,the ,legacy of ,ignorantism 7,ignorantismo7 ,an address delivered before the ,teachers ,assembly1 ,baguio1 ,april #bc1 #aibj ,by ,dr4 ,t4 ,h4 ,pardo de ,tavera ,english and ,spanish ,manila ,bureau of ,printing #aiba ,,the ,,legacy ,,of ,,ignorantism #a 7,,ignorantismo7 ,by ,dr4 ,t4 ,h4 ,pardo de ,tavera ,an address #b delivered before the ,teachers1 ,assembly1 ,baguio1 ,april #bc1 #aibj ,woe unto you1 lawyers6 for ye have taken away the key of knowledge2 ye entered not in yourselves1 and them that were entering in ye hindered--,luke #aa3eb4 ,i have the honor to appear before you accepting with great pleasure an invitation which the ,assistant ,director1 ,mr4 ,osias1 kindly extended to me4 ,having left the choice of the subject to my discretion1 ,i deemed it worth while to speak on the ,lay ,education which has been in operation in our public schools since the implantation of the new regime which rules the destiny of the ,filipino people4 ,i am going to confine myself to facts1 and shall speak as frankly and as faithfully as the case requires1 altho in so doing ,i may hurt the feelings of some4 ,satisfying ,movement ,for some time in our society there has been a growing concern against immorality1 against vice1 against idleness2 in short against those which can rightly be called social ills4 ,such a tendency is certainly good and satisfying2 a sign of a notable social progress altho for the majority it is a cause of alarm and regret because of the seeming increase of such ills4 ,is there a positive increase of immorality8 ,is there real cause for alarm because of a moral retrogression of our society8 ,after having asked myself these questions and after having considered the bases for the public clamor and for the excited opinion before the sight of growing vice and immorality1 ,i can say that this tendency of public opinion is satisfying--a sign of betterment1 of progress of general morals4 ,in other words1 it is not immorality which is growing4 ,rather1 it is the moral consciousness which is gaining ground in individual consciences1 thus forming a public opinion which formerly did not exist1 completely awake to existing social evils and which are combatted4 ,not that social morals has been decadent4 ,on the contrary1 a moral consciousness has been rapidly formed in our society1 a consciousness which formerly was found only among an inconsiderable minority1 and which resulted in the new movement against vice and immorality4 ,public ,opinion in ,favor of ,hygiene ,to better understand this phenomenon and to explain it as it really is and not as it apparently exists1 it is worth while to compare it with the appearance of a new sentiment which was formed since the implantation of the ,american regime3 the hygienic consciousness4 ,formerly1 hardly anybody spoke of the unsanitary conditions of ,manila1 and only a few in our society had a true idea of its deplorable state4 ,now that our individual education has enabled us to understand what hygiene is and its importance has been demonstrated1 we have not only improved our sanitary condition but a collective sentiment equal to the sum total of the individual sentiments has been formed1 and a public opinion in favor of hygiene has been established4 ,since this opinion grows more rapidly than sanitation itself in ,manila1 we see that every once in a while the ,bureau of ,health is censured to the point of attributing to its fault the increase of anti-hygienic conditions1 when in reality what increases is the clamor for hygiene by virtue of the increase of the individuals who understand hygiene and demand strict application of its laws and principles4 ,now public opinion denounces hygienic shortcomings which are incomparably less harmful than formerly1 but which we view not in a relative but absolute manner4 ,an unsanitary condition is denounced absolutely as an intolerable evil2 relatively speaking our censure would be less severe if we bore in mind that a similar ill is not close at hand2 we suffered in silence when we were ignorant not of its existence but of its effects upon health1 so then for us it existed in a latent state and we did not see1 feel1 or notice it because of lack of preparation4 ,it is identical to what happens when at the foot of a post charged with electric current is placed the sign3 ,danger to life4 ,such a sign is practically useless and is no means of safety to the individual who does not know how to read4 ,the one who can read knows the danger2 he who does not read does not avail himself of the hygienic value of the danger signal4 ,anti-,cockpit ,campaign ,against the cockpit there is now a widespread campaign4 ,this did not grow out of increased passion for the vice but out of the increased number of its enemies4 ,none can say that cockfighting has increased2 it is easy to prove that it has decreased2 the number of days permitted by law is now insignificant compared with what it was a few years ago4 ,nevertheless1 the campaign against cockfighting has increased precisely because the number of cockfighters has decreased4 ,exactly the same thing happened in card playing and horse-racing4 ,nothing in particular would be said about this general movement in favor of social morality if the attitude of public opinion would not have that mistaken and dangerous bias which is given it by certain elements which at all times have been an obstacle to the instruction of the ,filipino people4 ,these elements1 taking advantage of the preoccupation of public opinion to combat vice and purify public morals1 instead of simply supporting this movement and strengthening it justifying its usefulness by the good itself which it seeks to accomplish1 launches a political campaign which consists in alarming the people making them believe that immorality increases1 that the social ills are growing1 that national life itself is endangered thru the fault of the reformers as a result of the new regime in vogue in the ,philippines since the loss of the past sovereignty4 ,they take advantage of the current of public opinion in favor of public morals1 to make it appear that the democratic form of the ,government1 the ,english language1 the lay schools1 coeducation1 and ,anglo-,saxon civilization are the causes of the supposed growth of immorality3 ,such is the program of certain people6 ,our ,enemies ,those who in a great measure are guilty to their nation for the misfortunes that befell the ,filipino people that resorted to revolution and rebellion to free themselves from a regime opposed to their progress and happiness1 forgetting their incapacity to fulfill the obligations which1 in the name of their country1 they assumed here and which were the causes of the political failure of the past colonization1 they to-day wish to defend their interests in our country pursuing their policy which would only produce dissension among the ,filipinos4 ,under the pretext of interesting themselves more than we do in our own welfare1 considering us to be blind and incapable to know and distinguish the good from the bad1 deeming us eternal indios of inferior mentality1 they seek to take us whithersoever they will1 where it suits them1 thru the dark path where none see but they1 they who guide or wish to guide the indio1 the eternal child who ought to allow himself to be led6 ,in a foreign weekly published in ,manila1 we read the following3 ,dedicated to the search of the enemies of the progress of the ,filipinos1 we find them in every bucket1 in every cabaret2 in the peaceful invasion of ,japanese in the ,philippines2 in panguingue1 in billiard games1 in the prevailing immorality in the theaters1 in the novel1 in the cinematograph and in the postal card2 and above all and over all1 in the lay school4 ,he who thus expresses himself seeking to arouse ,filipino hatred against the ,japanese1 to create suspicion first and trouble afterwards1 is a stranger1 and in the language in which he himself writes are written the theatrical works and the immoral novels that come to the ,philippines4 #c ,in his language1 too1 were promulgated those laws and regulations in our country instituting cockfighting1 lottery1 billiard1 created as sources of revenue for the ,state--things which we the ,filipinos could not oppose in the old political regime without at the same time opposing the government itself which made vice a source of revenue and which1 to increase its funds1 had to encourage such vices1 similar to opium in official smoking-rooms4 ,of the lay school we shall now speak presently4 ,the ,work of ,calumny and ,hatred ,considering the nature of this campaign against our present day institutions1 and painfully impressed by the great harm which this disastrous work of calumny1 hatred1 distrust and pessimism must have upon the progress and tranquillity of us1 the ,filipinos1 ,i deem it my duty to speak when ,i am led to think that the limit has been reached by a document which came to my hands4 ,it is no less than a circular which a high prelate directs to the curates of the parishes of his diocese1 and which deals with public instruction4 #d ,hell ,threat ,the whole document is an attack against the ,government schools1 simply because in them the ,catholic religion is not taught1 threatening with hell those parents who send their children to such schools4 ,at the close it says as follows3 ,as a first step1 after you have let the parents see the social evils which result from a ,godless school1 such as crime against purity1 murder1 suicide1 rapine and robbery1 disobedience against civil and ecclesiastical authorities1 in short1 the corruption of customs1 all the seasoned fruit of those lay schools1 your reverences should influence them to declare1 in writing or communications which they should address to us1 to the government without euphemisms their irrevocable and decided will that ,christian education be given them in the schools4 ,we1 for our part1 will look after the sending of these petitions to the ,legislature4 ,machiavelic ,accusation ,all the seasoned fruit of those lay schools said the prelate referring to the crimes and the corruption of customs which he mentions6 ,an accusation of such nature must be proven by him who accuses4 ,the worst part of it is that such accusations are made and later with the recommendation that they be made to sink into heads of parents or heads of families4 ,the faithful will consider as true the affirmations that come from the lips of their priests1 so that such propaganda promotes in the worst manner a feeling against a government accused of fomenting criminality in its schools4 ,the prelate does not enjoin violence2 but at such times as these1 violence naturally results from an adequate preparation of the popular conscience2 and when a people believes that the ,government1 the educator no less1 is the cause of the thieves1 the murderers1 the corruptors1 a people is truly dead who does not seek to wipe out by any means such a government1 especially if it is foreign1 which corrupts its citizens4 ,colossal ,transformation ,fortunately1 it can be said without fear of erring that such accusations are altogether false2 and if there is anything in the ,philippines which deserves the approval of all worthy conscience1 something which merits not only the gratitude but the admiration of the ,filipino people1 it is the organization of public education implanted by the ,american people4 ,there is not a single ,filipino capable of reasoning who does not see and understand the colossal transformation which our entire people experienced by virtue of that lay education4 ,not only did the ,government organize an efficient educational system1 but it extended it throughout the ,archipelago in such a general way that some ,european nations which continually cite the annals of history1 would very much like it for themselves2 not only do we the ,filipinos find in our lay schools those elements necessary for our instruction and our education so that we can be useful individuals to ourselves1 and cooeperate in the administration of our public affairs1 but the private schools of the old regime have changed1 have improved1 have been transformed1 have been placed to the level where they should1 following the standard maintained by the ,government4 ,to deny this is sheer blindness4 ,a ,dominican ,school in ,formosa ,only he who is blinded by passion is capable of making accusation against the lay school such as we have here reproduced1 and against which the first to protest will likely be the ,dominican friars in the ,philippines whose mission in ,formosa1 has a girl's school for the ,chinese and ,japanese in the ,capitol1 ,taihoku1 which ,i visited on my trip to that island4 ,reverend ,father ,clemente ,fernandez1 a ,dominican and the ,apostolic ,vicar of ,formosa1 did me the honor of accompanying me in visiting such a school1 called ,beata ,imelda1 situated in the barrio of ,daitelei1 in ,taihoku4 ,it is a beautiful school of which the ,dominicans can justly be proud4 ,but it was not the material or educational organization of the institution that impressed me so much as the absence of all religious images in the rooms1 classes1 halls1 and other rooms used for and by the girls4 ,on my noticing the existence of so singular a case1 ,reverend ,clemente ,fernandez made it known to me that1 among the conditions stipulated by the law of public instruction of ,formosa1 both for the government as well as the private schools1 is the absolute prohibition of religious education and the presentation of images and objects of worship4 ,this is therefore a lay school1 a godless school1 upon which should also fall the surprising accusation of a prelate who makes use of the liberty afforded him by our government to teach his religion in our schools1 but abusing such right and attempting furthermore to impose his will upon the ,government1 accusing it of teaching homicide1 theft1 immorality1 and corruption of customs in our schools4 ,were ,we ,to ,use the ,same ,procedure ,there is no doubt that even under the ,spanish regime we already knew of the existence in the ,philippines of criminals condemned to death and imprisonment for murder1 theft1 rape1 sacrilege1 and all kinds of crimes1 and that the corruption of customs was neither unknown nor rare4 ,since under the entire period of ,spanish domination1 instruction was under the exclusive care of the friars of the ,roman ,church1 if we utilize the same procedure of the above-mentioned prelate1 we could also accuse all the priests of having instructed the ,filipinos1 thru their education1 in murder and in theft1 and that the corruption of customs was all the seasoned fruit of the ,catholic schools4 ,i do not propose such an accusation2 ,i only content myself with presenting it as a logical consequence which could be deduced following the method used by the prelate in speaking to no less than his priests in a circular designed to orient the mentality of his clergy and of his parishioners4 ,pondering over the accusation of the ,bishop1 it occurred to me that it would be beneficial to recall the public instruction that was formerly given in the ,philippines by the godly schools and consider the results obtained4 ,confident in the respectable character1 and1 to many1 the sacred character of the priests1 ,i must resort to their testimony to know what that education was and what results it gave to the ,filipino people4 ,we should not conceal the truth when the truth portrays things that may not be pleasing to us4 ,none like those who are dedicated to instruction have such an interest in knowing the mentality of the society in which they live and which it is their duty to educate4 ,an exact knowledge of the moral1 intellectual1 and physical defects of a people is the most important factor to orient its education1 and it would be absurd to close one's eyes to what is bad1 because the principle of correcting a certain thing is to know if it is a mistake or not4 ,one cannot correct an evil of which he is ignorant4 ,the ,education of the ,filipino ,people under ,religious ,direction ,before attacking or defending the lay education of the public schools it would seem useful to know what the education of the ,filipino people was under religious direction1 and then know what results were obtained2 that is to say1 how a man subjected to such a system was transformed after more than three centuries of such a practice4 ,i must secure the data which ,i here present from ecclesiastical sources because1 altho they contain a certain exaggeration1 in speaking of its own work which1 as it is natural1 they defend1 magnify1 and praise1 they are after all the most useful in knowing the defects themselves which1 under the circumstances1 constitute real confessions4 ,father ,santiago ,paya1 ,rector of the ,university of ,santo ,tomas1 said among other things the following to the ,philippine ,commission on ,july #a1 #ahii3 ,all secondary instruction in the ,philippine ,islands was under the ,university of ,santo ,tomas4 ,besides the private schools in ,manila there were also some in the provinces1 but all the colleges of secondary instruction were subject to ,santo ,tomas4 ,there were primary schools in almost all the towns supported by the ,government in which a very elementary instruction was given 99 99 99 reading1 writing1 catechism1 and a little arithmetic4 ,the ,filipinos1 as a general rule1 have good memory but without great talent2 they have no good talent4 ,almost all education in the ,philippines was given by the religious orders1 that is to say1 the secondary and university instruction was maintained by the religious orders1 and primary instruction by the curates of the towns4 ,among the ,filipinos all is imitation4 ,they lack originality4 ,they were taught how to read and write ,spanish but the majority of them learned it in a purely mechanical manner4 ,the ,indios were very averse to the ,castilian language2 those who knew how to speak it did not like to speak it4 ,this was true in ,manila as well as in its suburbs4 ,those who know ,spanish prefer to speak their own language in their homes4 ,from ,fray ,jose ,m4 ,ruiz in his ,memoria presented to the ,philippine ,exposition in ,madrid in #ahhg1 we take the following3 ,the curate is a local inspector of public instruction1 adviser of the gobernadorcillos1 and president of the various local boards4 ,the ,indios see in them a father1 a pastor1 and a protector1 and as such they have always been recognized by the ,government of these ,islands 7p4 #bci74 ,a great part of the ,philippine inhabitants1 that is to say1 that which lives in the barrios and places more or less isolated and inaccessible1 is about to be civilized 7esta casi por civilizar7 7p4 #bdg74 ,referring to the mass of the people the same father says3 ,the masters devoted as they are1 save in a few honorable exceptions1 to their proper interests1 have ignored completely the instruction of these unhappy ones in their religious duties 99 99 99 and their children1 given over to the pasture of work animals1 are reared in the midst of the most stupid ignorance 7p4 #bed74 ,later the author adds3 ,to give the ,indio means of instruction and to place him in condition to benefit from it1 and while this is not done1 and until now this has not been done as we shall later show1 is to concede rights to him who does not know how to appreciate what he deserves to the disgrace of the ,spanish name and to the shame of the ,spaniards in these ,islands 7p4 #bhh74 ,says the same ,friar ,ruiz3 ,and altho they are inimical to going to schools 7the ,indios7 and to sending their children1 it is because it is nothing but for wasting time since they learn nothing 99 99 994 ,furthermore1 the towns are so crowded with ignorant teachers that without consulting anybody they establish private schools paid for by the parents of the children4 ,thus they learn what little good and a great deal of bad which they possess1 to whom they teach ,cartilla1 and something of reading and writing1 utilizing as texts for both the books called ,corridos1 which are full of anachronisms1 errors1 and absurdities of all kinds 99 99 994 ,they also learn something of the ,catechism 7p4 #ccg74 ,the places for the schools besides being bad are completely abandoned1 and many are in ruins 7p4 #cci74 ,there is no order in the school1 and each one goes in and out without permission whenever he pleases 7p4 #ddj74 ,recognition of a ,dominican ,fray ,jose ,m4 ,ruiz very faithfully recognizes the lamentable state in which the so-called public instruction in the ,philippines was found outside of ,manila where things were not so bad4 ,from his standpoint it was necessary to teach ,spanish and at least to give to the ,filipinos books in the dialects1 from which they would learn the most elementary things of which they were ignorant1 and ,religion and ,moral4 ,the ,rueda #e translation would be better adding something about the ,philippines and the grammar of his dialect in ,spanish4 ,undoubtedly he wanted to say that the ,spanish grammar should be translated into the dialects4 ,if this is not done we believe that we would only lose time4 ,with such measures in thirty years the ,spanish language would be diffused among the children 7pp4 #ddj-dda74 ,for the same reason 7distance and lack of roads7 the boys and girls do not attend schools1 and what little they know they learn from some ignorant teachers 7maestrillos74 ,people1 ordinarily of bad life1 escaped from other towns1 some of whom are also quack doctors and bone-setters who at the same time that they are teaching the ,cartilla and a little bit of the ,catechism imbue the children with a thousand and one superstitions and all kinds of vices4 ,the priest who at times goes1 out of necessity1 to attend to some one who is seriously ill1 and very seldom visits them 7the ,indios7 ex-profeso1 the parochial districts being generally very large and their duties so numerous and urgent1 can only in part remedy some of these evils4 ,the ,filipino ,people ,now let us see what kind of people the ,filipinos were4 ,it is essential to know the psychology of the community4 ,no opinion is so valuable for the present case than that of the missionary above cited1 who says the following about the psychology of the ,filipino4 ,as a people who are ignorant and with but little culture1 the ,indios are bound to have considerable superstitious beliefs which they practice1 unconsciously deceived by medicine men1 who are the ones who keep alive these ridiculous traditions of their ancestors1 without knowing the reasons for what they do 7p4 #bfa74 ,they 7the ,indios7 are deeply superstitious1 a thing which is revealed in all their acts4 ,citing the words of ,dr4 ,lacalle1 ,father ,ruiz says3 ,to pretend that a people taking the first steps on the road of civilization1 and that in their religious acts manifest themselves in their acts as religious1 severe1 cultured and real thinkers1 is absurd in the extreme 7p4 #cdh74 ,and he adds what follows3 ,we should not lose sight of the fact that the ,indio is a child badly educated1 but a big child completely developed in his passions4 ,he acts not from conscience but from fear2 he is moved not by reasons but by impressions2 a friend of novelties and spectacles1 he acts to the tune of the various impressions which he receives4 ,naturally he is inconstant and flighty1 desiring one thing and another1 now liking what he formerly disliked1 without firmness nor stability in anything1 without knowing many times what to like1 nor what befits him4 ,such is the ,indio briefly sketched4 ,the ,filipino ,spaniards ,the ,filipino ,spaniards 7espanoles filipinos7 are of two classes3 some are immediate descendants of ,spaniards1 descendants of ,filipino ,spaniards1 or also children of a ,filipina mother and a peninsular father 7p4 #bhh74 ,unfortunately1 they have all the bad qualities of the ,spaniard and the ,indio1 and lack that docility of character observed in the latter and the nobility and greatness characteristic of the former4 ,they are of little heart1 coward and mean besides being arrogant and choleric and are very rude with the ,indios1 whom they usually despise and maltreat in words and in deed1 and frequently are stupid and troublesome4 ,from the ,indios they learned all the superstitions1 numerous1 untrue1 absurd fables which are traditional among them1 and in a word1 all their habits and customs4 ,thus they eat rice with their fingers and have marked fondness for the sweets and dirty foodstuffs of the ,indios4 ,since they are brought up with much petting and are not strictly punished1 they make bad servants1 disobedient1 capricious1 insolent1 and foul-mouthed4 ,the women are so lacking in modesty1 and1 since they have been reared in the atmosphere of abandon and laziness1 they are useless for the management of the home and the family 7pp4 #bhi-bij74 99 99 99 ,thus the men as well as the women1 altho religious1 are credulous and superstitious as the ,indios themselves4 ,such is the idea that can be given about the ,filipinos 7p4 #bij74 ,the ,chinese half-breed is described in the same manner4 ,literature for the ,filipinos ,the only literature accessible to the ,filipinos of little culture and also to those of the better class consisted of ,corridos which constitute the profane literature1 and the ,pasion and the ,novenas which formed the religious reading4 ,corridos1 ,pasiones1 and ,novenas were printed in abundance1 in cheap editions1 in ,spanish as well as in the dialects of the country4 ,the ,corridos are stories in verse about historic events1 falsified and fanciful1 and love tragedies full of wonderful events mixed with divine prodigies and diabolical magics--all lengthy1 exaggerated1 puerile1 and absurd in the extreme4 ,none of the characters is native4 ,all are ,turks1 ,arabs1 knights1 errants1 ambassadors1 dukes1 warriors in armor provided with magic arms and with balsams like the famous one of ,fierabras1 good ,castilians and bad strangers4 ,all the characters are antipodal to ,philippine realities and with the semblance of the real and true being from unknown lands and prodigious races4 ,the same is true with the scene of activities2 wonderful lands1 ,palestine1 the kingdom of ,navarra1 the ,empire of ,great ,kahn1 the ,palace of ,macedonia1 and not only are they ignorant of1 and do they falsify1 the face of the earth1 but the planetary system itself suffers a radical change4 ,palms and tamarind grow in the vicinities of ,moscow2 ,palestine and ,macedonia are covered with prairies like ,norway and ,switzerland1 and whales appear in the ,mediterranean4 ,events which begin in the morning in ,macedonia and in the most natural manner in the afternoon of the same day in a palace of ,babylonia1 and a princess of ,aragon captured early in the morning in ,sicily discusses at midnight and without an interpreter with a ,moro of ,samarcanda4 ,the ,pasion1 a work in verse in the different ,filipino dialects1 is not only the passion of ,christ1 but it consists of a sort of abridged edition of sacred history4 ,the ,novenas are religious booklets dedicated to a saint whose favor is invoked in order to obtain from ,god such and such favors4 ,they consist of a system of prayers in relation to certain miracles with reflections about the saint1 which are said every day for a period of nine consecutive days4 ,to ,virgin ,mary is attributed the origin of the ,novenas because she venerated the number #i in memory of the fact that nine days it was when she was apprised of the incarnation of the divine ,messiah1 and also because of the nine months in which she carried ,him in her virgin womb4 7,novena to ,jesus1 ,maria1 and ,jose1 ,manila1 #aijc1 in the ,exordium47 ,the ,novenas offer a very simple way of obtaining from heaven what is asked in them from a protector saint4 ,if the sympathy and aid of a patron or a patroness whose mediation is implored is won1 one can obtain everything1 be it appertaining to earthly life or future life4 ,it is a very easy means4 ,it is like a magic ceremony with its ritual composed of praises and acts of humiliation1 devotion1 submission1 admiration1 and other propitiatory manifestations looking toward gaining the sympathy and the protection of the saint4 ,this follows an enumeration of favors which may be requested and which are always attended to by ,god as demonstrated by the numerous examples which are mentioned with scrupulous care in the ,novena4 ,all the ,novenas are published with ecclesiastical permit after the censorship of the prelate who examines scrupulously the writings to see if there is anything that is contrary to morals1 good customs1 and absolute orthodoxy4 ,in a word1 all are printed with the necessary licenses4 ,the prodigies mentioned in these ,novenas compare very well with the enchantments1 magics1 and sorceries of the primitive ,filipinos who invoked the propitiation of their divine spirits by means of ceremonies1 sacrifices1 charms1 and incantations performed by their mangkukulam 7witch71 babailanas1 and other prestidigitators1 priests1 medicine men1 charmers1 and fortune-tellers1 which are referred to and are enumerated in the old chronicles written by the missionaries in the ,philippines4 ,substitution of ,unseen ,powers ,all the fear of the mysterious as well as the belief of the ,filipinos in unseen powers which took away life1 attracted misfortunes1 gave victory1 or conduced to disaster was conserved1 changing only the concepts that they had about the spirits that governed the affairs of life and the phenomena of nature4 ,the patron saints recommended by the missionaries came to take the place of the ancient anitos representative of their past which they gave intervention in their idolatry in all the affairs of life4 ,when the missionaries preached their religion1 they condemned the old ,pagan superstitions but they taught new superstitions more powerful than the original1 not only because of the prestige of the new patrons who are all members of a ,celestial ,court organized as an earthly aristocracy and headed by the same ,god1 ,creator of the ,universe1 but by communicating with ,god in the same tongue1 which the ordinary man supposed was spoken by ,him1 which is the ,latin tongue1 in which the priests said their prayers and sang their hymns4 ,ensalmos ,the ,oremus1 the ,laus ,deo1 ,agnus ,dei1 ,deo ,gracias1 ,nos cum prole pia1 ,benedicat ,virgo ,maria1 ,per omnia secula seculorum1 ,kyrie eleyson1 ,christe eleyson1 came under the category of enchantments 7ensalmos7 known by the terms bolong and mantala of the primitive mangkukulam1 manghihikup1 mananangisama1 etc4 etc41 of ,philippine paganism4 ,all of these ,latin phrases acquired so great a prestige that they were looked upon as a form of irresistible invocation for conquering the divine will1 and a certain ridiculous sect came to be known as the ,colorum1 which term originated from the wrong pronunciation of secula seculorum with which many ,latin prayers ended1 prayers which were incomprehensible but used due to the ignorance of many4 ,the phrase agnus dei qui tolis pecata mundi is used as an incantation in which every word more or less incomprehensible has a sacred character so that if one should say that he despises qui tolis1 it would be considered a blasphemy because the ,qui ,tolis is something sacred or divine4 ,a child after saying the trisagio said by way of protest3 ,i am tired of saying kirileson 7,kyrie eleyson74 ,his mother then punished him for playing with the name of ,god4 ,another child who happened to name a dog ,qui ,tolis was corrected by his aunt1 saying3 ,the name of ,god is never used for naming an animal4 ,magic ,invocations ,all this constitutes a real array of magic invocation in the efficacy of which there is great confidence to avoid evil1 ridding of danger1 securing more good1 and attaining some grace4 ,as an example of the power of the invocations and what can be obtained by merely saying frequently ,jesus1 ,maria1 y ,jose 7,jesus1 ,mary1 and ,joseph71 which constitutes the most divine trinity on earth1 the following cases are related3 7,novena a ,jesus1 ,maria y ,jose1 ,manila1 #aijc74 ,a bad man walking in the middle of the night in front of the church of ,san ,francisco in ,cuzco1 ,peru1 saw lights in the cemetery1 and knowing it to be a funeral1 went to the place to witness it4 ,presently he noted that there was a throne where ,jesus ,christ was found seated between ,mary and ,joseph4 ,then several demons appeared1 each one with a book in his hand4 ,one of them began accusing a bad woman from ,buenos ,aires4 ,jesus1 says the ,novena1 pronounced a sentence against her of instant death and with it eternal perdition 7p4 #g74 ,the demon disappeared in order to execute the sentence4 ,another devil read from his book that in ,chile there was another bad woman4 ,jesus sentenced her to death and condemnation 7p4 #h74 ,the devil ran to carry out the sentence4 ,another one appeared accusing a bad man of ,cuzco1 and this man was precisely the same who tarried to witness the scene at the cemetery4 ,when the just judge was about to sentence him to death and condemnation1 ,blessed ,mary and ,joseph knelt before the divine ,master1 asking mercy on behalf of the accused1 alleging that many times he invoked the holy names 7,jesus1 ,maria y ,jose74 ,jesus having denied pardon1 his parents begged him anew1 and seeing that they were not making headway toward securing pardon1 the ,blessed ,virgin showed to her ,blessed ,son the breast from which ,he sucked1 and the ,patriarch ,saint showed him the hands that maintained him thru his labors 7p4 #h74 ,then ,jesus conceded the pardon as a matter of grace which can only be characterized as material gratefulness 7estomago agradecido74 ,great ,incentive to ,crime ,the invocation ,jesus1 ,maria y ,jose working as a magic formula saved that man who had no more merit than his ability to mention the names of the trinity on earth4 ,in the same novena there is a consideration of this most marvelous favor1 and that is1 that in order to obtain some reform in our lives in view of the favor conceded by ,jesus1 ,mary1 and ,joseph to their devotee1 tho he be a confirmed sinner1 it was only necessary to imitate an invocation so frequently repeated in all his days of malice1 the words ,jesus1 ,maria y ,jose 7p4 #aj74 ,the man in question had no other merit nor is he enjoined to have one4 ,it is enough that he utters the magic invocation and that he does as he pleases in the belief of being free from punishment4 ,what a great incentive this is to crime6 ,another ,notable ,case ,another notable case of the effect of the same invocation is that of a ,dominican friar called ,fray ,juan ,masias1 who for more than twelve years stayed in his dark cell in prayer4 ,he was visited by many devils who pulled and pushed him1 treating him very badly in words and in deed4 ,but he was freed from them by saying ,jesus ,savior1 ,mary1 and ,joseph1 be with me4 ,on other occasions the devils entered hurriedly and noisily catching him by the legs and dragged him from his room to the cloister4 ,some hit him and slapped him1 others stepped on his stomach and on his head1 still others scratched his face and sought to pluck his eyes1 but invoking the names of ,jesus1 ,mary1 and ,joseph1 they 7the devils7 vanished and left him 7p4 #ad74 ,and the strangest part of it is that the friar made the invocation after suffering the consequences of the punishment above mentioned2 so that1 in other words1 he condescended to allow the devils to have some fun for a while at his expense4 ,an ,economical ,diversion ,the same friar at other times while going to church in prayer1 was caught by the devils and was taken2 and they threw him up in the air so high that1 passing above the roofs of the capitular hall which divides the first cloister from the next1 he fell in the latter4 ,there other devils were awaiting him and receiving him they threw him anew in the same manner so that he landed again in the principal cloister without hearing from him a word of protest or suffering until invoking the sacred names of ,jesus1 ,mary1 and ,joseph1 they left him 7p4 #ae74 ,who on reading this would not envy a friar having a diversion so entertaining and so sane and economical8 ,how can one help being grateful to the demons who received him in the other hall instead of letting him fall on the floor8 ,with reference to these prodigies mentioned one reads in the same ,novena the following considerations3 ,what trouble is there for us to habituate ourselves in repeating in our invocations the sweetest names of ,jesus1 ,mary1 and ,joseph8 7p4 #bg74 ,the ,infernal ,power ,at every step this infernal power is amplified and magnified in these ,novenas4 ,not only is the devil deemed among the enemies of the soul1 together with our body and the entire humanity1 but at every moment we tremble at his snares1 we consider ourselves weak to resist him and even at times seemingly fearing that the self same ,god will not know how to defend ,himself from the devil because at every step it is sought to awaken ,god and place him as a sort of guard against this infernal power4 ,help us ,lord from heaven1 our strong liberator in this struggle with the powers of darkness2 and as other times thou hast freed thy son1 ,jesus1 from imminent peril of life1 so now defend the ,holy ,church of ,god from the snares of their enemies and from all adversity1 and keep each one of us under thy eternal protection4 7,page #ed1 ,ofrecimiento al ,santisimo ,rosario1 ,manila1 #aije47 ,another ,miracle ,the following miracle shows clearly the work of the devil and shows at the same time that souls cannot be condemned so easily when a mortal beseeches the protection of a powerful patron4 ,a certain man1 it is said in the ,novena of ,san ,vicente 7p4 #ae71 gave his soul to the devil with a certificate 7cedula7 signed by his own hand1 and hearing the ,saint preach1 implored him to ask that the demon return it4 ,the ,saint fell to praying1 and made the devil come and ordered him to return the certificate to the man1 having as witnesses of this miracle many thousands of persons4 ,silliness of ,some ,saints ,this foolish fear of the devil is a cause of many errors such as the one mentioned in the following miracle3 ,in ,trayguerra1 a simple lad hearing ,san ,vicente preach on the ugliness of the demon1 prayed ,god that a devil be shown him in order to fight4 ,it happened that a poor1 old woman was passing who was dumb from birth1 was very ugly and poorly dressed1 and had sickle in her hand4 ,the lad1 thinking that she was the devil1 furiously assailed her1 and taking away her sickle1 cut off her hands1 her ears1 and her nose4 ,the afflicted woman shouted but as she was dumb she could not make herself understood and only howled1 and then the simpleton cut her up1 saying3 ,let them come and they will see what ,i do with the devils6 7p4 #ah1 ,novena de ,san ,vicente74 ,to believe that ,god permitted a similar infamy is a gross insult to ,god4 ,true1 the act is committed by a silly lad1 but sillier still is the work of the saint in speaking of the physical ugliness of the demon1 when according to the understanding of all1 the demon is a spirit4 ,in ,taulada1 says the ,novena 7p4 #ba71 two ,moros passed in front of an image of ,san ,vicente1 one of whom took off his hat and the other did not4 ,the latter paid dearly for it for in that instant1 without knowing from whom1 he was slapped1 fell to the ground1 and had fever from which he died4 ,it was wonderful how it was known that it was a slap1 and the miracle could not have been more cruel1 not especially because of the insignificance of the fault committed1 inasmuch as it dealt with a ,moro who did not believe nor did he understand this ,christian superstition4 ,a devout one who was wont to go to ,saint ,filomena asks protection against the devil 7,novena1 p4 #bb7 and says3 ,satan like a hungry lion makes a round about turn2 his ministers vie with one another to put me down4 ,i with my frailty am also the enemy of my own soul 99 99 994 ,as ,i said the ,novenas are used to implore a divine mercy1 utilizing the intervention of a saint or a virgin to secure some necessity or a simple affair in life4 ,there is nothing more inspiring than to know the news about the origin of the ,novena de ,san ,antonio de ,padua which is said to be revealed by the same saint 99 99 99 and the devout ones can follow it confident of obtaining thru his intermediation whatever they desire 7,novena de ,san ,antonio1 p4 #e74 ,the same ,san ,antonio revealed to a devout woman the way of doing it 7p4 #f74 ,he ,who ,asks ,shall ,receive ,the ,novena of ,maria de los ,dolores1 ,manila1 #aije1 is for obtaining what is desired in any affair of the soul or for the good of the body4 ,the ,novena of ,san ,vicente de ,ferrer altho it can be made in the home1 it is much better to do it in the church because there he who asks shall receive and he who looks shall find1 as the ,lord himself said 7p4 #e of the ,novena1 ,manila1 #aiag74 ,san ,ramon ,nonato is3 ,patron of the work of the laborers and their livestock2 wonderful antidote against pestilence2 universal refuge for the cure of all diseases and pains2 singular protector of the women who invoke him in their dangerous hours of giving birth1 and of the sterile ones who seek the comfort of his protection4 ,this is what is said in the frontispiece of his novena1 ,manila #aiah4 ,by merely invoking his name or by adoring his saintly relic1 and by drinking the water where it is passed1 the saint can accomplish thousands of wonders 7p4 #f74 ,i1 says one devout woman1 have such faith in and experience with1 ,san ,ramon that whatsoever ,i ask ,god thru him was always secured or obtained1 and for the sake of truth1 ,i swear and confirm the same 7,novena1 p4 #ae74 ,a form of great persuasive virtue to obtain the divine will and to win from it what is desired is to pray the ,trisagio4 ,it seems that during a period of great geologic and meteorologic commotions experienced in ,constantinople in the year #ddg 7,trisagio ,serafico1 ,manila1 #ahhi1 p4 #g71 it happened that a child of tender age was carried to the winds1 all those encamped being eye witnesses1 until he could be seen no more4 ,after a long time he returned to earth in the same manner that he went up and stated in the presence of the ,patriarch1 of the ,emperor1 and of the wondering multitude1 that he heard the angels sing this concert3 ',holy ,god1 ,holy ,strong1 ,holy ,immortal1 have mercy upon us4' 7,santo ,dios1 santo fuerte1 santo inmortal1 tened misericordia de nosotros47 ,the child immediately thereafter died4 ,the ,emperor ordered that all should repeat this sacred canticle and that moment the earthquakes ceased and the meteorological disturbances stopped4 ,hence1 the use of the ,trisagio as a form for invoking the ,holy ,trinity in dangerous fatal times 7p4 #gh74 ,among other things the following is tacitly asked in the ,trisagio3 ,of thy ire and anger1 ,lord and triune free us4 ,of the snares1 nearness of the demon2 of all ire1 hate and bad will2 of all plagues or epidemics1 hunger1 storms2 of our enemies and their machinations free us 7pp4 #bj-ba74 ,reminders of ,cannibalism ,altho the ,trinity is composed1 as everybody knows1 of the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 and in the ,trisagio the three persons are invoked and asked at the same time1 nevertheless there are other forms of securing the divine favor1 invoking separately only one of the persons of the ,trinity4 ,thus in the ,novena of ,jesus ,sacramentado1 the ,father is asked by means of the intercession of the ,son1 or in other words1 by only a viscera of the ,son or an organ of his body1 the heart1 or more properly the ,sacred ,heart of ,jesus4 ,the eternal ,father has complacency1 says the ,novena 7p4 #f71 in that it is asked in the name of the ,heart of his beloved ,son 99 99 994 ,the ,father ,eternal said so directly to the venerable ,mary of the incarnation 7pp4 #f-g74 ,ask me thru the heart of my only begotten ,son1 and thru it ,i shall hear thee and thou shalt obtain all that thou wouldst ask 99 99 994 ,jesus said to his wife ,margaret 7esposa ,margarita73 ,i ask you that on ,friday immediately before the ,corpus festivity1 you particularly devote yourself to the worship of my heart 7p4 #g74 ,the adoration of the heart is not symbolic2 it is the real heart that is adored3 they shall adore with greater frequency1 to ,jesus transsubtantiated1 and in him1 to his ,divine ,heart 7p4 #g74 ,his ,novena will be made before an image of ,jesus or to ,his ,sacred ,heart 7p4 #aj74 ,the devout one1 carrying his adoration almost to a point of the revival of atavic cannibalism1 says to ,jesus3 ,o1 thou owner of mine6 ,give me thine body and with it thine heart that ,i may eat it6 7para que le coma7 7p4 #ab74 ,there is a ,novena dedicated to ,saint ,angel ,custodio 7,manila1 #ahig71 who is the ,angel delegated by ,god to be at our side1 and exercise with us the loving offices of a careful tutor1 a loving governor1 a loving preceptor1 a faithful conductor1 and an intimate and true friend 99 99 99 7p4 #f74 ,no saint in heaven interests himself more in our soul and in our business than the holy ,guardian ,angel 7p4 #f74 ,his intervention is so useful and he not only transmits what is asked but modifies our petitions when he knows that some of our petitions might bring us some spiritual or corporal evil 7p4 #g74 ,it is therefore the best guarantee against any error of ours1 and naturally it makes a sense of responsibility absolutely useless4 ,second ,christ ,saint ,domingo de ,guzman is one of the most powerful lawyers in heaven4 ,in his ,novena 7,manila1 #aiac71 he is called the precursor of ,christ1 altho in reality he came to the world twelve centuries after ,christ 7p4 #e74 ,in the chastity1 color1 and figure of his body1 and in the eloquence of his spirit1 he was the one most like ,christ 7p4 #g74 ,he was very celebrated in all manners of prodigies and miracles1 both on earth and in heaven1 among men as well as among beasts1 among the living as well as the dead 7p4 #i74 ,one day ,virgin ,mary appeared to him and holding him by the hand said to him that she loved him so tenderly1 that if the ,divine ,lady were a mortal1 she would not be able to live except in his presence1 and would have died by the violence of the great love that she had for him 99 99 99 7p4 #aj74 ,later ,virgin ,mary1 not satisfied with such erotic manifestations1 married him 7le desposo consigo7 in the presence of her husband ,christ 7esposo de ,cristo71 and of many blessed ones in heaven 7pp4 #aa-ab71 resulting that ,jesus1 besides being the son of ,mary1 is also her husband1 so that with ,saint ,joseph1 ,saint ,domingo was the third husband of ,mary4 ,the ,eternal ,father communicated to ,saint ,catalina de ,sena that ,christ and ,domingo were his two special sons 99 99 994 ,christ proceeded from the mouth of the ,eternal ,father1 staying at his right1 and ,saint ,domingo proceeded from the breast of the same ,eternal ,father1 at his right on his feet in glory 7p4 #ae74 ,with such antecedents one can readily understand how ,christ promised to concede to him all that he would ask on behalf of his devotees 7p4 #ae71 so that the power of the ,saints is unlimited4 ,in verse it is said of him3-- ,you can do everything in heaven being husband of ,mary2 ,who so confides in thee 7,domingo7 give him health and comfort4 ,you have faithfully and unceasingly defended the church 7p4 #ce74 ,pues podeis tanto en el ,cielo1 ,siendo esposo de ,maria2 ,domingo1 al que en vos confia1 ,dadle salud y consuelo 7p4 #ce74 ,fuesteis can que con desvelo a la ,iglesia defendida 99 99 99 7p4 #ce74 ,the can is referred to here because while the mother was pregnant it 7the foetus1 el feto7 was manifested to her in the form of a dream and in the figure of a dog with a lighted ax in his mouth 7p4 #f74 ,promises of the ,virgin ,the ,novena to the ,virgin of the ,rosary begins with an enumeration of the ,fifteen ,promises of the ,virgin to the devotees of the ,rosary4 ,in the first she promises to grant whatever special grace is asked of her4 ,he who prays the rosary will be converted if he is a sinner1 and in any event will be admitted to life eternal4 ,all that is asked of her will be secured quickly 7p4 #d74 ,the list of miracles performed by the image of the ,virgin of the ,rosary is endless and occupies all the pages from #cg to #ij of the ,novena4 ,not only does the image perform miracles but her skirt as well as the oil that burns in her lamp1 and the water where her hands are washed1 or any rosary or object touched by her skirt or her image also accomplish miracles 7p4 #i74 ,in the ,novena of ,saint ,joseph 7,manila1 #aiaj71 after reminding him of his relation with ,god1 it is affirmed that there is no protection more efficacious for securing all that is asked than his 7p4 #g74 ,necessitating everything from the divine favor it is sure that none shall fail who confident will seek the protection of ,saint ,joseph 7p4 #bi74 ,saint ,joseph assists the needy1 gives health to the sick1 consoles the afflicted1 sends rains1 freezes ice1 multiplies fruits1 favors in storms1 on the roads1 and among the drowning 99 99 994 ,finally there shall be none who trusting in the same will not receive that which is asked4 ,to the ,holy ,child of ,cebu1 an image which was left in that city by the companions of ,magellan1 went the ,cebuanos before their conversion to ,catholicism to ask rain carrying him in a procession to the seashore and submerging it in the water and thus secure the rain that they needed so much4 7,novena al ,santisimo ,nombre1 ,malabon1 #ahie1 p4 #e74 ,nevertheless1 the immersion in the sea water is a recourse which may be said to be resorted to only in extreme cases because a verse in that novena says3 ,si acaso no conseguian las aguas porque os rogaban1 al mar1 ,oh ,nino1 os llevaban1 y en las aguas os metian2 y asi el agua que pedian1 otorgaba vuestro amor 7p4 #bi74 ,if they failed to get the waters they prayed for1 to the sea1 ,oh ,child1 they carried thee and put thee in the water1 so that thy love conceded the water they asked4 ,the better known miracles by the ,holy ,child took place from #afah to #afge4 ,since then nothing in the ,novena that is memorable is registered4 ,nevertheless1 the novena confirms that the ,holy ,child performs continually miracles 7p4 #ae71 and to him go all the citizens of ,cebu1 ,bohol1 ,leyte1 ,samar1 and ,mindanao to kiss his sacred feet and venerate him and commend to him their necessities and misfortunes1 asking relief in their sickness1 assistance in their voyages1 and protections in all the events of life 7pp4 #ae-af74 ,the certainty of finding what is sought in the novenas is assured in reference to ,saint ,roque4 ,the exercise of this novena1 it is said 7p4 #c1 ,novena1 ,manila1 #aiaj71 offers us a means of compelling 7obligar7 this glorious saint to secure of ,god what we ask4 ,to be rid of epidemics--which has its origin in the corruption of the air--we must have recourse to ,san ,roque with fervent prayers 7p4 #c74 ,by the side of the corpse of the saint a letter was found which was supposed to have been written by ,god1 which reads3 ,those afflicted with plague who implore the favor of ,roque will find health 7p4 #e74 ,the intervention of ,saint ,roque is exclusively in favor of the ,catholics4 ,who so makes his novena says the following3 ,i implore thee that by the merits of this glorious ,saint1 thou freest us all who assist to this cult and to all the ,catholics of the ,kingdom of ,spain and of these ,islands of all pestilential diseases which might take away our lives 7p4 #ac74 ,since the ,catholics of the ,united ,states are not included here1 the ,bureau of ,health ought to remember that such citizens together with those who are not ,catholics who inhabit the ,philippines do not enjoy the anti-pestilential protection of ,saint ,roque4 ,superstition and ,crime ,in his notable study on ,criminal ,anthropology of the ,philippines1 ,dr4 ,sixto de los ,angeles 7p4 #aai7 says3 ,the easy credulity fomented by the over-development of religious fanaticism1 has constituted from the beginning to this day one of the defects unfortunately so widespread still among the native inhabitants of the country 99 99 994 ,devoted to their inherited traditions and customs and lacking in adequate opportunities to acquire proper knowledge1 the mass of the people have to adhere as it is logical and natural1 to their beliefs1 which by their not requiring any effort to understand are imbedded and deeply rooted in a spontaneous manner in their minds4 ,as it is shown in our annals of the judiciary1 superstition occupies a notable place among the factors of criminality in this country4 ,the superstitions to which ,doctor de los ,angeles alludes are not only those of the old paganism of the ,filipinos which the missionaries after more than three centuries have not succeeded in completely eradicating4 ,the superstitions referred to in this work are those brought here by the same missionaries1 and which they have easily succeeded in implanting in the conscience of the ,filipinos naturally disposed to credulity by means of the efficient and generous distribution of the novenas and other booklets of devotion4 ,since until the coming of the ,americans the instruction in the ,philippines was always and exclusively religious1 and was directed by the ,roman priests1 the persistence of these old superstitions are evident proofs of the failure of religious education4 ,as an excuse missionaries will perhaps attribute this to the invincible rudeness of the ,filipinos1 which we shall admit for courtesy's sake and to avoid discussions4 ,but what is all-important is not that they were unable to take out something 7of the superstitions71 out of the supposed hardheadedness of the ,indio1 but the tremendous wealth of superstition which for more than three centuries these missionaries inculcated 7han hecho penetrar7 in that same head to the detriment of his mentality and his morality4 ,lack of ,will ,the sinner lacking in will to control his evil deeds says to ,jesus1 washing his hands in the divine intervention and giving proof of his lack of due sense of responsibility3 ,is it possible1 sweet ,saviour of souls1 that1 converting so many every day1 alone in my perdition1 thou mayest show thyself indifferent8 7p4 #ac74 ,this is a part of a prayer made by no less a person than ,his ,holiness1 ,pope ,gregory ,,vii1 in his ,devout ,exercise of the ,passion of ,christ1 ,manila1 #aije4 ,it is said also to the ,virgin3 ,cleanse1 thou ,immaculate ,virgin1 my heart of all sin and take away from me all that may be unpleasant in thy purest eyes6 ,purge my soul of all earthly love and affections 7pp4 #aj-aa1 ,corona ,franciscana de la ,virgen ,maria1 ,manila1 #aijb74 ,by the intercession of ,saint ,francis1 the devout one asks of ,god that ,i completely subdue my disorderly passions1 powers1 and senses1 so that ,i may subject my thoughts1 measure my words1 and direct my work to the greatest perfection1 and that thou mayest soften the hardness of my heart 7pp4 #ah1 #bj1 and #ba of the ,novena of ,saint ,francis de ,asis1 ,manila1 #aije74 ,frightened by the machinations of ,satan the devout one to ,saint ,filomena asks 7p4 #bc1 ,novena73 ,she obtains from the ,lord that which destroys more and more the powers of my enemies1 the devils1 and that ,i be saved in spite of myself4 ,the guidance of ,saint ,filomena is invoked by saying 7p4 #be1 ,novena73 ,see to it that ,i also be chaste according to my station1 and that my mouth will not utter those words which according to ,st4 ,paul1 should not be said among the faithful4 ,to ,saint ,anna1 mother of ,mary1 the devout one says3 ,interest thyself therefore1 my ,saint1 that ,i may be granted patience in my adversities1 tolerance of wrongs1 and1 in everything1 a tranquil mind 7,novena1 ,manila1 #ahic1 p4 #aj74 ,also the following prayer is directed3 ,put forth therefore your effort1 my ,saint1 with thy sacred grandson1 ,jesus1 that every imperfection and bad desire may be taken from our hearts1 that we may pardon for love of ,god all wrongs4 ,it is not possible to cultivate a sense of dignity or self-respect itself when doctrines are disseminated such as these1 which result from the following examples in the ,novena of ,santa ,rosa de ,lima4 ,carried by her humility1 she made a mere servant step on her lips 7p4 #aj74 ,she loved ridicules more than worldly honors 7p4 #ajb74 99 99 99 and she desired so much that all others considered her the worst in the world1 that she merited being in hell1 and that it was her proper place because of her sins4 ,if any body happened not to know her and that she was considered innocent1 she would say nobody knows me1 ,i alone know what ,i am 7p4 #aa74 ,hearing once that they praised her as being virtuous she felt so bad that she fainted 7p4 #aa74 ,in a prayer to ,saint ,filomena 7,novena1 p4 #af71 it is said to the saint asking her protection3 ,my sins made me less than angels1 very inferior to the beasts1 since these do not forget the manger of their master1 and in their own way they are grateful for their food1 and ,i have forgotten the house of ,god 99 99 994 ,not only self ridicule comes out of these things1 but lack of logic in attributing to the gratitude of the beasts their return to their manger1 when it is clear that the motive that prompts them is simply hunger4 ,the ,ire of ,god ,the natural phenomena are looked upon thru ignorance as manifestations of the divine wrath which would not have taken place if no one among humanity had not provoked them by their conduct4 ,saint ,thomas ,aquinas1 who with reason is considered as the most scientific man of his period1 believed firmly that the thunder1 lightning1 and the storms were punitive manifestations of ,god enraged against men4 ,from his fear of ,god1 the saintly doctor had an unearthly fear of thunder and tempests1 who as a reverent child feared to see wrath in the face of the ,father1 hoping only that those tempests were not provoked by his sins 7,milicia ,angelica1 ,manila1 #aijg1 p4 #ba74 ,the blind fear of ,saint ,thomas led him to conceive a blind justice of the divinity1 because of his sins ,god released the tempests and gave lightning which naturally hurt and molested a great number of persons who suffered by reason of the sins of the saint4 ,to the simple believer1 when the wise saint thought and believed in that manner1 there was no reason for rejecting the explanation1 much less to suspect that to punish justly the sinners was not an act of justice nor of common sense4 ,lack of ,logic ,logical mentality cannot be developed when the absurd is fomented and cultivated1 especially when it is presented under the false veneer of religion1 when it is founded on a purely puerile and simple superstition4 ,in the life of ,saint ,vicente ,ferrer1 according to his novenas1 the following miracles are referred to1 and there is no doubt that he who believes in them cannot really cultivate the faculties of his intelligence4 ,in ,valencia a servant of ,count de ,faura1 who was born deaf and without tongue1 was that way for many years1 and adoring one day the miracle of ,saint ,vicente1 was cured of his deafness1 his tongue grew1 and thenceforward spoke 7p4 #ag74 ,a woman gave birth to a piece of meat 7pedazo de carne7 without a human aspect4 ,it was offered to ,saint ,vicente giving a mass1 and at the ,epistle1 it already had head2 at the ,gospel1 it had arms2 and at the ,consecration1 it had legs1 and finally a beautiful child was evolved4 ,the same happened with another woman of ,toledo 7p4 #cd74 ,in ,lisbon there lived a woman well-known for being quite ugly and was the object of ridicule on the part of all who saw her4 ,she went to ,san ,vicente and one morning she became very fortunate and beautiful1 from which the women of ,lisbon became so devout to ,san ,vicente that those in ,valencia did not excel them 7p4 #bg74 ,a merchant left once for a fair and meanwhile the wife committed an indiscretion 7una fragilidad7 for which she remained 99 99 994 ,she came and appeared repentant to ,san ,vicente and the same went to the road whereon the husband returned with some horses1 and startled them by means of a cloak and thus dispersed them4 ,then the husband lost time to gather his horses so that when he returned to his house his wife had time to flee from him1 thus saving herself from the consequences of her fault4 ,thus with the greatest freedom an immoral and grotesque act is related in which the innocent husband is left out and takes no step to have just punishment meted1 and the saint with his cloak commits a deviltry only fit for urchins of the brook4 ,it is said that ,san ,ramon takes such a deep interest in the misfortunes and pains of his devotees1 and is so extremely compassionate that his images perspire thru the affliction of his devotees 7p4 #ab74 ,an image of the ,saint perspired so copiously at one time that a devout woman suffered and the veil with which she covered herself was stained2 and some handkerchiefs wet in his perspiration relieved headaches marvelously 7p4 #ba74 ,saint ,roque has the power of stopping the spread of epidemics4 ,his protection is what preserves us from plague and other sufferings or diseases1 which1 having their origin in the corruptions of the air1 which should conserve our life1 causes death 7p4 #c74 ,the ,height of ,absurdity ,is it possible to invent or suppose greater absurdities than those here mentioned8 ,nevertheless1 in order not to prolong this address1 ,i shall only present a few of the cases which are cited in abundance in these little booklets 7opusculos71 distributed in great profusion among our people4 ,what logic1 what reasoning can we expect of minds nurtured with such absurdities1 fed up with fakes of such puerile nature that one can hardly believe them to have been narrated by men of simple common sense8 ,the mattress where ,san ,vicente died has become possessed of the virtue of making miracles2 by merely lying on it on different occasions over #djj sick persons afflicted with various diseases became well 7p4 #cb74 ,one time when ,san ,antonio de ,padua preached on the seashore it happened that the fishes to whom he preached came out of the water and heard him with all attention4 ,no devotee ever doubts the coming out of fishes1 nor does he interests himself in the solution of the physical1 physiological1 linguistic1 and especially logical aspects of such an event1 but the ,novena to the ,saint confirms it so 7p4 #bj74 ,this lecture would be unduly prolonged if ,i were to mention all the absurdities that appear in the ,novenas of which ,i have quite a collection1 which constitute a real array of documents of positive usefulness for the history of the superstition which ,i have scarcely touched upon here4 ,with what has been said there is enough to explain the origin of the immorality1 the real cause of the predisposition to vice1 the absence of a sense of responsibility1 the natural explanation of what incomprehensible character formed of a mixture of sentiments which the missionaries have contributed to the ,filipino1 ,indio1 ,spaniard1 and ,chinese1 all influenced by the injurious spirit which pervades all that literature which is completely antagonical to reason4 ,such1 and not the lay education1 is responsible for this evil4 ,i am not here to formulate theories or to speak of a capricious hypothesis4 ,before an audience such as this which ,i have the honor to address1 ,i need to weigh the value of my words and of my judgment4 ,for this reason ,i have cited facts1 repeating the exact words1 not of the profane literature composed of the anonymous ,corridos whose detrimental influence is well known1 but the authentic texts of ,novenas authorized by the ecclesiastical censorship for not containing anything contrary to sane morals1 as it is said in the permits granted for their printing4 ,nor have ,i thought for a moment of mixing religion in my criticism2 nor is it in my power to vary the results or consequences that may result from the facts mentioned in the ,novenas1 which are the literature responsible for this state of puerile mentality1 absolutely inadequate for an understanding of morals1 composed of matter that paralyzes1 rather than bring out1 progress4 ,morals is nothing but the triumph over one's self1 thru which man does what he should and not what he wishes4 ,in the immoral man there is no struggle between two tendencies1 one against evil and the other against good4 ,there is only the instinctive tendency2 there is no rational control in opposition4 ,what mastery over self does a man have who for the purpose of controlling his habit of dirty and obscene speech seeks the intervention of a saint8 ,lacking in will1 dispossessed of any idea of struggle with himself1 how can he triumph over himself8 ,slave to his own passions it might have seemed that the only thing that might control him was the punishment in store in future life2 but this fear does not preoccupy him in the least since at the same time that he is threatened with eternal fire he is told the manner of evading it without ceasing to do evil4 ,immorality of the ,novenas ,these ,novenas contain pernicious teachings for society whose moral foundation consists in the development of the individual qualities such as industry1 fulfillment of duty1 respect of law1 struggle with one's own instincts and passions which require above all else the mastery over one's self4 ,not only are these social obligations not taught nor mentioned but there is a real stimulus toward all that is bad1 assuring to the criminal1 to the sinner1 that he will be pardoned1 that he will be free from punishment1 that however badly he may act and however sinful he may be1 without the least effort1 with the greatest ease and naturalness1 he will obtain what he wishes and will triumph on earth as well as in the other life4 ,on the other hand1 the individual is terrorized by the influence of evil1 always tending to push him on to the road of vice and ignominy2 he is inspired with blind confidence by placing on his side a ,guardian ,angel who never leaves night and day1 who supports him1 who guides him his 7the ,guardian ,angel's7 intervention being so useful that he modifies that which we asked of ,god when he knows that our petitions might bring us some spiritual or bodily ill4 ,what idea of justice can one conceive when he remembers the spectacle that was witnessed by that gentleman in the cemetery of ,cuzco8 ,not only are ,mary and ,joseph presented as interceding with all energy for the salvation of the criminal for the mere reason that he invoked their names1 but they remain unmoved and do nothing to soften the cruelty of ,jesus ,christ when ,he condemns to sudden death and eternal condemnation the two unfortunate sinful women4 ,they did not invoke the name of ,mary and ,joseph who only seem to have pity on their clients and work with the same partiality of a ,nacionalista or ,democrata demagogue4 ,and what significance does a law have which does not admit nor prosecute polygamy when so many virgins are wives of ,jesus who expect the other life in order that they may deliver themselves to ,him as their husband8 ,what about ,mary1 wife of the ,father1 of her own son1 of ,joseph1 and ,saint ,domingo8 ,mr4 ,ignacio ,villamor in his report to the ,committee on ,infant mortality1 written when he was ,attorney-,general1 refers to various cases of murder of persons considered as bewitched and as such were sacrificed for being fanatics4 ,the lad of ,trayguerra who assailed the ugly woman for mistaking her for the devil himself after hearing a sermon of ,san ,vicente1 is absolutely of the same nature as those possessed of the asuang referred to by ,mr4 ,villamor4 ,and what shall be said of the protection of ,san ,isidro invoked by the agriculturists8 ,he gave an example of neglect of his duties as a farmer1 because instead of plowing the land1 doing the work for which he was paid by his master1 he spent the day praying4 ,thru a miracle1 an angel took hold of the plow1 guided the bulls while the saint prayed and did not work4 ,and right here in our midst1 confident in ,san ,isidro1 the people of the field sleep1 hoping that the angels shall do the work for them6 ,how can you condemn laziness when the angels protect it8 ,and how can you preach the doctrine of earning bread by the sweat of your brow when the labor that sweat presupposes is unnecessary8 ,without connection whatsoever with the ,bureau of ,education of the ,government of the ,philippine ,islands1 ,i have spoken in the manner that ,i have just done1 not to defend the lay schools of an unjust and unjustifiable accusation2 not to attack any persons or any religious or political ideals1 but to contribute to the eradication of one of the bases1 one of the strongest causes of criminality1 of corruption1 of formation of individuals who are useless and detrimental to society3 superstition4 ,and1 gentlemen1 it is not a superstition that is only to be laughed at4 ,not by any means4 ,it is a ridiculous and even absurd superstition1 it is true1 but it is a tragic and dangerous because it offers to the wicked1 the criminal1 the imbecile1 the means of triumphing in life1 of obtaining what they want1 giving them the means of avoiding punishment1 making fun here on earth of the justice of men1 and securing from ,god the pardon from eternal condemnation thru the simple means of invoking the name of a saint1 or thru the medium of a ,latin word which1 acting as a sort of open sesame opens wide to the devotee the gates of heaven4 ,the ,lamentable ,error of the ,bishop of ,cebu ,the prelate who accused the public schools in the form above mentioned has committed a lamentable error4 ,for my part1 ,i can say that the accusations awakened in me a desire to investigate the causes of immorality and of the perversion of customs which the said prelate1 and we with him1 all regret4 ,according to those who have studied the mentality of the majority of our people1 it is evident that superstition is the enemy which we all have to combat and that is the cause of many of the moral errors which we observe4 ,the regular friars as well as the secular clergy confess that the mass of the people still finds itself subject to the superstition inherited from our predecessors--the superstition which could be called genuinely ,philippine1 that which comes from the old belief in the nunu1 in the asuang1 the anito and all the spirits of the old idolatry preached before the implantation of ,catholicism by the ,spanish missionaries4 ,failure of the ,missionaries ,according to their own confessions1 these missionaries1 after three centuries of preaching1 have failed to eradicate those superstitions incrustated in the conscience of the people4 ,we must accept their declaration as a faithful recognition of the failure of their religious mission4 ,i am not interested in1 nor do ,i discuss1 the religious point of view1 but the importance of superstition in social life1 its pernicious influence upon the evolution of morality4 ,what undoubtedly results from the narratives contained in that literature which constituted the only reading of the people is the promotion of ignorance spreading in a very effective manner all the superstitions aforementioned and adding to them a wealth of errors which unfortunately governs the mentality of the mass of the people4 ,not only the so-called ,indios the ones concerned2 the sons of the ,spaniards of pure blood or those mixed with ,indios as well as the ,chinese mestizos are also accused of these superstitions4 ,all these1 all of us ,filipinos1 are included among the individuals infected with the leprosy of superstition fomented by the absurd miracles of the ,novenas and it cannot be said that it is an evil particularly of the ,filipino race but also the inhabitants of the ,philippines in general4 ,in order that education be useful it has to form in the individual the sense of responsibility thru the free exercise of reason4 ,the fulfillment of duty shall be its objective and in order to obtain this goal1 it is highly necessary to develop the will in man with which he shall fight the animal instincts1 the sentimental impulses1 all that is contrary to the dictates of reason4 ,logical mentality 7mentalidad logica71 to know what we should do and to enable us to plan out a just route that we should follow2 will 7voluntad7 to enable us to exalt the dictates of reason above the impulses of our own desires3 such is the object of lay education1 the education in the so-called godless schools1 here in the schools of the ,government as in the college of ,beata ,imelda directed by the ,dominican fathers under the norm of ,japanese ideas translated in imperative laws1 situated in ,taihoku1 capital of ,formosa4 ,the reading of the so-called miracles of the type that ,i have before cited makes the impossible appear possible1 thanks to mysterious influences which are easy to secure1 not thru industry1 but simply thru unworthy and low means and reproved by good morals such as humiliation1 adulation1 and propitiation4 ,a benefit is not asked or expected thru some positive good that we do1 thru fulfillment of duty out of which results a positive good which is a right2 resort is had by means of favor1 by gaining the benevolence of a saint1 making him believe that he is liked1 adored1 and admired1 seeking to exalt his vanity and1 thru his mediation1 gain the good will of ,god1 not as a benefit conferred directly to him who asks1 but in consideration of the merits of the mediator4 ,nothing can be imagined that is more immoral1 more primitive1 more contemptible4 ,the celestial court turns out to be a court more corrupt than those of the autocrats condemned by history3 the court of the ,khans1 the ,sultans1 the ,bysantine ,emperors1 ,mungols1 ,persians1 ,tartars1 all the barbarians who have abused humanity and who have personified injustice and justified revolution and massacres4 ,a society whose members expect everything thru favoritism does not know what emulation is2 when an individual finds a means as simple as that offered in the ,novenas to secure what he desires following the line of least resistance1 does not resort to the exercise of any noble activity1 and1 consequently1 cannot perfect his faculties nor use them2 an individual who expects to attain the absurd and improbable cannot know the existence of immutable laws which rule the universe2 the individual who expects to secure what he wants thru the medium of a celestial patron cannot conceive the ,god of ,justice nor can he really be a useful member of society4 ,favor1 propitiation1 exception1 protection1 grace1 preference1 predilection1 are incompatible with what a ,god should be1 with the ,ideal of civilization1 with the supreme aspiration of humanity which is ,justice4 ,disastrous ,results ,those who believe in the absurd miracle 7milagreria absurda71 protector of the fools1 accomplice of the lazy1 of the gamblers1 of thieves1 of all who1 thru its means1 seek to secure what they desire--those are the criminals that fill our jails and who die in the gallows2 those are the ones1 who1 armed with their anting-anting1 talisman1 rosary1 scapulary1 bones of saints1 or shark's teeth1 fight with the police1 commit outrages1 upset order1 confident in their triumph because of the protection of their celestial pintakasi4 ,such is the product not of the schools without god but of god without schools1 impossible and paradoxical1 whose power manifests itself in capricious methods and in the exercise of prestidigitation4 ,those individuals are in truth the natural products of that superstition preached1 diffused1 and presented to the ignorance of people who have come to the point of fearing neither ,god nor devil and who know that the infernal punishment only is meted to him who does not wear a rosary around his neck or does not confide in a pintakasi1 who guarantees eternal salvation because ,god does not permit that the worshiper of one of ,his devotees be condemned4 ,what kind of citizen can an individual be in society who laughs at punishment using the easy means of a celestial lawyer4 ,how can terrors of hell infuse fear in him when he knows that thru the medium of a powerful lawyer1 ,god finds himself obliged 7forzado7 to pardon him4 ,and when a man knows the way of evading divine justice1 it is clear that1 in order for him to escape human justice1 he will resort to appealing to the mercy of the judge1 to evade compliance with the law1 to the non-fulfillment of any duty1 and to live only to enjoy his rights2 he will resort1 in dealing with human authorities1 to the use of the same methods of propitiation1 adulation1 prevarication1 humiliation1 and deception which dominated the same ,god and triumphed over the power of the devil6 ,never will it be possible for a superstitious man1 especially if he is of the type that we have just analyzed1 become a useful citizen4 ,such is the type which unfortunately is the product of an education of three centuries4446 ,the parochial schools 7escuelas religiosas7 have given their fruit2 the lay schools 7laicas7 have also borne fruitage4 ,the youths who graduate from the latter are undoubtedly not without defects2 but they are not poisoned or forever led astray by that brutalizing superstition sown by native and foreign impostors4 ,none of those youths will assail ruthlessly an ugly old woman mistaking her for a devil2 he will not dream of flying in the air launched like a balloon by an army of devils4 ,none shall believe that a piece of meat shall be transformed into arms1 legs1 and heads as a mass offered to a pintakasi progresses2 much less can such youth conceive a ,jesus ,christ that would weaken at the sight of a chest that his mother ,virgin ,mary would show to remind him of his weak memory of ,god would forget2 nor will he excuse himself of a wrong committed against a companion of the other sex on the pretext that he does not have with him the girdle of the ,angelic ,militia2 much less will he believe that1 in spite of a criminal life1 he will be able to secure eternal salvation provided only he has taken the precaution of repeating at every turn the invocation of the so-called ,trinity on ,earth4 ,that lay education will not produce individuals who trust in protection or recommendation to progress and triumph on earth4 ,the lay education is wholly democratic and will not be capable of committing the same faults of those who1 by not following their education1 seek to employ in the affairs of life those means recommended in the ,novenas in order to obtain what is desired by means of the help of the powerful1 secured by means of requests1 protestations of love1 and promise of eternal devotion4 ,that mental conformation created by the diffusion of this superstitious spirit is an obstacle1 an insuperable barrier set up against the development of the moral sense4 ,we shall sow principles of morality as the farmer who sows in the fields the seeds properly selected which will not grow unless the soil is adequate4 ,sane morals is founded upon the basis of reason2 when this foundation is lacking1 the moral taught will be like a tree that is rootless and lifeless4 ,it is not possible that a school without god 7escuela sin ,dios7 or the one with god can make the seed of morals grow upon a soil prepared by the school of superstition1 of magic1 and of sorcery4 ,we have to prepare the soil cultivating reason and creating the logical sense4 ,i will only insist on things which only need to be presented before our common sense to be judged as they merit4 ,the ,public ,school ,permit me now to express first of all my gratitude to the ,assistant ,director1 ,mr4 ,osias1 who had the kindness to honor me with an invitation to speak at this conference4 ,now1 ,i wish to express to you my thanks for your kind attention4 ,lastly1 ,i desire to make one declaration3 ,every time ,i referred to the new generation1 ,i did not want to mention only the youth educated in the lay schools of the ,government1 but all the youth educated in modern ideas1 all the men and women of whatever age who1 throwing aside the weighty burden of the ,legacy of ,ignorantism 7,le gado del ,ignorantismo71 have accepted modern ideas1 have modified their mentality1 have been modernized1 thanks to the example of1 and the contact with1 the representatives of ,american democracy4 ,all the change1 all the economic1 moral1 social1 and political transformation effected in the ,filipino people1 and which none denies nor anyone can deny1 reveals progress1 and that progress is not the result of the ,legacy of ,ignorantism but the natural consequence of the regime of liberty1 industry1 work and logical mentality which governs our public schools and orients our social life4 ,to the ,department of ,education1 to all the teachers of both sexes--,americans and ,filipinos--,i express my profound gratitude for the splendid manner in which they are complying with the duty entrusted to them by ,america and by the ,philippines4 ,,notes #a ,ignorantism1 the spirit of those who extol the advantage of ignorance2 obscurantism4 #b ,translated from ,spanish4 #c ,of the one hundred fifty-six books which the censorship of the ,manila ,customs refused entrance because they are obscene1 five were printed in ,french and one hundred fifty-one in ,spanish4 ,in ,english1 it is known1 no obscene literature is found4 #d ,from the ,bishop of ,cebu1 dated ,november #ai1 #aiai4 #e ,this book was printed in #ahdd4 ,today1 in the year #aibj1 the seventh edition of the ,rueda is sold in ,manila and is used in some of the private schools4 ,this edition is a reprint of the original edition without any correction so that in history ,japan is not even mentioned1 ,france is a kingdom1 ,prussian is separated from the rest of ,germany2 and in ,spain1 ,isabela ,,ii is the one who still happily reigns4 ,this is the famous book recommended by the priest who was interested in extending instruction in the ,philippines4