38 THE SUBANU. 
early inquiry of the writer as to the attitude of the new government 
(American) relative to religious matters, and whether or not they must 
forego their native worship and take up some new doctrine. They 
were informed that the government of the United States made no 
attempt to control a man’s conscience and that therefore all people 
under the new management were at liberty to hold any religious belief 
they chose to follow; that any and all religious observances and doc- 
trines were to be permitted where and in what manner their advocates 
desired, provided such action did not contravene the law of the land. 
This announcement was greeted with smiles, gesticulations of joy, and 
much excited conversation among the men and women. The meeting 
was held in the incompleted church building, and the Subanu were 
advised to finish the structure and that it could be used for religious and 
secular instruction. But on the occasion of the writer’s next visit, 
some weeks later, it was found that the building had been destroyed by 
fire, whether accidental or not was never fully ascertained. At the 
present time Catholic mission work among the Subanu has practically 
ceased. 
The American government has accomplished practically nothing in 
the way of extending the public school system to the Subanu. This 
has been due in part to lack of public funds and in part to the extreme 
isolation of the people. The Catholic missionaries at Dapitan and 
Dipolog, on the west coast of the Subanu country, still maintain paro- 
chial schools at the rancherias of Toocan, Matam, Barcelona, Langa- 
tian, Dohinob, Ilaya, and Polanco, and on the north coast at Sauang, 
Libay, and Baliangao. The missionaries on the east coast at Langaran, 
Oroquieta, and Misamis maintain parochial schools for the Christian 
Filipinos, but the Subanu children do not attend, largely because it is 
impracticable for them to make the long journey from the hills to the 
coast, and, finally, the question of association with a race of heathen 
regarded as inferior would introduce serious elements of discord. In 
those schools referred to as being established on the north and west 
coasts the attendance is restricted to children whose parents are mem- 
bers in good standing of the Catholic church. 
All the towns mentioned are within 3 miles of the coast. The 
Subanu are hill people, usually residing much further inland and in any 
event debarred from the parochial schools because of religious disquali- 
fication, and prevented from entering the government free public schools 
because such schools are confined to the largest Christian towns and 
are out of reach and still more out of sympathy with Pagan surroundings 
and customs. 
BURIAL CUSTOMS. 
Where death results from ordinary causes the body is usually 
buried in a grove of trees which serves as a cemetery for several families. 
During epidemics of smallpox and cholera the bodies are frequently 
