The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-03-25
celebrated ma.. and il / in tn.

oeaeVe IN inear religion. ] aCa told
that there are ft.ooo churches and
chapel IN the republic. and / find
a cathedral in nearly every city l
visit h church is supposed 10 be
enormously wealthy. Al the t.nas OF
the c~onnscation il had property
10 5000. 900. 600, and il
then owred almost s.ooo estates which
we're valued IT millions. Il had more
than 1000 lots here in Mexico city
which alone were worth over $40
100000. and Il had roperty scat
tered mere and there t~hroughout the
epuo!ic When Juarez nut the law
Of coa!scaiion into effec. a grea, part
OF THIS property was put up ut auction
and sold 10 the highest bidders. but III
IS said that those who bought risked
the disfavor OF the church. and thar
many took over the properties and
neid them N trust 50 that the church
got them back. others gave 10 tho
church The difference between the
auction price ana what the property
would have sold for under other CON
ditlons and IN this way the church
has resained much OF its millions.
BY the new law marriage was only
Nalid through a civil contract. but
no well~to-do woman in Mexico will
consent 10 a wedding unless she IL
aiso married by the church. ana no
priest Would give this blessing 10 a
family who had acquired church
property unless some restitution was
made. Today h ownership Of the
church is such that the party in
favor Of holding together the great
estates in Mexico is known az tho
church party or Catholic party. and
there is no doubt but that the church
has enormous wealth. II one form
or other.
Churches Worth Millions
do not know how much has been
spent IN church building in his re-
public but the sum must run high
into the hundreds of millions. The
Catholic religion came here Just
tWent y-ive years after Columbus dis
covered the new world, and the carly
Spaniards prided themselves on their
support of the church. A goodiy
share of all the gold and silver that
was taken out of the mines was do
mated TO religion. and every cathedral
was a treasure vault with ornaments
OF silver and gold. There is a church
at which was built through
a tax of 2o cents on every pound Of
silver produced in that neighborhood.
and this church cost $500, 900. In
! Zacatecas the cathedral was erected
!, out of a tax levied on the silver
: mines under the city: and its income
was so great that Europe was ran
sacked for pictures and ornaments To
decorate it. 1t has a font Of solid
: silver. which cost more than $50, 900.
and in Spanish times the church was
ablaze with gold and silver candelabra
e and with cloths OF woven gold. An
S other church in ZaCatecas had an al
j tar Of gold, and one at Queretaro
had a gold altar which was burned
S by the rem The Spaniards gave
S their jewels and gold to decorate the
cathedral at the Mexican capital, and
u they presented ornaments worth about
$2,000,O00 While the cathedral Itself
e cost an equal amount to build.
There is a cathedral at Pueblo
which cost a million and a half
and in which 800, 900 has been spen'
on the altar. 1t is said TO be tn.
e most beautiful church on the cont
nent. Guadalajara has a cathedra
u covering about an acre which va.
completed about 800 years ago. i
e has been almost destroyed by earth
e quakes in the past, and it may e
down again by the earthquakes. which
are now common in that vicinit Y
e The dome of that church was ono
t shattered by lightning and when
Thunderstorm comes up they nov
ring the bells to ward off the light
6 ming. although they ave lately pu
up light ming rods for the same pur
II pose. Inc cnITCn mas towers WHICH
p are 200 feet high and which are ii
Illuminated by electricity. 1t has man,
: fine paintings, including one b,
X Murillo, known as the Assumption
of the Virgin"
Il Professionalism in Mexico.
n AS to Professionalism in Mexico. i
8, has never gained any great hold. al
e though a number Of the diferen
I. scots haze THAR rDicCinn r;ao 49,.
re The Baptists are represented by tn
/ American Baptist HON MiSsionar
S. Society and by the foreign missionar
board of the Baptist Church, South
g, The Presbyterian Church has man
y church buildings and it has da
schools and boarding schools and
% numbe Of missions. The Methods
Episcopal Church has 140 congrega
tons. fifty day schools, six hig
le schools and one theological schoo