Visiting United States and Great

Britain

Jose Rizal

RIZAL IN AMERICA, 1888

“I visited the cities of America, with their grandiose edifices, their electric lights, and their

great conceptions. America is, undoubtedly a great country, but she has many defects.”

-Jose Rizal

• Rizal first saw America on April 28, 1888.

• His arrival in this great country was marred by racial prejudice.

• He saw the discriminatory treatment of the Chinese and the Negros by the white Americans.

• Saturday, April 28, 1888- The steamer Belgic docked at San Francisco.

• American health authorities did not let the passengers land for one week because of the rumored cholera epidemic.

• Rizal was surprised because he knew there was no cholera epidemic in the Far East.

• He soon discovered that it was motivated by politics and the ship was carrying 643 Chinese coolies.

• They displaced white laborers in railroad construction ramps. Administration had to impede then their entry to favor their people(white-voters).

•May 4, 1888 – The day he was permitted to go ashore and registered at the Palace Hotel which was then considered a first- class hotel in the city.

Rizal in San Francisco

•May 4 to 6, 1888 – Rizal stayed in San Francisco.

• He mentioned in his diary about Leland Stanford, Stanford University founder.

• Grover Cleveland was the U.S. president when Rizal visited.

Across the American Continent• May 6, 1888 – it was Sunday, 4:30 pm,Rizal left San Francisco for Oakland,nine miles across San Francisco Bay,by ferry boat.

•May 7, 1888 – it was morning, Rizal awoke and had a good breakfast at Reno, Nevada, now glamorized by American high-pressure propaganda as “The Biggest Little City in the World”.

Oakland

Reno

Omaha DenverOgden

ChicagoBoston

Albany

Crossed Hudson River

Sacramento

Missouri River

Nebraska

Oakland

Reno

Omaha DenverOgden

ChicagoBoston

Albany

Crossed Hudson River

Sacramento

• Rizal had observed that in Chicago, every cigar store has an Indian figure

Oakland

Reno

Omaha DenverOgden

ChicagoBoston

Albany

Crossed Hudson River

Sacramento

Niagara Falls

He compared it with the falls at Los Baños, saying the latter, though smaller in size, is more beautiful and finer.

Oakland

Reno

Omaha DenverOgden

ChicagoBoston

Albany

Crossed Hudson River

Sacramento

Hudson River

Rizal in New York

• May 13, 1888 – it was Sunday morning when Rizal reached New York.

•He stayed three days in this city, which hecalled the “big town”.

• Rizal visited the scenic and historical places in New York.

• He was awed and inspired by the memorials of the former US president, George Washington:

“He is a great man who, I think has no equal in this country.”

-Rizal (in his letter to Ponce)

•May 16, 1888 – Rizal left New York for Liverpool on board the City of Rome (the 2nd largest ship at that time).

• He saw the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe Island.

Rizal’s Impressions of AmericaA. Good

1) Material progress of the country as shown in its cities, farms, and industries 2) The drive and energy of the Americans 3) The natural beauty of the land 4) The high standard of living 5) The opportunities for better life offered to poor immigrants.

B. Bad * the lack of racial equality

Rizal’s roommate in Brussels, Jose Alejandrino (Engineering student that time in Belgium) have never been to America so he asked him of his impressions of the place. And Rizal replied:

“America is the land par excellence of freedom but only for the whites.”

Life and Works in London, 1888-1889

“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

Rizal’s reasons for staying in London:

1) To improve his knowledge on the English language; 2) To study and annotate Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas; 3) London was a safe place to for him to carry on his fight againstSpanish tyranny.

Trip Across the Atlantic

• On board the ship, City of Rome

• Rizal befriended with the other passengers of different nationalities(European, American), as a naturally friendly man and because of his linguistic ability.

• 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.

He told the unknowing westerners

that a yo yo is an

offensive weapon, instead of being a simple Filipino toy for kids.

• While on board, Rizal met several American newspapermen with whom he discussed current social and political issues but could not enjoy the conversation for their (the Americans’) knowledge on geo-politics were not as rich as Rizal’s.

•He arrived at Liverpool, England on May 24, 1888 where he stayed for one day.

Life in London

• Rizal went to London on May 25, 1888.

• He stayed for a short time at the home of Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, an exile of 1872 and a practising lawyer in London.

• He found a permanent boarding place at No. 37 Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill, owned by the Beckett family.

• The Becketts were Mr. Becket(organist of St. Paul’s church), his wife, and their three charming daughters.

• The Becketts’ home was conveniently near the public places and the British Museum where he would do his extensive research.

• He met Dr. Reinhold Rost, the librarian of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an authority on Malayan languages and customs.

• He called Rizal “a pearl of a man” (una perla de hombre) as he was impressed by his learning and character.

• connections with the British Museum auhtorities.

• He religiously studied several materials on Philippine History especially on Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which he annotated.

• discussed problems on Philippine affairs with Dr. Regidor

• learned even more and had recreations in Dr. Rost’s company.

Good and Bad News from Home

*** Bad news: 1) Persecution of the Filipino patriots in Manila and the surrounding towns being involved in the Anti-friar Manifesto of 1888.

2) The Calamba agrarian trouble of 1888 in which the tenants, including the Rizals, were being persecuted by the hacienda management.

3)Manuel T. Hidalgo (husband of Saturnina), Rizal’s brother-in-law, was exiled to Bohol.

4) Another brother-in-law, Mariano Herbosa (husband of Lucia), was denied of Christian burial because of the malicious rumor that he had not confessed since marriage.

5) A friend of Rizal, Laurencio Viado, a medical student at the UST, was imprisoned because of owning a copy of Noli Me Tangere.

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

Annotating Morga’s Work

• his greatest achievement in London

•spent many days in the British Museum poring over materials about Philippines (Fr. Chirino’s, Fr. Colin’s, Argensola, Plasencia, eyc.)

• For Rizal Dr. Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas was the best.

Dr. Antonio de Morga

• He was so dedicated in his annotation and other studies that he even refused to help edit a newspaper as requested by Mariano Ponce.

Short Visit to Paris and Spain

• his experience in the place accompanied by Juan Luna and his (Luna) family.

• he stayed here for a week to study more historical materials in the Bibliotheque Nationale

• On December 11, 1888- he visited Madrid and Barcelona

• surveyed political situations regarding the agitation for Philippine Reforms

Bibliotheque Nationale

• he first met Mariano Ponce andMarcelo H. del Pilar

• started to be involved officially in the Propaganda Movement.

Christmas in London

• 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.

Romance With Gertrude Beckett

• Rizal had a romantic interlude with the oldest of the three Beckett sisters, Gertrude Beckett.

• “Gettie,” was a buxom English girl with brown hair, blue eyes and pink cheeks.

• She was attracted to Rizal and had always loved to be with him.

• and our hero, being away from home, in turn, found a little inspiration with the English girl.

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.

Rizal and La Solidaridad

• the foundation of Asociation Hispano-Filipina on January12, 1889.

• It was the society founded by the Filipino patriots and their friend in Madrid for the purpose of working for the needed reforms of the Propaganda Movement.

Asociacion Hispano-Filipina(Hispano-Philippine Association)

• Purpose: secure reforms for the Philippines• President: Don Miguel Morayta• V-president: Gen. Felipe dela Corte• Secretary: Dominador Gomez• Members: all Filipinos in Europe, prominent scholars, statesmen of other nationalities.

...Asociacion Hispano-Filipina(Hispano-Philippine Association)

3 Sections:

1.) Political Section (M.H. del Pilar)2.) Literary Section (M. Ponce)3.) Recreation Section (Tomas Arejola)

…Asociacion Hispano-Filipina(Hispano-Philippine Association)

☻ The members met once a month to discuss Philippine-Spanish questions.

☻ They drew up petitions and passed resolutions.

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, Organ ofthe Propaganda Movement

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 to 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 Death 4) 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.

Mr. Armando Delfino-Instructor(SSC108-Rizal and Other Heroes)

Prepared by:Rebecca B. BorromeoBSE-3 Eng