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  Friars and Filipinos

  An abridged translation of

  Dr. Jose Rizal's

  Tagalog Novel, "Noli Me Tangere."

  By Frank Ernest Gannett.

  New York:

  The St. James Press.

  Copyright, 1900, by Frank Ernest Gannett.

  To

  Jacob Gould Schurman,

  President of Cornell University.

  PREFACE.

  While serving on the staff of the first United States Commission to thePhilippine Islands my attention was called to the life and writingsof Dr. Jose Rizal. I found in his novel, "Noli Me Tangere," the bestpicture of the life of the people of those islands under Spanish rule,and the clearest exposition of the governmental problems which Spainfailed to solve, and with which our own people must deal. It occurredto me that an English translation of Rizal's work would be of greatvalue at the present time. My first intention was to reproduce theentire novel as it was written, but, after careful consideration,I thought best to abridge the story by the omission of some partswhich did not seem essential to the main purpose of the work. Thepresent volume is the result.

  Readers should not understand any of Rizal's references to priestsand friars as reflections upon the Roman Catholic Church. He wasthroughout his life an ardent Catholic, and died a firm adherentof the Church. But he objected to the religious orders in thePhilippine Islands, because he knew well that they were more zealousin furthering their own selfish ends than in seeking the advancementof Christianity. From experience, Dr. Rizal knew that the friars,under cloak of the gospel ministry, oppressed his fellow countrymen,and took advantage of their superstition and ignorance. These wrongshe was brave enough to expose in his writings. In the friars he saw anobstacle to the education and enlightenment of the Filipino people,and, using moderate means, he did his utmost to secure reform. Hiswritings will explain to us the cause of the hatred shown by theFilipinos toward the religious corporations, and will make clearerthe nature of one of the present problems in the Philippines.

  There are in the Philippines five religious orders: the Dominicans,Franciscans, Recoletos, Augustines and Jesuits. According to JohnForeman, an eminent authority, the members of all of these, exceptthe last named, come from the lower classes in Spain, and are onthe whole comparatively ignorant and uncultured. Under the Spanishsystem of government certain provinces were assigned to each of theorders--except the Jesuits--and the friars were distributed amongthe different parishes. In the town assigned to him the friar hadmuch authority. He was chief adviser in all civil affairs, and, byhis influence over the superstitious natives, maintained absolutecontrol in all matters pertaining to the local government as wellas to the local church. So firm was his hold that he led the Spanishgovernment to believe that the islands could not be ruled without hisaid. Knowing that his power rested on the ignorance of the people hediscouraged education among them. When native Filipinos advanced sofar as to prove an obstacle to the religious orders, as did Rizal andmany others, the friars sought to destroy them. Forgetting their holymission, the religious orders became commercial corporations, amassedenormous wealth, and gained possession of the most valuable parts ofthe islands, though to much of this property the titles are not clear.

  From my own observation, and from information derived from theSpaniards themselves, I am convinced that the author has notoverdrawn his pictures. In fact I have learned of instances wherethe oppression and practices of the friars were even worse than thosedescribed. Dr. Rizal has given us a portrayal of the Filipino characterfrom the viewpoint of the most advanced Filipino. He brings out manyfacts that are pertinent to present-day questions, showing especiallythe Malayan ideas of vengeance, which will put great difficultiesin the way of the pacifying of the islands by our forces. The readerwill not fail to notice the striking similarity between the life ofIbarra, the hero, and that of Rizal, the author, a short sketch ofwhose career has been given in the following pages.

  For assistance in preparing this volume for publication I offersincere thanks to William H. Glasson, Ph.D., Instructor in Historyin the George School, Newtown, Pa. Dr. Glasson has read the entiremanuscript and proofs, and I have been glad to avail myself of hisadvice on many doubtful points. I desire also to acknowledge myindebtedness for favors received to Horatio Green, Interpreter tothe Supreme Court of the Philippine Islands, to W. G. Richardson,of New York, and to the publishers.

  F. E. G.

  Ithaca, N. Y., Dec. 1, 1900.