Life, Works and Writings of Rizal

MIDTERMS REVIEWER

CHAPTER 9
RIZAL’S FIRST SOJOURN IN EUROPE

DISSATISFACTION IN HIS STUDIES IN UST and BAD EXPERIENCE UNDER THE

REPRESSIVE SPANISH REGIME- reasons why Rizal decided to leave the country and
proceed to Europe
Rizal’s Parents only knew that he will be “on a vacation in Biñan, Laguna”
His other relatives supported him after their consultation with his brother PACIANO
It was TIO ANTONIO and brother-in-law MANUEL T. HIDALGO who gave PACIANO the
information about the ship SALVADORRA which Rizal would board
MAY 1,1882 – PACIANO gave Rizal 356 PESOS, afterwards the servant called
CARROMATA, a local transportation which took Rizal to Biñan
MAY 2,1882 (Manila)
o MATEO EVANGELISTA – his friend who helped him acquire his passport and
introduced him to the ship Captain named DONATO LECHA
o PEDRO PATERNO – gave Rizal a Letter of Recommendation to a friend in Europe
o In the afternoon, Rizal went to Ateneo and visited his JESUIT MENTORS who also
gave him strong Letter of Recommendation to the JESUIT FATHERS in Barcelona
o AGUSTIN SAEZ – his Drawing Professor to whom he bade farewell as well
MAY 3,1882 – RIZAL DEPARTED FOR EUROPE
o At 5AM he heard a Mass at STO. DOMINGO CHURCH
o In the same morning the steam ship, SALVADORRA, left the Philippines
MAY 9,1882 – First stop of Salvadorra at the BRITISH COLONY OF SINGAPORE, the
1st Asian country he has been to; only stayed for 2 days and then boarded the French Steamer
Ship, DJEMNAH
MAY 17,1882 – Djemnah arrived at POINT GALLE, an English Colony which Rizal described
as “A tropical vegetation formed by elegant palm”
MAY 18,1882 – At 1PM, Djemnah docked at COLOMBO, the capital of CEYLON (now
known as SRI LANKA); Rizal described it as “Colombo is more beautiful, smart, and elegant
than Singapore”
MAY 26,1882 – Rizal saw the African continent for the 1 st time while entering the CAPE OF
GUARDAFUI which he described as “an arid, dry rock, without a single leaf – its base of
varied colors is beautiful”
o ADEN – their next stop in Africa and also the 1st African ground he set foot on
which he described as “The soil is hard and sandy, heated by that very brilliant and
ardent sun, emits burning steam”
JUNE 2, 1882 – Djemnah arrived at the town of SUEZ in EGYPT where the ship was
quarantined for 23 hours. The ship then traversed SUEZ CANAL for 5 DAYS. Rizal described
the Canal built under the leadership of FERDINAND DE LESSEPS (French Diplomat and
Engineer) in his diary as “its low, and irregular banks are desert-sandy, yellowish, devoid of
any vegetation”
JUNE 11, 1882 – At half past six, Sunday morning, Djemnah arrived at NAPOLI (now
NAPLES, ITALY). This is the 1St European country Rizal was able step foot on (explored
for only one hour and a half) which he noted as “An extensive territory totally covered with
buildings”.
JUNE 12,1882 – Arrived at the French harbor of MARSEILLE. This is also the day he
disembarked and bade farewell to his friends in Djemnah.
o Rizal visited CHATEAU D’IF where DANTES, the hero of “The Count of Monte
Cristo” (one of his favorite readings while in Ateneo) was imprisoned
o Only stayed for 2 and a half days and then boarded a TRAIN bound to Barcelona on
JUNE 15,1882.
JUNE 16,1882 – Rizal arrived in BARCELONA
o First few days were unfavourable as he only had 12 DUROS, and by the time he boarded
the Christian House, he only had 7 DUROS left. The Christian House is located in an
old, dirty street called SAN SEVERINO.
o In the nearby Barcelona Hospital, Rizal met his compatriot TOMAS CABANGIS from
Tondo, Manila and other Filipino students studying in Barcelona. Later, he also met
fellow citizens named CUESTA and other Filipino friends.
 o The JESUITS FATHERS OF BARCELONA decided to support Rizal financially by
lending him money that he paid upon arrival of his allowance from the Philippines due
to the strong Letter of Recommendation of Jesuits from Ateneo.
o Rizal transferred to a better boarding house located at CALLE DE SITJES where he
was treated well by his landlady SEÑORITA SILVESTRE who called him “DON
PEPE”
o After adjusting in Barcelona and meeting with his former classmates in Ateneo, Rizal
began to realize the different social and political atmosphere of Spain compared to the
Philippines. With his new found freedom, Rizal wrote the following articles for his
country:
 AMOR PATRIO (Love of Country) – Under the pen name LAONG LAAN
(Ever Prepared), Rizal explained that the Philippines is the country for the
Filipinos, not for Spain. It was translated in Tagalog by MARCELO H. DEL
PILAR. It was published in DIARYONG TAGALOG, a local newspaper in
Manila on AUGUST 30,1882.
 LOS VIAJES (On Travel) – explained the gains of a man who is well-travelled
to many places in the world. Published in Diaryong Tagalog in 1882 as well.
NOVEMBER 3,1882 – Upon the advice of his brother PACIANO through a letter, Rizal
enrolled at the CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF MADRID in Madrid, Spain, both in
MEDICINE (Ophthalmology) and in PHILOSOPHY & LETTERS.
o He also studied PAINTING & SCULPTURE in the ACADEMIA OF SAN
FERNANDO
o He was also engaged in Physical Fitness, practicing SHOOTING and FENCING at the
HALL OF ARMS SANZ Y CARBONE
o Took lessons in FRENCH, GERMAN, and ENGLISH LANGUAGES
o Joined CIRCULO HISPANO FILIPINO, an association of Filipino scholars, students,
and Spaniards interested in Philippine concerns and issues (Did not last long due to
disunity among members). Rizal wrote about his membership in the circulo dated
OCTOBER 10,1882.
MIGUEL MORAYTA and FRANCISCO PI y MARGAL – Rizal was exposed to these well-
known Spaniards’ idealism carried by Masonry
o MARCH 1883 – Rizal officially joined the MASONIC LODGE ACACIA in
Madrid,Spain which further exposed him to liberalism and views that criticized the
Catholic Church and Friars in the Philippines
JUNE 17,1883 – To fulfill his dream, Rizal finally visited FRANCE.
RIZAL’S LITERARY WORKS WHILE IN MADRID
o DUDAS (Doubts) – Using the Pen name LAONG-LAAN, he wrote this essay on
NOVEMBER 7,1882. He discussed the epidemical malady that is invading the society
that resulted in doubts about LOVE and SPIRIT.
o REVISTA DE MADRID (Review of Madrid) – wrote this poem on NOVEMBER
29,1882. Supposedly to be published in Diaryong Tagalog but the paper closed shop.
o MI PIDEN VERSOS (They Ask Me for Verses) – Composed by Rizal at the request
of the Filipinos who were members of the Circulo Hispano-Filipino in Madrid on
DECEMBER 31,1882.
o A LA SEÑORITA C.O. y R. (To Miss C.O. y R.) – he wrote this poem on AUGUST
22,1883, dedicated to MISS CONSUELO ORTEGA Y REY whom he had intimate
relationship with.
o EL FILIBUSTERISMO EN FILIPINAS (Rebellion in the Philippines) – This
article was believed to have been written in 1884, for a Madrid Newspaper named EL
PROGRESSO.
o PENSAMIENTOS DE UN FILIPINO (Reflections of a Filipino) – Believed to
have been written by Rizal between 1883 to 1885, which spoke of a liberal minded and
anti-friar Filipino that bears penalties such as exile.
o BRINDIS (Toast) – notable speech delivered by Rizal on JUNE 25,1884 in the
banquet honoring the triumphs of JUAN LUNA and FELIX RESURRECCION
HIDALGO in the field of painting in Spain.
SCHOLASTIC RECORD OF RIZAL IN MADRID
o JUNE 21,1884 – Rizal acquired the Degree of LICENSIATE in MEDICINE at the
CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF MADRID, which was declared by Rizal to his family
through a latter “At last, I am a Physician”,” Two or three friends have embraced me
with effusion with sincere brotherly joy”
 5th Year (1882 -83) MEDICINE
Medical Clinic 1 – Good
 Surgical Clinic 1 – Good
Obsterical Clinic – Fair
Legal Medicine – Excellent
6th Year (1883-84) MEDICINE
Medical Clinic 2 – Good
Surgical Clinic 2 – Very Good
Licentiate in Medicine – Fair
Doctorate Course (1884-1885) MEDICINE
History of Medical Science – Fair
Surgical Analysis – Good
Normal History – Excellent
Doctor of Medicine – Not Awarded

o The title of DOCTOR OF MEDICINE was not awarded for the official reason that
Rizal failed to settle the needed money for the University fee to present his theses for
graduation.
o Rizal was still a Doctor after graduation, except that the law at that time, state that he
was not allowed to practice his medical profession in the CITY, but only in
the PROVINCE.
o JUNE 19,1885 – On Rizal’s 25th birthday, the UNIVERSIDAD DE MADRID
award him the degree of LICENSIATE IN PHILOSOPHY AND LETTERS with a
rating of EXCELLENT.
 (1882-1883) Philosophy and Letters
Universal History – Very Good
General Literature – Excellent

(1883- 1884) Philosophy and Letters

Universal History 2 – Excellent
Greek and Latin Literature – Excellent with Prize
Greek 1 – Excellent with Prize

(1884-85) Philosophy and Letters

Spanish Literature – Excellent with Scholarship
Greek 2 – Excellent
History of Spain – Excellent
Hebrew – Excellent
Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters – Good

CHAPTER 9
RIZAL IN FRANCE & GERMANY

November 26,1884 – Rizal wrote a letter to his family expressing his desire to return to the
Philippines
January 1,1885 – Paciano wrote back to Rizal expressing his disagreement to his desire to
return to the country
1st Week of October,1885 – Rizal proceeded to Paris, France where he learned more about
Ophthalmology.
o Rizal worked as an assistant and apprentice at the Eye Clinic of DR. LOUIS
WECKER, the leading Ophthalmologist of that time in Paris, for 4 months
o After Clinic hours, he devoted his time to learn and master FRENCH,
GERMAN, ITALIAN, ENGLISH, POLISH and GREEK languages
o JUAN LUNA, FELIX RESURRECCION HIDALGO and the TAVERA
BROTHERS (Both Physicians) – his compatriots in Paris
o JUAN LUNA wholeheartedly lent or gave him money for his daily needs
o Due to financial difficulties, Rizal decided to move in GERMANY
RIZAL’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE PAINTINGS OF JUAN LUNA
o THE MONKEY & THE TURTLE – Sketched by Rizal for PAZ PARDO DE
TAVERA, the love then of JUAN LUNA
o THE DEATH OF CLEOPATRA – Rizal posed and portrayed as an EGYPTIAN
PRIEST
o BLOOD COMPACT – Rizal posed and portrayed as CHIEF SIKATUNA of BOHOL
RIZAL’s FRENCH LITERARY WORKS (1885)
o MARIE COLOMBIER; THE PISTOL OF THE LITTLE BAROMESS – A book
review done by Rizal where he was amazed of the author who was a woman writing in a
manly way.
 o THE FISHERWOMAN AND THE FISH – Patterned from his readings in French
and German; A conversation between a fisherwoman and a very small fish.
o ALPHOSE DAUDET: TARTARIN SUR LES ALPES – Another book review by Rizal
where he expressed his comments on the characters of the play such as Tartarin and
Bompard.
RIZAL IN GERMANY
o FEBRUARY 1,1886 – The day Rizal left Paris
o FEBRUARY 3,1886 – Arrived in HEIDELBERG, GERMANY, where he entered a
strongly Protestant dominant area and stayed in a BOARDING HOUSE at NO.16
KARLSTRASSE which was managed by a GERMAN LADY NEBEL.
o In Heidelberg, Rizal stated his observations of the manners of Germans, through a letter
to his family, “To the Germans it is a bad taste if one remains aloof and indifferent
especially at social function.”
o Assisted in the Eye Clinic (AUGEN KLINIK) under the direction of OCULIST named
OTTO BECKER
o Rizal later moved to a new boarding house located near the HEIDELBERG
UNIVERSITY
o Due to his appreciation of HEIDELBERG’s beauty, he wrote a poem dated APRIL
22,1886, entitled FLORES DE HEIDELBERG (To the Flowers of Heidelberg)
o APRIL to JUNE 1886 – To relieve him of his sadness and homesickness, Rizal spent
the summer at ODENWALD and WILHEMSFELD, a mountain resort 30 Kilometers
northeast of Heidelberg, Germany.
o Rizal lived in the house of a new friend named PASTOR KARL ULLMER. They
concluded in their discussion that “One should not make enemies of men but instead
should be a means of bringing men closer together in the true spirit of brotherhood.”
o During this time, Rizal already finished his 1st Masterpiece, NOLI ME TANGERE.
o AUGUST 9,1886 – Rizal left Heidelberg and boarded the boat REINSTALL and
travelled to LEIPZIG, GERMANY. After passing in MAINZ, he transferred to a
steamer NIEDEWALD, passing RHINE RIVER, KASTER, FRANKFURT and
finally in LEIPZIG, where he stayed for 2 MONTHS.
o Rizal had frequent correspondence with his bosom friend, PROFESSOR
FERDINAND BLUMENTRITT, who he described as “A historian of the Philippine
Islands, is one of the rare souls”
o Before LEAVING Leipzig in LATE OCTOBER, he translated TWO GERMAN
WORKS to the TAGALOG Language, which he sent to Calamba, namely
“SCHILLER’S WILLIAM TELL” (Swiss Independence) and “HANS
CHRISTIAN ANDERSON’S FAIRY TALES” (for his young nephews and
nieces)
o OCTOBER 29,1886 – Rizal left Leipzig and travelled to DRESDEN where he met
DR. HANS MEYER, Director of the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden, who:
 Written the largest encyclopedic dictionaries of Germany
 Toured and visited the Philippines
 Authored a book on his account of the IGOROTS
o In an informal meeting, Dr.Meyer gave Rizal a copy of the said book
o Rizal also visited the GRAND ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK, ordered built by Elector
FREDRIC THE WISE, to which he said “Truly the crown of Saxony has many jewels
and precious things”
o Rizal decided to move to BERLIN and publish there his novel, NOLI ME TANGERE.
o NOVEMBER 1,1886 – Rizal boarded a train for BERLIN
 Rizal mastered the GERMAN LANGUAGE and improved his ENGLISH
Grammar. He also mastered other major languages in Europe
 Had access to different libraries such as IMPERIAL LIBRARY in GERMANY
and later, the BRITISH MUSEUM LIBRARY in ENGLAND.
 According to the memoir of MAXIMO VIOLA, while Rizal was in Berlin, he had
acquaintances with well-respected German doctors and scientists such as:
 DR. FEODOR JAGOR – A German scientist who visited the Philippines
and authored “TRAVELS IN THE PHILIPPINES” which Rizal read in
Ateneo Municipal when he was still a student
 DR. RUDOLF VIRCHOW – one of the famous anthropologists,
President of the ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BERLIN
 DR. HANS VIRCHOW – son of Dr. Rudolf, a professor of Descriptive
Anatomy
  DR. KARL ERNEST SCHWEIGGER – one of the famous German
Ophthalmologists, Rizal assisted in his clinic
 Rizal mastered and learned the German Medical Technique in the field of
Ophthalmology
RIZAL’s WRITINGS IN BERLIN
o JANUARY 26,1887 – Rizal became an official member of the ETHNOGRAPHIC
SOCIETY
o FEBRUARY 7,1887- he joined the ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BERLIN
o Later he was qualified as a member of the GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF BERLIN
after submitting a study entitled TAGALISCHE VERSKUNST
 TAGALISCHE VERSKUNST (Tagalog Metrical Art) – published in April
1887 and written in German Language, this was the project Rizal submitted to
the Geographic Society of Berlin. He delivered this through a lecture before the
members and officers of the German Association.
 ETNOGRAFIA y ANTROPOLOGIA DE LOS PUEBLOS PRIMITIVOS
(Ethnography and Anthropology of Primitive Towns) – a rare book on
Ethnography and Anthropology translated by Rizal and was sent to Calamba
 ETHNOGRAPHE DER INSEL MINDANAO (Ethnography of the
Islands of Mindanao) -a work by BLUMENTRITT about Mindanao which
Rizal translated to the Tagalog Language from German
 SIGNIFICANCE OF PALM SUNDAY - written in French in Berlin, Germany
in 1887. Rizal gave importance to the commemoration of Palm Sunday and the
existence of Catholic faith.
