Kentucky Irish American., 1914-04-11
Was Guest of st. Meinrad',
Seminary and Preparatory
College.
American Young Men Urged to
Engage i'm Missionary
Work.
PRAISE FOR OUR GOVERNMENT

Archbishop of Manila, who is now in
this country on the advice of his
physician, who feared that the pre-.
late would suffer a complete break.
down unless he left the terrible heat
and hard labors of his archdiocese
for a short rest in his own climate
was last week in Indiana. Wednes-
day evening he arrived for visit to
st. Meinrad, accompanied by the
Rev. James O'Brien, pastor of St
Margaret's church, st. Louis, and a
| former student of st. Meinrad's
Seminary. Father O'Brien was asso-
ciated with Archbishop Harty for
many years when the latter was
pastor of st. Leo's church in the
same city, before his appointment to
Manila.
In an address on Saturday before
| the faculty and students of st.
Meinrad's Seminary and Preparatory
College the Archbishop declared that
the stories circulated in this coun-
try regarding the religious conditions
of the Philippine Islands during the
ministration of the Spanish friars
we're "calumnies out of whole cloth,
apparently directed toward Spain
when really meant for the Catholic
church, and are but part of the
plot to rob the Filippinos of their
faith" The Archbishop paid a
glowing tribute to the administra-
ton of the islands by the United
States Government.
There is a disposition to defame
Spain and everything Spanish in re-
gard to the Philippine Islands," said
Archbishop Harty, "but this is only
guise, only a dishonest trick. The
real motive behind it is to defame
the Catholic church, to hinder her
work in the islands. to rob these
poor Filipinos of the faith to which
they are so devoted; and, instead OF
giving them something better, finally
make agnostics and scoffers of them.
say this with all charity. Twenty
five years after the discovery of
America the Catholic church came to
the islands and her missionaries, the
Spanish friars, began the work OF
converting and civilizing the people.
They not only told them OF Christ
and his salvation, but they taught
these savage people to build roads,
to improve their material condition.
Everywhere they cared for the sick
and the helpless. Long before Har-
ward or Yale existed there was a
great university in Manila, shedding
its light throughout the whole Far
East. Yes, and more. In 1853,
think of il, there was opened in the
same city a college for the higher
education of women. In the Philip
pines woman is mans helpmate, his
queen, she is honored and mother
hood is honored. Only four days
Journey by boat, in China and
Japan, she is mans chattel, the
slave of his basest passions. Who
did all this? The Catholic church,
the friars.
These friars are the men who
have been heaped with calumnies,
who have been called money-getters,
immoral and goodness only knows
what else. have been in the
islands, gentlemen, nearly eleven
years now; / have come into the
most intimate contact with the
people and with the priests, and
honestly can say that / know the
situation, II any man knows 1t. And
stand before you today and say
that these charges are lies. | can
promise no big salaries, no easy
times to the young men who come to
aid me. No, | can promise only hard
ship and great labors, but can
promise a glorious reward, Tor
have the words of Our Blessed Lord
Himself, Whatever ye have done
to these, the least OF my brethren,
ye have done 1t unto me.
81 am anxious to get back to my
flock because | have learned to love
them so. In fact, see nothing at
all pretty in your white faces. | love
them first because the Holy Ghost
has sent me to them and as we'll be-
cause they are good people. They
have those solid virtues which the
Catholic church so strives for. They
have the greatest respect for law
fully constituted authority and the
devotion OF the children to their
parents is most edifying. Despite
all the obstacles against which we
are working, am absolutely conti-
dent that the old church not only
will hold her own, but that she will
completely win the day In the Far
East There are 100000 people
on the islands and 100000 are
Catholic. The churches always are
crowded and sometimes have gone
to places where heard confessions
all night long, together with three
other priests. and still we had to
turn away thousands OF people. In
others have confirmed 5000 adults
and children In one day. Scarcely
day passes that four or five delega-
tions from various parts OF the dio-
cese do not come to my residence in
Manila begging me 10 send them a
priest. sometimes ask them II they
think I have priests In my cassock
pocket. But the horizon now is
brighter and within the near future
believe that Almighty God win
moye the good people OF the United
States to contribute the means to