94 Geograpbtcal Iftotes on 



were considered a nest of superstition, and they thought that the best 

 interest of the country required to close them. 



During our civil wars the clergy contributed large amounts to the 

 support of the conservative governments, which it often established. 

 It is thought that in 1853, General Santa Anna abandoned the Con- 

 servative Government, which he then presided over, because the Arch- 

 bishop of Mexico did not give him all the money he required to carry 

 on the war waged against him by the Liberal party. 



The wealth accumulated by the Church of Mexico was used for the 

 purpose of supporting the conservative governments, whose policy was 

 to keep the statu quo, and was therefore opposed to progress of any 

 kind. The Church became a very prominent factor in politics, and 

 could upset and establish governments at its pleasure, fomenting 

 the many revolutions which were constantly breaking out. It was 

 thought necessary, therefore, to destroy the political power of the 

 Church before we could establish and maintain peace, and that work 

 was done by what we call our Laws of Reform, issued in 1859, which 

 established a complete independence between the Church and the 

 State, and were intended to completely end the domination of the 

 Catholic Church in civil affairs in Mexico : the Church property was 

 confiscated, so that even the houses of worship are now the property 

 of the government ; all convents of friars and nuns were closed, all 

 religious ceremonies such as processions and wearing a distinctive 

 dress, were ordered to be confined to the interior of the edifices ; 

 the cemeteries were secularized, and marriage made exclusively a civil 

 contract. No religious instruction or ceremony is allowed in the public 

 schools, and never is a prayer offered as a part of the program of a 

 national celebration. In an article, which I published in the North 

 American Review^ of January, 1895, entitled "The Philosophy of the 

 Mexican Revolutions," I dwelt especially on this subject, and to that 

 article I refer the reader who may desire more detailed information. 



The Liberals were not the first to dispose of the Church property 

 and revenues, as the Spanish Government, under the rule of Godoy, in 

 1805 and 1806, to secure funds to form a redemption provision for the 

 royal vales or credit notes, pounced on the property of the Church in 

 Mexico, and that, later on, when the Mexicans rose in their war for 

 independence, the royal authorities took another part of the Church's 

 wealth to fight the patriots. 



The bigoted Catholic element which used to be decidely opposed to 

 any liberal government and was always conspiring to overthrow it, has 

 since the downfall of Maximilian, become satisfied that the condi- 

 tion of things has changed having accordingly changed their course, 

 and now there are thousands of progressive catholics in Mexico 

 sincerely devoted to their Church, who see only danger and eventual 



