Chapter 17 Misfortunes in Madrid (1890-91) ; 1990, Rizal arrived in Madrid. He tig Early in Augie) ywstice for his family and the Calng all egal means OY avail, Disappointment after disappointmex ai ' tenants, bu To Ml the cross he bore seemed insuperable Filed on gt fought two duels — one with Antonio Lun | carry. He ay Wencesla0 E. Retana. On top of his mis other te ) fos Rivera married a British engineer. The infideliy even years, bole ofthe gil, with whom he was engaged for el thee With resent strength of character, he survived th titer pangs of love's disillusionment and continued his missin to redeem his oppressed people. Failure to Get Justice for Family. Upon arrival in Mads, Rizal immediately sought the help of the Filipino colony, tht Asociacion Hispano-Filipina, and the liberal Spanish newspapes (Za Justicia, EL Gabo La Republica, ET Resumen, etc.) Securing justice for the oppressed Calamba tenants, includitt his family." Together with M.H. del Pilar (who acted as tis lawyer) and Dr. Gome : Dominador Gomez (secretary of the Asocisot Hispano-Filipina) he called on the Minister of Colonies (Set Fabie) in order to protest the injustices committed by ( General Valerian Weyer ant he os pat Can yee ‘t and the Dominicans again: Nothing came out of Rizal's int it ter Fab As El Resumen, a Madsid nevepaper which sympathized v the Filipino cause, said: “To cover the ears, ‘open the pus and fold the arms — this is the Spanish colonial policy" 176 , Mion More terrible news reacheg : toes Misi (1800.19 futile fet for justice, Fron lita 1 Ido, he received acopy of ™ bis broth Joa eainst Francisco Ripe pis sister, Saturnina, he Tea, (Rizal), Antonino (Lopez), si Blejorde), and Dandoy (Dr."Rizapy, (bak izals anfortunate deportes were arros edn ped out of Manila on September 6 "ig and wer ts 5m Saturnina’s letter that their paren te further letneg | “ected from their home and were Hct had been eject fe then en ter home ar Tee been for AGrsa (Antonino wie). “Aen the bout ( Ta his desperation, Rizal sought the aid ofthe who were former membe; eral Spanish _ statesmen: Sof the Ministry. inde try, incl Becerra, laura. Again, he was dis sdatesmen merely gave him honeyed won aothing else. Blumentritt in Leitmeritz hearing of his frends pi him to see Queen Regent Maria Cristina’ (then ae during the minority of Alfonso XII). But how could tense Her majesty? He had neither powerful friends to bring hime the queen’s presence nor gold to grease the palms of influential courtiers. PPdinted, or thee 5 of sympathy, ang Rizal’s Eulogy to Panganiban. Barely had Rizal settled down in Madrid, when he experienced another disappointment, This was the doleful news that his friend, Jose Ma. Panganiban, his talented co-worker in the Propaganda Movement, died in Bar- - celona on August 19, 1890, after a lingering illness, He deeply mourned the passing of this Bicol hero. With a sorrowing heart, Rizal took up his pen and wrote 4 great eulogy to Panganiban as follows:° Panganiban, that excellent companion of labor and difficulty, that amiable friend and countryman beloved, has jst described to the tomb at the early age of 27 years. We Just caught his last whisper, saw him expire in our arms, as it were, and it seems as if we are listening to his phrases ‘aturated with energetic patriotism, inspired by the purest love of his native land . .. 7 Scanned with CamScannerjon AN sion 10 def, Vy ft Soom is family, i seam bs family, Om Wis depey his youth, in ap the ftower of in his roy nthe, HOWE OF ge asin gh ose RIZAL: LIFES iis wos 3 37 native 50h Sitections, 3 popes, isons an i" e rrr words were of Ying Fmembrg eh ne fa rea et ake into account Certain exe ost vehement love of his natns 140 agro his heart must have fe, ner ema hopes ardent desis, ag August 19s ci, as 00 ‘of mourning to numerous in Europe: at a fatal coincidence on the Pd day of the year just passed we had tp nth ath of another fiend and counttyman, Gonzales Timbang. ; fate! Panganiban, endowed with uncommos ged incligence, and with indefatigable f the sacred, legitimate hopes of his indenate country. That bead has Deen ‘buried in the dos, ay vigorous intelligence has been prematurely ended Frpinas, how unfortunate thow art With Antonio Luna. Towards the end 1 attended_a social AiMfadrid. As was customary in these ‘weekly reunions oft vas served. After drinking so many glass te Toquacious and the conversations fn ‘Antonio Luna, became drunk Feliciano. A sd talent, with privile industry, was one of Aborted Duel ‘August, 1890, Rizal isanos, wine guests became more freely. One of them, ‘At that time, Lun: romance with Nellie Bouste: a Rizal for his failure to win her, although Rizal had previon explained to him that he had nothing to do about it. In af] jealousy, which his alcohol-befogged mind ‘could not oot Luna uttered certain unsavor remarks about Nellie. Rizal heard him. His high sense any slur against the honor of any woma slanderous remarks, he challenged Luna, his friend, Rizal was a better pistol shot than Luna. But the water his superior as a swordsman. Luna, as the challenged Pa" 178 . Deep. Angered 2 toa duel of chivalry could notte) ferns in tae (1290-1291) aie of weapons. Loria, he wo ye i ih ease, Ris ie out BBY to choose the sy iipios were shocked by the inci Jeopardy, ied Luna, pointing out to both thay ney 2 2 Gamage their cause in Spain. that such a duel rately, Lune, when he became sober Fares ool of himselt durig his Pers falized that he pod 286 or his bad remarks about the gir Rane He ‘and the two became good friends ene a fiends again,* bitter enemy of the Per maga, a talented Spanish scholar, was the Rey in Spain. He used (0 attack the Filipino ial «jos newspapers in Madrid and other cite including Rar ne imprudently wrote an article in La ; Os on newspaper in Madi aserting thatthe fa ip iPrRizal had not paid their rents so that they vee fa ter Tands in Calamba by the Dominicans. fe ejected Tia etc ace uch an insult stirred Rizal to action. Immedi Asseonds to Retana with his challenge to 2 duel Oniy ina ind or his apology could vindi eas eo" i sploay could vindeate the good name of Rizal's ~ Because he believed that di i .that discretion is the better part_o i oresoto avis owns, Reta at once ied ‘tion and an apology n-the newspapers. His seconds had pas ad no chance whatsoever against Rizal on ea honor, for Rizal was his superior in both pistol and ! in Spi __ The incident silenced need Retana’s pen against Rizal. H¢ werd aeat imitation for the latter, and years afterward vie ae oklength biography ofthe greatest Flipno ea ‘came to recognize and whose martyrdom 19 Scanned with CamScanner— =e lortnes In Maid (1890-1801) tumn of 1 Rivera, In the aul 890 rapielity of Leone any disappointments he encoun was feeling bitter * Mand some friends attended g 5), jeht he i A in Madrid. One ith he lost his gold watch chain ae ath ch Fee Ave pref er Boe Wi) pate ose ZA UE hand, Del Pilar, the feari nthe other hand, Del Pilar, the fearless lawyer-jour- f soe, 0 ining prestige in Madrid for his vigorous os 1, ee jad, which he came (0 own. He had purchased | from Pablo Rianzares, its first prop- et stadt. Rizal tried to imbue his compatriots with is ae Tes ior he believed that to gain prestige for the Prop. “the Loss of the cl irs Sane re iderfvenent ‘and to win the respect of the Spanish people Decrnber 1090, wih tn cr er from Leonor ae da Moves igh standards of morality, dignity, and spit eves, LE gina (Ue che nus Pj afortunately, his idealism was not shared by certain 2 en a re spe Th] dec ntrymen, who loved wine, women, and cards. Con- smother) and asking is eyes dimmed with tears, and gf ently. Rizal's leadership declined. Some of his former admir- to him. He was heart broke - ; i Ge ‘i eral agonizing, weeks passed before he could confi his ve ae SBlamentit In his reply to Rizal, dated Feng his SL, Blumenrtt consoled him, saying: “Your last ky ith sadness aftr all the misfortunes that have bet a vey your beloved has abandoned you, My wife ca You rand how a woman whom a Rizal has honored with se ould be able to abandon him; she is disgusted wit Ain. I myself fel it deeply, ut omy on your accoun: By how your heart is pained; but you are one of the he are conquer pain from a wound inflicted by @ woman, bean they follow higher ends. You have a courageous hear ni} re in love with a nobler woman, the Motherland. Filipinas Tike one of those enchanted princesses in the German leg! who is a captive of a horrid dragon, until she is freed t valiant knight”.' Three months later, Blumentritt sent another comfors Jetter saying: “I am grieved with all my heart that you hiv) the girl to whom you were engaged, but if she was 28) renounce a Rizal, she did not possess the nobity of your “ 0 se : ae nae fea bt, M88 Bee that the Responsable should be days of Nothirds vote of the Filipino community. fame eat pported his leadership turned against him because wt tea his interference in their private lives. They became ers of Del Pilar. ‘the editorial policy of La Solidaridad under Del Pitar's “emaoment enhanced the cleavage between Rizal and Del Pilar. Rusland his close friends objected to the periddical’s editorial poy which was occasionally contrary to Rizal's political views, To avert the break-up between Rizal and M.H. del Pilar, tte Filipinos in Madrid, numbering about ninety, met on January 1, 11, New Year's Day, to patch up their differences and to intensify the campaign for reform. It was decided in this meeting that a leader called Responsable, be chosen to direct the affairs tithe Filipino community and to determine the editorial policy of La Solidaridad. Del Pilar opposed the proposition that the tuiodal be placed under the control of the Responsable on we yo that it was a private enterprise; however, he was articles that wc pes let ee aver express the aspirations and Owing to Del Pilar’s opposition, the proposition to place Solidaridad under ‘the control of the Rese was aba lt he closing Rizal-Del Pilar Rivalry. Toward the closing (" ¢ there arose an unfortunate rivalry betwe Aacgtal Abdicates His Leadershi : time, was until then the undisputed leader of the A Slio Wo host cane aed, The Filipinos were Scanned with CamScanner{JOSE RIZAL: LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS q inflaming animosity and disunity j i i inflaming animosity an ‘ in Passion ran de From the very beginning, on th. ie ty of the compa Rizal was winning, but he could not ob i of the vivo thirds vote tobe proclaimed Responsabie ain : q require ing, the result was again indecigiy. 4, balloting, Sive _ 4 second day of for him did not reach j ‘i won but the votes cast _ rey two-thirds. The situation was becoming explosive and critical, i aled to his count nt third day, Mariano Pore eRizal, Some Pilarisa stirring eloquence to v fs 88, € vide, eI P¥ideny, is plea. For the voting that day Tesulted in pad he noe obtained the necessary two-thirds vo became the Responsable. But Rizal graciously declined the coveted Position. Hey a man of honor and dignity, with a high sense of delicay which many politicians in all countries and.in all ages, sein possess, so that he did not relish being a leader Of a dividy people. He knew that some of his compatriots who suppor Del Pilar despised or disliked him. So he preferred to abdicy his leadership rather than be the cause of disunity and bitterng, _ among his countrymen. 4 Adios, Madrid. Rizal wrote a brief note thanking his cor- Patriots for electing him as Responsable. Sadly, he packed his bags, paid his bills, and boarded a train leaving for Biarritz. As his train pulled out of the railway-station, he gad through its window at the city.of Madrid, where he was hat! during. his, journ (1882-85) but unhappy on his sett (1890-91). It was the last time he saw Madrid. His ago heart bade goodbye to the'metropolis, of which he had writ years ago: Madrid is one of ities oF ich combines the eet Bavest cities of the world whi ining, without repelling, the ‘sions, the primitive customs hivalrous Arabs whose trace’ ‘ors, the ardent of the African. tribes, of the ch 182 Scanned with CamScanner