250 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GAR VAN IM "" < Wxxn£ 



have been augurs or visionary women who, in connivance with the chief, sometimes make them abandon the 

 territory in which they live for fear of some invisible deity, sometimes make them launch themselves on neigh- 

 boring peolpe in order to avenge some supposed grievance, or sometimes induce them to sacrifice a slave to appease 

 the anger of their gods. While such influences are paramount, there can be no firmness nor possible security 

 for the new settlement; on the day least expected it will be found deserted and even burned. On the other hand, 

 it becomes necessary to give these people, recently denizens of the forest, a simple code that contains the prin- 

 cipal duties of man, that sets forth the relation of one to another, that teaches subjects to obey their superiors, 

 the strong to protect the weak, and parents to teach their children, and that enjoins upon all work and mutual 

 respect. 



It is also necessary to satisfy the innate desire, if we may so speak, for a cult, that natural feeling for a 

 religion which these people, like all others, have. It is necessary to substitute for their barbarous and inhuman 

 practices others that may lift them up and revive their drooping and pusillanimous spirits. It is necessary 

 that in the town there should be something to attract and to hold them with irresistible charm. In a word, 

 the faith must be preached to them and they must be baptized; a religion and a church are necessary. Until 

 a great part of the inhabitants of a new settlement have been baptized, until the feast of the patron saint and 

 other religious ceremonies have been solemnly celebrated, it is useless to hope for the stability of the new town. 

 The Catholic religion is a simple and powerful means for transforming those savages into good Spanish sub- 

 jects; it is the mold wherein they leave their barbarous practices and shape themselves perfectly unto ours. 



The missionaries do not speak of baptism nor of religion till they have gained the good will of the pagans, 

 until they realize that they are being listened to willingly and that they (the pagans) put trust in their words. 

 When they begin to like the Spaniards, and to hold in esteem their customs and ideas, then the missionaries 

 gently insinuate themselves and begin to teach them the truths of our holy faith and to show them the observ- 

 ances and rites of our religion. At the beginning some sick person or other is baptized: afterwards, when there 

 is some prospect of stability, the children, and finally the adults, provided that they have been instructed as 

 much as their capacity and the circumstances permit. With this prudent procedure the missionary encounters 

 no serious obstacle. His evangelic eloquence easily convinces those simple people of truths so much in harmony 

 with human nature and of practices so much in accord with the good inclinations of mankind. The tendency 

 that they still retain to maintain their ancient superstitions vanishes before the sway exerted by that superior 

 man from whom they have received so many favors. The greatest difficulty for them consists in leaving the 

 free life of the forest and in bringing themselves to live in a settlement with its attendant restrictions; this is 

 especially true in the case of the chiefs and of such others as previously had exercised any authority. But having 

 once adopted Christianity, baptism costs them nothing. Here and there one finds a chief who is opposed at 

 the beginning to being baptized because he has several wives, but this condition, though it is not approved, is 

 tolerated, provided he does not trouble the others nor disturb the settlement. But as a rule all become ashamed 

 and repent, and end by yielding and by following the example of the rest. The grace of God is of transcendent 

 power in these transformations. The savage, as long as he continues pagan, is governed in all his acts by ancient 

 observances inspired by superstition and fanaticism. It is only when he has been baptized that he understands 

 the necessity of a change of life and customs. Then he ceases to be Man6bo or Mandaya, in order to be a 

 Christian; he relinquishes his pagan name and in the course of time can hardly be distinguished from the inhabi- 

 tants of the ancient Christian towns. Even the Mamanuas, a group of Negritos usually considered to be 

 recalcitrant, now live submissively and joyfully in their settlements. 



THE SECRET OF MISSIONARY SUCCESS 



I endeavored during my tours in the interior of eastern Mindanao to ascertain definitely 

 the secret of the success of the Spanish missionaries in inducing forest-loving people to leave 

 their ancient homes and ways and adopt a life of dependence, political, economic, and religious, 

 and I have arrived at the following conclusions, based on the information furnished me by the 

 conquistas, both those who are still living under the effective control of the Government and 

 those who have returned to their primitive haunts. 



(1) In a great many regions the first factor of success is the personal equation. Some of the missionaries, 

 notably Urios and Pastells, must have been men of wonderfully winning ways and of deep tact, if I am to believe 

 my informants. In districts such as the upper SAlug, where many of the Christianized Debabaons had retired 

 for many years, I was told stories of the wonderful condescension of Urios, and of his understanding of Debabaon 

 ways and customs. The pagans present on one occasion assured me that if Urios were to visit them, they would 

 all be baptized. In other districts I heard other missionaries spoken of whose names were so garbled that I 

 have been unable to identify them. In most of the districts there were kind inquiries for one or another of the 

 missionaries and expressions of regret that they could not see them again. 



(2) In other regions (upper Umaiam, upper Argawan, and others) the chief means used were threats of 

 extermination, and, in cases, armed expeditions were actually sent out to overcome opposition to the adoption 

 of Christianity. I base this statement on the testimony of conquistas who asserted that they were acquainted 

 with the facts, and whc went into such minute details as to lead me to believe that they were telling the truth. 



