT, III the UdyS u Ato AA-HN
ness, correcting abuses in the church
1t was such htgh-handedness that
caused the spreading Of the report that
the ministers were all atheists
Charity of Orders.
The religious orders practiced great
amount of charity and labored, more
sincerely perhaps than effectively, ror
the advancement Of education IN all
parts of the country. They we're. as
r,y-fv, iTlol
both religion ard monarchy. despite the
| diverseness Of the supposed aims OF
kings and churches. OF course they
were, as a result OF the alliance with
the monarchy. cordially hated by its
| opponents. 1t was easy for reckless
| leaders to convince the lower classes
| in a country noted for its illiteracy'
! that every priest or member OF re-
| ngious order was a monster or hldeous
mien. While it will strike the enlight-
ened American as being remarkable
| that many ignorant Portuguese actual
/ " believed that the church preached
all kinds of immoralities and that mem
bers Of religious orders actually killed
and ate children. this is neve rtheless
| true upon the authority Of perfectly
sober minded persons in Lisbon. among
! them many foreign business men,
Mob Is melted.
The situation thus SuSSeSiSu IL DiA0A
might be Calculated by a great deal OF
detail. It existed when the revolution
| burst. 1t was an easy matter to incite
the mob, composed partly of violent an
archists and largely Of violent igno-
ramuses, to attack the homes of relsg-
ious orders on the fantastic ground that
the helpless men and women In them
were throwing bombs and shooting
from their roofs. After the revolution
was over score of terrified nuns IN
! Quelha's, a prominent convent perched
upon the side of a hill overlooking the
crowded quarter of Lisbon. were fired
upon for eight hours without the
slightest cause. They were d1slodgec
from the building in which they had
for years prosecuted the worthiest Ia
bors, dragged into the street by howl
ing mob. insulted in every imaginable
manner and marched through the city
to the marine arsenal where they we're
thrown into prison to be guarded by
sailors till they were bundled out OF
the country as If they had oeen vermin-
1t is hardly necessary to say to the most
ignorant or most violently preJudiced
that Roman Catholic nuns leading
rigidly secluded lives and practicing
charity could not be believed by any