26
77/6' Green Bag.
Philip V. honoring it with the title of "Royal ad honorem" in case it should have no other patron, and upon the express condition that it should never cause expense to the royal treasury by reason of such title. One hundred and eighty years ago, Spain appears to have been more lavish of high sounding titles than of substantial gifts from the royal treasury. The King, however, was not the only royal benefactor of the College of San Jose. The same year that Philip IV. gave eight thou sand dollars, the Queen of Austria made it a liberal grant of twelve thousand. There appear to have been various benefactions from liberal minded citizens of Manila, who appear to have taken considerable interest in the new school, which was established for the benefit of the sons of well born Span iards resident in the Philippines. The im portance of such an educational institution to Spanish youth, was manifested a hundred and fifty years after the foundation of the college, by the royal decree which stated that his Spanish subjects were leaving the islands owing to the lack of schools in which their children could receive a fitting educa tion. In the year 1768, the College was deprived of its creators and early protectors, the Je suit Fathers, who by royal order were ban ished from Spain and the Spanish colonies. Whatever may have been the acts of the Je suits which led to their expulsion, their ad ministration of the affairs of the College appears, from what remains of the early rec ords, to have been wise and judicious. The institution while under their care attained to considerable eminence in the Spanish col onial word. What the College of San Jose is in this year of grace 1902 it owes in a very large measure to the efforts of its first offi cials and earliest teachers, the Jesuit Order of Manila, from the beginning of the seven teenth century to the middle of the eigh teenth, under whose fostering care were en joyed its days of greatest prosperity.
For three years following the expulsion of the Jesuits, the College was buffeted be tween Church and State, its property being contended for by the Archbishop of Manila representing Church, and the Governor General of the Philippines representing the Crown. The Governor General claimed the property as confiscated to the gov ernment, and seized and converted the buildings of the College into barracks for the Spanish soldiery. The Archbishop pro tested against such seizure and claimed the property as appertaining to the Church. The Governor complied with the request of the Primate to permit him to control the College till the decision of King should be known, each party having appealed to Ma drid against the action of the other. Three years after the sentence of expulsion against the Jesuits had taken effect the appeal was decided by the Crown, the decision being adverse to the claim of the Governor Gen eral that the property was forfeited to the Government, and also denying the right of the Archbishop to convert the institution in to a seminary for the education of native and Chinese youth, which in the meantime he had done with the assent of the Governor General. It was in this decree that the King stated that his Spanish subjects were leaving the islands for the reason that there were insufficient educational facilities for the instruction of their children, and ordered that the college should remain as intended by its original founders a school for the education of well born Spanish youth. Thus by royal order it was restored to its former status. For about a hundred and fifty years the college continued under the control of an ecclesiastic of the Metropolitan Cathedral as Rector-Administrator. During this long1 period it experienced many vicissitudes. Its affairs appear to have been negligently ad ministered, at least a portion of the time. It seems never to have been so ably conducted, nor to have attained so great distinction as
