£S BULLETINS OF THE PRESIDING BISHOP AND COUNCIL OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH SERIES OF 1921 BULLETIN NO. 4 The Pearl Of The Antilles EL MORRO: GRIM GUARDIAN OF HAVANA HARBOR Issued by Department of Missions and Church Extension PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICITY 281 FOURTH AVENUE NEW YORK CITY Bulletins, Series of 1921. 1. Introductory Bulletin. Publicity. 2. Budget for 1921. Finance. 3. Diocesan Programme for Religious Education. Reliyious Education. 4. The Pearl of the Antilles. Missions. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Columbia University Libraries https://archive.org/details/pearlofantillesOOchu ndros Is. The Pearl of the Antilles T^OR nearly four hundred years Cuba was an isolated colony of Spain. Its material development had been dwarfed by the Spaniard’s policy of forbidding colonists to produce commodities which could be raised in the mother country. In the Pearl of the Antilles this meant that a land endowed with great vegetable and mineral wealth could not be used to the best advantage, or, to be specific, could be used only for the production of sugar and tobacco. The result _ difficult when <>!' this cco- t<) the Ann r mimic policy icon price of perhaps meat, and more appal¬ ling today than ever be¬ fore, since Cuba being a t w o-crop country has to import most of its f o odstuffs and essen¬ tial commo¬ dities, and in these times most expen- of high prices Bishop Hulse sive land to living is very 1 i v e in. Whether it is worse than some of the South American countries it is impossible to say, but certain it is that one of the chief problems of the clergy of the Church in Cuba is making ends meet financially. Next to Mexico, Cuba is our nearest neighbor, but since the means of transportation between the States and the Island republic are so many and excellent, it really is nearer to us than the republic across the Rio Grande. The Island of Cuba is 730 miles long and averages about 60 miles wide. Except when labor troubles inter¬ vene all parts of it are accessible by railroad. The largest cities are Havana (400,000), Santiago (70,000), Cienfuegos (80,000), Camaguey (80,000), Matanzas (60,000). The total population of c o m m e s - tibles, and bar dwar e, and clothing, etc., must be added freight from the United States a n d customs duty. Some say that Cuba is the 6 BULLETIN NO. 4 192 1 the Island is well over two and a half millions, which means that its density is less than sixty to the square mile—a very low average. While the cities are, comparatively speaking, progressive and the people who dwell in them well taken care of, the country districts are in a very backward state. Those who can remember the revo¬ lution of twenty-five years ago will recall that the Spaniards were able to have their own way in the cities but were quite unable to cope with the situation in the undeveloped part of the country. It would be hard for an American to realize how void of all the conveniences of life are the rural districts wherein live more than half of the population of the Island. This applies in matters re¬ ligious quite as well as in things secular. In a letter recently re¬ ceived from Bishop Hulse is the statement that along the main line of the railroad which connects the east and the west of the Island there is nothing done for the people by any religious body between the towns of Camaguey and Ciego de Avila. If translated into our own geography this would be equivalent to saying that there were no church services between Richmond, Virginia, and Charles¬ ton, South Carolina. Since, as has been indicated, Cuba is a land of great mineral and vegetable wealth it will not be long before this now under-populated country is filled to overflowing. Already people have begun to pour in, and because of this it is high time for the Church to increase her efforts. The newcomers are in some instances from the United States-—men who are going down there to work on or manage the sugar plantations, or to raise citrus fruits, or to work the great manganese and iron mines in the north-eastern corner. Then there are Jamaicans coming in great numbers to work at the cutting of the sugar cane. The Bishop says that during the last year they have been coming in by hundreds and even thousands every week. Lastly, there are people from old Europe who, having heard of the wealtli of this new land, are hastening to take advantage of its riches. The first services of our Church in Cuba were held in private, it being against the law to hold non-Roman services in public. They were begun in 1863 and were held in English, and EARLY were for the benefit of the many English-speaking HISTORY foreigners engaged in business in Havana. In 1871 Bishop Whipple visited Havana. Per¬ mission to hold public services was denied him, so recourse had to 192 1 I5ULLE T I N N O. 4 7 be made to an American man-o’-war, which was put at his disposal, and here he celebrated the Holy Communion on May 11, 1871. His visit aroused an interest both in Havana and in America, and a sum of money was subscribed for the support of a resident chaplain. The Rev. Edward Kenny was the first man appointed by Bishop Whipple. Under him regular work was established in Havana despite the fact that the attitude of the civil authorities was an¬ tagonistic and the established Church tried its hardest to drive him out. These things being so, Mr. Kenny’s public services had to be confined to foreigners—and held in one of the hotels. In his private services no lines were drawn, and he ministered as best he might to all who came to him in trouble—black or white, Spanish or English-speaking. 8 BULLETIN NO. 4 192 1 After the outbreak of civil war in the Island, in 1875, a large number of Cubans were driven into exile; many of them came to America where they found themselves in contact with American Christianity which they soon learned to value. Centers of worship were provided for these refugees in Key West, Philadelphia and New York. It was at this same time that the American Bible Society began to circulate the Scriptures in Cuba and that some of their native agents became candidates for the ministry of the Church. In this way our first congregation, that in Matanzas, was started, and sim¬ ilarly other centers of work. They flourished so well that in 1885, when Bishop Young, of Florida, visited the Island, 325 candidates were presented for confirmation. But for a long time the new workers were unable to make things go as they ought because it was thought to be against the law to worship God except under the auspices of the Spanish Church. However, our Senor Duarte, the leader of the Matanzas mission, knew the law better than his oppressors and forced the issue with the local authorities by appealing to the Spanish Government, with the result that a royal decree was obtained affirming the religious freedom law as passed in Madrid in 1876. In 1887 Bishop Whitaker was given the oversight of the Cuban Mission, and the American Church Missionary Society assumed re¬ sponsibility for its maintenance. An unpretentious building was erected in Matanzas and another was purchased in Jesus del Monte, a suburb of Havana. An American missionary, Rev. Mr. Mellen, was appointed, and an active campaign was planned. Cutting Sugar Cant: 19 2 1 B U L L E T I N N O. 4 9 The outbreak of the next revolution, however, prevented this movement from maturing. The attitude of the civil authorities compelled Mr. Mellen and his assistants to with- CUBA LIBRE draw, and for a time their efforts seemed frus¬ trated. But it is a long lane that knows no turn¬ ing. The issue of war was finally decided in favor of the revolutionists and Cuba was set free to work out her own destiny. As a result all of Spain’s laws were withdrawn and brighter prospects dawned. Our missionaries returned, and aggres¬ sive work was, after many weary years, at last begun. In 1901 the General Convention constituted Cuba a missionary district, but unfortunately put off the election of a bishop until its next session. In 1904 the Rt. Rev. A. W. Knight was consecrated Bishop of Cuba. He went to the field in January, 1905, and called a confer¬ ence of the workers at once. At this the following BISHOP programme was drawn up: “To seek out the Amer- KNIGHT ican and English residents, to shepherd the sliep- herdless of whatever nationality, to provoke to good works of the old Church in the Island and the different mission¬ ary organizations at work in Cuba, to teach Christianity as this Church has received it, without rancor to others, and without apology for our mission.” This has remained the programme and the policy of the American Church in Cuba ever since. Under Bishop Knight’s vigorous leadership the work began to develop rapidly along the following lines: First, work among Eng¬ lish-speaking colonists; second, among native Cubans; third, among Jamaican negroes. American interest in Cuba drew many of our countrymen there after the Spanish-American War. Some settled in the cities. In Havana, for example, there is a large American WORK AMONG colony, engaged in every kind of commercial AMERICANS enterprise. For them we have a beautiful Cathedral in which services are held both in English and Spanish, and in which at the close of the Great War the city’s public service of thanksgiving was held. Others settled out¬ side the cities on plantations, and it is among them that our most extensive English work is done. Attracted by the beautiful climate they have established themselves in small settlements, seeking in 10 BULLETIN NO. 4 19 21 most instances to make a living by raising citrus fruits, oranges, lemons, pineapples, and grapefruit. Though they escape many of the discomforts of the North, the tropics have their own ways of discomforting the stranger. To begin with, Northern women find the constant heat enervating; then they are much annoyed by the multiplicity of insect life. Mosqui¬ toes, fleas, gnats, cockroaches, ants and other pests, which a cold climate kills, abound. The men find that the ordinary temptations of life come with re¬ doubled force under the tropical sun. The Cubans are a sober race, but the Northern settler finds many temptations to drink, and if he ffives wav he soon falls into other and more serious vices. O %! It must not be inferred from this that all Americans in Cuba live w ild lh res, but it should be inferred that what the scientists tell us about the unfavorableness of the tropics for people from the North is true, and that those who go down there need the steadying hand of the Church. As a worker of many years service wrote: “Subject to the conditions of life in a new country—where the old neighborhood restraints no longer exist, these settlers are in especial need of the ministrations of the Church. They need the restraints and incentives of religion. Patriotism and Christian statesmanship, as well as Christian devotion, force upon us our re¬ sponsibility for our own people. We must do our part in seeing that the Americans are well represented in this neighboring island, that the Cubans may have a chance to see what kind of Christian manhood is produced by our interpretation of Christianity. High- minded and clean-living laymen make our best missionaries, and if we cannot bold our own we will be able to make little impression on those outside the fold.” One of the centers of American life is on the Isle of Pines. There are five missions of the Church there, four church buildings and one rectory. The one missionary resident on the island holds four services every Sunday, making his way from place to place in an automobile, driving his car over sixty miles each Sunday as well as preaching four sermons. Other American colonies of this kind are to be found all over Cuba, many of them being located in iso¬ lated and remote spots. There are seventeen of them where services are held regularly, and others where the missionaries go from time to time as they find opportunity. Much of this work is shifting and uncertain, as colonies change their character or sometimes are ahan- 19 2 1 B U L L E T I N N 0. 1 11 Native Home doned completely. But in many instances permanent foundations are being laid, and even where that is not the case, lives are being helped and souls strengthened. Writing in June, 1920, Bishop Hulse said about the work among American colonists: “Opportunities continue to multiply. But our great need is for better material equipment and new workers. The present material prosperity of the island has enlarged our op¬ portunities and increased our difficulties. The number of Ameri¬ cans employed on the large sugar estates is steadily increasing and a good proportion of the newcomers belong to the Church.” In some respects Cuba is still a frontier country, developing rapidly in many places. In the center and in the east new towns are continually springing up. There are some WORK AMONG considerable places where no religious work of THE CUBANS any kind is carried on. It is the policy of the Mission to search out sucli places and start serv¬ ices in Spanish. Our most successful work is being done in this way. A few years ago one of our missionaries went to a town of this kind and started services; he soon had a congregation. A Sunday School in Connecticut heard of the situation and gave the money for a church. Last year this Mission reported 103 baptisms. 12 BULLETIN NO. 4 19 2 1 It is sometimes asked why, if the people are so much interested, they do not put up their own churches. The answer is that in most cases they are too poor. Cuba suffers from absentee ownership. One-third of her sugar mills are owned in the United States. The workmen in many of these places see very little money from one year’s end to another. They are paid off in orders on the company store. At the end of the year when a settlement is made, they find they have eaten up or worn out all that is coming to them. This side of our work has substantial characteristics; we are building for the future, laying the foundations of the national Church which is to be. There are twenty-three places where services are held regularly in Spanish. The largest number of bap¬ tisms and of candidates for confirmation comes from these places. In his address to the 1920 Convocation, Bishop Hulse, referring to the great boom which has come to the Cuban sugar industry, said: “The social atmosphere in which we carry on our work remains much as it was last year. Prosperity has not brought happiness or peace to the country. There is an increasing social unrest; there have been many strikes and there is at present great dissatisfaction among the working classes together with a feeling of bitterness which is not hopeful. I find among them a lack of confidence, a spirit of cynicism and hopelessness which is hard to contend against. “Back of it all is the idea that Christian idealism is not possible of realization, that it is no more than a beautiful dream and that the wise man is the one who intends to exploit this world as fully as possible. “Living in this atmosphere as we do, we cannot but be influenced by it. As Christians, however, w r e must combat it both without and within, prevent it from gaining lodgment in our minds as we insist that the larger values of life are capable of realization.” The development of eastern Cuba has brought many negroes from other parts of the West Indies, especially Jamaica. Now that the Island is free from periodic revolutions, it offers WORK FOR better opportunities for making a living than can NEGROES be found in the English West Indian possessions. As a result, beginning about ten years ago, the Jamaican immigration has proceeded without interruption. Today, 192 1 BULLETIN NO. 4 13 as has been already said, it has assumed enormous proportions. The majority of people thus coming into Cuba belong to the Church of England, and a very serious obligation is therefore laid upon the Church. Referring to this subject in June, 1920, Bishop Hulse said that though the new comers “desire and need our ministra¬ tions we cannot reach them all because we have so few workers. We have need at the present moment of three new men to go from place to place in the Provinces of Camaguey and Oriente organizing congregations and ministering to these newcomers.” To meet the situation in Cuba and to minister to the three types of people that have been described we have as follows: Twenty clergy, of whom eight are from the United States, and twelve either native Cubans or Spaniards. They are assisted by ten layreaders, two of whom are postulants. There are two candi¬ dates for Holy Orders, and there are two ministers of another Church seeking admission to our priesthood. There are twenty-one organized missions and fourteen unorganized, with sixteen church buildings and six parish buildings. In the 1920 Corivocational Re¬ port we also read the suggestive fact that there are “six vacant lots.” This means that there are six places badly in need of buildings. The clergy last year ministered to 2,057 communicants, and since statisticians tell us that in figuring church membership one should multiply the communicant list by two and half, it is fair to say that there are in the neighborhood of 5,000 who look to us as their leader in things spiritual. The most important part of any church work is the educational. This is particularly true of the Diocese of Cuba. It is only after they have been trained from their youth up to think out their own problems, and how to think them out, that there can be developed the best type of Christian citizenship. Though we of the northern republic cannot boast, we can at least claim to have worked out democracy more successfully than our neighbor, and we owe our ability to have done so entirely to the kind of education we and our forefathers received. The most valuable contribution that we can 14 BULLETIN NO. 4 19 2 1 make to Cuba is to repro¬ duce that system of educa¬ tion for them, and it is to he hoped that in the near future we shall have made long steps in this direction. For the present, our educational programme is limited to nine parish schools and one industrial school. Among these the largest are All Saints’ girls’ school in Guantana¬ mo, in which there are one hundred and ten pupils with six teachers; the Ca¬ thedral Schools in Havana, Waiting for the Missionary with ninety-seven pupils and seven teachers; and a school in Santiago, with ninety-three pupils and three teachers. So far as physical development is concerned that in Guantanamo is the most advanced. Most of the money necessary to put up a new concrete building has been raised and we hope, as soon as conditions shall have become settled, to have a girls’ school capable of turning out women who will he leaders of the Cuba that is to be. There is also the new hoys’ school, now at Marianao. It is in its infancy, hut it is vital to the future of the Church, and every effort that can he made to help this undertaking is gladly encouraged by the friends of Bishop Hulse. Though they are very poor, the people are giving generously to support the work that is being done. Last year their contribu¬ tions totalled $9,588.19, which when added to the amount which was received in school fees, $7,830.90, makes a total of $17,419.09. The Missionary District of Cuba includes the Island of Cuba and the Isle of Pines. It has an area of 4,700 square miles and a population of 2,100,000. For the support of the SUMMARY work, including the salary and traveling expenses of the bishop, the Board appropriates about $60,000 yearly. This appropriation aids in maintaining forty-eight stations. From 1904 to 1913 the work was under the charge of 192 1 BULLETIN NO. 4 15 the Rt. Rev. A. W. Knight, D.D. In the latter year he resigned to become the head of the University of the South. The Rt. Rev. Hiram R. Hulse, D.D., was consecrated Bishop of Cuba on Janu¬ ary 12, 1915. CLERGY CANONICALLY RESIDENT IN THE MISSIONARY DISTRICT OF CUBA The Rt. Rev. Hiram Richard Hulse, D.D., Bishop, Havana. The Rev. Emilio Planas y Hernandez, Limonar. The Ven. W. W. Steel, Havana. The Rev. Juan Bautista Mancebo, Santiago. The Ven. Francisco Diaz Volero, Havana. The Rev. William H. Decker, Santa Fe, Isle of Pines. The Rev. H. B. Gibbons, D.D., Havana. The Rev. William Watson, Guantanamo. The Very Rev. George B. Myers, Havana. The Rev. Simon Evangelista Carreras, Camaguey. The Rev. Pablo Munoz, Havana. The Rev. Percy Homer Asheton-Martin, Havana. The Rev. Juan McCarthy, La Gloria. The Rev. Miguel J. Mesegue Tomas, Sagua la Grande. The Rev. Sergio Ledo y Rodriguez, Los Arabos. The Rev. Jose Gonzalez Pena, Matanzas. The Rev. Ramon Cesar Moreno, Cienfuegos. The Rev. Ricardo D. Barrios, Bolondron. The Rev. Aniceto Granda, Jovellanos. This pamphlet may be obtained from the Literature Office, De¬ partment of Missions, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York, by asking for Series 1921, Bulletin No. 4. 1 Ed., 1-21, 10M.. C. H. ... i: