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Show A NATURAL ADJUSTMENT. The friar question Is settling itself as we predicted. The authorities of the Augustinian order will, it is stated, substitute American for Spanish friars as speedily as may be: and the heads of the other orders will probably take similar action. Such substitution is not now in the history of the church, when revolutions in the state have had to be met. for the people's sake, in an accommodating spirit. Violent efforts were made by the aggressive ag-gressive and superfluous Protestant missionary, to make the poor Filipino of the humbler class believe that America is a Protestant country", and that his change of government almost necessarily involved for his well-being, a corresponding change in religion. The result .was certainly not in the Interest of Americanism In the Philippines. Even a few American priests will do much to destroy the idea of any necessary neces-sary connection between Americanism and Protestantism, and will thus promote pro-mote peace and patriotism in our Oriental Ori-ental possessions. For the rest, the Augustinians, Dominicans, Dom-inicans, Franciscans and Recollets have in their membership not only Americans, Ameri-cans, but .those natural missionaries and spiritual cosmopolitans, the Irish, French and Belgians, who have done so much for our own land in the temporal tem-poral and spiritual order, and who can easily take up their Spanish brethren's work in the Philippines. And thus the friars will doubtless Temain a permanent perma-nent part of the religious life in the Philippines. Boston Pilot. |
