Evening star., 1960-05-25

germs Of demagogy and rhetoric that beat at the
bottom of Hostosianism. wanted to say that by the
mere action of the school teacher no matter how well
prepared 1t would not be possible to solve the grave
problems of economic and social nature that beset
the hungry people Of Santo Domingo.
The solution of these problems required greater
speed, greater energy and greater practical sense
than that school teacher could bring forth at that
moment. The matter was Of the greatest urgency
and could not be dealt with q long-erm PROPOSE
ton which would involve the preparation OF the
school teacher to deal with it. The country was
rapidly sinking into the chaos of anarchy, disorder
and the incompetence Of the government. In oroer
to save it, there surfeit of ideas at the time,
but there was great need for spirit Of Sacrince
and it impossible to expect this from q back
ward hungry and retrograde people living at least
one hundred years behind the times
To make up for the moral deficit and the lack Of
sacrifice continually shown by the Dominican people,
it was necessary to have recourse to more efhcient
and urgent procedures than that of waiting for the
teachers to save the country, as Sr Hostos would
have liked. Only by means of material progress
achieved through the fostering Of wealth and the
creation Of efficient and autonomous economy
would it be possible to establish true institutions in
Santo Domingo. 1t is, in fact, very difhcult for
misery and backwardness TO support high moral
standards, even in individuals and people who are,
at best, nothing more than group Of individuals
We have seen to pass the only revolution pos
sibe In Santo Domingo This has been the result OF
a genuine understanding of social essences. No
one today can be ignorant Of the undenabe EN-
cheney of the institutional regime we have in our
country. Everything lacking to the political thinkers
Of the beginning Of the present century IN tneT
failure to organize the Nation politically is now
fully operationa. In the short space OF 80 years.
every deficiency Of the public administration has
been eliminated and converted into efhcent service
No matter in what direction may look at the
unfolding Of Dominican social life, 1t viii oe seen
to be impregnated with new sense Of efnciency,
vastly different from the penury, the malase and
the shortsightedness which distinguished and char
acterized us before.
This has not been achieved through the school
teacher through fictitious and theoretical de-
Capitalization. The social and political results we
have before us, on the contrary are the result OF
creative willpower, Of the supreme concentration
of energies Of the essential applications Of efforts
and OF irretractable faith in the destinies Of the
Nation.
AS mentioned before in 1880, the Dominican situa-
tion right at the starting point After eghty-sx
years of bloody and social upheava, OF poverty
and dissatisfaction, had not been able to solve
even of problems we were without schools,
hospitals work, frontiers, roads, currency, banks,
agriculture industries, public buildings social well
fare electric power, University irrigation, bridges,
money and any appreciable production. up TO 1851.
not one single step had been taken to recover our
financial freedom and owed, through the yoke Of
the Convention, much more than the debt we settled
in 1907 the peasant had neither land nor water with
which to till it; the needy mother, where to give
birth; the sick where to be cured the laborer where
to earn his daily bread Up to $780, not one scientific
single statistical center been opened Not one single
law of social nature had been passed, nor had any
effort been made to reform taxation.
The Republic found itself reduced to maintaining
a minimum of services which depended on the re-
duced size of budget destined principally to the
paying off Of overwhelming debt In 1890, we
again found ourselves at the crossroads. The same
lack of funds always The spirit Of the Domincans
beaten down by hopeless skeptcism Wealth unde-
veloped; services paralyzed; business inactive; tne
ifo1 AACfrO
opinion divided in innumerable primitive person.
alist factions; local "bosssm" active ever
before and, at the bottom of the picture, armed
rebellion raising its Hydras head"
The panorama, by itself, enough to depress even
the most enthusiastic and optimistic OF mortas. But
had confidence in the destinieS of my country; In
the good faith Of my people and in the inherent will
Of God had patience and faith with which to COM
mence and put into operation program of govern
ment which can be summed up on the one word:
Construct!
1t is as well to remember also this occasion
what was said by that ustrious historian and reli-
gious man, since deceased Fray Cipriano de Utrera
in his work "Episcopoogo Dominicopolitano,' when
referring to Monsgnor Ricardo Pittni, Archbishop
Of Santo Domingo:
"On the completion of twenty years of his episcopal
consecration-says Fray Cipriano-the Dominican
Church has reached state of spendor as never be-
fore, even during the Spanish domination and all
of it due to the political and Catholic genius Of the
great statesman Generalissmo Doctor Rafael Leoni-
das Truiilo Molina, whom his compatriotS as an
award for his all-embracng vision of the greatness
Of the Fatherland, have dignifed with the titluar
laurels of Benefactor of the Nation and Father OF
the New Nation. This Splendor springs from the
juridical personality given to the Church by Trulo
the firm basis Of Catholic society as a true ma
tional entity.
"All other assets that the present may possess may
be numbered specifically many more Dement'S
united to the other by the hand Of that eminent
man: the large increase in the number Of religious
institutions dedicated to teaching the poor to taking
Of hospitals, clinics, and University depart
ments, University residence for students Of both
sexes and for fostering the Catholic religion; the
building of parish churches in practically every town
in the Republic the management of correctional and
rehabilitation centers for children and juvenile de-
linquents; new building for the conciliar Semi