CHAPTER 9

HIS LIFE IN
EUROPE
 “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
 He chose the English City to
be his new home for 3 reasons:

1. To improve his knowledge of the

English Language.
 2. To study and
annotate Morga’s
Sucesos de Las Islas
Filipinas.
3. London was safe place for
him to carry on his fight
against Spanish tyranny.
Trip Across Atlantic
Rizal was on board the “”SS City of Rome”.

• While on the board, Rizal entertained the American and

European passengers with his marvellous skill of the yoyo as
a defensive weapon.
 MAY 24, 1888

 On May 24,
1888, Rizal
arrived at
Liverpool in
London where
he stayed for
only one day.
He spent his night at Adelphi Hotel
 At his stay in the city, he
described it as (22):

“A big and beautiful city and its

celebrated port as worthy of its great
fame. The entrance is magnificent and
the customhouse is quite good. ”
On May 25,1888, Rizal went to London.
In London.

 For a while, he
stayed as a
guest in the
home of Dr.
Antonio Ma.
Regidor.
 At the end of
May, he found
a modest
boarding place
in the home of
the Beckett
family at No.
37 Chalcot,
Crescent,
Primrose Hill.
 The Beckett Family

•Mr. Charles
Beckett,
organist of St.
Paul’s church
•Mrs. Beckett
(his wife)
•2 sons
•4 daughters
British Museum

 His research
work in the
British museum
gained him the
acquaintance of
Dr. Reinhold
Rost.
 Dr. Reinhold Rost

 The Librarian of
the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
 An authority on
Malayan languages
and customs.
 It is in the
British
museum where
Rizal spent a
lot of time
reading the
pages of
Morga’s
Sucesos and
other historical
works The British Museum
concerning the
Philippines.
 Sundays

On Sundays, he was in
the house of Dr. Rost,
where aside from
having pleasant
conversations with
him, played cricket and
other sports with Dr.
Rost’s sons.
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

 While Rizal was in

London, annotating
Morga’s book,
Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas was
considered as his
greatest achievement.
 This was published in
Mexico in 1869.
Dr. Antonio de Morga
 Rizal described Morga’s book
as:

“excellent, written in a scholarly

fashion and in a very simple
manner and did not have ‘the
superficiality and the
exaggeration,’ inherent in Spanish
works.”
Morga’s Sucesos was viewed as
being:

“accurate in the narration of

events, unbiased in judgment
and unmarred by childish
fantasies.”
GOOD AND BAD
NEWS
GOOD NEWS
 GOOD NEWS

 It was this time that Rizal heard of the

defense of Father Garcia of the Noli
against the allegations and attacks of Fr.
Rodriguez.
 Rizal was overwhelmed of his gratitude
that tears fell from his eyes.
 Letter to Father Garcia (Jan. 7, 1891)

“We young Filipinos are trying to make over a

nation and must not halt in our march, but
from time to time turn our gaze upon our
elders. We shall wish to read in their
countenances approval of our actions. We are
anxious to learn of the Philippines’ past which
we need to understand to plan intelligently for
the future. We want to know all that our
ancestors know, and then add our own study to
theirs. Then we shall progress the faster
because we can go on from where they left off.”
BAD NEWS
The bad news outweighed the good news which
are as follows:
 Persecution of the Filipino patriots
who signed the petition of the “Anti-
Friar Petition of 1888”.
Anti-Friar Petition was presented by Doroteo Cortes
to Jose Centeno, civil governor of the Province of
Manila, March 1, 1888. this petition was signed by
about 800 patriots and was actually written by M.H.
del Pilar. It was addressed to the Queen Regent of
Spain requesting the expulsion of the friars,
including Archbishop Pedro Payo (Dominican),
Manila.
 Persecution of the Calamba tenants,
including Rizal’s family and relatives, for their
courage to petition the government for agrarian
reforms.
 Furious attacks on Rizal by Senators
Salamanca and Vida in the Spanish Cortes and
by Desengaños (Wenceslao Retana) and
Quioquiap (Pablo Feced) in Spanish newspapers.
 Rizal’s brother-in-law, Manuel T.
Hidalgo, husband of Saturnina, was
exiled by Governor Weyler to Bohol
without due process of law.
 A friend of Rizal, Laureano Vida, a
medical student of the University of Santo
Tomas, was arrested and jailed in Bilibid
Prison because copies of the Noli was
found in his house.
Short Visit to Paris and
Spain
 After ten (10) months in London….

 Rizal left London

for Paris.
 Early in September
1888, Rizal visited
Paris for a week in
order to search for
more historical
materials in
Bibliotheque
Nationale.
On December 11,
1888, Rizal went to
Madrid and
Barcelona, Spain in
order to determine
the political situation
relevant to the
agitation of reforms
in the Philippines.
 There, he met two
leaders in the
Propaganda
Movement, Marcelo
H. del Pilar and for
the first time Mariano
Ponce, and exchanged
ideas and plans in their
fight for reforms.
 Back to London…

 After Rizal’s stay in

Spain, on December
24, 1888, he went
back to London and
spent his Christmas
and New Year there.
Gifts…

 That Christmas was a

joyous one where he
received a gift from his
landlady, a book
entitled The Life and
Adventures of
Valentine Vox, the
Ventriloquist.
 Rizal sent a gift which
he made for his best
friend, Blumentritt,
a bust of Emperor
Augustus, while to Dr.
Carlos Czepelak, the
Polish scholar, a bust
of Julius Caesar.
Rizal becomes leader
of Filipinos in
Europe
 Solidaridad Association

 By unanimous vote of all the members, Rizal

was chosen Honorary President of
Filipino Patriotic Society in Barcelona called
Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad
Association) which would cooperate in the
crusade for reforms. This was inaugurated
on December 31, 1888.
 Rizal then wrote a letter of thanks addressed
to the members of Asociacion La
Solidaridad on Jan. 28, 1889
 Letter content

 When defeated never surrender

 Great deal of integrity and much good
will
 Rizal and the La Solidaridad
 On December 13, 1888,
Graciano Lopez Jaena
founded the patriotic
newspaper called La
Solidaridad in
Barcelona.
 Rizal became an active
contributor to the newspaper
(as “Laong Laan” and “Dimas
Alang.”
 Aims of La Solidaridad

1. To work peacefully for political and social

reforms;
2. To portray the deplorable conditions of the
Philippines so that Spain may remedy them;
3. To oppose the evil forces of reaction and
medievalism;
4. To advocate liberal ideas and progress; and
5. To champion the legitimate aspirations of the
Filipino people to life, democracy, and
happiness.
 Rizal’s First Article in La Solidaridad

 Rizal’s first article in La

Solidaridad was entitled
Los Agricultores
Filipinos (The Filipino
Farmers).
 It was published on
March 25, 1889, six
days after he left
London for Paris.
 Writings in London

 Rizal received news on Fray Rodriguez’

unabated attack on his Noli. In defense he
wrote a pamphlet entitled La Vision del Fray
Rodriguez (The Vision of Fray Rodriguez)
which was published in Barcelona.
 Under the pseudonym “Dimas Alang,” Rizal
satirically attacked Fray Rodriquez through
presenting a spirited conversation between the
friar and St. Augustine.
In London, Rizal wrote the famous “Letter to the Young
Women of Malolos” in Tagalog.
He penned it, upon the request of Marcelo del Pilar to
praise the young ladies of Malolos for their courage to
establish a school where they could learn Spanish, despite
opposition of Father Felipe Garcia, Spanish parish priest
of Malolos.
 The letter’s main points:

 Filipino mother should teach her children love of God,

fatherland and mankind;
 …should be glad, like Spartan mother to offer her sons in
the defense of the fatherland;
 Filipino woman should know how to preserve her dignity
and honor;
 …should know how she should educate herself, aside from
retaining her good racial values;
 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.
Romance with Gertrude
Beckett
Rizal Fell in Love Again 

It was also at this

time that Rizal fell
in love again, with
his landlady’s
daughter,
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
 “I fell in love with Rizal. On cold
winter mornings I had a sunny
smile for him, chattering gaily like a
humming bird. During the family
picnics, I was particularly very
happy because Rizal was with them
and I gave him all my attention.
And in rainy days when Rizal stayed
at home, I helped him by mixing his
colours for painting or assisted in
preparing the clay for sculpturing”
 As their flirtation was fast
approaching the point of no
return, Rizal suddenly realized
that he could not marry Gettie
for he had a mission to fulfil in
life. he did not let his
emotions overcome his
“obsession” of fulfilling his
“mission” to institute reforms
in his country.
 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.
 His Four Sculptural Works

1. Prometheus Bound
2. The Triumph of Death Over Life
3. The Triumph of Science Over Death
4. A composite carving of the heads of the
Beckett sisters
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.
His Second Trip
to Paris
 Paris

 In March
1889, Rizal
left for Paris,
his second
time to visit
the place.
 Valentin
Ventura
Rizal lived in the house of his friend at
No. 45 Rue Maubeuge
Rizal used to dine at
the homes of
his friends.
Pardo De Taveras
The Venturas
The Bousteds
Luna Family
 Pardo de Tavera’s family

Children of Don Joaquin Pardo de Tavera

- escaped from Marianas and lived in France.
Dr. Trinidad H. de taveras – Physician and Philologist
Dr. Felix Pardo de Tavera – Physician, Artist and
Sculptor
Paz Pardo de Tavera – Wife of Juan Luna
 A letter dated May 16, 1889

“My daily life in Paris is spent in the

following manner: one or two hours in the
gymnasium and in fencing, three or four
hours in the library, the rest I use up in
writing and visiting friends.
I am invited to eat at Luna’s house, on
Sundays at Mrs. Juliana’s and on Fridays I
visit the family of Boustead (also a Filipino)
where sometimes I take tea.”
The Exposition
 Kidlat Club

 On March 19, 1889, Rizal arrived in Paris

from London and there he formed a club
called the Kidlat Club, whose members
were Filipino patriots.
 It was temporary in nature, and their major
purpose was to form a comradeship, and to
enjoy their stay in Paris especially during the
Universal Exposition.
 Kidlat Club

KIDLAT means “lightning”

and it is in the light of this
meaning that the club was
formed and disbanded.
 Kidlat Club Patriotic Members

 Antonio Luna
 Juan Luna
 Gregorio Aguilera
 Fernando Canon
 Laura Dimayuga
 Julio Lorrente
 Guillermo Pautu
 Baldomero Roxas
 Filipinos participated in the art contest and
among them were: Felix R. Hidalgo, Juan Luna,
Felix Pardo de Tavera, and Rizal.
 Hidalgo’s painting won second prize, the
paintings of Juan Luna and F. Pardo de Tavera,
each obtained the third prize, while Rizal’s
entry a bust which he modeled got no prize.
The bust was “one to qualify for the exhibition,
but not good enough to win an international
prize (29).”
Indios Bravos
(Brave Indians)
The Sociedad R.D.L.M.
 Redencion de los
Malayos
( REDEMPTION OF THE MALAYS)
2 Letters of Rizal mentioned the secret
society
Letter to Jose Maria Basa ( September
21, 1889
Letter to Marcelo H. del Pilar ( Nov. 4,
1889)
“the propagation of all
useful knowledge –
scientific, artistic,
literary, etc. – in the
Philippines.”
Max Havelaar
- written by Multatuli (pseudonym
of Eduard Douwes Dekker)
 Members of R.D.L.M

Gregorio Aguilera
Jose Maria Basa
Julio Llorente
Marcelo H. Del Pilar
Mariano Ponce
Baldomero Roxas
Fr. Jose Maria Changco.
Rizal wrote to Blumentritt

Bornean Colonization includes the

right of the colonists to:

Buy the Lands

The free use of the seashores
The unusual long term of the
lease for 999 yrs.
The publication of the annotated
edition of morga’s sucesos
 Finally in 1890, the annotated
edition of Morga’s Sucesos was
printed by Garnier Freres.

Rizal’s errors in prologue of

Blumentritt

Rizal commits the error of many

historians
Rizal’s attack on the church were unfair
and unjustifiable
 Rizal dedicated the new edition
of Morga to the Filipinos

Rizal proved that Filipinos were

already civilized before the
advent of Spain.
Oct. 12, 1889 – Blumentritt
wrote to Rizal

Dec. 28, 1889 – in his letter to

Dr. Baldomero Roxas

Dec. 31, 1889 – Mariano Ponce

wrote to Rizal receiving the
book.
His Competence as a
Historian
 Bibliotheque
Nationale in
Paris
British
Museum in
London
 English – Marsden,
Raffles, Lord Stanley,
and Wallace.

German –
Blumentritt, Jagor,
and Virchow

French – Book of M.
Jacquet, J. Mallat and
A. Marche.

Feodor Jagor
Spanish – Work of
 Rizal - a Real Historian
2 Historical Commentaries in London
Ma- yi (Dec. 6, 1888)
Tawalisi of Ibn Batuta ( Jan. 7, 1889)

Published in La Solidaridad
The Philippines within a Century (Filipinas
dentro de Cien Años)
The Indolence of the Filipinos ( Sobre la
Indolencia de los Filipinos)
 THE END.
BALIT MAY PART 2 PA. 