AS PROTESTANT LATIN AMERICA SEES IT So UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LIBRARY j Wy uulNnUuN X%001872651~ oe e ee ee ee erate ee ete iter ene Sen tie i i _— is a lt Na _o et 2G, eet es ae eet: é t %, .AS PROTESTANT LATIN AMERICA SEES IT— a 4° Oe ae eee 0 | tio -_ [Rn VU tbe ccc en Pee ae ee al eeCHRISTIAN VOICES AROUND THE WORLD AS PROTESTANT LATIN AMERICA SEES IT Chapters by a Group of Nationals Interpreting the Christian Movement Assembled and edited by MILTON STAUFFER Educational Secretary Student Volunteer Movement Published for the = STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS by the MISSIONARY EDUCATION MOVEMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA New Yorka ey Cy? i. c : 084863 ON a a a a a COPYRIGHT, 1927, BY JOHN A. MURRAY, JR. ~ . a oo i Cane Nee ae ee ee eee ee ee oe ae Barre ee ~scitee a a ene — AUTHORS OF THIS VOLUME MARCOS SCHWARZ HENRY ALFRED HOLMES OTHONIEL MOTTA SALOMAO FERRAZ DANIEL ENRIQUE HALL GABINO RODRIGUEZ ERASMO BRAGA E. K. JAIME-DANSKINBIOGRAPHICAL NOTES MARCOS SCHWARZ is a practising lawyer in Argentina, and is Assistant Librarian in the Faculty of Law, University of Buenos Aires. He has been Secretary-Administrator of the Initial Re- view, and delegate of the Center of the students of law, and delegate of the Review to the University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. HENRY ALFRED HOLMES was born in Maine in 1883, and has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since 1895. He took his degrees of A.B. and A.M. in 1905 and 1910 at Wesleyan University, and was appointed to the foreign field, Eastern South America (Montevideo), in 1915. He was pro- fessor in the State College for Women, Denton, Texas, in 1925, and is now professor of Latin-American Relations in Pomona College, Claremont, California. OTHONIEL MOTTA, pastor of the First Independent Pres- byterian Church, Sao Paulo, Brazil, was a student of law before he entered the Presbyterian Seminary. He worked for some time as an evangelist in the hinterland of Brazil, later receiving a professorship in the State Gymnasium, and being appointed to the chair of Portuguese at Ribeirao Preto. After several years of service in Ribeirao Preto and in Campinas, and with the church as an evangelist, he was elected to the pastorate in Sao Paulo. He is the author of several textbooks for the study of Portuguese. SALOMAO FERRAZ, pastor of the Brazilian Episcopal Church in Sao Paulo, is a graduate of the Presbyterian Seminary, the son of a colporteur in the hinterland of Sao Paulo who later became an independent Presbyterian minister. After several years of viBIOGRAPHICAL NOTES vil work in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, he joined the Episcopal clergy and took a parish in Rio, and has been for many years a delegate of that denomination to the Brazilian Committee on Cooperation. He is the author of the reply made by the Protestant clergy of Brazil to the pastoral of an arch- bishop who indicted the Protestant movement as an agency of the United States for political penetration in Brazil. DANIEL ENRIQUE HALL was born in Buenos Aires in 1888. He is a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, an official examiner of candidates for the ministry, and is active in the work of the Sunday schools. He is the author of many articles published in the evangelical press, and official translator for the Evangelical Review, which circulates throughout Latin America. GABINO RODRIGUEZ was born in Spain, and has been resi- dent since early childhood in Argentina and Uruguay. He was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, and from the Boston University School of Theology with the degree of S.T.B. His work has been that of minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in La Plata, Province of Buenos Aires, and professor in the Union Theological Seminary there; co-editor of E/ Estan- darte, the official weekly organ of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Argentina; member of the Finance Committee of the Methodist Episcopal Mission in Eastern South America, and member of the Committee on Cooperation in the Republics of the River Plate. ERASMO BRAGA, after studying in a mission school where his mother was a teacher, went to Mackenzie College, Sao Paulo. After graduation from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary he worked as an evangelist in Rio, and became a member of the staff of one of the great daily newspapers, He was made an assistant professor at the Seminary, and held a chair in Mackenzie College. Elected to the chair of Church History and Homiletics,pees eT ee ae ie 4 : ie ; i Vili BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES he became also the Dean of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, then located in Campinas, and afterward professor in the local State Gymnasium. He resigned both positions to become Secretary of the Brazilian Committee on Cooperation. Professor Braga was a Brazilian delegate at the Panama Congress, 1916; President of the Montevideo Congress, 1925; and in 1926 consultative member of the Committee of the International Missionary Council at Rattvik, Sweden; of the Y.M.C.A. conference at Helsingfors; of the World’s Student Christian Federation Committee at Nyborg, Denmark; and of the Con- ference on the Christian Mission in Africa at Le Zoute. He is a member of two regional academies of letters in Brazil, where his books are extensively used in the grammar schools. He is an ex-Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, and Foreign Secretary of the Board of Missions for Portugal. EARLE K. JAIME-DANSKIN was born in Santiago, Chile, where he received his primary education, continuing in the Stir- ling High School, Scotland. Returning to Chile, he graduated from the Instituto Ingles, Santiago, and is at present studying in Columbia University. He has traveled in South America and in Mexico, and has contributed articles to Latin-American publica- tions, and to magazines and newspapers in the United States such as the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Current History, The Arts, Art and Archeology, American Speech, etc.Il III IV VI Vil CONDENS PREFACE Our CuLTuRAL HERITAGE Marcos Schwarz Henry Alfred Holmes Our CHANGING LIFE AND [THOUGHT Othoniel Motta Our Dominant RELIGION Salomao Ferraz Tue Proresranr MovEMENT Daniel Enrique Hall THe EvaNGELICAL CHURCHES Gabino Rodriguez INTER-AMERICAN COOPERATION Erasmo Braga YoutH’s CHALLENGE TO YOUTH E. K. Jaime-Danskin Xl 28 105 124 147CHRISTIAN VOICES AROUND THE WORLD SERIES VOICES FROM THE NEAR EAST CHINA HER OWN INTERPRETER JAPAN SPEAKS FOR HERSELF AN INDIAN APPROACH TO INDIA THINKING WITH AFRICA AS PROTESTANT LATIN AMERICA SEES IT Pk re re PE OE os per er oF Ee Le — oP -p one Pe ee - ag 2 yee EEPREFACE HE present student generation in North Amer- ica is no longer willing to depend entirely on the foreign missionary for its understanding of Christian movements in so-called mission fields. For practically the same reasons many missionaries are beginning to feel that they have been speaking for the Christian converts of other lands long enough. In the judgment of both these groups the day for the voice of nationals to be heard in our Western churches is at hand. That there are Christian leaders today in almost every land who are sufficiently able to interpret the Christianity of their communities to parent communities in the West, is living proof of the prophetic insight of pioneer missionaries who long ago by faith first caught the vision of this day. To their faithful witness and early sowing, this series entitled Christian Voices Around the World is af- fectionately dedicated. As never before, the young people of our North American churches and colleges find themselves sym- pathetic toward the national and racial aspirations of other peoples. Their sympathy leads them to ques- tion some of the aims and methods in the Christian missionary enterprise which appear to ignore or run counter to these aspirations. Many of them have xlxil PREFACE heard their own and foreign fellow-students counsel immediate discontinuance of foreign missions as now conducted, and even express doubt as to whether the missionary enterprise can be longer justified. How- ever able the missionaries may be to deal with per- plexities like these, they cannot satisfy the desire of those who are disturbed, to hear the opinion of na- tionals as well. Not until the Christian youth of North America are convinced that the foreign mis- sionary enterprise is fulfilling, in the judgment of indigenous Christian leaders, the largest needs of the peoples it means to serve, will they be enthusiastically behind it, at home or abroad. This Christian Voices Around the World series has been initiated and sponsored by the Student Vol- unteer Movement for Foreign Missions. We have been encouraged from the beginning by the Foreign Missions Conference of North America, represent- ing missionaries and foreign mission board secretaries, by the Council of Christian Associations, representing students and student leaders, and by the Missionary Education Movement, representing the mission boards in their cooperative educational work among the churches. In order that the books might be just as readily available to the young people of the churches as to college students, the Missionary Edu- cation Movement offered to publish the series, and “ onthe RS ee reer Ee eo ae PE Tee a. diene end . o - . ; os pe = _PREFACE X11 has generously put all of its resources for editing and circulation into the enterprise. In view of the purpose of this series and of the character of the manuscripts a statement of editorial policy is due both authors and readers. Some chapters were written in English, and others came to us as rough translations, manifesting in both cases varying stages of knowledge of the language. Many chapters were in uncertain stages so far as arrangement of material and literary quality are concerned. But more of them than the average reader might sup- pose were submitted in such form as to require surprisingly few editorial changes. Wherever the grammatical construction in the original was obvi- ously wrong or obscured or impaired the thought, I have not hesitated to change, even drastically, both construction and phraseology. Verbal substitutions in the interest of clarity have also been made. Fre- quently the idiomatic terms which seemed to have been intended have been supplied. Wherever the meaning could not be determined, rather than risk misrepresenting the author the part was deleted. There have also been the usual editorial exigencies relating to space. Having said this, let me hasten to add that scrupulous effort has been made to preserve the integrity of thought and the individuality of each manuscript. The constant endeavor has been to safe- en, AX1V PREFACE guard both the intention of the writer and the under- lying spirit of the series. Annotations by way of directing the reader to supplementary material, or defining the terms used, or suggesting other points of view in the interests of a more balanced presentation, have been omitted. For so many years the missionary’s point of view has been presented without annotations from nationals that it now seems only fair to apply the same method the other way around. Readers will discover defects inevitable to a sym- posium. There is repetition because of overlapping ground and the inability of the writers to consult together. The contributions are not of equal literary quality, and wide differences of intellectual content exist between chapters. The material is not always what missionaries themselves would have presented, nor is 1t always the most significant with reference to present phases of missionary interest in North Amer- ica. On the other hand it is exactly what we have asked for, an honest revelation of what Christian nationals are thinking and saying among themselves. No attempts have been made to reconcile conflicting opinions. Wherever possible the edited manuscripts have been submitted with the originals to consultants from the country concerned for scrutiny of changes made. Obviously the author of each chapter is alone responsible for the facts and the opinions stated.PREFACE XV In planning the volume, As Protestant Latin America Sees It, the eftort was made to enlist authors from at least six different countries, and thus secure representation of varying national viewpoints. Unfortunately only three of those originally ap- proached were able to accept. The responsibility on the field for securing authors and assembling chap- ters was generously undertaken by Dr. Webster E. Browning of Buenos Aires, Educational Secretary of the Committee on Cooperation in Latin America. Dr. Browning consulted with a number of national leaders before finally selecting the authors, and in larger countries worked through local committees. The group of well-equipped writers among evan- gelical Christians is not so large in Latin America as in some other countries included in this series; dis- tances are so great, nationality is so varied, and even among those whose knowledge extends beyond local affairs, few claim the ability to write of situations covering all of Latin America. At least half of the chapters were originally written in Spanish or Portu- guese and submitted as rough English translations. By way of bringing broader horizons within some of the chapters the editor, after consultation with Dr. Samuel Guy Inman, Executive Secretary of the Committee on Cooperation in Latin America, secured the help of several first-hand students of Latin- American affairs now in this country. Professor Henry» et ee na in sige ag + i de atl a . : a XV1 PREFACE Alfred Holmes of Pomona College rearranged sec- tions of Chapter I and added material of his own. In fairness both to him and the original author this chapter has been credited to both men. Professor James S. Braden of Garrett Biblical Seminary, Evanston, Illinois, in editing Chapter II has added a number of references to movements outside of Brazil. Similarly Mrs. Alva W. Taylor of Indian- apolis at our request broadened the scope of Chapter III. To Professor T. F. Reavis of Butler University, Indianapolis, and to Charles J. Ewald of the Inter- national Committee of the Y. M.C. A. we are in- debted for valuable editorial assistance in connection with Chapters V and VI. Since this book was written especially for young people in North American churches and colleges, one wishes that the references to international relations were more concrete and numerous. Fortunately our current newspapers and magazines supply this need, though not always with Christian interpretations. The two volumes entitled Christian Work in Latin America, edited by Dr. Robert E. Speer, offer the most comprehensive and recent material on the Prot- estant movement in Latin America. MILTON STAUFFER New York October, 1927AS PROTESTANT LATIN AMERICA SEE Sier J mnt - ae = _ — - " — « kes oo “ -- . I Ee See ls ET EE a Ln i Se SARE i Oe et er Le ke ow a a eel th te st ~ “ * = a - Jadu a —————e 2 eo _ “ts a iis o us J ’ bd - . jl ‘ - -_ ca aN * pees TT ee a LC ee I ee Re ce Ey SPRY Rw Set ee eg ee ee ee a ae = ‘ “? ors ~ 7 . ‘ . ge , g Kees ” -_I OUR CULT URAL HERTLAGE HE inquirer into the origins of Hispano- American culture will find his investigations leading him back to sixteenth-century Spain, to con- ditions at once imposing, full of human interest, and pathetic in their suggestion of weakness and decadence. In the striking phrase of Garcia Calderén, “the conquest of Spanish America was the last tri- umphant expression of a history of violent stoicism— it announced a long, majestic decadence.” Few mor- tals were so gifted with prophetic insight, in the first years after Charles V became head of the Holy Roman Empire, that they could predict the fatal re- sults of separating the flower of Spain’s youth from a body politic which numbered scarcely eight mil- lions. Discovery, conquest, colonization, and Chris- tianization went on apace in the Indies, and the com- plex Spanish empire grew vaster and vaster until a day came when the mother country had no more to give. For generations the weaknesses which had been apparent to the judicious long before the de- struction of the Armada in 1588, were covered, after a fashion, by the magnificent exports from the col--—* ~ ( {| 1 : : Pe 2 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES DT onies; Spain received all of these. Other years pass. On a certain day in 1783 a Spanish minister, Aranda, faces his progressive king, Carlos III, and says: “Your Majesty, I regret that we acknowledge, with England, the independence of the North American colonies.”” The handwriting on the wall! Even then the Spanish Americans were resolving to imitate their brothers of Saxon America. The sun had set for Spain. What a strange society was that Spanish world, out of which came the sturdy Basques, the shrewd Catalans, the proud Castilians, the gay Andalusians, who were to give a New World to Spain! Curiously enough, from king to plainest peasant or roughest soldier, a leveling and democratizing process was ever going on, which, without special moral justifi- cation but obeying the Spanish habit of individualism, tended to abase the one and elevate the other. Aristocrats, mystics, rogues, “all are equal to the monarch, save in wealth.” Roman and Goth and Berber, Greek and Carthaginian and Frenchman, had trodden the Iberian soil but had not made it per- manently theirs. The potent personalism of the land leaves its impress on all; the principle of local auton- omy, which the New World never forgot, saved Spain from complete domination by the Romish church. A peculiar paradox resulted; the very Span- ish ecclesiastics who strove to control emperors andOUR CULTURAL IHE RIDA GE 3 tribunals were, after all, an influence for democracy. It was not for nothing that later, in America, the local priesthood supported so stoutly the Revolu- tion. Hidalgo of Mexico was a parish priest; Caye- tano Rodriguez, a priest of Argentina, wrote the national hymn. “We who are singly as good as you and collectively much stronger than you,” says a dutiful address in days of old of Spanish gentlemen to their king. Spain was imperial, and its empire was baptized in the blood of the Moors, but that very struggle laid a marked mysticism upon the Spanish character. ““Not as the conqueror comes” came the Pilgrims to New England; but the conguistadores came with the sword, and with the banner of Castile, to win for the cross. When every day for eight hundred years had been a romance on the plateau of Castile and the meadows of Granada, it is small wonder that the occupation of the New World should have seemed to these crusaders a vast drama, and that the colo- nizers should at times have felt aware of powers su- perior to the king’s, themselves at the very least his peers. Bowing and scraping there might be, in the presence of the monarch or his representatives, but no uniformity and no law could imprison the proud will of the Spaniard or his Creole sons. Though Brazilian blood has often been called the richest in South America because of the variousa = hi . 4. AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT strains which compose it, the heritage of many typi- cal Cubans and Mexicans, Colombians, Peruvians and Chileans will also show in varying degree the union of more than one race. Unfortunately we have to generalize here, interesting as it might be to prove in an indomitable Chilean the presence of blood from some far-off Araucanian warrior, or to trace the mel- ancholy of the Mexican to those sombre lords of Anahuac whom Cortés encountered. On this subject Garcia Calderén says: “Exhausted by heroism, the race declines, mingles with the Indians, imports black slaves from Africa. . . . Races and cities, new rites and customs, all were sprung of the crossing of Ibe- rian and Indian.” Of the transformation in character wrought by the new habitat even on those of pure Spanish descent, he says: “The Creole . . . has lost the prickly characteristics of the hidalgo: the proud individualism, the love of bloody adventure, the stot- cism, the tenacity in resistance and conflict, and the rigidity of faith. In flexibility, brilliance and grace he has surpassed the Iberian; but his effort is transi- tory. . . .” The Creole received, as inheritance, 1g- norance and disdain for labor; hatred of dissident faith; love of acquisition without work; hatred of any foreigner of different religious faith; isolation as a principle of social existence. His inheritance also included lack of roads and bridges; ports systemati- cally rendered inaccessible; multiplicity of convents, Oe. Ee ry rere ae rr ‘s PO oe: - ae aan? biel een PRES. ie a eeOU REC LT URAL A HVE Riles Git 5 almsgiving and pauperism, all of which hindered the prosperity of agriculture; excessive festivals, with the luxury and vice which marked their observance; encouragement of agreeable laziness which became a source of his poverty, hence of his impotence and dependence. It is curious to observe how natural conditions have been intimately involved in, if they have not actually determined, the political history of the various Latin-American states. In all South America the dramatic in history seems reserved to Peru, because of her advantages for the easy acquisition of riches, while her poorer sisters, like Venezuela and Argen- tina, have had to be content with a less glittering rdle. In the various sections ideas, culture, even ele- mentary teaching were sharply contrasted toward the end of the colonial epoch, owing to the diversity of spirit underlying the original impulses which influ- enced their development. In simple justice this survey of Spain’s bequests to her colonies must include words of commendation. Romera-Navarro writes (América Espanola, p. 24): “From time to time minute questionnaires were sent out from Spain to the governors. They dealt with matters of geography, history, religion, antiquities, arts, sciences, etc. The intellectual curiosity of the kings and statesmen and in general of the whole Spanish nation in that age, concerning the Neweee mill set We ne 6 AS LA DIN AMERICA SEES IT World, is unfortunately the only case of its kind in Spanish history.” The colonies and the colonials thrived on this attention. ZumArraga, a bishop, writes to the Emperor Charles V that the work he is most concerned for in Mexico is the founding of a school for Indian boys in every bishopric. A commentator on the revision of the colonial legal code which was fos- tered (1680) by Philip II says that almost every page reveals the humane intentions of that monarch. True it is that the colonial administrative system was loaded with dynamite for the administrators, but the fault lies with the age. It was an age which could easily wink at such a patent evil as the distribution of the conquered lands among deserving and favorite vassals, and at the Indian slavery which this implied. It was a bungling age politically, but worse than the bungles made were the limitations in action imposed on the colonials. We often hear it said that the latter had an outlet for action in the sessions of the cabildos, or local councils, which have been inaccurately likened to New England town meetings. But the cadildos could not, either in their make-up or in their func- tions, represent the whole community. Interference of visiting justiciars, collectors, and ecclesiastics did of course much harm. But even worse was the habit of thinking of the colonials as little children, to be guided and exploited for the king’s pleasure. In not one but a thousand deliberate acts of abso-OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE - lutism, it was plain that Spain was, year by year, weaning the colonies away from her. The strictly monopolistic laws and regulations concerning Ameri- can commerce, which form a topic too lengthy for study here, illustrate perhaps better than most of the other social situations of the period the short- sightedness of Spain. Let the reader try to imagine the effect of this senseless tutelage on a proud, self- confident people. Let him remember how Pizarro invaded Peru with only twelve men; how Cortés burned his ships behind him. The home government could not deny commercial privileges to descendants of men like these with impunity. Despite the fact that an Argentine rancher had to send his hides to Pan- ama, thence to be transshipped for Spain and certain ports in Spain alone,—and many similar facts—the Spanish-American colonies were markedly prosper- ous. And prosperity quickened their imagination, and they dreamed of freedom. What would not enlightenment and toleration have effected, in thought as well as in action? As it was, the Creole passed his days in indolence, in sen- sual enjoyment of court, and hacienda (plantation) life. “Originality was odious to the rulers.” Garcia Calderén, quite unimpressed by the “glory that was Spain,” thus paints colonial days and ways in that able work of his, Latin America: Its Rise and Progress, from which we have already quoted: “Thece ee ee nS argentine | | | 8 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT | . cities slumbered. . . . The hidalgo could be neither merchant nor manufacturer. . .. In the café, at social gatherings, he would whisper criticisms. . . . A conventual chapter, or the quarrel of a bishop and a viceroy, or a bullfight, would fill him with ecstasy. Attending mass in the morning, and in the | evening driving in a luxurious carriage, he bore him- | self majestically. At night in his gloomy house he 1 would find his wife telling her beads, surrounded by docile slaves. Sensuality and mysticism were the L | pleasures of the colonists.” - There were, however, other aspects to the life of | the early Latin American. The cloud like a man’s hand was already in the heavens for the sagacious | to see. A natural consequence of unreasonable regu- lations was the smuggling which flourished like a green bay tree. Consider the evident relation between an attitude that defies the king in order to secure a a commodity, and that which dreams of rebellion in order to win political freedom. Let us remember also that Spain could not, at least did not, send companies of young women out to serve as the mothers of the future colonial generations. Maternity remained the privilege of the women native to the land. Miscegena- tion was the result. In this half-breed society which, speaking broadly, was Latin America, there was a spiritual intermingling as well as a physical; the in- a 3 : , RN Ee ee So PO OE eee ri er cae Mee re eee ee oi tet niet te aaa re o SemelOUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 9 genuous superstitions of the Indian were mixed with the complicated fallacies of Spanish fanaticism. The religious life of Latin America inevitably suf- fered from the conditions described. The Spanish conquest was oftentimes lacking in morality in spite of a superabundance of friars. The endeavor to measure the ethical status of a people by mere sta- tistics may be quite misleading; morality does not necessarily abide in monasteries. Owing to the deca- dence of Christian faith in Spain after the time of Carlos II, there was throughout the Spanish colonies a vast amount of superstition and a pitifully scant manifestation of real religion. The great mass of people in Spanish America, whether of Indian or African descent, were never truly converted to Chris- tianity, although in a spirit of servility they might pretend to have accepted the faith of their overlords. The Negroes brought their jungle superstitions from Africa, and these naturally corrupted the Catholicism taught by the Spanish friars. The Indian tribes show a more facile adaptation of their religious practices to the external ceremonies prescribed by their men- tors. Among the colonials of the middle and wealthy classes, where the proportion of Spanish blood was either considerable or one hundred per cent, religion was little more than a social observance, according to many authorities. In the mother country had foregathered the moth-i cece eating idiataenteatl Se ~—* ~ ‘ 10 AS' LATIN AMERTCA SEES IT eaten theological traditions of the Middle Ages, which, ejected from the rest of Europe by the Re- naissance and the Reformation, found a congenial asylum in theocratic Spain, and after her in her col- fonies overseas. Nevertheless let us not censure Spain too harshly; she gave all she had, although it was ‘next to nothing when weighed in the balance of a pure and wholesome spiritual conception. Modern “history is inclined to find more than one redeeming feature even in the missionary work of the Jesuit Fathers, who were expelled from Brazil and the Spanish-American colonies in 1759 and 1767 re- spectively. Dr. Carlos Navarro y Lamarca in his Compendio de historia hispanoamericana remarks concerning this order: “From the middle of the sixteenth century one cannot study the history of the American continent without seeing the well-defined trail made by the Jesuits in their apostolic work. They established schools in Peru, Mexico, Chile and elsewhere, they pushed fearlessly into the wild regions of Sonora [northern Mexico] and California, into the forests of Tucuman [northern Argentina], to the margins of the River Mamoré and the Magdalena, and as far as the mountains whence spring the Amazon and the Pilcomayo. They watered with their blood the first settlements of the Portuguese in Brazil, of the French in Canada, and of the Spanish in both Ameri-OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE II cas. It does not lie within the scope of the present history to investigate the alleged excellencies, de- fects, and vicissitudes of the Jesuits in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We are concerned with their activities and influence in [South] America alone, and in this connection it is but just to recognize that, whether right or wrong, their methods of evangelization and their system of settlements transformed, little by little, the savage habits of the red man into very simple patriarchal customs.” Given the interest, which existed in Spain, in im- peding the education of native races for fear of their probable consequent disaffection, it is certain that but for the immediate interest of the religious orders the home government would have even obstructed the establishment of teaching centers for the clergy. The reader may perhaps have gleaned from the pages of works like Westward Ho! the idea that the Inquisi- tion was supreme as a molder of Catholic society in the New World. Historians like Robertson in his Flistory of the Latin-American Nations, seriously doubt this. They tell us that while this organization combated heresy and sorcery, “its influence on the Catholic faith of the people was slight, while the stifling of the intellectual life cannot be measured.” How could it be otherwise, if the holy office was not merely the bulwark of morals and religion but also; : : a) } , ' ea | is ; ' ih LA tees ee yi 12 AStLAVREN AMERLCAGS BES! EP more than a little interested in politics and finance, as well as in the protection of the nascent arts, sci- ences, trades, yes, even the private manners of the colonies, by one of the most effective censorship bu- reaus ever known to the New World? To quote from Robertson again, “Books, works of art, and even fancy razors were rigidly scrutinized by its ubiquitous agents.” There can be little doubt that the mass of the colonials, when the hour struck for freedom, were ostensibly Catholics. On the other hand, the influ- ence of French revolutionary doctrines, the leader- ship of men who had become imbued with Jacobin or Girondist thought, indicate that many Latin Ameri- cans of 1810 were but lukewarm Catholics, if in- deed formally religious in any sense. If there were no other evidence of the absence of personal religion, the very hollowness and artificiality of the inflated rhetoric of those days convinces one that conven- tional religion was very conventional indeed. The reader may turn to almost any one of the Tradiciones of Ricardo Palma, a witty, fascinating Peruvian chronicler who has evoked for us the Lima of the viceroy, and verify this assertion. A modern Mexi- can writer, Julio Jiménez Rueda, describes the viceroy as yawning stealthily behind his lace kerchief at an auto de fé. We may therefore politely discount at least a part of the following from Garcia Cal- " " Ss y ~ ere ro out 7” = a a ce : Cr eres i cOUR CULTURAL HERIUTRAGE 13 der6n’s pen: “All through life the pious colonist is surrounded by marvels. He loves nature with an in- genuous faith, and attributes to the saints and demons a continual intervention in his placid existence. An unexpected sound reveals the presence of a soul in torment; a tremor of the earth, the divine wrath; sickness is a proof of diabolic influence; health, of the efficacy of an amulet.” Even the wholly in- credulous Creole inherited mysticism. Let us think of mysticism as originating in the very temperament previously discussed, that exaggeration of the per- sonality which vaunts free will and energy, and stresses honor above all things. Bolivar had this tor- rential force, and in his conversations with his asso- ciates often touched on his mystic consciousness. It might be claimed with a fair show of truth that San Martin, laying down his command and leaving the countries which his sword had liberated, to dwell thenceforth an exile, revealed the qualities of a mystic. That Peruvian soldier who rode his steed over the lofty cliff at Arica rather than submit to dis- honor, as he viewed it, was by that act a mystic. It is not a long step from the influence of the church as a social factor conditioning the thought of Latin Americans, to the position and influence of the schools during the colonial period. Here again we find much to praise. The North American who con- siders his seventeenth-century Harvard very, very14 AS DATIN- A MERICAISEES). TE ancient will have to bow with a deep, perhaps un- wonted respect before the universities of Mexico and of San Marcos, Lima, Peru, founded in 1553 and 1551. Brazil shows us no universities until a much later date, and Brazilian youth were generally sent to Portugal for advanced study; but there were semi- naries of high repute in Rio. In the Hispano-Ameri- can capitals universities arose, a number in the seven- teenth century, others in the eighteenth, with well- organized curricula and professors of high repute brought from the Old World. Examine the courses of study offered, for example, by the University of Caracas, founded by a royal decree in the year 1721: Latin, philosophy, theology, music, ethics, medicine, canon law, civil law, and the Scriptures. The influence of these centers of learning on the colonies must have been immense, especially upon those leaders who then, as ever, were responsible for the greater part of all the social and political action in Latin America. It is, however, to their system of common schools and the early vision of it as a vital necessity that North Americans refer with special pride; and it must be confessed that Latin America had in co- lonial days little to show in this field. Many Indians, it is true, were instructed by the missionaries and by their masters. Many famous colegios (secondary schools) flourished in the centers, and some of these later became universities. The university pedagogicalOUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 1s formulz were severe. Instruction was given in Latin; scholasticism was much in evidence; logic delighted the subtle, and syllogisms were a perpetual field of cerebration for the dons and their pupils. The for- mer taught by lectures, texts and disputations. Gen- eral education, says the historian Vicente Fidel Lopez, was limited to the teaching of elementary rules and of such accountancy as might be needed in the more or less simple establishments of the day. Attendance with any degree of regularity whatsoever was lim- ited to the children of families with means. Others were in grave danger of remaining in dense igno- rance. It was deemed immoral that women should be able to read, and still more scandalous that they should be able to write. If young women of the better families could read their missals, if they could ap- preciate the love notes which in some mysterious fashion would occasionally get smuggled past the vigilant mothers and duennas, then they had more than sufficient education. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, in Mexico, a court lady of the seventeenth century, is a dazzling exception to the generality. After pro- ducing intricate and witty poetry—was she not termed the “Tenth Muse”?—and charming all who knew her by her beauty and personality, this lady took the veil. Much of all education was, as has been hinted, in the hands of the Jesuits. While the objective of this16 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES TT type was largely religious, nevertheless it did oper- ate toward the foundation of schools in a spirit of non-sectarian service to the community. A second educational group, “religious also in its basis, through the spirit of the time, makes head when the Jesuits disappear, and takes advantage of the plundering of their properties to found the more important of its own establishments. The one is established through the direct and efficient action of the clergy, with their chief authorities at the head; the other, through the civil functionaries of the colony and the mother- country, rules in a spirit of universalized teaching service. Each in turn obtains predominance and in- fluence through successive struggles until, with the definite reconstruction of the nation, public education gains a common center whence all subsequent move- ments of importance are to radiate their impulses.” An adequate recognition of these opposed tenden- cies will greatly aid the student of the Latin-Ameri- can mind. The time-spirit abroad in the possessions of Por- tugal and Spain in the closing quarter of the eight- eenth century was very different from that with which the first actors in their colonial history were imbued. If thought, religion, action—in a word, life—were to be emancipated, the colonials had to make good in a terrific struggle against a triple partnership: the monarch overseas; the Catholic church, whose polit-OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 17 ical and social influence was enormous; and the les- sees, or captains and Crown representatives, whose only object was individual enrichment and who never concerned themselves about the intellectual life of America. No political theory would enliven colonial mentality if this partnership (speaking, of course, in general terms) could prevent it. Consequently a fear- ful political curse was entailed upon the republics subsequent to the revolution. Lack of ideals and of education in political economy through the colonial period engendered the later so-called anarchy. After all, though this seemed like a return to feudalism, it was merely compensation for the loss of the central- ized rule the colonies had had under a king. Oddly enough, it was one of the Spanish kings who was somewhat instrumental in the transformation of the time-spirit. Carlos III, says Navarro, was “the most intelligent, active, and patriotic of all the kings Spain has had.” He reigned from 1759 to 1788, and through his influence and that of the eminent states- men who surrounded him a spirit of liberty and progress penetrated into Spain and crossed the At- lantic to America. Unfortunately Spain, chained to her past, relapsed into the medizval traditionalism from which she 1s still struggling to free herself, but Spanish America was able to shake off the peninsular shackles and shape her course toward the new ideals. Thanks to Carlos III, then, the colonies were liber-18 AS HATE TN AMERICA SEES 1'P alized, and this liberalism permitted the growth of a spirit which, at the opportune moment, was able to take advantage of the situation in Europe and wrest an empire from the inept hands of Fernando VII. Carlos III favored the three changes which were captivating men’s minds everywhere, in Spain, in France, in certain classes in England, in the United States: new international policy, new economic order, new education. To revert for a moment to the theme of univer- sity education in Latin America, our argument has brought us to the inescapable conclusion that the uni- versity classes, with a few other choice and enlight- ened spirits, were largely responsible for the liberal new time-spirit. Hidalgo, father of Mexican inde- pendence, was so full of the teachings of French revolutionists that they dubbed him the afrancesado. He graduated from Mexico University in 1770. Rivadavia and Moreno, whose work abides in Ar- gentina, were educated men. Bolivar, greater than these, studied widely on the “grand tour” in Europe. Many of the more wealthy Creoles sent their sons to Salamanca or Paris to be educated, and the garner- ings of progressive democracy brought back from Europe are to be imagined. There was traveling, too, to the United States, and all the travelers, whether to the Old World or to the land of Washington, easily assimilated the new ideas, conceiving them asOUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 19 favorable to the development of their own colonies or even as justifying a bid for independence. Mexico, Peru, and New Granada (including what is modern Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador) had many illustrious sons who thus visited the lands where the new word of freedom was being proclaimed. It must be borne in mind that these Latin-Ameri- can travelers were not merely left to absorb casually, from their temporary environment, these strange and upsetting new ideas. More than one of them has re- corded experiences when he was clearly being “culti- vated” by enthusiastic propagandists of liberalism. The experience seems often to have been borne with something more than mere resignation. We learn that it was deliberately sought. Miranda, “precursor” of the Venezuelan revolution, served as a general in the armies of the French Republic. Belgrano, father of the national flag of Argentina, speaks thus: ““When in 1789 I was in Spain, and the French Revolution was causing such changes in thought, particularly in the literary circles which I frequented, those notions of liberty and equality took possession of me also . . .” Jefferson tells us that when he was in Paris on a mission from the American government he was interviewed by South American students who ex- pressed their glowing admiration for the United States as a model young republic. Great Britain, having lost the thirteen brightestES 20 AS LAWUN AMERTCAGEES fT jewels in her crown, makes it manifest at this time that she will not grieve to see Spain similarly bereft. Our space is too limited to give more than a hint of this attitude. We quote from Navarro y Lamarca: “For the mission to England [from Venezuela in 1810] were named the young, dashing Col. Simdén Bolivar . . . and the celebrated savant Don Andrés Bello, who left La Guayra in the British brigantine- of-war General Wellington, specially sent from Bar- bados for the purpose. . . . The envoys were favor- ably received by London society and by the Prime Minister.” It is interesting to reflect on the destinies that thus associated with Bolivar the greatest South American scholar of his time, Andrés Bello, but it Is More suggestive to picture to ourselves the great poet, grammarian, teacher, and purist as he went daily to study in the British Museum. Latin America thrillingly awake! Again, and this time in very overt fashion, Britain manifests the keen interest she takes in the South American countries. It is the year 1806, and a British expeditionary force lands on the shores of the Plata and seizes Buenos Aires, being, however, overpowered after a few weeks. The next year an- other British force captures Montevideo and again threatens Buenos Aires. Again it is unsuccessful, and the British general sues for terms in order to escape annihilation. These several forgotten incidents are here re-OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 21 lated that the postscript may now follow. While the English were in possession of Montevideo, they pub- lished there, to the interest and possibly the pleasure of the inhabitants, a gazette called “The Star of the South.” The gazette was published in both English and Spanish, and there can be no doubt that its lib- eral doctrines, widely disseminated, did much to stim- ulate English commercial interests in the River Plate region. But that was the lesser part. The English ideals of fair play, of justice, of freedom, found a quite congenial soil, nor is this surprising, for such centers as Montevideo have ever been hospitable to advanced ideas. In a thousand different ways and by ten thousand different individuals the Latin-Ameri- can mind was being stirred, quickened, hardened to resolve. We have spoken of education by travel abroad. But what of the greater number of eager, receptive, impressionable Latin-American young men who did not go abroad, but had to assimilate what culture was available in the home-land? Ideas recognize no boundaries, stop at no custom-houses. Somehow, aside from the Latin and the theology or civil law, stu- dents picked up other things; for we find in Bogota, Colombia, in 1794 groups styling themselves the centro humanista (humanist club) or sociedad lite- rari (literary society), or something similar, and reading, either in French or in translation, the Dec-22 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT laration of the Rights of Man of the French Con- stituent Assembly. Antonio Narino—honor to him— managed to publish this document, somehow or other. It went over the length and breadth of the continent, and it fired men’s souls. Perhaps these particular young men had read Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations; many were reading it in those days. It is more than probable that they, like their fellows throughout Latin America, had imbibed a goodly share of Montesquieu, of Rousseau’s Social Contract, of Raynal, of Condorcet, with his faith in the possibility of an improvement in human nature. Such was the reading of Simon Bolivar. The influence of the French Encyclopedists, Voltaire, Dalembert, Diderot, Holbach, Grimm, and others who produced that very significant Encyclopédie in 1772, was very preat in Latin America. These master minds were helping to accentuate the symptoms of revolution which to the judicious had been apparent in the middle of the eighteenth century. Men of thought, without previous accord, converged toward a new method of stating problems and of judging facts. Three imposing currents of ideas are interrelated in a common effort. Locke and Condillac are guides in philosophy. Quesnay creates political economy. Montesquieu and Rousseau reno- vate political law. It was a period of ferment, of in- tellectual daring, of aspiration toward a renewedOUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 23 and utopian society, and it had its devotees in Latin America as well as in France. And the main source of the movement was this group which is referred to in history as the Encyclopedists. Much were they feared in South America! There is the case of the oidor, or judge, in Buenos Aires, who wrote on the manuscript of a play submitted for his inspection, that its pages held much of the impiety and free- thinking of the contemporary philosophers and the spirit of “Rusd” was especially discernible. A few years pass, and no ojidor, no viceroy, can oppose an effective barrier to the onward sweep of liberal re- publican ideas in Argentina. Nor were other influ- ences, besides those distractingly suggestive French philosophers, lacking to the future leaders of Spanish America. Bentham’s philosophy was even taught for a time in Colombia, after the revolution. Spanish writers, too, Jovellanos, Luzan, Moratin, the Padre Isla, helped to spread this literary infection of the rights of man and the necessity of liberty. What a contrast these keen, studious university men of the first years of the nineteenth century must have presented to those superficially brilliant Creoles of former times, who had made acrostics and clever rhymes, who had toadied bishops and viceroys, who could converse like Géngora, but who had had no love for humanity. With these, their sons, it is not the school but the individual that triumphs. TheyEE ~——e ER 1 i : One a ow) AR ODATIN AMERICA SEES TT conspire for independence, banded together in secret societies. The literary effusions in which their new aspiration peeps out are often more than a little bombastic, yet curiously moving. They are beginning in 1800 to discern what they really want, nothing less than complete freedom. Nor could it well have been otherwise. Through the generations, self- denying, devoted teachers and investigators had been the secret of the renown enjoyed by the seats of learning. Not unworthy successors in the line of Luis de Ledn were these: Carlos de Siguénza, the scholar in Mexico, who, though sick, rescues invaluable books from the burning town hall at imminent personal peril; the scientist Mutis, who in 1760 comes to Bogota to make a botanical survey of Colombia; Caldas, his pupil, a Creole, surpassing his master; and, earlier than they, in 1570, Francisco Fernandez, zealously collecting scientific data for his government in Spain. The bondage of absolutism in culture as in most other things would have endured much longer if the home administration could have annihilated all the printing-presses in existence. It will repay us to consider the value of the press as an agent of culture. A wise and progressive spirit animated the first law dictated in Spain relative to books printed abroad. These were allowed to enter free of duty. Unfortu- nately, such progressiveness was smothered in aOUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 25 fierce subsequent wave of fanaticism which combated any liberal provision, and succeeded in stamping fur- ther legislation on this and kindred topics with the narrowest of characteristics. The very same sover- eigns who had promulgated the first law, Ferdinand and Isabella, within a short time dictated another of a radically different temper. In it all the formalities which should precede the printing and sale of books are prescribed and enumerated. No printer or book- seller might publish or sell any book, whatever the subject treated, without royal authority, nor might any book be imported save under the most rigorous inspection. Infractions of the law are punished by the burning of the books in the public square, the sale value being forfeit and a trade purchase price exacted by way of fine. In all that concerned the printing and sale of books, each passing year saw more emphatic and more detailed legislation of a restrictive nature. Finally this reached the point of providing the death penalty, with confiscation of property, regard- less of the social position of the offender, for any- one in Spain who should own, sell, or hold any work prohibited by the Inquisition. Study now briefly the legislation affecting the col- onies. Three factors operated against intellectual progress: the rigor of civil and ecclesiastical censor- ship, the isolation of the colonies, and the lack of in- centives to intellectual labors, as well as the lack of aee eee ee | 26 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES 1T public willing or able to appreciate literature if it were provided. The first law, made effective from | September, 1560, ordered the judges to prohibit the printing or sale of any book treating of colonial matters, save under special license from the Council of the Indies. Shortly before the enactment of this decree the first printery in the New World had been established in Mexico. Consider the lack of commu- | nication between the colonies, together with the re- ) strictions on publication, and some notion may be | obtained of the cultural atmosphere, or lack of it, in | Latin America. It was difficult to write, and far more | difficult to secure the printing of what was written. Authors were compelled to overcome a thousand difficulties, and to cap the climax had to send their | manuscripts to Spain for publication at enormous ex- a pense, for the available agents were generally both incompetent and dishonest. Lack of liberty brought i the logical consequence, namely, that what was pub- | lished was limited to fulsome panegyrics, competitive literary essays, religious and legal works. Of course catechisms, lives of saints, rituals and manuals of devotion abounded. Books were, in a word, public enemies. It is painful to record the fact, but such was the situation through three centuries. Latin-American culture prior to the revolution was the product, then, of the factors studied in this chap- ter: the Iberian heritage, with all that it implied in it 1 \ 3 ; ; — e £ ve 7 ; 7 ” ™ 7 a a? a R act at = wo Lr 7OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE 27 traditions, legends, history, prejudices, ideals, char- acteristics; the intermingling of the conquistadores with the races of the New World, producing those mestizos who form so important a part of the popu- lation; the influence of an absolutist government and religion, and even an absolutist educational system, until, toward the end of the eighteenth century, lib- eral ideas from abroad began to gain ground. The study of cultural ideals as they developed after in- dependence was achieved does not concern us in this chapter. Such a study would show the Latin-Ameri- can peoples profoundly influenced by successive phil- osophical tendencies which also originated abroad: social romanticism; then positivism, which still has a large following among the educated in Brazil; and more recently the teachings of the evolutionary school, which, despite many inconsistent applications, have affected more and more the thinking of Latin America. Marcos SCHWARZ Henry AtFrrep Hoimes Buenos Autres Claremont, CaliforniaII OUR CHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT HE subject here discussed might well occupy an entire volume, and the difficulty of attempt- ing to do justice to it in a single chapter will readily be appreciated. Only a bare outline of the whole range of movements can be suggested, and a brief treatment of the principal ones attempted. Written in part by a Brazilian who does not know even by sight the sister republics of South America, since he has seen only Argentina and Uruguay in a bird’s-eye view, the chapter is sure to have a sectional coloring, with the result that generalizations from it will be dangerous. As a rule, however, this danger cannot be very serious, because affinities of race, en- vironment and education give to Brazil and her Spanish-speaking sister republics essentially the same vices and the same virtues. In countries like ours, still in the making, popular problems are complex, for two reasons: first, be- cause many of them, though this is a new continent, are similar to those of the Old World, where even yet complete solutions have not been found; and sec- ond, because we have evolved peculiar problems of our own that call for special handling. 28CHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT ~ 25 Manifestly not all the movements influencing the life and thought of Latin-American peoples are equally advanced or even present over the twenty republics. Nor can it be said that all of the move- ments here mentioned affect the thinking of the total population of any one country. They are play- ing an important role in the life of certain groups which in their turn must sooner or later exercise an influence upon the total life of the nation. A list of the more notable movements would include the following: Anti-clericalism, or the religious phase of a general revolt against absolute authority of any sort; a marked movement toward genuine democracy and the overthrow of absolutism in politics, or what might be regarded as the political phase of the re- volt against absolute authority; a distinct unrest, particularly among the student groups, which is al- most equivalent to a youth movement; a strong movement on the part of labor, curiously linked up in some countries with the student movement; a wide- spread and vigorous feminist movement; in the in- ternational realm, the movement commonly called Pan-Latinism; in the sphere of morals, such move- ments as the temperance or, as it is more frequently called, the anti-alcoholic movement, and those move- ments directed against the social evil and the con- sequences of sexual vice; in the sphere of the intel- lectual, the increasingly general tendency to relya” a 7 *, ‘ "i \ = RON LAS ADEN AMERTCAISERS UT upon scientific method as the means not only for securing the necessities and comforts of life through applied science, but for the discovery of truth itself. These can only be summarily touched upon in this brief chapter. In discussing first the widespread movement of revolt against the church which we have listed as anti-clericalism, it may be well to begin by pointing out that the religious problem in Spanish-speaking Latin America appears to be somewhat different from that in Portuguese-speaking Latin America. Spanish Latin America inherited the Spanish temperament and its inflexible Catholicism. When the democratic ideas born with Calvin in Geneva and espoused by John Knox and the Puritans—inspirers of the North American democracy and the soul of the French Revolution—took possession of the cultured minds of Latin America, the conflict with the representa- tives of ultramontanism took on two forms. In Span- ish Latin America there was created a liberal current, as ageressive as the narrow clericalism which it had to combat. The reaction took extreme forms and gave rise to a tense and threatening intellectual attitude not only against Catholicism but against Christianity itself, since both religions early became confused in the minds of hostile groups. This attitude is atheistic »- to the core, as witnessed, for example, among the cultured classes of Uruguay, where positive religion eRCHANGING LEFECAND THOUGH TT. 41 is more or less the synonym of idiocy. There Catholi- cism no longer displays a dominating character; she is content if merely allowed to live. Here in Brazil the milder temperament of the Portuguese, which, as James Bryce has justly ob- served, expressed itself perfectly in the mild form that slavery assumed among us, did not permit the conflict between church and state to assume a tragic character. Our liberal spirits always sought a com- promise between Catholicism and democracy, be- tween clericalism and liberalism, between the Sylla- bus and the Magna Charta. Our ex-Emperor Dom Pedro II, enlightened, cultured, honest and funda- mentally liberal, although he declared himself a Catholic, always kept a close watch on clericalism. That is still the attitude of the majority of enlight- ened Brazilians, for whom the Catholic church is a kind of peevish little grandparent, and at the same time a darling to whom everything is conceded—up to a certain point. Beyond that it is necessary to op- pose her secretly, and sometimes openly, even while seeming to caress her cheeks with kindness and tenderness. Such an attitude of tolerant watchfulness is with- out doubt undesirable, but it is one which has existed not only in Brazil but in other countries of Latin America for many years. It is utopian to wish to reconcile the irreconcilable, to make democracy andpa A en s,m ee oom ~ bo PASSIVATION AMERTCA SHES TT clericalism kiss each other as good friends. These two enemies have lived until now like cocks not born of a fighting breed but always essaying or pretending to fight; they scratch the ground, drag their wings, crow as a challenge, dash at each other, give a blow or two, and .. . there they go running away from each other, crowing and challenging one another to repeat the same comedy tomorrow. Some day impious hands will lay hold of them and lock them together. Then it will be necessary to decide which one rules. When the conflict finally breaks in Latin America it will undoubtedly assume in Brazil the character of mere skirmishes, such as occurred a short time ago in our Federal Congress on the occasion of the pro- posed change of the Brazilian constitution, a dan- gerous hour in which Catholicism attempted to de- liver a blow directly aimed at the democratic con- quest of our country. Or it will assume a most violent and extreme character, as it has done in Mexico during the last few years. Temperaments and his- toric experiences will largely predetermine the dis- tinct characteristics of the combat. Once the issue is sharply drawn between Roman ecclesiasticism and democracy, those with cultured and liberal minds will separate themselves com- pletely from Catholicism, which now assumes a tre- ‘,mendous responsibility in its alliance with Fascism. / Eventually Fascism must fall. It is a violent, irra- P = EERO DSS SR: | iN BeCHANGING LIPETAND THOUGHT 33 tional, artificial attitude, designed to maintain the principle of authority; a monstrous marriage between the known unbelief of Mussolini and the medieval piety of the Vatican; a recourse of desperation, lean- ing on admitted intolerance. When Fascism finally falls, who will inherit the spiritual remains of Catholicism? Great at the present hour is the responsibility of Protestantism, author of popular education and the source of democratic ideas. She might perhaps be the ark of salvation if it were not for the unhappy divi- sions so repugnant to the Latin mind, which 1s always eager for synthesis and unity. Lamennais, disappointed with Catholicism, which he attempted to ally with democracy, hopeless, crushed by the iron hand of the Papacy, did not find in Protestantism a port of safety in which he could rest his soul in its fight for liberty. “I cannot turn to Protestantism,” he said, “because it is a degenerate system.”” Consequently he turned to infidelity. La- mennais is a representative type of the Latin mind. For this reason, if Protestantism is to make itself felt and be of any value in Latin America it must put | an end to denominational sectarian divisions and be- | come a unity. Not to recognize this truth, to labor in any way whatever that this ideal shall not be real- ized, is the highest crime against an already crippled Christianity; it is evidence of a fatally defectivea oF ~ 7 ——_ a 2 ES ———- Ee —_— - cules anil = - amume ee es ——_ = = , et te = $s ahi 2 q oe ea ie ae F Lia 4 - > a “ “= bE “ 7 34 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT vision that will cause us here in Latin America to miss the way. It is to the children of Protestants much more than to the children of Catholics that it becomes urgent to teach a common creed and to em- phasize the proposition, “I believe in the communion of saints.” In name the republics of Latin America are democ- racies. In fact they are very far from being such. If democracy means the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, then democracy 1s but a distant ideal for the great majority of the republics of the Western hemisphere, and very im- perfectly realized in even the most advanced of them. The percentage of citizens who have the right of suffrage in Latin America is nowhere large. There are many explanations of this fact. In no Latin- American republic have women been granted the vote. Thus an important section of the population of each nation is without a voice in public affairs. In some countries, masses of illiterate citizens are barred by a literacy test from expressing their will at the polls, while other large groups are disfranchised through lack of property qualifications. Nor does the small group which has the vote succeed always in registering its will. The political organization, astutely directed, always manages to perpetuate the régime of autocracy, oligarchy or plutocracy which has laid its hands upon the reins of government. It OOPS ee a eee re anata 0CHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT 35 is said that in one great republic of South America four hundred families, out of a population of four and one-half millions, really rule it. While not al- ways agreed among themselves, sometimes in fact divided into contending factions, these four hundred families have furnished almost the entire list of presidents and major officers of government ever since the country became a republic. Not infrequently revolution has been necessary in order to overthrow established dictators or oligarchs. Notable examples of dictators throughout Latin America are Juan de Rosas in Argentina, Francia in Paraguay, and Melgarejo in Bolivia. In more recent times Diaz in Mexico yielded to the champions of democracy only after bitter conflict, a conflict that has gone steadily forward through changing govern- ments and insurrections until the present moment, when we witness the administration undertaking the most pretentious political and social reforms on be- half of the people that Mexico has ever known. And the end is not yet. In less noticeable fashion and without actual ap- peal to arms, quiet movements toward democracy are going forward in countries other than Mexico. Peru, while under a dictatorship at present, has its under- current of revolt, which is kept from breaking through only by the most autocratic measures of repression. Prominent among those who resent the a = 3,36 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT absolutist government are the youthful student leaders and the working classes. Chile is likewise in a state of unrest. Reforms long and eagerly hoped for had been promised but nothing was done. Con- gress spent its time in oratorical battles and nothing was accomplished. Then the army took a hand. A military dictatorship gave the Chilean Congress twenty-four hours in which to pass the desired legis- lation, speed was found to be quite possible, and some long-needed legislation making for a larger measure of democracy was enacted. But the situation is by no means settled. There are further demands of the people which must be reckoned with. On looking over the whole of Latin America and noting the number of governments that are in effect if not in name dictatorships, one might be led to think that, far from growing in the direction of democracy, the tendency is rather toward autocracy. A more penetrating study of the facts is likely to result in the conviction, however paradoxical it may sound, that these dictatorships are real indices of a develop- ing democratic ideal, which can only be held in check by a stern show of force. How long these dictator- ships can delay the inevitable popular self-assertion will depend upon the relative strength of the con- tending groups in each country. Many are the forces influencing this movement toward democracy. For one thing, political freedomCHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT 37 and self-determinism are in the air the world over. The news of what has happened and is happening today in other lands is stimulating all the peoples. Latin America is open as never before to the currents of the world’s thought. Its present unrest is a part of the general world revolt against absolutism in any sphere of life, applied to government. It is being enormously magnified by the development of popu- lar education to which Latin-American governments have of late begun to give themselves more seriously. Throughout the greater part of their history, edu- cation in Latin-American countries has been of the aristocratic type. The masses have been given but little instruction. The church has founded schools for the sons of the well-to-do and powerful. The train- ing was classical, not very practical, and the curricu- lum largely controlled by the clergy. Only recently has popular education received any stress. In certain countries it seems to have been the deliberate policy of church and state to keep the humbler classes ig- norant. An inevitable result of the increase of popular education will be an increased demand for greater freedom for the individual and the group. We might well have designated the movement toward popular education as one of the most important movements affecting Latin-American thought and life today. Who can estimate the far-reaching effects which the establishment of a thousand new schools for Indianseg ee — = oo = oat 38 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT each year under the Calles régime will have in Mexico? That some mistakes will be made, excesses committed, and class struggle result as a natural re- action to the conditions of the past cannot be doubted. On the other hand a more complete and genuine democracy is in the making. What part has the Christian evangelical church to play in this development of democracy? Chris- tianity as it has been known in its Roman Catholic form has all too often been found on the side of autocracy. Will Protestantism become a real cham- pion of democracy and prove that Christianity does stand for the rights and happiness of all men, regard- less of class? In the field of education Latin America asks on bended knees for apostles of the type of the French saint and teacher, Oberlin, who worked miracles in Ban de la Roche, a region similar in every way to the interior of Latin-American countries. What South America hopes for, especially from Protestant mis- sions, are institutions of practical orientation like the one founded by Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee. ‘If a number of such institutions were established to educate the children of Protestants in Latin America, they would introduce a practical education so much superior to the bookish education now predominating ‘in our schools as to make these Protestant institutions ‘an irresistible force in a social environment whollyCHANGING LIFE,AND YHOUGHT 39 created and dominated hitherto by the Jesuits, and an incalculable blessing to the nations. Our most serious educational need is primary, technical and agricultural instruction. When Europe was divided into Europe of the Renaissance and Ref- ormation and Europe of the Counter-Reformation, a profound difference soon characterized the peoples. With Luther came widespread primary education. With Bucer, who from the social point of view was superior to Luther, passed away the mendicity that was infesting northern Europe, and organized labor was born. With Calvin, whose preaching and rigid morality demanded not only labor but economy and sobriety, there arose, without his wishing or suspect- ing it, modern capitalism. Eventually science gained supremacy and demanded education of a prac- tical and experimental type, to be applied to agricul- ture and industries. Machinery came into being, lab- oratories were established, large-scale industries emerged, and the foundations of great fortunes were laid. At the same time in countries of the Counter- Reformation instruction continued to be bookish, lit- erary, rhetorical, speculative, and not practical. Latin America, child of southern Europe, is pay- ing even today the high interest of this debt con- tracted with science and industry in the late seven- teenth and early eighteenth centuries. With the kind of education we have had, we could not extract from4.0 AS LATIN AMERICA ‘SEES IT the rich soil of our countries all that it has to give. Without positive sciences there are no real industries, without these there are no great fortunes, and capi- tal is not produced. We have little capital of our own; we depend for our economic development on foreign capital. This places the native Latin American in a position of subordination which is to him humiliating. Not only are the natives of the country as a rule unqualified for economic leadership because of de- fective education and lack of capital, but merely as the employees of foreigners they are never treated as the equals of employees who come from abroad. However active, zealous and intelligent they may be, they are never paid the salaries immigrant laborers are paid, even when they may be superior in every Way, as 1s at times the case. The foreigner imposes and exploits as he wishes. And this state of things is strengthened by too much emphasis on the classics in education and too little emphasis on the sciences. Another interesting and significant development in Latin America is the youth movement, related closely to the worldwide post-war youth movement of Eu- rope and Asia, but with its own peculiarities and spe- cial objectives. In one of its phases this movement seems but another form of the general revolt against absolutism and authority which we have seen mani- festing itself in a religious way as anti-clericalism, and in a political way as an effort at achieving real democ-GCHANGING LIFE-AND GHOUGHT 41 racy. The youth movement began in a revolt against the control of education by the church or by any other reactionary forces, a control which kept educa- tion rigidly traditional in both content and method, ill fitted to prepare students to meet the demands of a changing and perplexing present-day world. It was the boast of one of the institutions concerned in the earlier outbreaks that its curriculum had not been changed for two hundred and fifty years. A leading spirit in the student revolution in Peru writes thus: “The restless discontent of the Latin- American students carried them far beyond the in- tellectual frontiers which, like rings of iron, the un1- versities had marked out for them. New ideas agi- tated their young brains and a desire arose to con- vert these old universities into new laboratories of science and seminaries of modern culture. . . . But tradition set its face against the students’ proposals. The masters of the Latin-American universities ex- ercised a truly implacable dictatorship. For them the old was symbolic of wisdom, and they denied all at- tention to every suggestion of the students, whatever it was.” At the University of Cordoba in Argentina the first significant revolt broke out in July, 1918. The students made unheard-of demands, including the “repeal of old university statutes, change of profes- sors, abolition of ecclesiastical control over higher in-EE eT i ! | P| a P| 42 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT struction, professorships open to all, academic free- dom .. . the right of student representatives in the directing councils of the university and their right to share in the election of professors.” The opposi- tion of university authorities to these demands brought about the use of violence by the students. The laboring men of the city threw their influence on the side of the students and victory became as- sured. Enheartening messages of sympathy and moral support poured in from student groups throughout Latin America. The Cordoba students replied with a ringing appeal to their fellow-students: “If in the name ot order others desire to persecute us, ridicule us, use force against us, let us proclaim aloud that the sacred right of insurrection, the only door re- maining open to us, is the heroic birthright of youth. Persecution only makes us stronger. The spiritual redemption of Latin American youth is the only re- ward we seek, because we know that the ills from which we suffer are the ills of all the continent.” The flame of revolt spread quickly. The Univer- sity of Buenos Aires and the University of La Plata both experienced serious student strikes lasting a year and calling for the intervention of government police and the military forces. In the end the students won public favor, a reorganization of the universities re- sulted, and even the government was forced even- tually to yield to their demands.CHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT 43 The year 1919 saw a prolonged strike in the Un1- versity of San Marcos in Lima, Peru, the oldest unt- versity in America, founded in 1551. Practically the same demands were made here as were made at the University of Cordoba, including the dismissal of six- teen professors. The struggle was bitter, and had it not been for the support given the student movement by the labor group it is doubtful if the students could have prevailed. Against the combination of students and labor, however, the government was forced to yield and to vote favorable laws regulating the uni- versity. Other important student strikes occurred a little later in Havana and in Santiago de Chile. To quote now from H. de la Torre, in The Living Age of October 15, 1926: “In all the universities of Latin America a change of method has taken place and a new spirit has arisen because of this rebellion of youth.” During the years that have elapsed since this critical period there has been developing an increas- | ing sense of solidarity among Latin-American youth. | The younger labor leaders and university students — have been drawn together in supporting common causes. Various international student gatherings have been held. In Mexico City representatives of twenty- three nations, including Germany, United States and China, met in 1921. We may quote two noteworthy declarations of this congress: “The Latin-Americani b | } | . 44. AS LATDN AMERIGACSE ES Ici students proclaim that they are struggling for the advent of a new humanity founded on the modern principles of economic and political justice.”—“The students of Latin America proclaim their optimism regarding the grave problems which are agitating the world, and their absolute confidence in the possi- bility of attaining, by the renovation of economic and moral ideals, a new social organization which will permit the realization of the spiritual aims of man.” The interests of the youth group, at first largely centered in educational reform, have expanded to take in a much wider range. There has been a dis- tinct growth of the spirit of internationalism, as op- posed to the interests of narrow nationalism which keep the Latin-American nations suspicious and dis- trustful of one another. Some notable pronounce- ments have come from student groups looking toward better international relations. When Chile refrained from sending representatives to the recent Peruvian centennial on account of the old hostility that has existed between the two countries because of the Tacna-Arica dispute, the Chilean students sent the following greeting to the students of Peru: “This generation, educated in the sophistry that the interest of the ‘patria’, just or not, is superior to moral interests, cannot understand, unfortunately, that we students place peace and justice above transi- tory interests. Only the warning cry of youth canCHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT 645 clear the atmosphere and revive the sleeping sentt- ments of brotherhood. The American youth, who has given so many proofs of idealism and of understand- ing of the real world problem, ought to fight con- stantly to create a spirit of peace in this beautiful sec- tion of the world. On sending, through the student organization, the expression of our fraternal adhesion to all the peoples of America and especially the young people of Peru on the occasion of its centenary, we understand that we do not reflect the sentiment of a majority of the Chilean people, but we have not vacillated in manifesting our own feelings, certain that they are just and noble and are destined finally to prevail.” Recently the youth leaders have had a good deal to say about “Yankee imperialism” and the threat which it offers of complete materialization of life and civilization in Latin America. In consequence an ag- gressive opposition to the economic imperialism of the United States has developed. A recent appeal from the youth of Latin America to the student and young labor groups of North America voices this protest. “Our own people are also overcome by that genera- tion . . . that knows no other god than material goods. . . . Lhe capitalistic oligarchy which imposes its law on your people is active and dominant here. It devours, it invades our nations, which it desires to control. . . . Our reactionaries are passive, and iyee - | | | | i VAS LATIN AMERICA SEES 1m allow themselves to be conquered through trafficking with the life, liberty and riches of their fatherland.” An interesting and significant indication of the idealism of the student movement may be seen 1n the valuable service Latin-American students have given to popular mass education. In Peru and else- where so-called popular universities have been or- ganized among the working classes, the direction and instruction being voluntarily contributed by students. This has powerfully aided in cementing and enlisting youth and labor for all sorts of reform movements. In Mexico the response of student youth to the call of the government for teachers in the growing num- ber of schools for Indians has been noteworthy, something of the spirit of the student volunteer for foreign missions having been revealed in them. _— While the student groups are wholly alienated from the established Roman Catholic Church and largely from religion itself, yet there is not lacking evidence of religious interest where religion can be seen as divorced from ecclesiasticism. Humanitarian service stands for the only religion recognized by many students. The national Student Congress of Peru in 1924 felt called upon to consider religion because “The life of man cannot be reduced to the satisfaction of his material necessities. His spirit has profound longings; it asks itself serious questionsCHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT 47 which can only be satisfied and answered in the do- main of art and religion.” Labor is organizing and asserting itself in Latin | America as it is everywhere else in the world, and the adjustments necessary if its demands are to be met are having a profound effect upon the people. [he movement is more advanced in some Latin-American nations than in others. In general it is the skilled laborers and the industrial workers who have organ- ized most effectively. The peonage problem constitutes the most vexing and important concern of labor in Latin America, particularly in those countries which have a large In- dian population. Simply described, the system 1s this. The laborer with his family is attached to the land of the hacendado, or landowner. Here he lives on a little plot which is his to cultivate and utilize for the support of his wife and children. In return for this he renders a certain number of days’ service per week or month to the landowner, for which he receives a small additional wage. Although theoretically free to leave and take up his work elsewhere, he is fre- quently so deeply in debt to the landowner for ad- vances made to him or for provisions furnished at the farm store that he cannot leave. In consequence, families sometimes remain for generation after gen- eration upon the same farm. The vast masses of peon labor have thus far not48 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT asserted themselves or even given evidence of any marked group consciousness, chiefly because capable leadership among them has been lacking. Sporadic and more or less local agricultural strikes have taken place, for example, in southern Chile; but aside from effecting some meager betterment in their conditions of labor and giving a hint as to the future possibili- ties of effectively organized farm labor groups, little has been accomplished. Skilled and industrial labor has been too busy fighting its own battles to champion very vigorously the rights of this inert mass. The most noteworthy advances that are taking place in behalf of the peon are the result of the labor ad- ministration in Mexico, where labor has achieved a more commanding place than in any other republic. Part of the protest against the present Mexican ad- ministration is based on its attempt to secure justice for the peon both as laborer and as landowner. Labor unionism is well intrenched in the more pro- gressive countries of Latin America, and has secured distinct advantages to the workers through use of the strike and through legislation. Mexico easily stands at the head of Latin-American nations in the number and development of its labor organizations. Although of comparatively recent origin, the National Federa- tion of Labor, the largest labor organization in Mex- ico, reports an increase in membership from 75,000 to 600,000 within the last ten years. Just now labor RT Te Ty eee LE Pr rs ea reer ; eda , hw ht ratiieasthahe iidhcaee ee 2"CHANGING LIEE AND 4HOUGH TT 49 is enormously powerful politically. While charges of communism and Bolshevism have been made against it, few responsible leaders have expressed any such concern. It is true that at one time there was a distinctly radical wing in the labor party. The red flag was frequently seen in the streets. The capitalistic press of the world saw in this display the grim hand of Moscow, and not a little hostility to Mexico has resulted. A “white” labor movement was organized by Catholicism to offset this so-called red influence, but it had little effect and speedily disappeared. Bol- shevist influence has been felt in a few Latin-Amert- can countries, mainly Argentina, Peru, Chile in the nitrate fields particularly, and Brazil. In general, however, labor in Latin America is far from radical. The dire prophecies of what would happen under the Calles socialistic régime have not been borne out by the facts. Distinct gains for labor and the rights of the common people have resulted, and only the church and “big business” have had any serious com- plaints to make, complaints which the sober study of all the facts fails to justify in any large degree. Fach Latin-American country has some sort of National Federation of Labor which binds together the various unions. These exercise what political in- fluence they can in securing legislation favorable to the interests of their group. In addition these organt- zations perform a highly useful service in the social,et = 50 ASAI IN VAIO RaNCrAy SEE Stat educational and mutual benefit work carried on among their members. Through their publications and representatives they have awakened a desire for education, and by the cooperation of students “popu- lar universities” in the form of lectures and open forums have been formed in the labor centers, around which a great deal of the social life of the group has come to revolve. In addition they have promoted numerous social reforms, such as temperance, which are clearly to the advantage of workers. In Chile the Federation of Labor definitely declared itself to be in favor of the anti-alcohol movement, opened the columns of its press to discussion of it, distributed literature on the subject, and furnished its mailing list to organizations which were carrying on the tem- perance campaigns. Posters were placed in labor so- cial centers, lectures and discussions were arranged for, and in some cases local unions deliberately re- fused to allow their members to load or unload car- goes of liquors in Chilean ports. These Federations of Labor have promoted thrift by encouraging savings accounts, home buying, and life insurance. They have conducted safety cam- paigns, health campaigns, and city-wide clean-up campaigns. They are a powerful social force in the lives of workingmen and their families, having com- pletely preempted the place which the prevailing or- ganized religion may at one time have held for many.CHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT 51 The fact that labor centers have frequently become | bitterly anti-Catholic and even anti-religious cannot but be a matter of deep regret to all Christian peo- — ple, in spite of their conviction that the church has not always adequately met their needs. Much of the direct anti-religious and atheistic influence within labor groups has come originally from the outside, but it has found many ready to hear and believe because of the evident failure of religion, as religion is known to them, to function effectively in their own lives and to aid in solving the problems of their class. The list of labor laws recently passed in Latin America is a long one, though the different countries are unevenly advanced, both in the amount of paper legislation passed and in the effective enforcement of the laws. Minimum wage, the eight-hour day, workingmen’s compensation, pensions, compulsory insurance, one day’s rest in seven, compulsory arbitra- tion of labor disputes, protection for women in in- dustry, prohibition or limitation of child labor, vaca- tions,—on all of these matters and many others laws will be found in one or another of the Latin-Ameri- can countries. Uruguay has been a pioneer in such legislation. Argentina and Brazil, Chile and Mexico, have gone furthest. Chile was the first to ratify the international labor convention adopted in the Inter- national Labor Congress held in Geneva in 1921 un- der the auspices of the League of Nations.§2 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT Thus the condition of labor through all Latin America is being steadily bettered, particularly that of the skilled workers and industrial employees, although there remains a vast amount to be done. Wages are nowhere high, working conditions are frequently deplorable, the standard of living is far below what it should be in most if not in all coun- tries. Evidently labor needs the strong support of all the agencies which refuse to rest satisfied with the fearful inequalities which exist under the present unchristian economic systém. And labor cannot rest until she has the support of the church, Roman Catholic and Protestant, in her admittedly just strug- gle for a better day. Throughout Latin America the labor situation has been aggravated and complicated first by slavery and more recently by immigration. To a race enslaved by patriarchal customs, lulled to sleep by the narcotic of slave labor, accustomed to an easy life and stripped of ambitions, there came people purified in the cruci- ble of poverty, accustomed to hard work in order that they might not die of hunger, and to extreme thrift in order that they might enjoy a minimum of com- fort. These people came to a new world, one wide open to their covetousness, which said to them, ‘Work and you will be happy.” The Italian, for example, in Sao Paulo heard the friendly voice, thrust himself feverishly into the work, prosperedGHANIGING LIPESAND DOW GH 35 and quickly grew rich. Large fortunes began to ap- pear among these active and intelligent colonists. The doors of the old aristocracies opened to the sons of the foreigners, and mixed marriages took place. It will be seen how stunning this shock was and how the old ruling families felt themselves pushed back by this resistless avalanche of immigrants. In- dustry and commerce fell into the hands of the for- eigners. The old agricultural aristocracy merely re- tained possession of the lands and pitched their tents of resistance. Today a reconciliation is taking place. On the one hand the element of new blood has lost the greed of the early immigrant ancestors and their spirit of excessive economy; on the other the old na- tional element, awakened and restrained, has taken on new habits and enterprise. The problem of immi- eration has many sides, and turns up again in many forms. Being made up of new countries, with exten- sive uncultivated regions and scant populations, Latin America needs as a source of its very development strong currents of immigration. But in order that there may be this gain through immigration the stream of inflowing life must have the following characteristics: it must be agricultural, industrious, healthy, of a type to mix easily by happy intermar- riage with the native inhabitants. Throughout Latin America there is a genuine feminist movement, though it is much less advanceda OAS LATIN AMERIGA (SERS ET in some countries than in others. The world is too small for a great human reform affecting half its population to go unnoted in any civilized country. It was inevitable, therefore, that the movement in be- half of franchise for women which swept the United States and large sections of Europe should be fol- lowed by like movements in Latin America. Chile’s movement may be said to have begun about 1915. The National Council of Women, the chief organi- zation of Uruguay, dates back to 1916, though smaller groups existed before. Peru seems to have had a society known as Evolucién Femenina as early as 1912, but her National Council of Women dates only from 1924. Argentina was probably the country in which the movement got under way first, and it is in Argentina that it has had its greatest success. The earlier interests of the feminine groups were largely cultural, social and philanthropic. Gradually these groups began to occupy themselves with eco- nomic questions relating to the position of women in industry and to the health and protection of chil- dren. They became the champions of the economic rights of women in the marriage relation, where, be it said, their rights were surprisingly few. Legisla- tion was ardently sought to correct the inequalities that had existed for centuries between men and women with regard to property and other economic rights.CHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT ~ iss In Latin America as elsewhere women have been widening the sphere of their interests. Long con- fined almost exclusively to the home and to such work as could be performed there, a strong social preju- dice against women entering business or the pro- fessions had first to be broken down. It still exists strongly in many Latin-American countries but a change is slowly coming everywhere. The first woman to graduate from the Medical School in Uruguay finished her course in 1908. Today women are found in almost every profession. A woman represented Uruguay in the Peace Conference at Versailles, the only woman delegate from any nation in the world. The objectives of the Uruguayan National Counal of Women include: aiding and sustaining interna- tional arbitration, combating the traffic in white slaves, fomenting the single standard of morality for both sexes, equal wages for equal labor, equalization of the two sexes in civil law and in education, and free- dom for women in following the arts and the various professions. Argentine women as represented by the Woman’s Rights Association of Buenos Aires add to this list the right of women to hold public office, the establishment of special courts for children and women, legitimization of all children, the abolition of all legal prostitution, the encouraging of a pure life for both sexes, and equal political rights. Generally speaking, insistence on political equalitytt) \ + 2 ~~ P Pars se er eo oa ho 5.UCtC ASS LADIN AMERVOA SEES TT has been the least universal and popular of all the claims of the feminist movement. The percentage of illiteracy, which is much higher among women than men, reduces greatly the number of women who could be admitted to the polls were franchise privi- leges granted. Other demands of the women have seemed more urgent, though eventually their full political rights will be demanded and granted. The general attitude of men toward women in Latin America renders this full concession difficult to se- cure, although a prominent woman who interviewed the chief executives of most of the Latin-American republics has declared that all these officials consid- ered universal franchise for women on an equality with men a coming political issue and a just one. Both houses of Congress in Brazil have passed a full suf- frage bill. In Uruguay a similar bill secured a ma- jority vote but failed of a two-thirds majority. From the days of Bolivar there have been move- ments toward some sort of closer union of the na- tions of Latin America, including attempts at actual federation much after the pattern of the federation of the United States of America. The idea of a League of Nations to include the countries of North America and South America, somewhat as the na- tions of the world are joined in the present League of Nations, is a century old. The movement known as Pan-Americanism has gathered considerable e ie : e < € oe! i eh. : ee a 4 “J er r hie . rae, : ei *; rey 4 a, = is i x ie A a wi ee ee To = a x9 6s ‘ , - ae oe ie Pe . he Pak asdCHANGING LIFE AND THOUGHT 57 strength since the beginning of the twentieth cen- tury. The fifth congress of the Pan-American Union was held in Santiago, Chile, in 1923. This union has beautiful headquarters in Washington, D. C. and has accomplished a great deal through its publications, its representatives, and its promotion of international congresses such as the Pan-American Scientific Con- egress, the Pan-American Pedagogical Congress, etc. Of late a movement of a somewhat different char- acter has been gaining headway, a Pan-Latin move- ment, which has as its purpose the drawing together of the nations of Latin culture not alone in Latin America but in Europe as well. Various influences have operated to produce this movement. First, the cultural similarities between Latin countries make it a natural movement. Here is a great culture flowing from common sources which the developments of the last decade have tended to render acutely self-con- scious. This culture is threatened by the so-called Nordic culture, which has, during and since the war, extended its reach enormously. As a natural defense, reactionary voices in the Latin group have been raised, calling Latin Americans back to their original cultural loyalty. The affiliations of Latin America, they declare, belong rather to the Latin groups of Europe than to the Nordic group of North America, even though the United States lies closest at hand. Added to this, the growing material power anda | . T 58 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT ee Steg | wealth of the United States, its intense desire for _ commercial expansion, its economic imperialism, have | | raised a question in our minds as to the political dis- _ interestedness of the colossus of the north in her va- ried dealings with Latin America. The frequent occu- pation of Latin American countries by American mili- tary forces has given rise to a fear on the part of Latin Americans for their very sovereignty. Recent events in Nicaragua, reinforcing the impression made ) by the attitude of the United States toward Mexico, | | have fanned into a flame the spirit of resentment and | | suspicion and have given a strong impetus to Pan- | {Latinism. The Pan-American movement with its slogan “America for Americans” has come to mean to many Latin Americans, “America for the North > The preponderant influence of the United States in the Pan-American Union has pro- duced the feeling that it 1s controlled by Washing- ton and no longer has any real significance for Latin America. The constant insistence on the part of the United States that the Monroe Doctrine is a private affair, in- stead of a policy shared by the more responsible gov- ernments of the Western hemisphere, has provoked particular resentment among the stronger Latin- American republics, who no longer feel themselves in need of paternal protection. Probably the most serious resentment has arisen from the new Coolidge ee Americans.’CHANGING LIRECAND THOUGHT 59 Caribbean doctrine, which regards the Caribbean region as in a special sense subject to the control of the United States. An unfortunate bitterness threatens to increase between the two great cultural groups in the Western hemisphere, which, unless checked, may seriously interfere with those helpful cultural exchanges which have been going on in the past and which offer such rich rewards, material and spiritual, for the future. It would hardly be correct to say that there 1s a general temperance movement throughout Latin America, though there are vigorous national temper- ance organizations in some of the countries which are having a great influence upon the people. Not all the organizations are committed to a root-and-branch national elimination of alcohol; some are working in the direction of an effective control of the traffic, others for local option, still others for a gradual diminution of manufacture and sale of alcoholic drinks, leading ultimately to complete prohibition. These organizations have sensed the necessity of be- ginning with the children and teaching them the evil effects of alcohol. Accordingly they have introduced special instruction in public schools, either by the use of special texts or by the inclusion of appropriate material in the textbooks already used. Chile, as a result of the activity of the National Anti-Alcoholic Society, recently secured a national law directing\ "2E od 60 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT that a certain percentage of the tax on liquors must be employed in providing scientific instruction on temperance in the public schools. This money made possible the printing of texts and posters and the securing of special films and stereopticon slides rep- resenting the effect of alcohol. The evangelical churches have been leaders and inspirers in this work. Their members are dis- tinguished frequently as temperantes, non-drinkers, and are sought as workmen because of superior re- liability. Every church has been a center of tem- perance instruction and propaganda. The women of the churches have been especially active. Not only evangelical Christians but many Catholic women and men as well have given this movement wholehearted support. Women’s clubs have deliberately set about to break down the almost universal habit of social drinking. Some notable gains have been secured; dry zones have been created in which no liquor can be sold, days and hours of closing have been established, higher license fees have lessened the number of drinking places. While not yet near the goal of total prohibition, there is an active temperance movement in prominent parts of Latin America. Other social reforms are being urged and organ- izations are being formed to promote them. The fight, for example, against legalized prostitution, the white slave traffic, and venereal disease, is being car- —_ 1 re? ay Meee 7a ae ee = aE ea ee "eE yer FP tee RIFT Tex Sr re WTF a * n a a SA a egal " , a > = m. Wr er oe 2 ; ote iat ae ae m,. . . eeee ~ < , eel Oe eee >. i . . ati . . . - > ner * ~OUR DOMINANT RELIGION 79 tries cannot be modeled after that of the Anglo- Saxon and Teutonic peoples; that it must spring spontaneously out of the temperament of each nation. With much wisdom Catholic leaders in these coun- tries have, in their ceremonials and forms of worship, wrought into the fabric of religious exercise things indigenous to the masses of the people. If they would now incorporate the ideas, the forms, and the pro- grams of democracy and of modern social progress into the exercise of the religious and spiritual life, they might make the Roman Catholic religion the soul of the new social order in Latin America. Before concluding this paper I must say some things often forgotten or not reflected upon at all, on the relation of evangelicalism to Roman Cathol- icism. Since Latin America is by tradition Roman Catholic, the evangelical missions working here ought before all else to understand the soul of the Roman Catholic Church, her ideals, her bright side and her strong points, as well as her weaknesses. [he great need of the world is mutual appreciation and recipro- cal understanding among men, in the fear of the Lord. Individuals, as well as religious organizations and nations, ought to think of themselves as complet- ing one another. No one is sufficient unto himself. The sectarian spirit has done great mischief to the noble cause of Christian work among the Latin peoples. Protestant missions, in order to be successful : al —win 80 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES 17T in these countries, should be prepared to work in the spirit of appreciation and charity, overcoming all mis- ) understanding and even malice with the spirit of love and cooperation, so far as this is possible. There are two ways by which Christian work can be carried | on among people who already possess the funda- ba mentals of the Christian faith, having been baptized | | in the name of the Most Holy Trinity. One way is aia by conquering them, and the other is by helping and | winning them in the brotherly spirit of cooperation. ) Many of the Protestant missions in Brazil, what- | | ever they may be elsewhere, were founded on the I | assumption that the Church of Rome is no church at | all; therefore all the services of that church, its sacra- | ments, even the holy baptism as conferred by its min- | | | isters, are taught to be void of value, and the people, in order to be received into evangelical communities, are required to be rebaptized. This in my judgment is an uncharitable and misleading practice, though the success obtained by it may seem to justify the | evangelical workers in its continuance. However, ‘| must we not be guided by reason and the Christian spirit more than by outward success? We are already beginning to reap an unwelcome harvest as a result of this attitude. I am not so childish as to suppose that if we work in the spirit of respectful and thoughtful cooperation, so far as it is in us, we shall win the good-will of theOUR DOMINANT RELIGION 81 dominant religious system; it will not be so. Oppo- sition, malice, hatred, persecution, even violence, will ever occur, mainly from those quarters where the dominant religious system is most decadent and where the people are kept in greatest ignorance, superstition, and bigotry. Meanwhile, however, if we express the Christian spirit of tolerance and cooperation, our work shall grow in strength and favor and we shall not fear the day that is coming—thanks be to God— when that dominant religious system of Latin America, purified and exalted by a reform from with- in of which we ourselves, the evangelicals, have been providentially though imperceptibly the awakeners, shall regain the confidence and influence now lost. We have been too ready, especially in Brazil, to take an extreme position towards Roman Catholicism, a position tenable enough on the basis of the extreme neglect by the dominant church of the people we are desirous to serve, but untenable in the face of other facts and enlightened Christian feeling. The general attitude of Protestantism in this country which re- gards the Roman Catholic Church as not a Christian church at all is neither charitable nor justified. Furthermore, I regard it as decidedly harmful to the progress and stability of our Christian work. The position here described has been adopted officially by the larger evangelical bodies that recognize infant baptism. We cannot hope to satisfy the Roman82 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT Church and its demands, but we can hope to comply with the claims of reason and of Christian judgment. We should remember that we are not anti-Catholic. Our first obligation is no other than to minister to the spiritual and practical necessities of the people living around us. If we can help them in any way, this is our opportunity and privilege. The best way is not by attacking and despoiling the Roman Church, refusing to recognize it as a church with churchly foundations. We may point out its weakness, and its inadequacies to meet the spiritual and social needs of the people, but always and at the same time never forgetting our own frailties and shortcomings. Let us be humble and fraternal if we desire to be invested with grace from above. There is something above and more inclusive than Romanism and Protestantism, namely the holy catholic church; something above and more inclusive than even that church, namely the Kingdom of God; and something even above the Kingdom, namely the eternal King. In him, more than in all else, we all may find true unity and brotherhood. Our attitude towards the Roman Church—what- ever may be that of hers to us—must be one of appreciation of her good tendencies and her noble ideals of Christian unity; of respect and gratitude for her many services to mankind in times past, andOUR DOMINANT RELIGION 83 even today; and, finally, of prayerful sympathy for her shortcomings in countries and regions where for ages she has been ruling uncontrolled by represen- tative elements of Christian freedom. And if we have to gather together the strayed souls in the Christian fold, as is our duty, to train them in spiritual nurture, let us do it with all long- suffering, with all wisdom and tenderness, being care- ful also to preserve as sacred and inviolable the prin- ciple of the essential unity of the holy catholic church of our Lord and Redeemer. We are ever to remember that we are dissidents, not schismatics. “There is one body, and one spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.” It seems to me fitting to quote the wise words of a celebrated scholar and thinker in Scotland, the late Rev. John Duncan, LL.D., known in his day as the Rabbi Duncan. “We Protestants,” said he, “are all dissenters. It is necessary to vindicate our dissent, but as necessary for those in the established churches to remember that they are dissenters from the Church of Rome; dissenters but not schismatics. Rome was schismatic in forcing us out. And it would be well for Christianity if all the members of Christ’s catholic church would endeavor to preserve the unity of the84 AS TATIN AMERDTGA GERES 15 spirit, and think more often of the many and major points in which they agree than of the few and minor ones 1n which they differ.” SALOMAO FERRAZ Sado Paulo, BrazilIV THE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT T the very beginning of this chapter it must be stated that the treatment of this subject as re- lated to Latin America is perhaps more difficult than it would be in the case of any other so-called mission field. In the first place, as the subject itself indicates, we do not here deal with the question of introducing Christianity to a people for the first time, inasmuch as the Roman Church has been established in Latin America for about four hundred years. Rather, this chapter must be the story of the intro- duction and the work of the evangelical churches in a field already occupied by the older and stronger church, a church which, for reasons into which we cannot enter fully at this time, has failed to hold the young and ambitious peoples of Latin America for vital Christianity. The great extension of territory included in Latin America also makes difficult any exact study of Christian work within its bounds. In the term Latin America there are included twenty republics whose peoples speak three different languages and whose territory stretches from the southern boundary of the 85a ere a | | |p 4 86 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT Ce ee United States to the outposts of Cape Horn. One of these republics is larger than the whole United States, | and there are others whose size exceeds the com- bined area of many of the European states. Each one of the twenty is autonomous and is proud of its in- oy dependence and of its past. | The population of these twenty republics also presents difficulties, inasmuch as it is an amalgam of | i many races, and there are still many millions of | descendants of the pure Indians who were the original hie inhabitants, and also millions of descendants of slaves ] brought from Africa during the Spanish or Portu- | guese occupation, in addition to the representatives of other peoples who are generally of Aryan descent. Evangelical work in these countries is compara- | . tively new. We cannot look back to a century of | organized effort, as is possible in some other so-called hi mission fields. The first Protestant missionaries to reach South America were the Huguenots who landed | in Brazil in 1555. These were followed by Dutch immigrants in 1624. The Lutherans from Austria began to preach in Dutch Guiana in 1665. In 1753 the Moravians entered British Guiana and in 1775 extended their work into Dutch Guiana. But all these attempts were political as well as religious, and in general made no permanent impress on the life of the : countries entered. It was in 1818 that James Thom- son, representing the British and Foreign Bible EETHE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT 87 Society, made an inclusive trip through South America, and in 1827 the first work to be opened in Argentina was begun by the Northern Presbyterian Church of the United States of America. The Methodist Episcopal Board began its work in Argentina in 1836, in Uruguay in 1839, and in Chile and Peru in 1877. Other boards soon followed, and there is now no republic in Latin America in which evangelical work has not become firmly established. Nevertheless the beginnings were weak and widely scattered, and it is only within the present century that satisfying advances have been made. It must be remembered that the Spanish-American republics freed themselves from the yoke of Spain early in the nineteenth century. Someone has pointed out that in studying the diverse revolutionary move- ments in Latin America one discovers that the countries which broke most fully with the power of the Roman Church, as well as with the Spanish monarchy, are those which have since most readily accepted evangelical Christianity, and this in spite of the fact that all these republics, including Brazil, retained a vital connection with the Roman Catholic Church, a connection which, in most cases, precluded the introduction of any other religion. There can be little doubt that this subserviency to the dominant church has greatly influenced the re- ligious and intellectual outlook of the people, and ee - os ed — ee88 AS LATIN AM ERICA Skm@ Ss: TT is largely responsible for the wide chasm which separates the Latin-American mentality from the Anglo-Saxon. Race, religion, climate, economic con- ditions, do not fully account for this chasm. The difference between the two races is due rather to dis- similar ideals, aspirations, purposes and viewpoints, in a word, to a divergent outlook on life in all its manifestations. And it is for this reason that the Latin American who is not conversant with Anglo- Saxon ideals and customs will never be able to under- stand his neighbors of the north nor comprehend their peculiarities. Nor will the people of the north, for the same reason, thoroughly appreciate our man- ner of thought and life, unless they come to under- stand our cultural heritage better and the environ- ments in which we live. It may be said that the people of the United States and Canada, and the peoples of Latin America, live in two different worlds. Very naturally this is not the place to analyze or discuss which of the cultural streams is to be pre- ferred. Perhaps each has an equal contribution. We must accept the facts as they are and consider the theme which this chapter title suggests in the light of conditions that exist. If required to explain the difference between the two Americas in one word, we would have to say religion; or, rather, the re- ligious concept, and the place which religion occupies in life and thought.LDH PROTEST A Na sMOWcEMEEAN,T 89 The reader may believe that we have given a great deal of our brief space to this introduction, but it seemed necessary in order that it may be intelli- gently understood why evangelical work has not progressed more rapidly in Latin-American countries. There is no doubt that sometimes the heart of the missionary is inclined to discouragement when he reads and hears of the triumphs obtained in other mission fields, or when the evangelical work in these countries has been openly attacked by those who claim to be Christians. But evangelical work in Latin America must necessarily meet serious opposition, for two reasons. In the first place, many Latin Americans sincerely believe that the religion which they already have is the only true religion. We evangelicals should admit that at some points we are entirely in accord with the doctrines held by the Roman Catholic Church. But we also must affirm in the most emphatic manner that, as we understand the Holy Scriptures, which are the rule of faith and practice for the evangelical Chris- tian, the Roman Church in Latin America has de- parted from true Christianity in both belief and practice, and has invented and imposed upon its com- municants traditional and superstitious rites and doc- trines which are completely foreign to the mind and spirit of Christ. The second difficulty which these evangelicaleee TN o AS LATIN AMERICA SEES 1'T churches experience in Latin-American lands issues out of the fact that a large part of the population, convinced that it has often been skillfully deceived and exploited, is now throwing itself into the arms of materialism and infidelity. Since childhood our people have been carefully taught that the Roman Catholic Church teaches the only true religion and that outside of it there is no salvation. It is only natural, therefore, that when intelligent and sincere individuals recognize the error of this teaching they should summarily reject and abandon all forms of religion, fearing that what the evangelicals present as truth may also be merely a pious fraud. It may be said with no exaggeration that in all Latin-American countries the introduction and carry- ing forward of Protestant evangelical work have been accomplished in the face of the most active opposition on the part of the Catholic clergy. Some of them “have employed shameful methods of combating the work, as, for example, the defaming of the character of the workers. They have even resorted to arms and the burning brand in their efforts to destroy the evangelical missions. We honor and venerate the mis- sionaries who have given their lives to carry the revelation of Christ to the continents of Asia and Africa; it should be said that those who have intro- duced the gospel into our Latin-American countriesTHE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT og! have equally deserved the affection and respect of every heart, and of all those who love humanity. Time and space will not permit even a short list of the pioneers of the evangelical missionary work in Latin America. Many of these pioneers will be familiar to our readers, especially such a one as F. G. Penzotti, known from the Mexican frontier to Tierra del Fuego, who spent dreary months in prison in Peru for the offence of trying to place the Bible in the hands of an ignorant and illiterate people whom the Roman clergy had left in their original abject condition. Other men, such as William Butler in Mexico, David Trumbull in Chile, John PF. Thompson in Argentina, Pratt in Colombia, and Simonton and Blackford in Brazil, were but the forerunners of a greater company now at work. Each was persecuted and made to suffer by those who rep- resented the dominant church. And it is from the humble foundations laid by these men that the evangelical movement has grown to its present pro- portions. Although evangelical work in Latin America 1s still only in its beginnings, one can discern here and there substantial evidences of its influence and multi- plying powers. Protestantism has always been the powerful ally of popular education, and the 1rre- futable truth of this statement may be found in the splendid universities and other institutions for public® . & : 52° AS LATIN AMERICA SERS IT instruction which abound in countries where the Bible is read and its precepts are followed. Latin America, on being entered by the evangelical missionaries, could not escape the beneficent influences of the school, and on more than one occasion the establish- ment of Protestant work in a village or city has been made possible by the founding of elementary and secondary schools. These have been opened for both sexes, and in many cases have served as models for and given stimulus to the government schools, owing to their better equipment and methods of instruction. There is today no single republic in all Latin America in which the evangelical school has not become an influence and power. ~ Mackenzie College in the city of Sao Paulo is one of the most worthy representatives of evangeli- cal educational effort. Here are gathered together more than thirteen hundred students of both sexes. The institution has exercised a tremendous influence on the life of the Brazilian nation for more than fifty years. That Mackenzie College is acknowledged to be a success in its methods of instruction may be gathered from the fact that the National Congress in 1923 passed a special law granting it the right to issue diplomas to its school of engineering, thus mak- ing the degrees of the institution of equal value with those awarded by the National Faculty of Engineer- ing. As regards the influence of the college on theee a a. ane THE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT 93 Christian thought of the country we may quote a paragraph from a letter recently published in one of the New York City papers: “A great change has come over us here in Sao Paulo. We firmly believed that scientific thought and religious thought were incompatible or equally hostile. We have, however, now found that religious thought is perfectly compatible with the most efficient scientific thought. You people at Mackenzie do not parade your religion, but you have it and make it felt on any suitable occasion, and you are giving the best scientific training that is being offered in Brazil today. For myself and many of my friends, I can say that we are convinced that the incompatibility of scientific thought with religious thought is with a certain type only, and not necessarily with Chris- tianity. You can safely say to any intelligent audience in Sao Paulo today that God the Creator 1s the gov- ernor from whom, by whom, and to whom all things pertain, without exciting a sneer on the part of the thoughtful man.” In Chile, Santiago College for women 1s another institution which honors the evangelical cause, while at the same time it complies freely with the latest demands for modern education. As a proof of its influence in the building of character, let me quote one of its graduates, now a resident of New York. After a lengthy search for a school in which to place7 , oo 6C AS DATIN AMERICA{SERS IT her daughter, she declared that in all that great city and its environs she could not find any institution which, to her mind, assured both character growth and education in the same degree that these had been assured to herself by Santiago College. Crandon Institute in Montevideo, Uruguay, 1s another well-known institution which is doing much for the education of women in the countries which border on the River Plate. In Buenos Aires we also have the American College for young men, which is just now entering upon a period of great usefulness, due to the purchase of a splendid site on the out- skirts of the city to which its activities will be re- moved in the near future. This institution is offering students the full educational program provided by the Argentine government, and its instruction is in every respect as good as that offered by any of the government schools. Like all other North American schools in South America, it also stands as a repre- sentative of the best thought of North America, and is the medium through which the good-will of the United States for Latin America may be expressed. One of the best known of our American diplomats, after a visit to the institution, wrote the director: “T am glad to be able to tell you, after visiting your college on several occasions, and after seeing the type of work which you are doing not only with American boys in the Argentine but with the youngTHE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT | 95 men of this country as well . . . your splendid statt of Argentine teachers, and the prominent Argentine families represented in your student body, that as a medium of good-will between the United States and Argentina I know of no similar organization or in- stitution in the republic which is more promising in its future than the college which you so worthily represent.” In Buenos Aires we have the Argentine Philan- thropical Schools and Institutes, generally known as the Morris Schools, in which over 100,000 children 1n the past twenty-five years have received Christian education, and in which today more than six thousand are being trained for future usefulness. All these chil- dren have been taken from the streets and from homes of extreme destitution. A great deal could be written on what evangelical Christianity has done throughout Latin America in the diffusion of Christian literature and the circula- tion of the Bible. The work is being enriched with every year. Publication of works which have been translated from the English or other European tongues, and in later years of original productions, has added immeasurably to the total of Protestant Christian literature. No one can measure the influence of the printed page. We know what has been accom- plished by Christian literature in other mission fields, and Latin America is not without remarkable-_ | % 66) AS DATIN AMERIGASERS IT examples of the same kind. It is said that the whole movement for the liberalization of Ecuador under General Alfaro began through his reading of the Bible as a young army officer, this Bible having been given him by a missionary whom he met on one of the steamers along the coast. We have also been told how a sheet of evangelical literature wrapped around a loaf of bread in Brazil was the means of converting a man who eventually gave himself to Christian work aS a minister, and whose five sons are now engaged in Christian service. Very little has been done to reach the thousands of students in the different uni- versities, and it is here that the evangelical writer of the future ought to find a wide field for his activities. The great majority of these students profess materialistic or rationalistic tendencies, and their knowledge of the Bible and Christianity is in general limited to that which they derive from the works of Voltaire and Renan. In regard to the distribution of the Bible, 1t may be said that practically all that has been done is due to the Protestant Bible Societies and to the various groups through which they work. Among the Roman Catholics the Bible is often a prohibited book, and to the sceptical and indifferent it has no authority. Many of the most influential leaders in our large cities do all they can to make us believe that alcoholism is not a problem in these countries. Theyae THE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT 97 ridicule those who arise in the defence of temperance. Through the help of the evangelical forces, however, it has been possible to organize a campaign against the excessive use of alcoholic drinks. The fact that such a campaign has stirred up many to oppose it 1S proof of its value to society in general. Those who find themselves inconvenienced by the preaching of such doctrines may be compared to the people of Ephesus who rose up against the Apostle Paul, claim- ing that his preaching had endangered their business of manufacturing and selling idols. Social work, except that done by the Salvation Army, is at its beginning in Latin America. If we take all the Latin-American countries together and consider them as one, we may state without fear of contradiction that the laborer in all this vast region lives under deplorable economic and social conditions. He has been exploited to the limit of endurance, and everything possible has been done to keep him ina state of complete ignorance and submission. Very little if anything has been done to better his physical, moral, and spiritual condition. In some industrial cen- ters he has been given alcohol to make him tractable and keep him in a condition of stupor for more com- plete exploitation. In the work of social hygiene and in the number of Protestant church hospitals, dispensaries, and asylums, Mexico leads all other Latin-American98 AS GATIN AMERTCA SERS 1'T countries. The evangelical workers in Brazil and Chile are also making great strides in social service activity, a number of dispensaries, clinics and small hospitals having been opened during recent years. In Chile there is a demonstration farm where lessons are given to a considerable number of boys and young men in practical agriculture. Near Lima, Peru, there is an evangelical mission hospital which is the pride of the country round about. Its director has become so well known that he has been named the private physician to the President of the Republic. In Argen- tina funds are now being collected for the purpose of establishing an evangelical hospital in that country. In Rio de Janeiro one of the best hospitals in the city 1s known as the Evangelical Hospital. Steps also are being taken to train Christian nurses, since, as is well known, the profession of nursing has never been cul- tivated in Latin America, the care of the sick being generally left in the hands of the Sisters of Mercy. When we consider the spiritual work of the evangelical church in Latin America—namely, that of making Christ known, winning disciples to him from every walk of life, organizing these believers into groups for corporate worship and united service, and extending Christian beliefs and ethical standards to community life—we touch upon the very heart and central objective of the missionary movement. Let it be said in praise of evangelical churches inSeite eat A TS = —— TT THE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT 99 Latin America that they have fought a good fight, but in no sense and at no point have they finished their course. Rather they have just begun. There 1s still much territory to be entered, and those who have not heard of the real Christ in Latin America may still be counted by millions. As fanaticism, intoler- ance, superstition and systematic opposition eradually disappear, the prospect of Christianizing the life and thought of Latin America becomes more sure; first through reform within the established Roman Catho- lic Church, and second through the faithful testi- mony and steady growth of evangelical communities. In the matter of material equipment, with few outstanding exceptions, the evangelical churches of Latin America do not have proper; buildings or en- vironment in which to ca fy oh‘ their work, In most places the work of pregéhing¢dnd tea ingmust be carried forward in but dings whieh resembl sheds more than churches. Thi constituges a ergath ndicap, especially in reaching ce tain Classes of/baty -Ameri- can society. Without indWyiig sin exty#Vvagance in ecclesiastical architecture, we and means to provide our evangelical congregations with more dignified places for worship and the preaching of the word. Beauty, stateliness, and harmony of line in church edifices are pleasing to the Latin American, and it is not possible to do a perma- nent and effective religious work among Latin peoples—— a — = | it Wie 100 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT if we insist in providing, as we have done up to the present, inadequate and in many cases: distressingly unattractive places for corporate worship. One of the greatest contributions which the evan- gelical movement has made in Latin-American countries has come through its efforts to secure free- dom for the individual—liberty of conscience, liberty of speech, and liberty of public meeting. In many places, as in the republics of Argentina, Chile, Peru and other countries, the evangelical ministry has heroically supported every effort of the liberal ele- ments to bring about legislation securing rights for unprivileged exploited groups, making compulsory the civil registry of births, and marriage a legal con- tract. Argentina is still without divorce laws. Chile and Uruguay have effected a separation of church and state after prolonged and bitter struggles. In other countries, as in Argentina, the clerical element is still strong and well organized, so that the securing of legal reforms requires a long time, and can be brought about only after hard effort. With the exception of Uruguay, which has no Indian population, the indigenous races constitute a serious problem in Latin America. In the United States and Canada at least something has been done for the Indians; in Latin America practically nothing has been done. The Roman Catholic practice of baptizing Indians in groups as though they were soad F ° a Be " a eee ——————— THE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT tor many herds of irrational beings is not equivalent to converting, civilizing and Christianizing them. The work of real Christianity ought to bring them to a personal knowledge of Christ as Lord and Savior. Latin-American Indians live under conditions de- plorable from every point of view, and the mission boards of North America have a splendid opportunity to cooperate with our evangelical churches here in the solution of this frightful problem. Although we have to confess with pain and shame that in the past the different evangelical denomina- tions have not always cooperated to the extent desira- ble, yet we are glad to be able to say that a new day 1s dawning, a new spirit is being shown. Jealousy and misunderstandings between denominations are slowly disappearing and, as never before, the different bodies are studying together the great need, and the great opportunity and responsibility which God has given them. It is absolutely necessary in Latin America, as it is also inevitable, that all the different evangelical bodies shall present a common front, well organized and compact, to combat the forces of opposition, obscurantism and vice. Energy, funds and life have frequently been spent and are being spent in work which does not bring the desired results. Some good brother or sister who is motivated by good intentions but who has been badly advised, comes on his or her own initiative102 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT to South America, imagining that we are still living in wigwams and dressing in feathers, and begins the work of saving souls, with the hope that a group of friends in the home land, equally ignorant of the real situation, will send the funds wherewith to carry on. The result of such unwise undertakings may be witnessed today in many places in Latin America. They generally end in failure and they hurt the evangelical cause. Some sections have been entirely burnt over by the flaming zeal of these independent missionaries with more heat than light. Before permanent work can be undertaken by more reliable and experienced agencies, a period of time must often elapse during which the ill effects of the good- intentioned but ill-advised independent missionary’s activities can be offset or forgotten. These activities are often more deplorable when carried on in our larger cities, which are more or less cultural and educational centers, and where it is not possible to reach the great mass of population with inadequate methods and means. We could not close this chapter without apprecia- tive reference to the work which has been and 1s being done by the Committee on Cooperation in Latin America, with its headquarters in New York City. The object of this committee is to correlate and co- ordinate the work of the twenty-five or more mission boards which operate in Latin America. It serves as aTHE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT 1063 clearing house for all these organizations, and a great deal has been done through careful study of the field by its secretaries. The overlapping of terrt- torial responsibility has been largely avoided, and many union institutions and movements have been organized. One of the best-known missionary states- men in the United States, after a recent visit to the Far East, declared that cooperation in Christian work is much more advanced in Latin America than in China, Japan, or India. From the ancient domain of the Aztecs southward across the Caribbean Sea, past the dense forests of Venezuela down to the land of the Incas and to the plains of the Araucanians, over the high mountains to the pampas of Argentina until at last one reaches the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn—in no other continent of the world has God opened up to Protes- tant workers greater opportunities for evangelism. Unfortunately, in no other great mission field do we find Protestant Christians giving as little money and as few men to the work. This is doubtless due to the false belief that the Latin-American people are al- ready Christianized, that in fact, no less than in theory, they have already received the full gospel. On the contrary, let it be definitely understood that this is not the case. They are as greatly in need of the gospel as are the Mongolians in the Far East or the Hottentots in Africa. We understand that not all ofts 1o, TAS) ADIN AMERICA SERS 17 our readers will accept this statement, which is some- what strong, it is true. We are sorry, but we must make it nevertheless. It is the genuine and sincere expression of our belief, and we feel impelled to stress it in this crude manner because we know that | the contrary idea prevails among some of the Chris- iit tian people of North America who are supporting the evangelical movement, the mistaken idea that in these lands Jesus Christ has already been made known. DaniEL EnriguE Hay Buenos Aires Sat NS a EEE A oe BRR) Ni i. a ae aeVv O)IPIPCOURS ID WWMINGIDGM LIS; IY INGLIS, 19 \W AVIN| GHEEVCALY GHW RG HES T was never the lot of the Latin-American repub- lics to receive a religious heritage so vital, so virile and so pure as that of our sister republic to the north. The conguistadores when they landed on our shores planted the Spanish flag and the cross of Christ side by side, taking possession of the land in the names of Castilla and Leon and of the Catholic Apostolic Church. After the congwistadores, who came “to maintain the empire, bringing the pomp of war and the reign of fear,” there came the priest, or missionary friar, who followed behind with the up- lifted crucifix to convert the indigenous tribes. And if the Indians “resisted unto blood,” and they often did, the same messenger of God would call out to the Spanish soldiers, “Fall on, Castilians, I absolve you!” Some of these messengers of the cross were conse- crated and faithful followers of Him who said, “‘Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations,” but many of them were ready, so long as the interests and fortunes of their church were conserved or ad- vanced, to place the seal of approbation on exploita- 105| i | Bike | 106 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT tions and improper practices perpetrated by the rulers and the subordinate officials. Generally speaking, unlike the Pilgrim Fathers, neither the conquistadores, the priests nor the friars came to this continent seeking a new home where they might worship God according to the dictation of their own conscience and enjoy a larger measure of political freedom. They did not come with the simple purpose to establish a community founded on the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free. Many of them came rather to exploit the rich mines of Potosi and to lay their hands on the fabulous wealth of Monte- zuma, led by the spirit of adventure and the thirst for gain rather than by any zeal to realize noble ideals. Great indeed were the opportunities of doing good which the church of the conguistadores controlled. She held absolute dominion over the conscience of the people. Her influence on public and private affairs was all-powerful, and may be verified by the pages of history and by the monuments which adorn the plazas and public places of Latin-American cities today. But this ascendancy over the public as well as the private conscience made the church leaders haughty and despotic. They abused their trust and became corrupt in their practices. Today, by the con- tinued misuse of their moral and religious authority, they have lost control over large sections of the people and over the political affairs of most of theTHE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 107 Latin-American countries. Many intellectual and sert- ous-minded men of these countries not only repudiate the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, but they have come to associate with the words church and religion the ideas of obscurantism, ignorance, fanat- icism and oppression. Hence their philosophy of life and their ethical teachings are atheistic, materialistic or agnostic. “We are in the realest of realism,” says a Brazilian philosopher. “The reason meditates not on theological principles but on facts furnished by experience. God is a myth. He has no reality. He 1s not an object of science.” But it is not alone intellectuals who show lack of confidence in or fellowship with the established re- ligion. The ordinary population, even though they may seek the offices of the priest to baptize their chil- dren and to marry them, often regard the church as a feeble and antiquated institution. A well-known writer quotes the Archbishop of Sao Paulo as saying, “Brazil no longer has any faith. Religion is almost extinct.” An eminent lawyer remarks, “I do not think that religion has ever had any serious influence on the lives of our people. Those who call themselves religious have never been able to see in religion any- thing but mere formulas and rites; those who are not religious could never see anything else in religion but pure superstition. Hence in no case was religion a sure guide to regulate conduct for the former, nor108 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT was it worthy of serious consideration for the latter.” Frequently we hear the question asked among Protestant people in the United States, “Are we justi- fied in sending missionaries to establish evangelical churches in Roman Catholic countries?” Justification, I think, is to be found in the rapid growth of our evangelical church in Latin America, and in the eager- ness with which those who come to know the un- adulterated teachings and ideals of Christ give them- selves unreservedly to the propagation of the faith. Because of its simplicity, its moral purity, and its spiritual power, the gospel of Jesus Christ appeals to many of my countrymen. It comes with no other authority than that of its inherent force. This makes its appeal all the more imperative. In spite of a manifest complacency on the part of many men and women here, it is not difficult to sense a spiritual loneliness and heart-hunger which impel many to seek respite and surcease from sorrow in theosophy or spiritism. Others are constrained to come to us. But the great majority go to fill the ranks of those who find refuge in atheism, or make of socialism a poor substitute for religion. A certain racial dignity of our people will not allow the sons and daughters of these countries to submit or yield to a despotic power, whether it be political or ecclesiastical. Little by little, with the on- ward march of events, these Latin countries are be-—_ —— . 7 - — — Sw - —— YEP eee wee A : a mA ta" dite —_— es t i on ail ” ee ne 3 S ’ a } , . 7 . eS v7! thie oor site my ha ; . ne eg eee a ——————— ass ee —— ————— THE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 1og coming emancipated from the tutelage of the Roman Catholic Church. Republics like Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico have complete separation of church and state, and some of them are making a fight to free themselves completely from Rome. The students of our universities and the intellectuals are demanding wider religious horizons and a more tolerant orientation in the things of the spirit. One student writer says, “Masters of a world of ideas, we are still wandering in search of a moral ideal. In our march toward the unknown, will our gross material instincts be a sure guide? Although we are destined to reap an abundant harvest of good and evil from our contact with others, our teachers have failed to point out to us the ethical end of our personality.” The evangelical church is seeking to meet this need. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Chile says in one of his perorations: “Brethren, you may say what you will about the Protestants, but they have three things that we may well learn from them. They have a clergy whose life is beyond reproach, whereas ours is the laughing stock of the whole country. They preach and they practise repentance, and we ought to do the same. They have the open Bible and put it in the hands of their people.” The name Protestant attached to a man or woman in Latin America has come to mean a person who is conceded to observe| | i] Fee ae ee Ce : palin, Sate a et la ee "eat sheen hail ned : ead = on oa 7 110 Ay LATIN AMERICA SEES It a high standard of conduct and morals, even by those who would consider him a heretic theologically. More and more our leading men everywhere are coming to see that the pure and simple gospel which our evan- gelical church preaches has in it the refining fire and moral tonic so greatly needed in the life of Latin America today. They realize that it is not an exotic imported religion, but the good news of the King- dom for all men everywhere. Many and difficult are the problems which the evangelical church must solve and the obstacles it must overcome in order to fulfil its God-given mis- sion in these countries. One of the problems is that of bringing to the constituency of the church a new vision of the Saviorhood and Lordship of Jesus Christ and the fulness of life that is in him. On her records the church has the names of many men and women who, although bearing the name of evangelical Chris- tians, have never experienced the power of Christ to save everyone that believeth. Many of these nominal Christians were once communicants of the Roman Catholic Church. They have changed their former manner of living, but they have never borne the fruits of their new belief. They seem not to have understood the meaning of the new birth nor to have experienced it. Lacking a new vision of Christ and a daily experience of life in him and of him in them, many of our church members are indifferent or inef- FT aie in ale ita TanaiTHE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 111 fective witnesses of all that the Protestant faith offers. In many instances they are satisfied with observing rules of conduct and believing a given set of doctrines which to them appear orthodox and seem to insure eternal life. I fear that many have been merely converted against Romanism and not yet fully converted to Christ. They seem to mistake zeal in propaganda against the Roman Catholic Church for daily striving after the attainments of the Christ life and character. Another root problem of the evangelical church in Latin America is that of finding a way to enlist and hold the children of converts and the young people of the community. Unfortunately too much of our preaching and teaching has been dogmatic in character, controversial, and not of very high quality intellectually. We have failed in two very important respects, it seems to me. In the first place, we have thus far failed to make our preaching and teaching a challenge to young people. And because the gospel has not been presented in a form and manner de- signed to challenge these young people, many of them have either become indifferent to it or have accepted it as something wished upon them, rather than as the gift of life which they have desired for themselves. In the second place, we have failed to hold the young people because we either did not or could not give them a proper social environment in112 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT which to express their social natures. Not finding an attractive or satisfying social life in the church, they have been lured away from the church in their quest of social activities and entertainment. Just as essential as Bibles and missionaries are playgrounds and play- ground equipment, social halls and whatever else will contribute to the normal and free expression of youth in social relations and activities. Thus far we have not been able to supply our youth with these things, nor have the mission boards been as alert to cooperate with us in meeting this most urgent need as many of us wish they might be. Up to this time little has been done by the evan- gelical churches in distributing their workers and in systematically and unitedly planning for a more ef- fective Christian witness and service throughout Latin America. We have left too much to chance. A great many of our churches have been established without account being taken of strategic elements in their locations, the factors of need, or the probabili- ties of their becoming centers of influence and evan- eelism for surrounding territories. They were started because some Christian family moved into a given neighborhood, perhaps. Often after years of mere existence and heroic effort on the part of a faithful few, such churches have had to be suspended, or if they are still maintained it is because we continue to insist that the corpse is not dead. Meanwhile many of ‘ ae Bae Tie weet tise Ok ano a we Sc is aT Seana Se ae ; ee a oe ae a : : Na ok eee. ie ae tall Henle Ba —a Tee - tel ; = . . ' *THE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 113 our most important and promising centers of popula- tion remain unevangelized. We are not employing good generalship in our work. If we have failed or made mistakes in the past, let us not be ashamed, as missions and as churches, to admit this fact. We need to subject our work to a rigid survey, and then, with the whole of Latin America and its needs before us, plan unitedly for the best possible disposition and ex- penditure of men, money and literature. Some prog- ress in this direction has been made, but it is only a beginning. The question of nationalizing the evangelical church or churches is rapidly coming to the front in such countries as Argentina and Uruguay. Without self-government, self-support and self-diffusion or propagation, however, a national indigenous church would be merely anomalous. In at least one denom1- nation this question of independence has been agitated for ten years. In some of the evangelical churches of Argentina and of Uruguay more able and ma- ture leadership is coming into control, greater ag- pressiveness is being shown by the indigenous min- istry and laity, and year by year an increasing portion of the financial burden is being borne by the native churches and a smaller portion by the missions. It seems only natural that as more adequate leadership is developed the problem of self-support will be solved.114 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT A larger assumption of the financial burden and a change in the relations between missionaries and na- tive Christian leaders will go far toward answering those who say that the evangelical church is a foreign institution, the handmaiden of American and English imperialism. On the other hand, if we assume greater responsibilities in self-support and self-control, are we sufficiently able to maintain a robust existence and at the same time minister to the spiritual needs of unreached millions all about us? Again we might state the problem in this wise: Is it fair to be depend- ent any longer on our Christian friends, in Protes- tant North America and in Europe, who have been aiding us with their money and some of their best sons and daughters? Ought we not, even though still young, to begin to walk alone? Or will we continue for years to live an indigent life, holding fast to our foreign crutches longer than we need to or ought to for our good? Until we solve the problem of leadership in our evangelical churches I believe we shall not be able to solve in any permanent way our problems of self- support, self-diffusion, and the like. A supply of able leaders calls for extensive high-grade educational facilities. Before we can have an adequate national leadership our young men and women must be given a Christian education. They must be trained as evan- gelists, preachers, teachers and administrators. This 3 - © "en . ~ Re ICTR = o ie iikiies oak | bie ed Mel cone DD ‘ . Te rer is ek A eae ee eA. APT igh ‘a D : 7 . er ty : > oe adie ad + = ee ed cs —- -THE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 115 implies the reorganization of our educational insti- tutions, the founding of some and the strengthening of others. It means that we shall have to raise the entrance requirements, demanding a higher type of student in all our schools. No nation is ready to assume the responsibilities of self-government until its constituents have avail- able the elements of an education designed to fit them to exercise the true functions of democracy. Likewise, in the management and direction of the af- fairs of the church we shall not be ready to assume complete self-government and self-direction until our ministers as well as our laymen, the leaders as well as those who are led, have the necessary spirit- ual qualification and general education. Especially does this mean raising the requirements of scholar- ship of those who present themselves as candidates for the ministry. This in turn calls for better theo- logical schools, equipped with better library facili- ties and with better teaching staffs. The requirement cannot be met by any one single mission or denom1- nation. You in Protestant North America who work among us can help us if you will get together and meet our larger common needs through your cooper- ative efforts. The evangelical church in Latin America is suffer- ing from a dearth of good Christian literature. There is need of up-to-date textbooks for theological stu-| | | Sees ee ea Ps ee . te et ~ ‘ - el — Je 16 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT dents and ministers, of sermons, commentaries and devotional books. We need more and better Sunday school literature, books and periodicals dealing with young people’s problems, Christian education, and community welfare. Wholesome fiction is desperately needed, and, last but not least, works like Dr. Fos- dick’s The Manhood of the Master, The Meaning of Service, presenting Christianity in such a way that it will appeal to the student mind. In short we need literature which inspires, literature to guide and feed the mind, to strengthen the heart and to move the will of our young generation. We invite and urge the young college students of North America to assist us to meet this need. One of the greatest hindrances to the spread and growth of the Protestant faith in all of these coun- tries is the lack of knowledge concerning our evan- gelical churches. Generally speaking, people on the outside know very little about our teachings or our ideals, or that little has been discolored by half-truths or misrepresentations. It is not only that the Roman Catholic Church has been accused of distorting the facts concerning Protestantism, and of giving the people erroneous ideas of what the evangelical churches really teach and practise. Many well-inten- tioned but poorly-guided missionaries and native leaders have presented the gospel in such ways as to offend the religious sensibilities of our Latin-Ameri- I a aTHE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 117 can people, and give very erroneous impressions of Protestantism. Incidentally the presence and prac- tices of these Protestant fanatics reveal how urgent and extreme our need is for better-educated leaders, better literature, better public lectures to disseminate the facts regarding our evangelical teachings and ethical ideals. Since our intellectuals lean strongly toward the atheistic or materialistic philosophies, the notion 1s common among us that the spirit of religion in gen- eral is contrary to the spirit of scientific investigation ; that Christianity is opposed to everything that means progress; that faith 1s in conflict with science and that the two cannot dwell together. We need strong men 7 our ranks to disabuse people’s minds of these mis- conceptions, both with the living voice and with the pen, from the platform as well as through the public press. Those who undertake to do this will need to be unusually well-equipped mentally, abreast of the latest scientific methods and discoveries, and will also need to have a knowledge of our Latin temperament and point of view, of our history and of our litera- ture. In short, the men who are to make the church known in Latin America must be from among our own people, and for this reason be more able than the ablest foreign missionary to reach our indifferent multitudes. One of the great mistakes in our work of the past118 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES [IT is that we have circumscribed ourselves by “preaching the gospel to the poor” almost exclusively. Only to the most humble classes have we endeavored to min- ister thus far. Has not the day come when, if our church is to influence public opinion in the interests of individual and community betterment, she must make a special eifort to extend her appeal and her ministry to include the more privileged and the intellectual] classes? Until now there are “not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” among us. Socialism is making rapid progress in Latin- American countries. The conflict between capital and labor is rapidly approaching a crisis. Until recently our population has been largely rural and agricul- tural, but it is becoming urban and industrial, chang- ing the economic status of the masses and greatly em- phasizing class differences. A storm is approaching and some of our farsighted leaders have begun to descry the lowering cloud. Just as the pampero which slides gently down the eastern slope of the Andes gathers momentum as it sweeps across the pampa and whips itself into an infernal fury, so this conflict be- tween labor and capital is gathering strength as it rises, and threatens to hurl itself some day soon in destructive blasts against the privileged landlords and industrialists who thus far have ignored its ap- proach. In the face of such a pending disaster, will theTHE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES, 119 Protestant church, regardless of the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church, still hesitate to preach a social gospel? Too long she has hesitated; too long the missionaries and native evangelists have con- cerned themselves almost exclusively with preparing men and women for life beyond the grave. [hey have preached an individual gospel and have left social problems largely in the hands and at the mercies of politicians and millionaires. Today the socialists are telling the Protestant Christians to “step aside, give us room, and we will show you how to create a new social order.” Will we give way to them: We jeopardize our cause daily by insisting on being merely “other-worldly.” Christ came to bring Latin America abundant life now. The time has come when to preach this gospel in these countries 1s to stress its social message and to challenge Christians with its social implications and demands. The church in these countries must demonstrate to the people outside of her constituency—and _per- haps once more to those within the ranks—that the Christian religion is not dogma but life; it 1s not one special brand of theology better than all others, but a living spirit; it is not the religious thought and experience of the ages crystallized into a creed, but the everyday teachings of Christ transfused into the life of the believer, and revealed through the turmoil, the anxieties, the manifold duties and the120 AS LATIN AMERICA SEEs§ Pe varied social relations of everyday experience. We must show to these peoples, accustomed to think of religion in terms of ritual and formalities, that Chris- tianity is a power giving life to the spirit and forti- tude to the soul, that it inspires, remotivates and transforms. There are thousands of our men and women who do not know and have not experienced the Christian religion after this manner, however much they may feel the need of it. On our church rests the responsi- bility of showing them that evangelical Christianity is more than intellectual acceptance of a set of so- called orthodox beliefs, that it is “life more abun- dant.” In discharging this responsibility we crave the example and encouragement of the missionary and the Protestant churches of North America. The Latin-American states are new countries, full of possibilities, ambitious and progressive, ready to welcome new ideas, especially in the fields of social reform and political reorganization. The day is near at hand when these countries will endeavor to set up their own norms for international policies. They are already beginning to exert an influence on interna- tional affairs, and it will not be long before their opinions and decisions will weigh more heavily than they do at present. As we have said, the number of intellectuals in these countries is small, but they exert an influence out of all proportion to their numericalTHE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 121 strength. As goes the small student and intellectual class, so goes the country. Therefore if the gospel would make itself felt in Latin-American interna- tonal affairs to the well-being of humanity, it must reach this student and intellectual class. What an op- portunity! Except for the activities of the Y.M.C.A. and the Y.W.C.A., however, very little is being done thus far by the evangelical churches to reach this class. Regardless of the fact that these countries are re- publican in name and form, in practice they are as a rule centralized and paternal. The truth conveyed by the phrase “all for one and each for all” is poorly understood. The governments of most of the re- publics, outside the larger capitals, are still dominated by bosses (caudillos). Political corruption has become chronic. There is too much bureaucracy, there are too many subordinate officials without the qualifications for office. One Latin-American country in 1914, with less than eight million population, had 85,000 gov- ernmental employees, while the United States with a population of a hundred million had only 150,000. In addition there is great waste of public money, with the inevitable consequence that the common people are overburdened with taxes and made the victims of political revolutions. What may we ask our church to do to help the state in setting up new political ideals so that the122 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT public administration may be honest, and the spirit of public welfare and fair play may predominate? We believe that she can do much in many ways. By cooperative effort on the part of the various churches, by presenting the gospel in such a way that it wil] appeal to the intellectual classes, and by emphasizing the social message, much can be done to build the essential features of the Kingdom of God into the national life. The open Bible and the untrammelled interpretation of its message and spirit will power- fully influence reform. Herein will the church find her true mission within the nation. One thing difficult for Latin Americans to under- Stand is why there are so many competing denomi- nations, sometimes saying ugly things about each other, while all profess to be Christian. With a few notable exceptions the denominations working in these countries have shown very little inclination to cooperate. I’his has been a great obstacle to the ad- vancement of the gospel. Failing to cooperate, the churches of the different denominations have been unable to undertake great enterprises where united action is demanded to assure success. But our churches have shown themselves even more reluctant in cooperating with outside institu- tions. Many of these agencies have well defined pro- grams and are earnestly working to bring about social reform. We have not yet learned the secret of capi-Se oe aeneueeerh Fata err OTS ET) ete alk, sie (hon = antec ol I MEO RR: ied ia alban ala stage ian : a ie f ; Sl ae iti a te ae ile i tee cael . : ——— THE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES 123 talizing the good impulses and noble effort of every sort which tend to lift men and entire communities out of misery and sin. We lay ourselves open to the charge of being like those who forbade certain others doing the work of Christ because “they followed not us.” We have yet to learn that “he who is not against us is for us.” Our church must learn to sow bounti- fully without taking into account the immediate re- sults. She must look not so much for numerical re- sults as for the leavening, redeeming effect of the eospel on society. We must do as the Master did— make the gospel homocentric, with no other idea in mind but that of serving men by bringing them into 4 new relationship with God and with their fellow- men. GaBpino RopRIGUEZ Buenos Aires 78 if FE 4 la ella sles om li NE Dit My as a eats ie ors eee i OE MeO ip TN, ia on. er“ tat Oe Ps ae. sn en —- oe oe TRS... cm a 4 Y ie Fy et 2 - ne ns Le Ns oe on aoe a Pe A nd ead 7 at et ME on a ten er ee Pe eh on, “egeue ® its i oe ae id iwet oh i te nae ee. ates Fait CE OU Re ee 4 p é “a « > 7 ‘ 5 4 . * ee “ ee ammumaiagel INTER-AMERICAN COOPERATION 137 both of the evangelical forces and of South American educators present at Montevideo, but they are unanimously endorsed by each of the regional con- ferences which were held following that general congress. They call for the following personnel: a specialist in social service for South America; a specialist in public health in South America; a publi- cation agent for South America; secretaries for cooperation in Spanish-speaking South America; exchange lecturers; workers among students in uni- versity centers and among special groups of educated people, supported cooperatively; workers among Indians, supported cooperatively. The Indians of South America offer one of the largest single chal- lenges to Christianity and its educational program to be found anywhere in the world. There are about ten millions of them still living in primitive conditions, without the advantages of Christian civilization. The following statement from a prominent Brazilian worker is enlightening: “As to the work of the proposed specialists, they should plan to give a long time to surveying the situation and the surpris- ing abundance of elements already at work here; to finding out what is lacking, and to understanding clearly that along some lines the pioneering work has long since been done. Our chief problem now 1s to co- ordinate the churches with those organizations which would gladly accept Christian leadership if wisely,138 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES 15. humbly and effectively offered in a Christlike way. We have too often an interest in our church’s work alone. My own experience in working with the Rotary Club, children’s welfare, National Associa- tion for Education, and with the campaign against the reaction of the Romish clergy justifies me in making this statement.” A further analysis of the findings of this signifi- cant congress suggests the following program for the evangelical missionary and church agencies in Latin America during the years immediately ahead: (1) A continental evangelistic campaign; (2) the development of an indigenous curriculum for South American Sunday schools and day schools; (3) a Latin-American conference of evangelical publishers and editors; (4) a series of lectures on Christian themes for the general public, both by nationals and foreigners; (5) cooperative community surveys; (6) united continental program for public health; (7) a union hymn-book in Spanish and one in Portuguese; (8) literature on social service; (9) more coopera- tive publication centers and union papers; (10) prizes for literary production; (11) union work among Indians; (12) union international theological schools, with schools of social sciences and languages; (13) union agricultural schools; (14) federation of young people’s societies; (15) common name “evangelical” for churches, with denominational name in paren- TAR eto Fare arse eet a Sea pee rare rea eneINTER-AMERICAN COOPERATION 139 thesis when necessary; (16) special studies on immi- eration, social and economic movements, religious education in the home, etc. An event of unusual significance in the publishing world and in Spanish-speaking Protestantism 1s the publication by Jorro, one of the biggest publishing houses in Madrid, of a translation of The Meanmg of Faith, by Fosdick. It is probably the first time that a large secular publishing house in the Spanish- speaking world has deliberately disregarded the criticism that will be brought on it by reactionary forces and put its imprint on a Protestant book, so distinctly religious that it contains scripture and prayers for daily study. The publication of this book by the house of Jorro means that it will automatically be put on sale in the large book stores all over the Spanish-speaking world. S From the foregoing statements it is clear that there is still great need of cooperation from abroad along evangelistic, educational, and social lines, but that the missionary work of the future must be increasingly supplementary and cooperative. Missionary problems in Latin America are now chiefly problems of rela- tionships and cooperation. The indigenous churches, governmental agencies, and the philanthropical and scientific forces of the countries themselves must be considered the nuclei of all national crusades for the et - 7 - . = . a ae _ ‘ot Pret eh fetes . ¥ Caen er se ee Ki — ey ee the “ ne ie See ee NC Seer ee ie ae a gener SO a vat R ON RT ie 0 ila eld te ee Oa alleen a enleelaee R ———— a, : 140 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT uplift of the people. The patronizing attitude of the missionary who comes as a “pioneer” to work among the inheritors of the great Mediterranean civilization, who possess, though on a small and inadequate scale, the best and most modern things that knowledge and money can secure, will encounter resentment and create misunderstanding even among the best friends of the missionary enterprise. Moreover, if these in- digenous evangelical forces are ignored, missionary endeavor in Latin America runs the risk of starting a movement exotic and competitive that will duplicate what already exists even though insufficiently de- veloped. Whether missions are established in regions where the indigenous churches have reached self-conscious- ness and autonomy, or where the work is still in the pioneering stage, the indigenous church should have the right of way. Discrimination should be made from the outset between the forces and responsi- bilities of the missionary and the life and work of the indigenous church. This general principle must be the guiding rule in every line of missionary endeavor, whether in the ecclesiastical, social or educational field. It is, after all, the native leadership that will best convey the message of the native people. There is need of continued cooperation in order that the work of evangelism may be more extensively carried forward to the whole Latin-American popula- cna eng a ai . Bs BLO erty ete -~ oe et are ee ae OD? “epee ty ee ee 2 isles opencshiilied eel i oe en: i ae ial ay . - nee a we- - : ~ 5 he ed oe re ee eee OM yee Oe ae ee - —— = ee ET Pe, ne ee - ee inglt _ or © ‘al Seay I in see eee eee Sa, Pes i Edie | Sh OAT A: a PECL RIOGEIE ALEEPOD. OO ET 5 aiaeeadiate aia sick ti ttn RO 4 eee + INTER-AMERICAN COOPERATION 141 tion. This involves extending the work to the great hitherto unreached interior of the continent. Here in the vast regions where life is still primitive and the people still simple and unsophisticated, where educa- tion, sanitation and the essentials of social life are still at a minimum, the missionary forces of Protes- tantism face unparalleled need. The challenge before evangelical churches everywhere is to release in the hinterland of Latin America those spiritual forces which will purify social life and help create a Chris- tian public conscience before Western industrialism and its attendant economic and social life become too dominant. Another need as regards expansion of our evangelistic work is for filling in the many important gaps in the populated centers. Sometimes in the populated areas a large town has been passed over, or even groups of towns where no organized Protestant work has ever been established. Moreover, if the indigenous churches could have economic cooperation from Protestant churches in North America in pro- viding the equipment that is needed, their work in these important centers would be more effective amongst the more privileged classes of the people. Nothing would find a warmer or more grateful response in Latin America than cooperation in primary and secondary education, and in those social projects that concern the general health and welfare.42 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT Thoughtful leaders in Latin America recognize that if democracy and progress are to characterize their nations, more problems of intellectual and moral betterment must be solved. There is room for un- limited cooperation in the fields of organized recrea- tion, good citizenship, right relations in industry, social relations between the sexes, and similar fields, provided always that this cooperation from mis- sionary and philanthropic agencies is given in terms of service and not of patronizing control. The various liaison agencies established in Europe, the successful experiments in Latin America by the Committee on Cooperation of the Churches and by the World Sun- day School Association, indicate that the missionary forces may in the future render great service through the establishment of highly organized, well-equipped and well-manned bureaus for survey and research work and for the coordination of existing forces, with a view to lessening duplication and expense. With the single exception of evangelistic work in connection with denominations already established on the field, any enlargement of missionary activities in Latin America calls for one clear-cut policy on the part of the mission boards. Their work must be con- sidered and its success judged in terms of services rendered and not in terms of returns that can be tabulated statistically. Moreover, they must conceive of their work in relation to the progress of the King-A -_ —_ — — a - — eT ail a Oe P _ , —. a Eee, - Pe Te doe ae Fe ar ee eke ‘ oa” . a" Ps a it. pot a eae eR NT paren ee a oo iene endian ti inetd ated a a re INTER-AMERICAN COOPERATION 143 dom of God and not in relation to the advance of a particular church or creed. This will call for the in- creased coordination and cooperation of the evan- gelical churches and foreign missionary boards. There is need of pooling financial resources, and of enlisting the best talent for the leadership of large enterprises without regard to its ecclesiastic affiliation. Much able leadership now submerged under purely routine work could thus be made effective for service. The small Protestant communities in Latin America, even where they are comparatively strong and well organized, are confronted with big problems and swamped with heavy financial responsibilities. They spread, as a rule, like a drop of oil on paper. The indigenous churches, which are independent of all foreign help, such as the Congregational Union of Brazil and the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, no less than those churches still receiving foreign mission aid, are heroically struggling to sup- port their ministry, to develop educational agencies and social charities, to publish their church papers, and to erect proper buildings for worship. Ihe methods and motives of raising funds from members in these indigenous churches are altogether different from the methods and motives which were familiar in the Roman Catholic Church from which the large majority of them have been converted. The pressure of work in the local churches and the| | | ; | 144 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT lack of special training of the leaders for general administration, the high expenses involved in estab- lishing central offices which are well equipped and manned for church promotional work, make it diffi- cult to organize boards or committees or to cultivate subscribers to the work of these Protestant churches. Financial distress is the common lot of every in- digenous church organization. It is not reasonable to expect that such indigenous Protestant communities, however deeply rooted in the Latin-American soil, will be able at present to occupy any unworked terri- tory adequately and for a long time. The fringe of the coast line and the territory along some of the railways are dotted with Protestant con- gregations. But the opening of new fields always raises questions. How can the new field be cultivated? Why sow the seed and then allow the weeds to choke the new plants? How may we develop new enter- prises when we lack schools to develop leaders, money to support them, and have no educational movements in our churches designed to give our people a vision of their opportunities and a sense of their responsi- bility? The imperial mind of the Latin people cannot understand a competitive Protestantism, and does not trust a small and narrow enterprise that expresses a provincial and sectarian spirit. Latin America there- fore challenges the Protestant forces to coordinate— a ae ae ee or OT SI, TE ey ee a :% I ee ee. ae ee he Peer eee Se 1 ee: BA EM VI. wie at En es Cc ae iti im a Dh ead Be naib Ss Saas ~ ae > — sane ~ a ae ' INTER-AMERICAN COOPERATION 145 their plans and unite in a single program defined by two movements. The mission boards and the missions on the field should organize general field councils, to work out their problems and ascertain what are the definite aims, methods and relationships of the mis- sionaries among themselves and to the indigenous church and its leaders, and to see how the missions can save men and money in order to do more work and render a better account of their sacred trust. And the indigenous churches, on the other hand, should federate and take up their full responsibility in shap- ing the national life in accordance with Christian ideals and in response to Christian motives. The connecting link between these two great and harmo- nious movements will be the Committee on Co- operation in Latin America with headquarters in New York, whose regional committees in Latin America would thus become clearing houses of work on the field. More than to any other great center of Protestant missionary endeavor the challenge of Latin America comes to the United States and Canada. To you in Anglo-Saxon America our need south of the Rio Grande is inescapable. Continental solidarity has bound the Anglo-Saxon and the Latin American to- gether for some great common destiny and purpose to mankind. Together let us face the great issues in social and political life in this hemisphere. We are146 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT closer neighbors than Europe or the Far East. The recent political entanglements which have caused ripples to trouble the surface of our friendly re- lationships invite us all to a restudy of continental problems. Apart from the possibility of finding a solvent for the difficult and serious problems that confront us, the future is gloomy. The magic word today in every human endeavor is cooperation. At present the Protestant groups in Latin America are young and not very strong and they are confronted with overwhelming tasks. If therefore for the present cooperation 1s one-sided we hope it need not always be so. Already there are a few spiritual leaders among us whom we will gladly share with you in grateful recognition of the debt Latin America owes to the many North American missionaries. Whatever his ecclesiastical affiliation or his admin- istrative relationships, let every missionary who comes to Latin America come with a universal mind, with a desire to become an intelligent, enthusiastic co-worker with the indigenous church leaders, ready to lose himself with us in the great onward move- ment towards Christ and his Kingdom. No other attitude will suffice for our needs. Erasmo Braca Rio de JaneiroVil VOU HOS. CH AL WEN Gh oO. v.O UTE NE may view the past, present and future in Latin America all at one time. They are all there. Yet once all was the past, and a homogeneous panorama spread itself from the Rio Grande to the Strait of Magellan. The same dust-covered roads burning the bare feet of the trotting Indians; the same cobbled streets lined with pink-washed, red- tiled houses made of mud-bricks; iron balconies jut- ting into the hot sun; windows heavy with red geraniums; orange trees rising from the shaded patios within; the central plaza in the cool of eve- ning with beaux and belles greeting in coquetry. You see them still, these peaceful communities; but the continental scene is no longer uniform, for sput- tering motor trucks dispute the right of way with lumbering ox carts; concrete roads cross the dust- laden paths, and man-shaped rubber from the Amazon rolls smoothly over them; steel skyscrapers dwarf the Spanish belfries; trolley cars clang along macadamized streets, and electric trains laugh at the Indian belaboring his burros. And on the summits stand men gazing over the valleys to where some 147 SA AOA REIS. RETR AAT RN EAE RE Re. . AR TEA PETRA eke eee st ’ a -- —— nn a ne a etn a oe 3am . Pat ee ee een i titel - 2 ‘ . ‘| i | , | q 148 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT day vast ports will open to embosom the ocean liners of all the world, and receive huge airships from the capitals of the United States, Europe, and the East. Tatin America is at the crossroads. Along what course she ultimately will travel depends on the internal and external forces working on her at the present moment—and sometimes it seems that the external forces are of predominating importance. That is why we are justified in considering the growth of Latin America a matter of concern to others, even though the arrival into manhood of twenty young nations may not in itself be an event profoundly to affect the destinies of the other peoples of the globe. Despite the fact that the new forces were restless in Latin America long before the poppies were trod- den down in Flanders fields, the World War can well be taken as marking the initiation of a new era in Latin America as in the rest of the world. There was an awakening then as never before since the days of Bolivar. Isolation was shattered; Europe came to the Hispanic republics for the raw materials urgently needed; wealth began to flow in; railroads, bridges and buildings were constructed; placid communities were rudely stirred; middle classes became self- conscious, began to make their influence felt and their rights respected; laborers organized, and the peon in bondage started to follow the course slavery— : a ee —_—- a EE an ee PA ee eee Tie ee eee eee SONOS eer ee et Pe ee ae cae ae be Sana eee ae a tcc a a - ° . iat hi ‘ nines tne -- pe set = apn a a See = os = —" ned YOUTH’S CHALLENGE TO YOUTH 149 had taken. A great clamor for learning and knowl- edge arose. And youth, fired by visions of a different future, set to work for a new order. There are several paths that Latin America today may follow. Towards each she is impelled. One 1s the coasting road that leads down the hill, the road of least resistance, on which she may continue with only the changes demanded by passing years and new developments, following comfortably the deep ruts left by the empires of the world as they have lumbered down that slope to smug self-complacency, and the junk pile. Another road is a bright, smooth one of wonderful attractive- pride, bitterness, war ness. It is obviously modern, and its engineering qualities are superb. When the early wheels of the industrial revolution started to turn, this road was planned, leading to great cities where the shining smooth-running machine is supreme. It is along this road that the United States seems to be enticing Latin America. A third road leads over the hills to where the sun rises in the east. It winds to unknown regions, dreamed of as El Dorado, but surely less unreal. This is the path the thinking youth of Latin America want to tread. Along this path they feel they can lead the world to new things, burying the super- annuated systems of the past, burying the doctrines that have brought war and hate under the guise of. q ; | Hh ; 0 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT bringing law and order. It is the path of profound social revolution, of experimentation, of toil and struggle, of faith, of love for mankind. Along this path tradition and myth and superstition cannot serve as leaders. Captains are needed, but the captains must be ready to leave behind all the useless impedimenta of accumulated ages, no matter how tender the senti- ments of long acquaintance, custom, and habit that may bind them. They must be able to view society not through the glass of tradition but with the eye that sees all human relations, however simple, how- ever complex, as based on love for one’s neighbor and consecrated to the welfare of mankind. “Our America,” says the poet and author Palacios, “until today has lived off Europe, having Europe as her guide. ... But the last war has made evident what was long suspected: that in the heart of that culture lay the germs for its own destruction. . . . The roads of Europe and the old culture no longer serve us. . . . We must emanci- pate ourselves from the past and the example of Europe. . . . We are nascent peoples free from ties or atavisms, with immense possibilities and vast hori- zons before us.” “The spirit of Hispanic America is in a process of elaboration,” adds a young Peruvian writer; while Alfredo Salas, one of the organizers of the Monte- video Student Conference, writes:: — = " + eS ae eee: ee” ee pen ae i?- ee eT a eT ee ee ees ts, ” Tg eee cree ra SE an asl ty 5 i eet pet ee ea sdaiale r, er os ae - ail i gS NE a: a Hay 8 ie meee RE , awl — nt FP injaliin plies la eel . ~ : , a ~~ mea rn —— - , VYOUWUTH?S CHALLENGE TO; YOU hr ers “Tet us not renounce the vision, the highest treasure of our soul—the ideal of justice, goal of human welfare. Rather let us realize that justice 1s the essential root of our character, and that in us it throbs today perhaps more powerfully than in any other peoples of the earth. . . . Ethics, that in European culture have served merely as a plaster to cover the primary instincts, must be for us the basis of collective life, the foundation and apex of our idealism. We should forge, therefore, new ethics, more ample, virile and human, which will guide and utilize the instincts of man instead of misguiding them or trying to suppress them. . . . To do this we need the passion of work and effort, but the height and magnitude of our purposes and a common cause will multiply our forces a hundredfold. Let us reject narrow doctrines and mean desires. Let us forge a strong will and open our spirit to messianic destinies. Let us work not only for ourselves, let us work for the good of all humanity.” If, then, Europe has proved so poor a master, shall America take her place? Sefior Salas continues: ‘(We have been shown as enemies of the United States. This is a mean error. We are the enemies of no peoples, as our idealism is universal and altruistic. We only aspire to forging the personality of Latin America so that she may achieve her destiny. We have a soul of our own, and consequently cannot re-1572 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT sign ourselves to the humiliating réle of satellites of another nation, or the passive instruments of a race whose nature and ideas are absolutely different from ours. We admire the virtues of the Anglo-Saxon race; nevertheless . . . our route has been shown to be opposed to that of the Yankee people. While they have adopted the slogan of ‘America for the Ameri- cans,’ we have adopted ‘America for humanity.’ Here are two opposed and mutually exclusive ways of looking at life. The Anglo-Saxon race is egotistical; it considers itself privileged and superior to other races. We, on the contrary, feel ourselves brothers of all men. North America has defined herself by developing and perfecting the materialistic, me- chanical, and quantitative civilization of Old Europe. We as yet have not had anything to say, because we carry latent within us the new germ that will give another orientation to the culture of the world, and will bring new ideals to humanity... . We have nothing to do today with the United States except protect ourselves from voracious capitalists. Those who preach a Pan-Americanism that North America is the first to ignore, conspire against the future of our race. The United States has fulfilled her mission of incomparable dominator of the material. Now we come to fulfill ours, that of interpreters of the spirit.”YOUTH’S CHALLENGE) TO! YOUTH x53 8 The problems before the youth of Latin America seem numberless and of gigantic magnitude. It would be impossible to discuss them all. In politics we must prepare the new generations to supplant the old re- actionary political schools in order that our republics may be democracies in fact and not in name only. Sociologically we have all the evils of poverty, vice, crime, illiteracy, alcoholism and prostitution to eradi- cate, with a general uplifting of the Indian and depressed classes to be effected. Of our spiritual problems, the trends towards materialism, agnos- ticism, and a philosophy of skepticism seem the most dangerous, because the effects of a materialistic con- ception of life are pernicious to the social philosophy we wish to develop to the utmost. The religious problem in Latin America has far- reaching influences. The difficulties in Mexico are only symptoms of the malady affecting the greater part of Latin America. Mexico is in the vanguard of those Hispanic nations preponderatingly indigenous in population; her work in favor of the regeneration of the Indian and his culture, for example, is being slowly imitated in countries possessing a similar problem. The result of Mexico’s attitude toward the Roman Catholic Church is being watched by hun- dreds of thousands in Latin America, because sooner Pee res ee — = ae Le OEE, ee. _—s ee EE eee A: ae Ee iT. tue. SE Ra hE LF ITE EA ATP LOL OSE PR SN san. eh cn ics A OEE Eee, eR eae 7 eT ae a a eeia. CAS LATIN AMERICA SEES LT or later they will be called upon to face the same issues. In different countries the church is being gradually separated from the state. In Chile there has been conflict and much discussion following the recent abolishment of religious instruction in the public schools. In Bolivia the church is involved in serious conflicts with the Indians and in student riots. The malady is not local but continental. American Catholics can see only relentless perse- cution of Catholics in Mexico. The Catholics of Anglo-Saxon countries have always been in a position subordinate in the popular mind to that of Protes- tants. They do not realize that in Latin America the Catholics have always been supreme, with even the state subservient. Catholics of the United States are members of an institution of lofty ideals, the priest- hood of which is composed of men of the highest type. They do not know that in Latin America is an institution cancerous and corrupt, which is no longer respected by intelligent people. Everywhere the church and the priests are treated with levity and disrespect; the literature of our countries is sad proof of this. No wonder that Viscount Bryce observed that the “absence of a religious foundation for thought and conduct is a grave misfortune for Latin America.” It is a grave misfortune, and the need for a revitalized, purified, and uplifting church is urgent. “Men in Latin America,” says Ernesto Nelson,SNE nn eR re gl a et a Dis. cnn TT la ll i i a re ees ' YOUTH’ S CHALLENGE BO YOUDH x65 the distinguished Argentine educator, “are not re- ligious, and I must declare that the great majority of men who have distinguished themselves in public service are men without church connections. I will go so far as to state that a sort of suspicion lingers about a churchman, for people know that loyalty to the Catholic Church does not always mean loyalty to what is right and just.” And an American, Professor E. A. Ross, observed: “The growth of unbelief among the men is the outstanding fact in the religious life in South America.” Hundreds of similar extracts might be cited. They are not needed for the person who knows Latin America even superficially. What is the root cause of this indifference and hostility toward the Catholic church in Mexico? The answer is not difficult to find. A fair-minded Ameri- can Catholic acknowledges the errors into which the church had fallen previous to the Protestant Refor- mation. The Latin American Catholic church never felt the purging influence of the Catholic Reforma- tion, but continued in the vices and irregularities that raised the ire of Luther when he hammered his ninety-five theses on the door of the Wittenberg church. It not only continued in them but degen- erated into yet more execrable habits. “The Indians of the Sierras,” writes Professor Ross, “are exploited by practices which have been illegal since the Councilabrrtiadicmesita iin Bi 156 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT of Trent.” How often in Latin America we wish that a second Luther would be raised among us! How often since coming to the United States I have wished that the Catholics of America would rise up from their inarticulate Catholicism to wipe out the cor- ruption in our religious life and restore once more its lost spiritual and moral values. The future for Latin America looks dark if growing materialism and a decaying church are allowed to continue un- touched. If the Roman Catholic Church of the United States is a Christian institution it is her duty to see that the Roman Catholic Church of Latin America is purged and made once again the potent power for good that she should be. If Latin America develops into a concert of atheistic, irreligious nations, the Roman Catholic Church of America, as her neighbor and as an influence of power in the universal church, must bear the brunt of the re- sponsibility. There are many men of importance in the Catholic church in Latin America, including two or three archbishops, who have raised their voices 1n protest acainst conditions. But they are voices in the wilder- ness. Practically the only commendable work of a social nature sponsored and supported by that church today is the work performed by nuns and laywomen who devote themselves to the maintenance of hospitals and charity institutions, although of late, I~ re art nn ae re ier a eaYOUTHS CHALUENGE TO YOUTH 159 under the pressure of Protestant competition, the Knights of Columbus groups and Catholic schools have been increasing in number and activities. A year or two ago a young Mexican girl returned to her country after a period of study in the United States. She had done great work among the children in Mexico, and had attended Teachers College, Columbia University, for the purpose of studying rural education. During the last semester she hap- pened to attend a class at Union Theological Semi- nary. It was a revelation to her. The broad doctrines and the sincere spirit she found there were what her latitudinarian soul could not find in the stifling atmosphere of her own church, and she returned to Mexico fired with new enthusiasm. While I believe that profound changes must take place in the Christian churches the world over in order that they may eliminate the straightjackets of rigid creed and formula they have built up around themselves, I also realize that a great deal would be done for Latin America if the Catholic church as it exists there could be especially purified, and I would appeal to the Catholic youth of the United States that they do everything possible to achieve this end. The attitude of the Catholic church in the United States during the recent Mexican crisis has been a bitter disappointment to those who still had faith in the rehabilitation of the Latin American Catholic eg8 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT church. American Catholics have not paused to in- vestigate the facts, to find out what the symptoms mean. The result is that Latin Americans have lost even more faith in the Catholic church; it has been seen in a new light, as an ally of imperialism and as a supporter of foreign intervention, as in the days of Maximilian. If there is no hope for its redemption, the only thing to do is to exterminate it. With this surgical operation will go most of the religion Latin America possesses; the blood must go with the flesh. ““All over the world today we see the breaking down of all other religions,” said Dr. Speer recently. “And now it is going to be the Christian religion or no religion whatever. It is a clear issue between Chris- tianity and agnosticism.” I doubt whether the Protestant missionary is destined to offer the solution of that most perplex- ing and pressing phase of the religious problem, the moral question. The intelligent people of Latin America who have little use for the Catholic church are neither immoral nor unmoral. Most of them are intensely interested in the ethical problems of the Hispanic continent. Men like Vasconcelos, the former Minister of Education of Mexico, are profound students of comparative religion and ethics. Latin Americans who come to the United States are always surprised at the difference that exists between its churches and their church. Thousands of them areYViOULH? Ss CHALVENGE?) TiO) YOULH t59 seeking the magic formule that will provide their youth with moral training divorced from religion; for to say that our coming generations must be more moral is almost a platitude. The Protestant missionary appears unwilling to divorce morals from religion, and the Latin Amert- cans are skeptical of religion. Furthermore, they witness the struggles that divide the Protestants in the United States, and the period of transition their churches are undergoing. Why, we ask, should you send to us men to teach dogmas and creeds which you yourselves are in doubt about or do not accept implicitly? Why send them to us who are surfeited with dogmas and creeds? Well has Dr. Fosdick said that foreign missions begin at home, that persons with influence on the political and economic life at home may have more influence than the missionary on the field. “Christianity,” he has said, “is no longer judged by its religious missionaries in the Orient. It is judged both primarily and constantly by the indus- trial conditions and international policies of so-called Christian lands. The result is disastrous. As one of India’s foremost statesmen said recently, ‘Your Jesus is hopelessly handicapped with his connection with the West.? ” Latin Americans think this too (I refer to those Latin Americans who have lost their faith in the church). The best support missionaries can re- ceive is the support of those Christians at home who160 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT will show a true Christian spirit in their relations with Latin America. Protestant missionaries and dollar diplomacy are poor bedfellows. 8 The youth of North America should try to under- stand the problems of Latin America in the light of their own history. Why censure Mexico because she looks on her revolution of 1910 as marking the beginning of a great epoch in her history, when Americans themselves glory in their own Revolution of 1776? Are not our revolutions, so much ridiculed by the press and the stage, outbreaks of social forces not in equilibrium, struggles of peoples seeking the same liberty and freedom and justice you sought, and not merely theatrical spectacles of the infantile play of tin generals and tinselled presidents? If we have many of them it is because the reactionary forces urging law and order are constantly trying to dam up the surging waters. And with regard to imperialism, how opinions change with time! Americans, crying for liberty, waged a war which was primarily a struggle against the economic domination of England. As Lord North and his fellow Tories saw only the benefits of the trade the thirteen colonies would enjoy under Eng- land’s protection, so Americans today cite exactly the same reasons for maintaining control of the Philip-ete = oe eer ee nn Tee, 7? - —S | ees OP km ee Lp : ae a : ie mas ey +m, : ee eh ill ct dak al eS sat NN Es ee et “gah ee oa al pert Saat NE eee OT, eS dT 4 YOUTH’S CHALLENGE TO YOUTH 61061 pines and the Caribbean republics. “There is the vital element of protection,” says a New York news- paper, editorially commenting on President Cool- idge’s veto of the act of the Philippine legislature providing for a plebescite on the question of inde- pendence. “Then there are the economic advantages of the present arrangement. Admission of Philippine products into this country tree of duty is a highly valuable privilege.” And so on in this tenor, dupli- cating the very arguments the Tories used in trying to prove that the colonies urgently needed the pro- tection of the British navy, the benefits of England’s commercial treaties with continental Europe, and the privileges accruing to them as colonies of an empire. Aspirations for independence are not convincingly answered by these arguments. How eagerly and trustingly the young Latin- American republics, just emerging from thraldom, looked up to their elder sister of the north in those days of the Jeffersons and the Madisons and the Adamses, when a Miranda could be received by Washington as a gallant comrade-in-arms instead of the insurrectionist and dangerous rebel he would be considered today. What a cruel blow was the sudden slap their confiding and unsuspecting spirits received in 1846 with the Mexican War. Soon the glories of a childhood in common were forgotten, and the Latin-American republics realized that their elder162 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES PT sister had reverted to the old hereditary dominance. As the thirteen American colonies had been subser- vient to the interests of British empire, so the Latin- American republics were to become subservient to the interests of American empire. Just as the British Tories censured rebellions, revolts and uprisings in the colonies, so the United States censures them today in Latin America. As British Tories censured the nec- essary breaking-up of large estates and platoons under the Confiscatory Acts, so the United States censures the more measured, legal, and constitutional methods of Mexico in attacking the same conditions. British Tories censured the bitter colonial attacks on the established English church less violently than Americans denounce the more justified, less bigoted, less fanatic attitude of Latin America toward the inherent evils of her established church. Americans rose against the trade restrictions issued for the pro- tection of the interests of England with no greater bitterness than Latin Americans rise against the economic domination of the interests of the United States. It is these interests that make the smaller Latin-American nations virtual colonies, so far as the foreign policy of the United States is concerned, and the time 1s not far distant when the larger republics will be feeling exactly the same pressure. What Latin Americans today are asking are only the rights the early colonists in America demanded, or, ast ON Sot " ; ga O TE st an coreet sg ee P " —— i — a et at = . ee te ee , EPR TIES © FS CER opt oyit pe SRN PO 80 AR GA TRK « ae ete eee SRE LE OER HELE SP AAI SE ee YOUTH’S CHALLENGE TO YO UFFH, 102 Samuel Adams stated then: “First, a right to life; second, to liberty; third, to property.” I repeat, Protestant missionaries and dollar diplo- macy are not good bedfellows. Let American youth determine which they wish to support. Let them de- termine whether the American history to be taught ‘1 their schools is to present the ideals of the founders of the republic or is to be disguised and mutilated to serve selfish aims. Nothing is so hard to maintain unfalteringly as consistency; nothing so easy to justify as the acts covered by the omniscient phrase, “the protection of American lives and property.” No explanations are offered as to why American lives and property are endangered, or why they should be outside the domains of the United States to begin with. The Christian church is on trial ‘1 so far as Christians are to decide whether they shall follow the teachings of Christ, maintaining love and brotherhood to all as the cornerstone of society, or whether they shall scrap the doctrines of the Man of Galilee and adopt the doctrines of the Roman Czsars, who likewise found themselves in conflict with the to them absurd beliefs of those early Christians. 8 I am not much interested in missionaries coming to teach us religion primarily, because you yourselves are not so sure of what your own religion 1s, and| 1 | ) perm, 164 AS LATIN AMERLGCA (SEES 20 because, as I have said before, we have reached the point of satiety in the matter of dogmas and creeds. I agree with Carlyle that “first must the dead letter of religion own itself dead and drop piecemeal into dust, if the living spirit of religion, freed from its charnel-house, is to arise on us, newborn of heaven, and with new healing under its wings.” With him I agree that God is to be sought not through specula- tion or syllogism or the learning of schools, but through moral nature. We want missionaries with the sole requisite Henry Drummond prescribed for them, the ability to teach and practise love. We do not want them with theological degrees as their let- ters of introduction. We want them versed not in theology but versed in our own history, problems, and desires. We welcome them yet more when their culture is European as well as American, because our own culture is European and then they are not such strangers. We want missionaries not only of the church but of the social movements, the Y.M.C.A. and the Y.W.C.A., the social agencies, the educa- tional agencies—the “merchants of light,” as Dr. Russell of Teachers College has called them. What a lot might be said of the inadequacies of our educa- tional systems and youth’s efforts to reorganize them! The problem of Latin America, after all, is a social one; some have said it is a moral one, but I include the moral in the social. We want the social—— — eg ee —— en = . = . - is — me ry et on —— ORT ee TY * re eee ada cl en VOU TH’S CHALLENGE ‘TO YOUTH © 165 missionaries to help raise the social condition of our Indians and poor. We want the educational mission- aries to contribute to our knowledge, to lift our educational institutions out of their medizval miasma. And we want women workers—why should mis- sionaries always be men?—because through our women Latin America can advance by decades in a day. Shailer Mathews, commenting on the condem- nation of the Y.M.C.A. by Pope Benedict XV on the grounds that its social work has been used as a basis for proselytizing among those who are mem- bers of the Roman Catholic Church, observed that such an act by the Pope “will bear interpretation of more importance than that of mere hostility to the Young Men’s Christian Association. The Roman Catholic Church, with characteristic wisdom, has come to see that this is a day of laymen and of social service.” But your representatives must be broad-minded, fearless, progressive, great-hearted. We don’t want the ones steeped in tradition, the bigoted, the short- sighted. Latin America is a new world and we need new minds. Latin America has a new spirit, and we need new leaders. We are throwing off the old, so don’t send it us. The horizons are new horizons, the paths new paths. To tread old paths we need no help. Dr. Fosdick has said that the answer to the ques- tion, why send missionaries to the Orient: is that the ST Fr| H { | 166 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT United States is sending representatives of everything else, from liquor and unregulated factory systems to gunboats and prurient movies. The same applies to Latin America, although I would modify Dr. Fos- dick’s statement and say that not everything else is being represented. It took the romantic movement in literature two score and more years to cross the Atlantic from Spain. Emerson and Poe got to Latin America slightly faster, Beecher, Drummond, Lin- coln have scarcely arrived. But why, I often wonder, should communications with Latin America be im- proved, if, as in the case of the cable, they serve only to pour into her more rapidly all the details of America’s hold-ups, divorces, murders, night clubs, and Hollywood scandals? The sensational press gets down there quickly enough, and the Sunday editions of our newspapers, once presenting on their front pages only a mass of sober advertisements, now are emblazoned with all the color and revolting artistry needed to portray the latest social abnormalities. These are the windows that are being most easily opened to Latin America. Are you going to show Latin America a path of ruthless materialism; tawdry, insufferable pseudo- democracy based on the principle of everyone for himself; an ideal of happiness and progress founded not on the simple honest life but on the glitter and sham of Babylon; morality and restraint thrownYOU LH’ Ss CHALLENGE *TO YO UrEH 7107 away as ancient remnants of outworn tradition; equality that is only a pulling down to degrading levels instead of a lifting up to higher planes? What do we know of your inner life, of your true ideals, when all we see of you is through the artificial cellu- loid film; when all we read of you is through the sensational journal; when all we feel of you 1s the blunt end of the economic big stick, the bayonets of marines and the muzzles of gunboats? Are you going to let us know of your churches, of your literature, art, and religion, your social and welfare work, your humanitarian organizations, your desires for peace and brotherhood, your anti-materialism, if these things exist and if their merits are not proportionate to the dollars and cents invested in them? We are tired of the gilded measuring stick. We are anxious to measure purposes, ideals, the things of the spirit. We students need the practical experience that the youth of Mexico have gained in their work for the Indian. Beautiful phrases of impractical idealism and brotherly love have yielded Latin-American students little fruit; and as for their interest in the laborer, this, alas, is too frequently forgotten when the student leaves the academic cloisters and begins to feel the benefits of the family lands and income. Our faith must rest more with the growing element in the youth movement of Latin America that sees things unblurred. The nucleus is probably in Mexico,—— ee em 168 AS LATIN AMERICA SEES IT where experience has tempered dreams. There they are trying to solve the problems of education, of social justice, of rehabilitation of the Indian, of militarism, of nationalism, of imperialism, of morality, of the thousand and one matters that per- plex Latin America. But leaders are needed. “A conflict has arisen between the younger and the older generations,” declares Haya de la Torre, exiled Peruvian student. “The young are following no master, for they have denied all. Two or three men of outstanding importance, such as José Vasconcelos of Mexico and José Ingenieros in Argentina, have allied themselves with this movement. But the in- surgence of youth is spontaneous and self-directed in every country of the great continent.” This may be because the new forces are in the state the sociologist calls milling, preparatory to the emergence of a leader. Leaders have not yet appeared, but to deny all is a grave mistake. As Capdevila says: “Restless- ness is good, but it happens that today the juvenile restlessness of America shows the desire not to recog- nize teachers or hierarchies. Then for this youth I have good news. Youth that is not disposed to follow a teacher gets nowhere.” Can the youth of America assist us? Yes, most assuredly so. Anything that the youth of America does in its struggle against imperialism, militarism, uncontrolled materialism, is work that redounds in—_ Se a — = ee ee: ee ee ee re ee ee A ee ee Se See) ao ee OO a tee rg Sy nhs. SAE TRE BA ORI Sb. hs Be F YOUTH’ S\CHALLENGE TO VY OUT H .169 benefits to them, and to us, and to the world as a whole. Amongst ourselves we need educators and social workers. And amongst you we need friends to show us the true spirit of America. Work such as that of the World’s Student Christian Federation 1s splendid. We need a flow of youthful student blood from country to country throughout the continent. We know that the young people of the United States have been criticized by their elders as giving “astonishingly little evidence that they are looking at the world about them with an observant, critical and understanding eye.” “Your students are strangely docile in mind,” said the Rev. A. Herbert Gray of Glasgow. “Everywhere else in the world I find the rising generation in con- scious and intense rebellion against the conventions and methods of life and thought which dominated their fathers, and which led the world to the present disaster. But young Americans are not rebelling. They are eagerly getting ready to go on in the old way.” To which statement Professor John Dewey and others give their assent, agreeing that the Ameri- can student needs “a spirit of righteous indignation for good.” Will not the youth of America awaken before the ideals of the founders of the nation are irretrievably obscured? Latin America stands at the crossroads. Will she continue on the same road she has been following— TE iE ee ce170 AS DAL IN AMERICA SEES IT the old path traversed by the nations of the world? Or will she set out on a new path, as yet untraversed the whole way, but dreamt of for ages by the prophets of old—the high road of the brotherhood of man? Which shall it be? EK. K. Jatme-Danskin Burlington, Vermont—— nee ei. 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