 Module 11

 Rizal’s Second Sojourn in Paris and the Universal Exposition

 Prepared by”

 Flor A. Docusin
 Learning Objectives
 At the end of this lesson you will be able to:

 Describe Rizal’s life in Paris.

 Differentiate what is Kidlat Club, Indios Bravos, R.D.L.M. Society.

 Explain the indolence of the Filipinos and Por Telepono.

 Describe Rizal’s Christmas in London.

 Introduction
 Module 11
 Chapter 13

 Rizal’s Second Sojourn in Paris and the Universal Exposition of 1889

 Life in Paris

 Although life in Paris was gay, with sparkling merriment and joyous social parties,
Rizal continued to be busy in his serious pursuits.
 He used most of his time in the reading room of the Bilbliotheque Nationale
(National Library) checking up his historical annotations on Morga’s book.
 In his spare hours, Rizal used to dine at the homes of his friends, such as the Pardo
de Taveras, the Venturas, the Bousteds, the Lunas, etc.
 Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera-physician by vocation and philologist by avocation

 Dr. Felix Pardo de Tavera-physician by vocation and an artist and sculptor by

avocation.
 Paz Pardo de Tavera-wife of Juan Luna.
 These Pardo de Taveras were the Children of Don Joaquin Pardo de
Tavera, an exile of 1872 who escaped from the Marianas and lived in
France.
 June 24, 1889-a baby girl was born to Juan Luna and Paz Pardo de
Tavera. She was their second child, the first was a boy named Andres,
whose pet name was Luling. Her baptismal godfather (ninong) was
Rizal, whose chose her name “Maria de la Paz, Blanca, Laureana,
Hermenegilda Juana Luna y Pardo de Tavera.”
 Rizal and Paris Exposition of 1889

 May 6, 1889-Rizal was fascinated by the Universal Exposition of Paris.

 Eiffel Tower- 984 feet high, built by Alexander Eiffel, celebrated French
engineer. The greatest attraction of this exposition.
 One of the features of the Exposition was the international art
competition, in which Felix R. Hidalgo, Juan Luna, Felix Pardo de
Tavera, and Rizal participated. Hidalgo’s painting was awarded second
prize, the paintings of Juan Luna and F. Pardo de Tavera each obtained
the third price, while Rizal’s entry (a bust which he modelled got no
prize. This bust was quiet good to qualify for the exhibition, but not good
enough to win an international prize.
 Kidlat Club

 March 19, 1889-the same day when he arrived in Paris from London,
Rizal organized his paisanos (compatriots) into a society called Kidlat
Club.
 The Kidlat Club was purely a social society or a temporary in nature.
 It was founded by Rizal simply to bring together the young Filipinos in
the French capital so that they could enjoy their sojourn in the city during
the duration of the Universal Exposition.
 March 19, 1889-Thus he wrote to Blumentritt “Today we have formed a
Kidlat Club. Kidlat in Tagalog means “lightning” and for the same
reasons this club will last only during the Exposition. We have thought of
it and formed it in one hour. It will disappear also like lightning.”
 Indios Bravos

 Rizal was enchanted by the dignified and proud bearing of the American
Indians. He told his friends; “Why should we resent being called Indios
by the Spaniards? Look at those Indios from North America—they are
not ashamed of their name. Let us be like them. Let us be proud of the
 Name Indio and make our Spanish enemies revise their conception of the
term. We shall be Indios Bravos!”
 R.D.L.M. Society

 According to Dr. Leoncio Lopez-Rizal, grandnephew 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 lettes I and B meaning
Indios Bravos, and the letters R.D.L.M. placed outside an upper, lower, left
and right sides of the circle.
 The letters R.D.L.M are believed to be the initials of the society’s secret name
Redencion de los Malayos (Redemption of the Malays).
 Only a few of Rizal’s trusted friends became members of the R.D.L.M.,
namely, Gregorio Aguillera, Jose Ma. Basa, Julio Llorente, Marcelo H. Del
Pilar, Mariano Ponce, Baldomero Roxas, and Father Jose Maria Changco
(Filipino priest).
 The aim of the secret society, as stated by Rizal was “the propagation of the
useful knowledge—scientific, artistic, literary, etc.—in the Philippines.”
 Another aim that is, the redemption of the Malay race. Rizal was inspired
by a famous book entitled Max Havelaar (1860) written by Multatuli
(Pseudonym of E.D. Dekker, Dutch author). This book exposed the
miserable conditions of the oppressed Malay inhabitants of the Netherlands
East Indies under Dutch Rule.
 February 23, 1892-Rizal wrote to Blumentritt from Hong Kong revealed
his intention to be a leader of freedom, if not in the Philippines, then in
other lands “In Borneo,”
 Moreover, the contract for his Bornean Colonization included such
provisions as the right of the colonists to buy the lands, the free use of
seashores, and the unusual long term of lease for 999 years, a period
 of time long enough for many generations to form a nation and to
consolidate its status” and to realize Rizal’s dream of redeeming the
Malay race.
 Annotated Edition of Morga Published

 Rizal’s greatest achievement in Paris was the publication in 1890 of his

annotated edition of Morga’s sucesos, which he wrote in the British
Museum. It was printed by Garner Freres. The prologue was written by
professor Blumentritt, upon the request of Rizal.
 In his prologue, Blumentritt commended Rizal for his fine historical
scholarship. However, he frankly censured two things which he revealed
Rizal errors namely:
 1. Rizal commits the error of many historians in appraising the events of
the past in the light of present standards.
 2.Rizal’s attacks on the church were unfair and unjustified because the
abuses of the friar’s should not be construed to mean that Catholicism is bad.
 Rizal dedicated his new editions of Morga to the Filipino people so that they
would know of their glorious past.
 Comment on Morga’s Publication Date

 There is documentary evidence to show that Rizal’s edition of Morga must

have come off the press in 1889-not 1890.
 On October 12, 1889, Blumentritt wrote to Rizal from Leitmeritz, saying: “I
have just received your magnificent edition or Morga. Thi edition with your
erudite notes will glorify your name.
 Rizal himself, in his letter to Dr. Baldomero Roxas from Paris, December
28, 1889, stated: “Today I sent to Lipa four copies of Morga. Later I will
send it more.”
 From Barcelona, Mariano Ponce wrote to Rizal on December 31, 1889,
saying” “I received the book Sucesos. I have read only Blumentritt’s
prologue. Truly excellent. Please send me immediately about ten copies
that I can send to the Philippines by the first mail that is going there.
 Rizal as Historian

 Rizal’s research studies in the British Museum (London) and in the

Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris) enriched his historical knowledge.
 Aside from his excellent annotations on Morga’s book, Rizal, wrote other
works which qualify him to be a real historian.
 The Philippines Within a Century

 In this article Rizal expressed his views on the Spanish colonization in

the Philippines and predicted with amazing accuracy the tragic end of
 Spain’s sovereignty 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 and bungling Spanish rule.
 The Indolence of the Filipinos

 This other essay of Rizal is also a prestigious work of historical

scholarship. It is an able defense of the alleged indolence of the Filipinos.
 Rizal made a critical study of the causes why his people did not work
hard during the Spanish regime. His main thesis was that the Filipinos are
not by nature indolent.
 Long before the coming of the Spaniards, he pointed out, the Filipinos
were industrious and hard-working. They were very active in agriculture,
industries, and commerce.
 It is true, admitted Rizal, that the Filipinos are easy-going and do not work
so hard because they are wise enough to adjust themselves to their warm,
tropical climate. They do not have to kill themselves working hard in order
to live because nature gives them abundant harvests by working less than
those in temperate countries.
 International Association of Filipinologists

 Rizal proposed to establish an “International Association of Filipinologists”

and have its inaugural convention in the French capital.
 January 14, 1889-He first submitted this idea to Blumentritt, and the latter
gladly supported him. The officers were as follows:
 President-Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, Vice President-Mr. Edmund Plauchut,
Counsellor-Dr. Reinhold Rost, Counsellor-Dr. Antonio Ma.Regidor,
Secretary-Dr. Jose Rizal.
 Unfortunately, their inaugural convention did not materialize because the
French government discouraged the holding of conference by private
organizations during the period of the international exposition.
 Project for Filipino College in Hong Kong

 Another magnificent project of Rial in Paris which also fizzled out was
his plan to establish a modern college in Hong Kong.
 He wrote to his friend, Jose Ma. Basa, about this matter. According to
Rizal, this college aims “to train and educate men of good family and
financial means in accordance with the demands o modern times and
circumstances”.
 Mr.Mariano Cunanan-a rich Filipino resident in Paris, promised to help
him raise P40,000 as initial capital for the college.
 Por Telepono
 In the fall of 1889 he wrote another satirical work entitled Por Telepono
as a reply to another slanderer, Fr. Salvador Font, who masterminded the
banning of his Noli.
 Por Telepono-was published in booklet form in Barcelona, 1889.

 Dimas Alang-Rizal’s pen-name in this satirical pamphlet. This is a witty

satire which redicules Father Font. It describes in comical vein a
telephone conversation between Father Font who was in Madrid and th
father provincial of the San Agustin Convent in Manila.
 Incidentally, Por Telepono demonstrates not only Rizal’s sparkling wit,
but also his prophetic insight.
 By this opening paragraph, Rizal predicted much ahead of his times that
people could carry on overseas telephone conversations. It is amazing
how he could have foreseen this phenomenon, which we enjoy now.
History shows lthat the first radio-telegraph signals received by Marconi
across the Atlantic was in 1901—twelve years after the publicaton of
Rizal’s Por Telepono.
 Christmas in Paris

 December 25, 1889-was a wintry day in Paris, Rizal and Jose Albert, who
were living frugally in a small room occupied by Capitan Justo Trinidad,
planned to have a sumptuous Christmas dinner in Paris.