The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-11-25
THE Y. nj. G. A. IN MANILA.

We have received from the
Most Reverend Archbishop Harry
of Manila copy of the Manila
Times containing his "Open Let
ter to Fair-minded People, re-
garding the proposal of the 7. M.
G. A. to establish house for the
exclusive use of the F'ilipinos. It
seems that the Y. M. G. A. has
planned to erect hundred thou
sand dollar dormitory for Filipino
students who reside in Manila. ALI
the higher educational institutions
are located in this city and young
men from all parts Of the Islands
are following the course Of in
struction which they offer. Sew
eral dormitories have been erected
under non-Catholic auspices and
the students who take advantage
of the accommodations which they
furnish are obliged to take part
in Protestant services. To relieve
the congestion in these institu-
tons the Y. M. G. A. has planned
to erect a dormitory; and the
Archbishop, in order to make clear
the reason for the opposition to
this proposal on the part Of Cath
olics who had been asked to give
it their moral and financial sup
port, points out the sectarian char
acter of the Y. M. G. A. by citing
the constitutional provisions
which establish religious test
that excludes not only Catholics,
but Unitarians. Universalists and
Jews, from participation in the
full privileges Of the association.
In answer to the statement made
in the public press of Manila that
Archbishop Ireland had contrib
uted to the Y. M. G.. A., Arch
bishop Harry says: "This is true !;
but the contribution was made
with the direct promise of a high
official in the Y. M. G. A. that the
national meeting would remove
the restrictions against Catholics.
The national meeting rejected the
amendment almost unanimously
and Archbishop Ireland at once
notified the association that he
withdrew his endorsement and did
not want his letter used again. "
Archbishop Harry then quotes
extensively from an editorial
which appeared in the first issue
Of The Catholic Bulletin, in which
Catholics are warned against any
affiliation with the Y. M. G. A. on
account Of it's Enthusiastically Pro
testant character, and continues
Individual officials Of the asso-
citation, be they ever so broad
minded, have no power to change
the ruling Of the general board of
government. According to that
board the Y. NJ. G. A. is strictly a
sectarian organization. Therefore
any contribution of money or
other assistance given towards the
proposed house for Filipinos, is
given towards the support of an
institution which discriminates
against the followers of several re-
ligious creeds and notably against
the creed Of which the Filipinos,
as people, are adherents. The as
ISOLATION may urge the Filipino by
word to be loyal to his own
church, but at the same time it will
offer religious services of it's own
AN obvious temptation to the be-
lief that those services suffice"
The letter concludes with the
following statement: "The vast
majority of those who have writ
ten on the advisability, or other
wise, of trying to change the pres
ent prevailing religious belief of
the Filipinos, Il refer chiefly to
mont Catholic writers), declare that
the interests of peace, prosperity,
and good government in the
Philippine Islands will be best pro-
noted by leaving the Filipinos
unmolested in the faith which they
now profess-the faith which has
made the Filipinos vastly the
superior of all the Malays Of the
world, the faith which is the grand
heritage bequeathed them by their
devout forefathers through long
/ generations