The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-09
LAS CASAS.

II will he $50 years next month
since the death in Madrid at the age
of 80 Of Bartolome de Las Casas, the
first priest ordained in America and
the man whose lifelong labors eN-
Guided slavery from the South Ameri-
can continent. The anniversary APP
pears likely to go quite unobserved
unless the occasional student of early
American history may be led to re-
view the life of the great Spaniard or
some devout monk of the Dominican
order may be moved to utter a prayer
for the repose of a brothers soul.
Las Casas shines forth from the
chronicler's page as the most com
mandingly benevolent figure OF the
Spanish Conquest. In the words of
Sir ArtAlH AS11D. This was ona. OF
those few lives that are beyond biog-
raphy. and require a history to be
written in order to illustrate them"
OF a~ristocratic birth. the son of n
Of Columbus's companions, he settled
In Hispaniola, or Ha. Il. In 1902. There
he was ordained about 1910. When
Father Antonio Montesino preached
his great sermon at San Domingo In
1911 in which the Spanish rulers were
itayed for their wickcdness toward the
Indians. Las CAsas was profoundly
impressed. But he thought that per-
haps Montesino went too far.
Three years later Las Casas opened
his Bible in search of a text for the
Ientecost His eye CHANGED
on three verses OF the thirty-fourth
chapter OF E~cclesiasticus. They ran:
The Mos, High is no, pleased with the
offerings of the wicked: neither IL he
! racincd for sin by the multitude Of sacri-
fees
he that defraude,h him thereof is q man
u blood.
He that taketh away his neighbor's
living slayeth him: and he that defraudeth
the laborer OF his hire IL a shedder Of
blood.
The historian John Fiske says that
as he read these words a light from
heaven seemed to shine upon Las Casas.
He saw that the system of slavery
was wrong In principle. The question
whether you treated your slaves
harshly or kindly did not 20 TO the
loot OF the matter. As soon as you
took from the laborer his wages the
deadly sin was committed
Finding that he could not impress
the settlers Las Casas sold what
goods he had and went to Spain.
Bishop Fonseca. to whom he related
tile horrors Of Indian oppression,
asked what all this mattered 10 him
or to the king. Las Casas could only
cry:
- grea, and e,erns! God, to whom. then,
is 1t Of any concern
But in Cardinal Ximcnes, regent Of
Spain. he found an upholder. Some
thing in the way OF restrictive laws
was accomplished. II was an uphill
battle that did not achieve fun sue
cess until 1887. when the Pope Pau
III issued his edict f~orhidJing slavery
That edict found Las Casas and his
fellow monks preparing FOR the peace
ful conquest OF Tuzulutian. the Land
of War" Just north of Guatemala. In
hahited by cannihals who had thrice
defeated the invading Spaniards. II
six months the monks had converted
the Indian ch!eftain. built n little
church and procured the abolition Of
human sacrinces. In less than q
wear more Tho Indians had destrovec
their Idols and r~enounced cannihalism
The best thing about the miracle
wrought by Las Casas and his broth
ers was that the peaceful conques'
was permanent.
Some notion OF Las Casas's skilled
%eloquence may be derived from his
great debate with the eminent scholar
Juan de Sepulveda. which took place
at Nalladolid in 1850. S~epu,veda main
tanned the right OF the Pope and tn.
KIM of Spain to wage war on thu
heather people OF the Indies anC
forCihly convert them. To defend IN,
opposite view and still escape III
penalties of the lnquisition Las Casa
had TO state his arguments with eN
treme care. Yet when II was owe
Sepulveda called HIM the mos
crafty and vigilant Of mortals. and s.
ready with hts tongue that in com
parison with him Homer's llysse.
was a thick witted sufferer"
The History of the Indies" com
pleted In Las Casas's declining ear
Is our greatest authority for events IL
the New World up TO the year l52@
Its publication at Madrid in five 40.
umcs IN 1875 ftt.ngly commemorate
the 4ooth anniversary OF the birth -
the great historian and liherator.