and friars as reflections upon the Roman Catholic Church. He was
throughout his life an ardent Catholic, and died a firm adherent
of the Church. But he objected to the religious orders in the
Philippine Islands, because he knew well that they were more zealous
in furthering their own selfish ends than in seeking the advancement
of Christianity. From experience, Dr. Rizal knew that the friars,
under cloak of the gospel ministry, oppressed his fellow countrymen,
and took advantage of their superstition and ignorance. These wrongs
he was brave enough to expose in his writings. In the friars he saw an
obstacle to the education and enlightenment of the Filipino people,
and, using moderate means, he did his utmost to secure reform. His
writings will explain to us the cause of the hatred shown by the
Filipinos toward the religious corporations, and will make clearer
the nature of one of the present problems in the Philippines.

There are in the Philippines five religious orders: the Dominicans,
Franciscans, Recoletos, Augustines and Jesuits. According to John
Foreman, an eminent authority, the members of all of these, except
the last named, come from the lower classes in Spain, and are on
the whole comparatively ignorant and uncultured. Under the Spanish
system of government certain provinces were assigned to each of the
orders--except the Jesuits--and the friars were distributed among
the different parishes. In the town assigned to him the friar had
much authority. He was chief adviser in all civil affairs, and, by
his influence over the superstitious natives, maintained absolute
control in all matters pertaining to the local government as well
as to the local church. So firm was his hold that he led the Spanish
government to believe that the islands could not be ruled without his
aid. Knowing that his power rested on the ignorance of the people he
discouraged education among them. When native Filipinos advanced so
far as to prove an obstacle to the religious orders, as did Rizal and
many others, the friars sought to destroy them. Forgetting their holy
mission, the religious orders became commercial corporations, amassed
enormous wealth, and gained possession of the most valuable parts of
the islands, though to much of this property the titles are not clear.

From my own observation, and from information derived from the
Spaniards themselves, I am convinced that the author has not
overdrawn his pictures. In fact I have learn