The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-10-28

gress has only recently passed a law
TO secure. The interest supported a
multitude of schools, colleges, hos
pitfalls, o~rphanages, etc. Instruction in
all the primary schools of the Church
in Mexico has always been free.
Even the enemies of the Church in
Mexico agree that the clergy were
very lenient with debtors. 1t is inter
esting to remark in passing that the
Indians of Mexico were always ex-
empted by the Spanish government
from the obligation of paying Church
taxes or tithes. They paid hut one
tax, which went to the King, of $1.25
a year for every male between the
ages of ten and fifty.
What the Church Has Done.
For more than half a. century the
Church in Mexico has been supported
by voluntary contributions, pltifully
small; and yet the Catholic clergy
established about 1900 schools and
colleges, with an attendance of nearly
800, 900 pupils, having good equipment
under the circumstances and doing
good work. | know, for / saw them.
The Church supported, to my knowl.
edge, charitable institutions every.
where-hospitals, orphanages, homes
for the aged, etc; and the clergy sup
ported a swarm of dependents that
in any other country would have been
thrust upon the cold charity Of the
State. All these institutions have been
suppressed by the Carranza govern,
ment. Less than half of one per cent
of the pupils in Church schools were
theological students.
Fair estimate on the illiteracy in
Mexico at that time, allowing for bet.
tering conditions since 1900, when the
il~literacy was rs per cent of the popu-
lation, would be about GO per cent.
1t must be remembered that illiteracy
in Mexico is amongst the Indians, and
mixed bloods with strong Indian char.
ac~teristics, not amongst the whites.
Now, in the United States there are
report of June 80, 1910 331,250 In
dams. The illiteracy per cent OF
u. S. Indians for 1910 was 45.3. Mind,
this means after generations of effort
by philanthropic people and by an ex.
c%eedingly liberal government. Con-
gress appropriated $4,403,355 for In
dian schools in this country in 1914, a
trife over $13 per head. If Mexico
had made an equal appropriation for
her Indians and mixed bloods, it
| would have absorbed all the revenues
of the Republic.
Clergy Taught Thrift.
The only attempts made in fifty
years to teach thrift and industry to
the peasants of Mexico were made by
the clergy. l know two priests who
established building societies to get
decent homes for workingmen, but
| these priests were obliged to flee be.
fore the revolution or they would
have been shot or imprisoned for their
activities. The poems are referred to
as horrible examples of the bad work
| done by 1.-THE spiritual adviser" 1t is
a popular idea that peonage was com.
mon in Mexico. In 1910 peonage eX'
listed principally in the southern and
coast states, and there only among
agricultural laborers.
In addition to his daily wages of Sc
cents to rs cents, the peon had a week
ly ration of % pounds of corn, :
pounds of beans, / pound of salt, 3
pounds of lime, 3 quarts of lard. He
had a right to cultivate as large q
corn and bean field as he desired and
keep as many domestic animals, pigs
fowls, and even cattle, as he cared tC
own, feeding them on the estate.
The Land Question.
Mr.. Wright says that no Mexican
peon yer had so pesos in his life tc
buy land. One word then about The
land question. Thirty per cent of thu
total area of Mexico is comprised il
the Central Highlands, which contain
seventy per cen of the population
and are as densely populated as the
middle western States Of the Ameri
can Union. There are a host of small
land owners in this territory, and In
dian settlements where Indians are
supposed to own their lands. One O
the difficulties is that in many case.
these Indian lands have not been di
vided. But when the laws compelling
division were carried out in SOM
cases, the Indians promptly sold theil
lands, as / am afraid they would d.
now, spending the money at once ant
becoming as poor as before.
In the southern part of the countr!
there are millions of acres {. fertile
wellwatered lands, which could b.
had at Isl pesos per acre; but on &C
count of the conditions of paymen'
this price really is reduced to IL.
pesos per acre, or 60 cents per acre
American money. In addition, ever!
town and village has a reservation o.
"eiido,' where any n may settle ant
get a farm for nothing.
Land for Everybody.
The State of Chiapas has 10,00t
land owners of record, whose proper
ties are assessed at more than 20t
pesos. Properties assessed at less
than 200 pesos pay no tax. In thu
number of those thus exempt from
taxation are included all the Indiar
tribes of that territory, a good three
fourths of the population. Practical!
all these Indians own their own lands
The landless of the mixed breeds