CHAPTER VI.

WHY THE FRIARS ARE HATED.

NO PROOF should be required that the friars are hated by the majority of Filipinos. It is true that educated and wealthy Filipinos were able, either by wit or influence, to protect themselves against the wiles of the friars, and are, in some cases, friendly to them. But as a matter of totals the case is closed.

It may be wise, however, to set forth briefly some of the mass of evidence which it would be easy to furnish in order that denials of this hostility made in the United States can be met and answered.

Both the insurrections known as the "Cavite Uprising of 1872," and the larger insurrection of 1896, were purely anti-friar risings. The first clause in the list of demands and declaration of purposes put forth by the insurrectos. reads as follows:

"Expulsion of the friars, and restitution to the townships of the lands which the friars have appropriated, dividing the incumbencies held by them, as well as the episcopal sees, equally between peninsular and insular secular priests."

The first rising proposed the massacre of every friar in and near Manila, and their burial "in Bagumbayan Field," the place where hundreds of Filipinos had been shot at friar instigation. Rizal was shot there, as were

also the three Filipino priests at the close of the Cavite uprising of 1872. In the first report of the Civil Commission, discussing this question of hostility to the friars, Governor Taft and the Commission say:

"Regarding the return of the friars, the deep-seated hatred of the people must be reckoned with."

And further on in the same section the report says: "It is enough to say that the political question will be eliminated if the friars are sent back."

One of many instances that might be cited in proof of this hatred occurred at Naic, in the province of Cavite, August 29, 1901. The Manila Times, reporting the occurrence, says:

"Evidence of the hatred and contempt which exists among the natives towards the friars was clearly demonstrated at Naic, Cavite province, on the 29th ult. The people rose en masse to show their disapproval of the presence in their town of the friars, who came there from Manila to collect rentals on buildings and farms owned by the religious corporations in that vicinity. Thousands of men, women, and children formed in procession, parading the streets, carrying banners with the inscription, Long live Naic under the flag of the United States of America!' and shouting, 'Hurrah for the Americans and the Filipinos!' 'Out with the friars!' and other remarks deprecatory to the friar agents who were alluded to as vampires."

I have eleven such newspaper notices of protests against the return of friars to their estates and schools among my clippings from local papers. Less than a month ago four hundred citizens of Dagupan, province of Pangasinan, petitioned Governor Taft against the return of Dominican friars to that city to reopen a school which

they had formerly conducted at that place. They declared that they "had reason to believe, and did believe." that such return of the friars would so anger the people that local authorities would be powerless to prevent violence and perhaps loss of life. In the summer of 1900 Governor Taft and the Civil Commission examined a large number of witnesses-bishops, priests, friars, officials of monastic orders, doctors, lawyers, business men, and teachers, all residents of the Philippines-on Church and school questions. The report of that examination saw the light as Senate Document No. 190. In this document is the testimony of many prominent professional and business men on this point of the attitude of the Filipinos toward the friars. On page 151 of that document I find the following testimony of a lawyer by the name of Constantino, fifty-eight years old, and having been in active practice of his profession for many years in Manila and his own province of Bulacan :

"Question. I want to ask you whether the hostility against the friars is confined to the educated and better element among the people?"

"Answer. It permeates all classes of society, and principally the lower, for they can do nothing; the upper classes, by reason of their education, can stand them off better than the lower classes, and this is the reason that the friars don't want the public to become educated.

"Q. Do the friars still retain any influence over the women of the lower orders?

"A. Over some very fanatical women, yes.

"Q. But you think that feeling is not general among them?

"A. The hatred is general. The Commission may find the proof of this by sending a trustworthy man to every pueblo in the archipelago to ask of the inhabitants if they want a friar curate, and all of them will answer, No.

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"Q. Does the feeling exist against all the orders?

A. Yes, against all the orders; but, of course, prin

cipally against all the orders who have acted as curates. Of course, it is true there can be had an opportunity to commit the acts."

Pages could be filled with such citations from this

publication, and there is no variation in the testimony of

laymen.

To what, then, is this hatred due? Why have they

become obnoxious to the people for whom they have so long acted as spiritual guides? The five reasons which I shall give for this antagonism will be stated in the order in which they have operated, beginning with that which has had the least influence, and ending with the cause which has been, and now is, most powerful.

1. Because the friars secured and held such large tracts of the most valuable land, and used these tracts as a means of enriching their orders.

Friars own no swamp-lands. Locate one of their corner lots in Manila, or one of their estates in the provinces, and you will see that they have been selected with the eve of the trained investor. They own large tracts. The Augustinian Order owns one tract twenty-eight miles long by fourteen miles wide. Thousands of poor people live on the estate. Cities are built on it. Not a foot of For every little thatch-house built on It was ever sold.

it a good rental had to be paid annually. Tenants had to pay high rents, and often tithes besides. The land was given to the order outright by Governor-General MoreAs in 188 The order was directed to return it to Coverment by Governor Primo de Rivera, but, through mudu nee in Madrid and Manila, he was worried into pernoring them to hold it. Much of this land cost them