KVr. I*'”'®” RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS ^ IN PORTO RICO MISSIONS IN PORTO RICO By Rev. Thomas Moody Corson Humacao, Porto Rico TKe BlancKe Kellogg Institute at Santurce, San Juan By A. G. Axtell, Principal Ampriran miaaiDnary Aaaoriatinn 287 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY. N. Y. DISTRICT OFFICES: EASTERN DISTRICT: WESTERN DISTRICT : PACIFIC DISTRICT: 615 Congregational House. 19 South La Salle Street. 21 Brenham Place. Boston, Mass. Chicago, III. San Francisco, Cal. RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS IN PORTO RICO T he Federation of Evangelical Churches in Porto Rico held its Fifth Biennial Association at Aricieho last iJe- ceinber when it ap- ])eared that organ- ized churches have been increased by 22 in the last two years. They numljer now about 20S. The church buildings and chapel s were in- creased 30 , making a total 1) e y o n d 260 . Ifvery town is occu- pied, and practically all important centers are. Church member- shi]j has increased less rapidly owing to a weeding-out pro- cess and the high standards of mem- bership now re- quired. The total membership of the various protestant bodies in Porto Rico in full connection now approximates 12,000. • All reports agree that our evangelical work is developing wider oppor- tunities. Communities fornierlv indifferent or ojiposed, now seek protestant services. The rural e.xtension work is es])ecially gratifying, and for the first time in its history — after 400 veaivs — the Roman Catholic Church has begun to build rural chapels. This reversal of the policy of centuries is directly due to protestant example. All missions rejiort encouraging and sometimes extraordinary gains in the direction of self-siqiport. Churches that formerly paid with difficulty for the mere lighting ami heating of the buildings, now bear an appreciable part in the pastor’s support, and give largely for missions. A notable feature of the material advance of the work is that church buildings and parsonages being erected in the more important centers are almost universallv of high (jualitv, both architecturally and in adaptation of the building to the work. The United Brethren have acquired a Alission Headquarters at Ponce, the iMethodists apjiear to be spending about $20,000 a year for permanent imi)rovements, parsonages of good quality are also being erected and tlie protestant work in general is well on the way to being permanently and fittingly housed. L’nusnally significant gains in the field of education have mark'ed the past two years, in which each of the larger denominations share. The Methodists have developed their Industrial and Training school at llattillo, with a S 16,000 building, and 34 Ijoys enrolled at the time of the last printed report. The Baptists have operated their Training School in rented quarters at Kio Fiedras, with Academic work related to the University of Forto Rico, enrolling sixteen pupils. It has chosen a site for a prospective $18,000 building. A Girls' School is expected to lie established in some- what similar relations to the University under indei)endent auspices. lu Presbvterian territory and closely associated with Fresbyterian interests, is the Folytechnic Institute of Forto Rico at Sau ( ierman. This institution has opened most auspiciously, and will serve the Freslwterian United Breth- ren fields in the general vocational lines of education of High School grades, while the special training of Christian workers is carried on in the Theological Seminary at iMayaguez. A. M. A. CHURCH, FA.TARDO The Coiigrcgafioiialists have considerably enlarged their school at San- tiirce, and have given it a more definite character of the S fanish-Anierican institute largely patronized by the wealthier classes and volunteers of the Roman Catholic City. d he weeding-out process which has been applied to church membership, has been even more stringent as applied to native Christian workers and in preparation for the ministry. Academic standards in the Theological schools have been raised, and a stronger type of native workers should soon be forthcoming. iMedical Missions have advanced less rapidly than could be wished. 1 he United Brethren are ha])])y in finding Christian jiliysicians from the States for their two dispensaries. The Fresb\'terian husjjital in San juan has continued its unrivalled service, but has so far failed to secure its greatly needed new building. All denominations are greatly indebted to this hospital in behalf of their missionaries, as well as all Porto Rican people. A Presbyterian Hospital is under erection in Alayaguez also. I'he Congregationalists have temporarily discontinued medical work in the conviction that it cannot he satisfactorily carried on without jjroper facilities, hut funds are now in hand for a si)ecial medical huilding for resi- dence and dispensary purposes, to be located somewhere on the Humacao Held. Ifncouraging ])rogress in temperance organizations is reported from several ()uarters, and the circulation of the Scriptures under the American Bil)le Society has greatly increased. As the children of twelve years of Evangelical work have grown into young manhood and womanhood, the more complete organization of church life is natural, and gains in Christian Endeavor and other young people’s organizations are reported on all hands. The Evangelical publications of the various missions have steadily gained in quality and circulation and constitute a strong adjunct of the work. In the establishment of a joint periodical by the Presby- terian, E'nited Brethren and Congregational ^Missions, we have the PUERTO RICO E\'AX( iELICf-), a 16-page semi-monthly, of high quality, pul'dished l)y a hoard represent- ing the three missions, with headquarters in Ponce. The plan for making the Presbyterian Seminary at Slaya- guez a joint institution of the Presbyterian and United Breth- ren has l)een carried out satis- factorily. The Congregational- ists, who were also included in the earlier negotiations, count themselves unable to enter into formal relations in this project owing to the long distance be- tween their held and that of the other bodies. They are, however, using the Alayaguez Seminary for the training of such ministerial candidates as are prepared to enter. A. ,M. A. CHURCH, HUMACAO ^ ^ MISSIONS IN PORTO RICO By Rev. Thomas Moody Corson, Humacao, Porto Rico T he needs of the missionary held are always so vividly present to the workers there, that they sometimes dwell upon them, and neglect to tell of the encouraging and beautiful things in their work. This must not, however, lead one to forget how much encouragement is also to be found in the work, and how much is actually being accomplished. In writing of Porto Rico, therefore, I wish to speak of some of its delights as well as its needs. For example, the climate is far from what many people expect of the tropics. For several months of every year the daytime temperature is about 70°, and the nights are cooler. The very hottest days are not so hot as tliose which we sometimes have in Boston or New ork. In the hot season in Porto Rico, the temperature seldom rises al)Ove p5° in the shade. People from the north, however, usually need to return to the States every year or two for a taste of the more bracing atmosphere of the North. The scenery in Porto Rico — the mountains with gorges deep — cut by the swiftly-tlowing torrents of the rainy seasons, the valleys with their level lowlands, covered with sugarcane or perhaps tobacco or pinea])])les, the soft tints of the tropical skies, against which stand out in sharp relief the waving fronds of the cocoannt and royal palms — all this is very beautiful, a constant delight. And in some of the straw- thatched huts on the sides of the mountains, the missionary is cor- dially welcomed. There are points in our Congregational territory four miles or more from the near- est church. In several of these we have services more or less fre- quently, at stated intervals, but in others we can preach only occa- sionally and in some places very seldom. The people at these points, however, are not only willing to listen to the preacher, but are anx- ious to have him come to them often. Rven a Roman Catholic fam- ily that lives about two miles from the nearest church, has often in- vited me to come out there to preach to them. ( In two occasions when I have been there, they have sent out to invite their neighbors, so that I have had about twenty Roman Catholics present at the service, in addition to protestants who went with me. As a result of such services held by a former missionary. Rev. Otto Scheibe, in the hills more than four miles about a dozen members from that neighborhood. KEV. T. M. COKSOX Uninapao, Porto l\i(‘o from the Ilnmacao church, joined the church. One of these is almost never absent from church on Sunday morning, even though on some occasions the mud will part of his four-mile walk. be more than a foot deei) for the greater Thus one may see that a great op])ortunity and privilege as well as a great responsibility is presented to us. The Congregational denomination is responsible for work among a population of more than (Si,ooo. To do this work we now have eleven organized churches, and a few organized Sunday-schools at points where we have no churches as yet, one day school, a settlement house, and several preaching stations, with three mis- sionary superintendents, one lady missionary, several teachers, and eight native workers. Most of our work is among the poorer classes, although it is not exclusively so. And as in the earthly life of our Master, the poor people heard him gladly, so now in Porto Rico the poor people to whom religion has not yet brought comfort and inspiration, are eager to hear from the protestant missionaries the good tidings of salvation. THE BLANCHE KELLOGG INSTITUTE AT SANTURCE, SAN JUAN A. G. Axtell, Principal I F the American IMissionary Association follows the flag, which it does, even taking the flag to new places on its own initiative, it follows or takes it into strange places ; into what are essentially foreign lands. As examples, we know of Hawaii, of Alaska and Porto Rico. BO.VXCHE KEirLOCift TXSTTTUTE AXT) CHAPEL Porto Rico is essentially foreign ; it is “occupied" indeed by the Ameri- can government, and by those representing it ; and it is to an extent pos- sessed by x\mericans and those of other nationalities, but in every essential, of native language, of customs, of modes of thought, of religion, Porto Rico is yet Spanish to such a large extent that missions in this Island are essentially foreign missions. They have to do with the native population, who have been molded out of various origins in the mold of Spanish govern- ment, education and religion. A school of any type, whether public or private, whether governmental or mission, must be Spanish-American, if it is to meet the needs and foster the interests of those who constitute the rising generation, whether rich or poor, high or low, prominent or obscure. The Blanche Kellogg Institute, at Santurce, is constituted as a mission- ary educational institution to meet the needs of all classes ; it is engaged in the solution of the exceedingly difficult problem of ministering to all classes. It is missionary, evangelical, in the midst of a Catholic people, it is an educational institution, and more; it is a religious institution. It has a school, a social settlement, and a church. The school is not divorced from religion, nor the settlement separated from education; and the church is the crown of its endeavor to serve in the name of the Master ; to bring into the darkness the Light of the world. It is best to think of the Blanche Kellogg Institute as consisting of two departments, one educational, the other evangelical. The educational depart- ment as now constituted is what has been known as the pay department ; it is for those who are able to pay a part of the expense of their education. The social settlement is both educational and evangelical, but we class it with the evangelical department of work, for evangelical endeavors are closely linked with all its activities. Educationally, the Institute is doing work extending through the eight grades of primary education, and two high school or secondary education grades, on the line of preparation for college. It affords music in a regu- larly graded system throughout ; it offers private lessons in music. And what would be absolutely unique in education in the States, it offers Spanish in all the grades and the high school course ; so that a student finishing the course here would be able to command a good position in a school or even a college offering Spanish ; since he receives here a course of ten years in Spanish, extending not only into the grammar and rhetoric of the language, but into its literature as well. Ami if he is natively Spanish or Portorican, as the majority of our students are, there could be no question about his accent. Besides the emphasis laid on music and Spanish, by means of the commercial department special attention is given to mathematics, the course being shaped from the seventh grade to meet com- mercial requirements ; then continued beyond the eighth grade in regular commercial lines. By means of thus specializing we are laying the founda- tion for a Spanish-American School of Languages and Commerce, the sort of school which, if properly capitalized and managed, should attract students not only from the Island but also from the States of North and South America. The teachers employed at the Institute have always done more or less of what is known as settlement work. Yet this work has been heretofore secondary to the educational features. Now we are making it the leading feature of the free department. Our aim is to develop a settlement which shall have for its main object and line of effort, home-making and home- keeping. Under the efficient leadership of Miss Fairbanks, we have already organized a Village Improvement Society, a Mothers’ Society, a Children’s Society, and a Bible-study Class. A Chorus also meets every week, under the instruction of Miss Ulmer, our teacher of music. On the last day of 1912, our new church was organized, with a member- ship of twenty-three, nineteen of whom were received on confession of faith. In this we had the indispensable aid of our Superintendents from our mission centers, Fajardo and Humacao, Rev. Mr. Corwin and Rev. Mr. Corson. In connection with the organization was held our first annual conference, to which came delegates and native workers from all our churches. Also a fellowship service was held, in which representatives from llio (jtliLT churclies of San Juan and cmvirons came and gave us greetings and good wishes. ( )ur purely evangelical work consists of our Sunday-school, our neigh- borhood service on the "IMelilla” — a section near us in which we are esi)ecially interested — cnir evening service of ])reaching in S])anish, very hel])ful and important aijd our 1 !ihle-stud_v class; together with the ministra- tions of the jiastor and visitors, and ( we must clearly count these) the marriage service and the funeral. Both these services have been rare here ; we are making them more common, and thus bringing the blessing of the Saviour upon most sacred and solemn occasions, which have too often been occasions of hilarity or unmitigated grief. The problem of the best method of service to the people of Porto Rico has perhaps not yet been solved ; yet we believe we are at work on lines which must bring large l)lessing upon them. \\’e have yet to hear any criticism of our social settlement ideas and methods, while on the other hand we hear many words of un(|ualified approval. ^Missionaries, men of business, the Commissioner of h'ducation, the Ciovernor of Porto Rico, all commend our scheme of help in the line of home-making and home- keeping. It has been our own view that a settlement without a church is incomplete ; indeed that it lacks the vital element. M’e therefore organized the church, and in this we have the approval of many who are alike interested in the welfare of those who live on this Island, our own con- sciences, and, we believe, of the Master himself. We have a number of candidates for the next communion. W'e trust also that our present work and our developing plans will meet the approval of the members of the Churches, Sunday-schools and Endeavor Societies of our own faith and order throughout the States. And if this article shall inspire its readers to offer a prayer for Cod’s continued blessing upon our work we shall be encouraged: if among the many cvhom we know and the many more whom we do not know some shall find time to write us a word, or turn some offering in our direction, we shall be glad and grateful.