The people of the Philippines, their religious progress and preparation for spiritual leadership in the Far East,

230 THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

the Spirit raises the standard of the Filipino and then raises
him to that standard. In the last meeting brother Pablo
Roque arose and said that his work had been fruitless because
he was a servant of cigarettes and buyo. It was a signal
for weeping and rejoicing, as, following him, the men arose
and almost to a man those who had indulged, emptied their
pockets of those things. No one asked them to do this-it
was Spirit-led.
"Brother Roque went home, began a revival in his barrio,
received thirty-seven new members, organized a church,
bought a house and made it into a chapel, organized a Sunday
school, and now promises five pesos a month for a pastor.
Thus assisted by the Spirit, the work of the revival has gone
on, until more than nine hundred new members have been
added to the church."
The Annual Bible Conference at Guihulngan, in the
Province of Oriental Negros, is the greatest conference held
in the Islands, both in point of numbers and in spiritual results. People come from farm districts literally by the thousands and hold classes in the vicinity of a great spring.
Shelter is provided, but the people bring their own food.
Inhabitants of the district look forward to this unique event
from one year's end to the next.
Since I916 the Young Men's Christian Association has
held an annual conference of students-the "Northfield conference of the Philippines." "The returned Filipino students
from America, having attended student conferences abroad
and having witnessed what such conferences are able to do
for delegates, have become ardent conference advocates in the
Philippines."
The first Annual Student Conference was held at beautiful
Sibul Springs, Bulacan, in December 1916. It was attended
by 59 delegates and leaders. Some of the leaders, who have
attended similar conferences in the United States, declared
that the atmosphere among that small group of men was
strikingly like that of Lake Geneva. Honorable Teodorc
Yangco, Resident Commissioner at Washington and Presidenl
of the Y. M. C. A. of the Philippine Islands, declared: "This