The Roman Church, as a body that has done great good in times past, and is doing great work in other countries such as the United States, owes it as a duty to itself to reform the Church in Mexico, Central and South America, and lift it to the high standard it has reached elsewhere. The priesthood should be improved and the immoral and unworthy members removed from that office. The fees for the services of the Church should be reduced so that the poor Indians can have the offices of the Church for marriages, burials, confirmations, etc. The Church could also assist greatly in advancing the work of educating the native. I believe that conditions are improving to a great extent and I know that there are scores of hard-working and conscientious priests of the Catholic Church in Guatemala who are honestly endeavouring to inculcate the truths of religion among the natives, and the results are seen in the communities in which they work. To them all praise and honour is due.
Protestantism has scarcely made an impression in Guatemala as yet. The Presbyterian Church maintains missionaries in Guatemala City and Quezaltenango who preach there and occasionally in outlying towns. The Wesleyan Methodist ministers living at Belize hold services at Puerto Barrios at infrequent intervals, and one or two other missionaries are stationed at other points in the republic. The priests are generally hostile, naturally, and very little has been accomplished.
I quote from the Presbyterian missionary stationed at Quezaltenango in a report made to the home board in 1906:
“Just a week ago while passing along the street in San Marcos in company with the missionary of that Station we had about eight or nine stones thrown at us, but fortunately none of them struck us. Later many of the better people of the town on hearing of it came to us repudiating such conduct toward the Christians. The church here in Quezaltenango has grown but little in numbers during the past year and there have been many failings among the believers. There is noticeable growth among some that is encouraging enough to cheer the missionary in spite of the falling away of others. The work at Retalhuleu has been given up indefinitely as the Mission force here has not been sufficient to provide a worker there, and until there are more missionaries on the field it would be unwise to attempt to reopen it or start any new work whatever.”
Also from a report by another missionary located at the capital:
“There is a wide open door for us among the poor people, where there will be no conflict with local physicians and where there will be no intrusion upon the territory of another. Children and poor people literally die here by the hundred without any proper medical care. The story in this line is simply pathetic, heartrending. My wife has, with her very limited knowledge, saved the lives of many, and if she had the strength could have done much for many more people, but she has had to give up this work, almost entirely.”
There is a broad field, I believe, for missionary work, and the medical missionary will accomplish the best results just as is the case in oriental lands. Good physicians are few and the poor people cannot afford to pay them for their services. A lack of hygiene is prevalent everywhere and the people are ignorant of ordinary sanitary measures which would lessen sickness and suffering in a great degree. A moral awakening is badly needed also and the field is ripe for such a movement either from within the Catholic church or through the evangelizing efforts of Protestant bodies. Institutional churches would, in my opinion, best meet the situation so that the social as well as spiritual side of the people could be brought up to a higher plane. The field is there and it only awaits the workers.
In Guatemala City there is a good opening for a Young Men’s Christian Association. It could accomplish a great work both among the foreigners residing there and the native residents. It could, because of its undenominational character, be made a centre not only for religious work but for the social and intellectual life of the capital in a way that no other institution could fill. I met many Americans in business there who expressed the need of such an institution for the expatriated citizens of foreign countries.