Chapter 18Disappointments

In Madrid(1890- 91)

Infidelity of

Leonor Rivera

In the autumn of 1890- Rizal was feeling bitter at so many DISAPPOINTMENTS he encountered in Madrid.

One night he and some friends attended a play at Teatro Apollo.

And there he lost his gold wrist watch chain with a locket containing the picture of Leonor Rivera, his beloved sweetheart.

December, 1890 – Rizal received a letter from Leonor, announcing her coming married

with an Englishman (Henry Kipping)

February 15, 1891 – Blumentritt replied to the letter of Rizal and comforted Rizal when Rizal confide to him about his agony and broken heart.

Three months later...

Rizal- Del Pilar

Rivalry

Rizal- leader of the Filipinos in Europehowever this declined because he had NO PATIENCE with his more frivolous PAISANOS esp. those who loved wine, women and cards.

Closing days of 1890 - there arise an unfortunate rivalry between Rizal and del Pilar for supremacy.

Del Pilar- brave lawyer and journalist, famous in Madrid with his bold editorial in La Solidaridad; which he owned.

-bought it from Pablo Rianzares; first owner

-replaced Graciano Lopez Jaena as Editor in Chief

January 1, 1891 (New Year’s Day) – the Filipinos of Madrid met to reorganize the Asociacion Hispano – Filipina to elect a Responsable; a new leader who would act as a spokesman of the Filipino cause in Europe

2/3 of the vote to be the Responsable.

February 1891 – (1st week) election starts

Filipinos were divided into two rival camps:

Rizalistas and Pilaristas

Rizalistas – worked hard for the election of Rizal.

Pilaristas – fought for del Pilar’s election

Candidates wanted to withdraw for the sake of unity, but their fanatical followers

would not allow them to do so.

1st Balloting-either candidate failed to garner the necessary two- thirds vote for

election2nd vote- taken the next day with the same

result

Rizal counted the votes in his favour which were nineteen (19).

“Good!I see that I have only nineteen

friends in the colony. Farewell, senores,

I'm going to pack my bags----

until we meet again.”

Mariano Ponce, Antonio Luna, Teodoro Sandiko (Pilaristas) – change their votes

in favor of Rizal

But it was too late.Rizal really meant what he said.

His presence in Madrid only served to split the Filipinos, hence he thought it better for the cause to depart and leave Del

Pilar without a rival in Madrid.

Backto

Brussels

February, 1891 – he left Madrid and proceeded to Biarritz, where he was a

welcomed guest of the Boustead at their Villa Eliada.

Adelina Boustead – he proposed for marriage

- his marital proposal did not prosper

Valentin Ventura – Rizal’s friend and companion in Paris

April 4, 1891 – He wrote to Jose Ma. Basa, expressing his wish to live in

Hongkong and practice medicine.

Middle of April 1891 – Rizal turned to Belgium City, Brussels for one reason,

---to finish his second novel.

Jose Alejandrino – his room-mateSuzanne Jacoby – Belgian girl in loved

with Rizal

Slideshow Presentation By: Jivanee S. Abril

ENDOF

CHAPTER 18

Reference:

Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writing of a Genius,

Writer, Scientist and National Hero

By: Gregorio F. ZaideSonia M. Zaide

ALL- NATIONS Publishing Co.,Inc.,2011