CHAPTER 15

Life and Works in

London(1888-89)

“I AM DEDICATING MYSELF NIGHT AND DAY TO CERTAIN STUDIES… ABOUT OUR COUNTRY, ITS HISTORY, ITS ADMINISTRATION… THE VERY RICH COLLECTION OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM, A COLLECTION WHICH CANNOT BE FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE IS SERVING MY PURPOSE. FOR THIS REASON, I WILL STAY HERE FOR A LONG TIME.”

-JOSE RIZAL

Stay in London•Lived in London May 1888 to March 1889•3 reasons why he stayed there:

To improve his knowledge of the English Language

To study and annotate Morga’s Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas

London was a safe place for him to carry on his fight against Spanish Tyranny

•engaged deeply in Filipiniana studies•Completed annotating Morga’s books•Wrote many articles in La Solidaridad•Penned Young Women of Malolos•carried his voluminous correspondence with Blumentritt & other friends ad relatives

Trip Across the Atlantic •Made friends

in his Atlantic voyage

•The American and European passengers were amused of his marvelous skill in using yo-yo (a small wooden disc attached to a string

from a finger) as a weapon.

•Had a chat with news-papermen but became disappointed•Arrived on Liverpool May 24, 1888

Life in London•Went to London May 25, 1888•Stayed as a guest at Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor’s home•Became a boarder at the Beckett’s by the end of May •Was called “A Pearl of A Man” (una perla de hombre) by Dr. Reinhold Rost •Played Cricket and Boxing with

Dr. Rost’s sons.

According to Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, the noted Filipinologist,  and Rizal’s friend,  the Spanish historian Dr. Antonio Morga  wrote  Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which was published in Mexico in 1609.  Many scholars considered this history of the Philippines a much better and honest description of  the conditions in the country pertaining to the Spanish conquest.

CRICKET

Good and Bad News from Home

Bad News Persecution of the Filipino patriots

who signed the “Anti-friar Petition of 1888”

Persecution of Calamba tenants Furious attacks on Rizal by Senator

Salamanca and Vida in the Spanish Cortes and by Desengaños (Wenseslao E. Retana) and Quioquiap (Pablo Feced) in Spanish newspapers

Rizal’s brother-in-law, Manuel Hidalgo was exiled in Bohol

Laureano Viado, his friend was arrested and jailed because copies of Noli were found in his house

Good and Bad News from Home

Good NewsThe only good news was Rev. Father Vicente Garcia’s defense of the Noli.

Content of the letterWe young Filipinos are trying to make

over a nation and must not halt in our onward march, but from time to time turn our gaze upon our elders. We shall wish to read in their contenances approval of our actions. We are anxious to learn of the Philippines’ past which we need to understand in order to plan intelligently for the future. We want to know all that our ancestors knew, and then add our own studies to theirs. Thus we shall progress the faster because we can go on from where they left off.

Annotating Morga’s books

•his greatest achievement in London•Spent many days in the reading room of the British Museum reading Morga’s books and old stories of the Philippines•For Rizal Dr. Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas was the best/excellent book.•Mariano Ponce urged him to edit a newspaper but refused

Dr. Antonio de Morga

Short Visit to Paris and Spain

•September 1888 he visited Paris • he stayed here for a week to study more historical materials in the Bibliotheque Nationale •Entertained in a gay French Metropolis by Juan Luna and his wife•He returned to London•On December 11, 1888- he visited Madrid and Barcelona

•Met Marcelo H. del Pilar and Mariano Ponce

•he first met Mariano Ponce andMarcelo H. del Pilar

•started to be involved officially in the Propaganda Movement.

Christmas in London•Rizal returned to London on Dec. 24, 1888 and spent his Christmas and new year ‘s day with the Becketts.• his first Christmas on English soil.• Rizal reflected on the true meaning of Christmas, not as a mere holiday but a remarkable day to remember Christ’s birth.

Rizal becomes leader of Filipinos in Europe

•Chosen to be honorary president•Wrote a letter of thanks adressed to the members of Asociacion La Solidaridad on Jan. 28, 1889

Letter contentWhen defeated never surrenderGreat deal of integrity and much good will

Rizal and the La Solidaridad paper

•Graciano Lopez Jaena founded

La Solidaridad on Feb.15,1889 at Barcelona•Marcelo H. del Pilar about their newspaper•Rizal congratulated Lopez Jaena and the associates and wrote articles

Romance with Gertrude Beckett

•Gertrude Beckett Buxom English girl with brown hair, blue eyes, and pinkcheeks Eldest of the three sisters She was attracted to Rizal and had always loved to be with him. helped him in his painting and sculpture “Gettie”

•Although he did not pursue his love for Gertrude because he was still in a relationship with Leonor Rivera at the time and would not want to be unfaithful.

• It was this romantic affair that drove Rizal to Paris in 1889, leaving London for he could marry Gertrude.

Writings in London• Other than annotating Morga’s work, Rizal wrote a lot in London including articles in La Solidaridad.

• La Vision del Fray Rodriguez- a counter-attack on the irrational criticisms of Fray Rodriguez on Noli.

• Under the pseudonym “Dimas Alang,” Rizal satirically attacked Fray Rodriquez through presenting a spirited conversation between the friar and St. Augustine.

• It exposed how senseless was Fray Rodriguez’s writing and that it deserves punishment. People will find him ridiculous.

•Letter to the Women of Malolos- written in Tagalog.

•The Malolos women pursued the establishment of their school despite the opposition of Fr. Felipe Garcia.

•The letter’s main points:1) Filipino mother should teach her

children love of God, fatherland and mankind;

2) …should be glad, like Spartan mother to offer her sons in the defense of the fatherland;

3) Filipino woman should know how to preserve her dignity and honor;

4) …should know how she should educate herself, aside from retaining her good racial values;

5) Faith is not merely reciting long prayers and wearing religious pictures, but rather, it is living the real Christian way, with good morals and good manners.

• His articles: 1)Specimens of Tagalog Folklore and 2)Two Eastern Fables as requested contributions from Rizal in Dr. Rost’s Trubner’s Record.

• Specimens of Tagalog Folklore consists of Filipino proverbs and puzzles.

•Two Eastern Fables was acomparative study of Philippine and Japanese folklore.

Writings in London

•Specimens of Tagalog Folklore•Two Eastern Fables

Requested by: Dr. Rost

La Solidaridad, Organ of the Propaganda Movement

•a newspaper founded by Graciano Lopez Jaena in Barcelona on February 15, 1889.

•La Solidaridad was created due to the reality that mass media is important in propagating the Propaganda objectives.

•La Solidaridad was printed in:Barcelona (Feb. 15-Oct. 31, 1889)Madrid (Nov. 15-Nov. 15, 1895)

•Rizal became an active contributor to the newspaper (as “Laong Laan” and “Dimas Alang.”

Adios London

• Rizal was forced to leave London because Gertrude’s love for him has turned serious.

• He could not take advantage of her affection and she would not be happy because Rizal was in love with Leonor Rivera.

•He decided to move to Paris so she may forget him.

Before leaving London, he carved several fine sculptural works:

1.Prometheus Bound2.The Triumph of Death over Life;3.The Triumph of Science over Death4.a composite carving of the heads of the three Beckett sisters.

* Later he gave the 2nd and the 3rd

Prometheus Bound

The Triumph of Science over Death (left)

Sacred Heart of Jesus (center)

The Triumph of Death over Life (right)

In the middle of March, 1889, Rizal departed for Paris. He was sad as he

crossed the English Channel for he had many

beautiful memories of London.

E N D . .