CHAPTER 15

RIZAL’S SECOND SOJURN IN PARIS

AND THE UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION OF 1889

Sojurn - a temporary stay

Universal Exposition - a large international exhibition designed to showcase achievements of nations

• Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a world’s fair held in Paris from May 6 to October 31, 1889
• It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event
considered symbolic of the beginning of the French Revolution.

But despite the social parties he continued his fruitful artistic, literary and patriotic labors. Rizal:

(a) Published annotated edition of Morga’s Sucesos

(b) Founded three Filipino societies (the Kidlat club, the Indios Bravos, and the RDLM)
(c) Wrote Por Telefono

DIFFICULTY OF FINDING QUARTERS

• It was difficult for a visitor to find a living quarter in Paris because Universal Exposition
was approaching and it attracted thousands of tourists
• For a short time, Rizal lived with Valentin Ventura at No. 45 Rue Maubeuge where he polished
his annotated edition of Morga’s book
• Finally, he lived in a little room with: Capitan Justo Trinidad and Jose Albert

LIFE IN PARIS

• Rizal spent most of hos time at Bibliotheque Nationale (National Library)

• In spare hours, he dined at the homes of the Pardo de Taveras, Venturas, Bousteads and Lunas
• Rizal was a good friend to the three Pardo de Taveras who were children of Don Joaquin Pardo
de Tavera, an exiled of 1872 who escaped from Marianas and lived in France. These were:

(1) Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera - physician by vocation and philologist by avocation
(2) Felix Pardo de Tavera - physician by vocation and artist and sculptor by avocation
(3) Paz Pardo de Tavera - wife of Juan Luna

• On June 24 1889, a baby girl was born to Juan Luna & Paz Pardo de Tavera.
• Her baptismal godfather, Rizal, named her Maria de la Paz, Blanca, Laureana, Hermenegilda
Juana Luna y Pardo de Tavera

RIZAL AND THE PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1889

• Opened on May 6, 1889

• Greatest attraction of the Exposition: Eiffel Tower built by Alexander Eiffel (984 feet high)
• Rizal attended the ribbon cutting and saw President Sadi Canon of the Third French Republic
• Daily, the exposition drew a vast crowd of 20,000 people or more
• One of the features of the exposition: International Art Competition where Felix R. Hidalgo, Juan
Luna, Felix Pardo de Tavera and Jose Rizal himself participated
• Hidalgo’s painting was awarded second prize and the paintings of Juan Luna and Felix Pardo de
Tavera both obtained the third prize. Rizal’s entry (a bust which he modelled) got no prize.
KIDLAT CLUB

• Organized by Rizal on March 19, 1889

• Members: Antonio & Juan Luna, Gregorio Aguilera, Fernando Canon, Lauro Dimayuga, Julio
Lllorente, Guillermo Puatu and Baldomero Roxas
• Temporary social society which aims to bring together young Filipinos in French capital to enjoy the
Universal Exposition
• Why kidlat club? It will also disappear like lightning

INDIOS BRAVOS

• Rizal and his compatriots were amazed by the Buffalo Bull which featured the American Indians
• A new society, Indios Bravos “Brave Indians” replaced Kidlat Club
• The members pledged to excel in intellectual and physical prowess to win admiration of foreigners
• They practiced the use of sword and pistol
• Rizal also taught them how to judo, an Asian art of self-defense which he learned in Japan

RDLM SOCIETY

• Another society founded by Rizal during the Universal Exposition of 1889

• This secret society was mentioned in only 2 letters: (1) Rizal’s letter to Jose Maria Basa,
Paris, September 21, 1889 (2) Rizal’s Letter to Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Paris, November 4,
1889
• Members: Gregorio Aguilera, Jose Ma. Basa, Julio Llorente, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Mariano Ponce,
Baldomero Roxas, Father Jose Maria Changco, Gregorio Aguilera, Jose Ma. Basa, Marcelo H.
Del Pilar and Mariano Ponce
• According to Dr. Leoncio Lopez-Rizal, grand nephew of the hero, the society has a symbol or
countersign represented by a circle divided into three parts by two semi circles having in the center
the interlocked letters I and B meaning Indios Bravos and the letters RDLM placed outside the upper,
lower, left and right sides of the circle
• The letters RDLM are believed to be initials of the society “Redencion de los Malayos”
• Patterned after freemasonry
• Aim: Propagation of all useful knowledge in the Philippines and Redemption of the Malay race
• Rizal was inspired by a famous book Max Havelaar (1860) written by Multatuli (pseudonym of E.D.
Dekker, Dutch author) which exposed the miserable conditions of the oppressed Malay inhabitants of
the Netherlands East Indies under Dutch rule
• On a ketter to Blumentritt, from Rizal on February 23, 1892 he revealed his intention to be a leader of
freedom, if not in the Philippines, then in other lands “In Borneo”

ANNOTATED EDITION OF MORGA PUBLISHED

• Rizal’s outstanding achievement in Paris was the publication in 1890 of his annotated edition of
Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
• It was printed by Garnier Freres
• The Prologue was written by Professor Blumentritt
• Two things which reveals Rizal’s error: appraising the events of the past in the light of
present standards and attack on the catholicism
• He dedicated this new edition to the Filipino people so that they would know of their glorious past.
• His dedication is as follows: “Born and reared in ignorance of our past like almost all of you: without
voice nor authority to speak of what we have not seen nor studied, I deemed it necessary to invoke
the testimony of an Illostrious Spaniards who controlled the destinies of the Philippines at the
beginning of it’s new era and personally witnessed the last days of our ancient nationality”
• In this historical work, Rizal proved that the Filipinos were already civilized before the advent of Spain
COMMENT ON MORGA’S PUBLICATION DATE

• The title page of Rizal’s annotated edition of Morga reads “Paris, Liberia de Garnier Hermanos, 1890”
• From this printed date, all biographers of Rizal came to assert that this was published in 1890
• However, there’s a documentary evidence that Rizal’s edition of Morga came of the press in 1889
• On Octover 12, 1889, Blumentritt wrote ro Rizal from Leitmeritz that he had just received his
magnificent edition of Morga
• Rizal himself, in his letter to Dr. Baldomero Roxas from Paris on December 31, 1889 stated “Today
I sent to Lipa four copies of Morga. Later I will send you more”
• From Barcelona, Mariano Ponce wrote to Rizal on December 31, 1889 saying “I received the book”
• The three letters above thus, serve as a proof that Rizal’s edition of Morga came of the press in 1889

RIZAL AS A HISTORIAN

• Rizal’s research studies in the British Museum (London) and in the Bibliotheque Nationale
(Paris) enriched his historical knowledge.
• His splendid annotations to Morga’s book showed his familiarity with the basic principles of
historiography.
• As he once told Isabelo de los Reyes: “A historian ought to be rigorously imparted... I never assert
anything on my own authority. I cite texts and when I do, I have them before me. “
• His knowledge of foreign languages enabled Rizal to read historical documents and books in the
languages in which they were originally written. For instance, he read;

-
Pigafetta’s “First Voyage Around the World” in Italian
-
The historical works of Marsden, Raffles, Lord Stanley, and Wallace in English
-
“The writings of blumentritt, Jagor, and Virchrow” in German
-
“The books of M. Jaquet, J. Mallat, and A. Marche” in French
-
“The works of T.H. Pardo de Tavera, Pedro A. Paterno, Miguel Morayta, and Pi y Margall in Spanish

• By his extensive reading of archival sources and books in foreign countries, he acquired wide
knowledge not only of Philippines history, but also the history of European colonization in Asia.
• Aside from his excellence annotations in Morga’s, Rizal wrote other works which qualify him to be real
historian. Among them were:

THE PHILIPPINES WITHIN A CENTURY

• In this article, Rizal expressed his views on the Spanish colonization in the Philippines and
predicted with amazing accurancy the tragic end of Spain’s sovereignity in Asia.
• He portrayed at the beginning of his article the glorious past of the Filipino people then described
their economic stagnation and unhappiness under the harsh bugling Spanish rule.
• Towards the last paragraphs, he warned Spain of what would happen to her colonial empire in Asia if
she would not adopt a more liberal and enlightened policy towards the Philippines

THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINOS

• La Indolencia de los Filipinos - more popularly known in its English version

• An essay written to explain the alleged idleness of his people during the Spanish colonization
• A critical study of the causes why the people did not work hard during the Spanish regime
• The main thesis was that the Filipinos are not by nature indolent
• Rizal explained that the Filipinos used to be industrious and hard working but the Spanish conquest in
the country brought about a decline in economic activities because the Filipinos abandoned their pre-
Spanish industries and worked less than their ancestor
• Such decline in economic life was due to certain causes:

(1) Native revolts and other internal disorders which followed the establishment of Spanish rule
(2) The wars which the Filipinos fought for Spain’s enemies
(3) Frightful raids on the coastal towns and village of Christian Philippines by Muslim pirates of Mindanao & Sulu
(4) Forced labor which compelled thousands of Filipino laborers to work in public works resulting in the
abandonment of their personal works
(5) Lack of stimulus to work harder because the people could not enjoy the fruits of their labor
(6) Government neglect and indifference to agriculture, industry, and commerce
(7) The bad example shown by the Spaniards in despising manual labor
(8) The teaching of Spanish missionaries that it is easier for a poor man to enter heaven than for a rich man,
hence the Filipinos prefer not to work and be poor so that they could easily enter heaven after they die
(9) Encouragement and propagation of gambling by the Spanish authorities
(10) System of Spanish education did not promote economic enterprise and activity

• Filipinos are easy going and don’t work so hard because they’re wise enough to adjust themselves to
their warm, tropical climate. They don’t have to kill themselves working hard in order to live because
nature gives them abundant harvests by working less than those in temperate & arid countries.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FILIPINOLOGISTS

• The aim of the association is to study the Philippines from the scientific and historical point of view
• Their inaugural convention did not materialize because the French government discouraged the
holding of conferences by private organizations during the period of the international exposition.

PROJECT FOR FILIPINO COLLEGE IN HONGKONG

• This College aims to “train and educate men of good family and financial means in accordance with
the demands of modern times and circumstances”
• A rich Filipino resident in Paris, Mr. Mariano Cunanan, from Mexico, Pampanga, promised to help him
raise P40,000 as initial capital for the college.
• This project of Rizal to establish a modern college in Hong Kong did not materialize

POR TELEFONO

• This satirical pamphlet under the authorship of “Dimas Alang” is a witty satire which ridicules Fr. Font
• It describes in comical vein a telephone conversation between Fr. Font who was in Madrid and the
father provincial of the San Agustin Convent in Manila.
• Published in a booklet form in Barcelona, 1889
• Rizal received the printed copies from Mariano Ponce as revealed in his letter dated August 13, 1889
• Rizal predicted much ahead of his times that people could carry on overseas telephonic
conversations, 12 years after the publication of Rizal’s “Por Telefono.”

CHRISTMAS IN PARIS

• Rizal and Jose Albert were living frigally in a small room occupied by Capitan Justo Trinidad
• They planned to have a sumptuous Christmas dinner: fried chicken, rice, and vegetables
• This was Rizal’s last Christmas dinner in Paris
• After New Year Rizal had brief visit to London for an unknown purpose but two theoretical reasons
were: To check up his annotated edition of Morga’s Sucesos with the original copy in the British
Museum and To see Gertrude Beckett for the last time
• In the middle of January 1890 he went back to Paris
• That time, an epidemic influenza was raging in Europe. Fortunately, he wasn’t stricken by the flu