LESSON 4 RIZAL 001: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

European Escapades and Association with the Propaganda Movement

Questions to Ponder:
1. What was the propaganda movement and what did it stand for?
2. What was Rizal’s involvement in it?
3. What was the campaign for assimilation and why did Rizal abandon it?
4. What were the implications of Rizal’s abandonment of assimilation?
On May 3, 1882, Rizal left the Philippines for Spain to continue his medical studies. He
arrived in Barcelona on June 16, 1882. After few months of stay in Barcelona, he transferred to
Madrid, the Spanish Capital. He enrolled at the Unibersidad Central de Madrid and took up two
courses: Medicine and Philosophy and Letters. While pursuing his studies at the university in
Madrid, Rizal was involved in a student demonstration. The students rallied against the
administration of Unibersidad Central de Madrid for dismissing the libertarian Prof. Miguel
Morayta. As a consequence, Rizal was penalized by removing his scholarship in Arabic and
Spanish Literature. It appears that students that time were unfortunate for they did not enjoy the
freedom of expression.
Rizal’s desire for knowledge was indeed unquenchable. Apart from the courses he took
up in the university, he also enrolled painting and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts of San
Fernando and learned French, German and English language under private instructors. Moreover,
he underwent training in fencing and pistol shooting at the Hall of Arms of Sanz y Carbonell.
Rizal finished his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in the year 1884.
Rizal’s stay in Madrid paved the way for his romance with a beautiful lady named
Consuelo Ortega y Rey. However, to avoid quarrel with Eduardo de Lete who was madly in love
with Consuelo, Rizal did not pursue his love for the Madrid lass. While in Spain, our hero joined
the Masonry. Rizal had enlisted in the organization for the possible help the Masons could
extend to him particularly by providing protective shield in his fight against the tyranny and
exploitation of the Spaniards (Zulueta 2004). The Masonry was an association which promoted
liberalism, brotherhood and equality among its members. Because of its blatant antagonism
against the ignorance and injustice of some clergy and government officials, the organization
was declared rebellious and blasphemous by the Spanish authorities. As a mason, Rizal kept
himself from joining the Catholic Church services. On November 15, 1890, he became a Master
Mason in Lodge Solidaridad and on February 15, 1892, he became a Master Mason of Le Grand
Orient France in Paris. Though he embraced the Masonic philosophy, Rizal did not break his
faith in God.
Rizal’s medical potential was recognized by professional doctors even when he was yet a
student. In 1883, Rizal received a diploma given by an association of medical practitioners in
Madrid for his superb knowledge in medical science. On June 21, 1884, he was awarded the
Licentiate in Medicine but the diploma of Doctor of Medicine was not conferred on him. Having
a Licentiate in Medicine, Rizal was allowed to practice the medical profession. However, he
could not use the title “Medical Doctor” and ineligible to teach medical course. He was not able
to submit his thesis and failed to pay the required fees which made him technically disqualified
from enjoying the said privileges. Rizal failed to comply with the requirements due to financial
deficiency. However, on March 1887, Paciano sent his younger brother the amount of one
thousand pesos which portion of it was used to pay for the latter’s unpaid school accounts.
In the year 1884, Rizal made his first public address by delivering a speech in honor of
Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo for their triumphs in an international art exhibit held in Madrid.

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Such victorious accomplishments are indeed elating. However, Luna and Hidalgo’s triumph in
the so-called international art exhibit had raised eyebrows. The two great Filipino painters may
have been awarded a gold and silver medal respectively but the title as “international artists” is
debatable. That time, it was Paris which was the authoritative arena for art while Madrid was just
a remote artistic scene. In addition, the gold medal awarded to Luna was only one of the three
gold medals given out and the silver medal awarded to Hidalgo was only one of the fifteen given
out in that exposition. How can Luna be declared as the first prize winner when the two others
also received gold medals? Moreover, Luna was denied the Medal of Honor that was not
awarded in the 1884 Madrid Exposition (Ocampo, 2008). Hidalgo cannot claim the second spot
either considering that he was only one of those fifteen contestants who received the silver
medal. Although, Luna and Hidalgo may have not earned the first and second prizes in the
Madrid Exposition in 1884, they have at least proven that Filipinos have aptitude for
international competitions. In a way, they were able to boost the pride and honor of the Filipino
race.
On June 19, 1885, during his 24th birthday, Rizal received the degree in Licentiate in
Philosophy and Letters through the sponsorship of Prof. Miguel de Unamuno, a Spanish political
writer and scholar. Rizal graduated with the scholastic rating of excellent or sobresaliente. After
completing his studies at the Unibersidad Central de Madrid, Rizal went to Paris, France and
worked in the eye clinic of Dr. Louise de Weckert, foremost French ophthalmologist. While in
Paris, he continued working on the Noli Me Tangere. He started writing the novel in Madrid. In
1886, Rizal went to Heidelberg, Germany and worked in the eye clinic of Dr. Javier
Galeszowsky, a renowned Polish ophthalmologist and trained under Dr. Otto Becker, a German
authority on ophthalmology. Rizal also went to Berlin, Germany and trained under prominent
ophthalmologists, Dr. Karl Ernest Schweigger and Dr. Schulzer. Rizal also attended some lecture
courses on law at the University of Heidelberg. On July 31, 1886 Rizal began his correspondence
with his Austrian best friend, Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt who was at that time the Director of
the Ateneo of Leitmeritz, Austria. In his short stay in Germany, Rizal lived with Pastor Karl
Ullmer in Wilhelmsfeld. While he was in the place, our hero met Fr. Heinrich Bardoff who
enlightened him about the true meaning of religious tolerance.
Before leaving Heidelberg, he attended the celebration of the fifth centenary of the
founding of Heidelberg University. He also worked with Dr. Wilhelm Kuene, Director of the
Heidelberg Physiological Institute, in the preparation for the International Ophthalmic Congress.
From Heidelberg, he moved to Leipzig and took lessons in history and psychology at the
University of Leipzig. In the year 1887, Rizal became a member of the Berlin Society for
Anthropology, Ethnology, and Pre-history through the recommendation of his friends Dr.
Friedrich Jagor, German scientist and Dr. Adolph Meyer, Director of the Anthropological and
Ethnological Museum. Rizal was the first Filipino to become a member of the said renowned
organization. Through Dr. Jagor, Rizal met Dr. Rudolph Virchow, well-known German
anthropologist. Consequently, Rizal was invited by Dr. Virchow to deliver a lecture in German
on the Art of Tagalog Poetry before the society. Rizal favorably responded to this invitation.
On March 1887, the Noli Me Tangere was published through the financial assistance of
Dr. Maximo Viola. Viola lent Rizal three hundred pesos to defray for the printing of two
thousand copies. It is said that Viola was so charitable to Rizal because the former has an
affectionate feeling for our hero. Later, Rizal received an amount of one thousand pesos from his
brother Paciano. Portion of the remittance was paid to Viola. On May 13, 1887, Rizal personally
met Blumentritt in Leitmeritz. Two days after, Rizal began his tour of Europe with Viola.

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The escapade of Rizal and Viola created a controversy. In his memoirs, Viola cited
Rizal’s meeting with a European woman whom our hero begot a child with. There is a rumor
Rizal sired a child in Europe. The kid is said to be Adolf Hitler. Could this be true? However,
Rizal who used to keep detailed records of his experiences failed to include this exciting episode
in his personal account. Could it be that Rizal intentionally discounted it? If this claim is
accurate, then it is indeed a scoop.
Adolf Hitler occupies an indelible part in the history of mankind. He was responsible in
the murder of at least six million Jews, two million of them children. Hitler’s ambition to create a
superior race resulted to the wanton killings of many innocent people. Here is the controversy:
Hitler, the mass murderer is alleged to be the son of Rizal. To begin our story, let us look into
Rizal’s tour of Europe. While in Europe, he went to Germany and studied at the University of
Heidelberg. As a man of amusing talents and strong charisma Rizal could possibly have allured
women and sired a German child. In Heidelberg, Rizal would usually go to a beer house to chat
with German students. Consequently, he met a female student named Mina who worked as part
time attendant in the bar. They became friends and exchanged correspondence through letters.
Does this make sense? If indeed Rizal had an intimate affair with the said beer house girl, then it
is something to reckon. The connection is that, Hitler is a legendary figure in Germany. He was
the leader of the infamous German Nazi which was responsible in the killings of more or less six
million Jews. But of course, this argument can be easily overruled. Hitler was actually not a
natural-born German. He was an Austrian by birth. However, this does not free Rizal from
liability still. Take note that Rizal also went to Austria. According to Maximo Viola, our hero’s
tour companion, Rizal had a private encounter with a Viennese woman. In his memoirs, Viola
wrote about Rizal’s intimate act with an Austrian woman: “...encountered the figure of a
temptress in the form of a Viennese woman...of extraordinary beauty and irresistible attraction,
who seemingly had been expressly invited to offer a cup of mundane pleasure…” (Ocampo,
2012). Did it really happen, a one-night stand? Could it be that the Viennese woman mentioned
by Viola the mother of Hitler?
However, it is interesting to note that Rizal who kept a detailed account of his travels had
never mentioned a woman in his diary. The only reference of a woman in Rizal’s account was
that of a maid who found his diamond stickpin which he left in Hotel Krebs. The said guesthouse
is not in Vienna but located in Leitmeritz, Austria. This makes the connection between the hotel
maid and Viola’s mystery woman questionable. This is in fact immaterial because it was
Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt who claimed the stuff. The item was later sent to Rizal through
a courier. If there was no personal contact with a woman, how come Rizal was able to sire a
child? Could it be that our hero concealed some important details and that Viola’s account
provides us the missing link? We could only present a reliable conclusion given sufficient
evidences. Now, let us consider this. The time-frame of Hitler’s birth and Rizal’s stay in Austria
reveals a mismatch. Hitler was born April 20, 1889 but Rizal was in London from May 1888 to
January 1889. There was no instance during this period that our hero went to Austria. Moreover,
Klara Polz, the real mother of Hitler was legitimately married to a man named Alois Hitler, the
real father of Adolf Hitler. Hitler was born in a small Austrian village of Braunau am not Vienna.
On August 6, 1887, Rizal was back in his motherland. He had only had a short
homecoming which lasted only for six months. Rizal’s homecoming was cut short due to the
ensuing crisis in Calamba. To ease the anxiety of his family and friends, Rizal for the second
time left the Philippines on February 3, 1888. He sailed eastward and stopped over Hongkong
and Macao. On the 28th of February 1888, Rizal arrived in Japan and had an affair with a

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LESSON 4 RIZAL 001: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

Japanese girl named Seiko Usui or O-Sei-San. However, their love story was short-lived. Despite
of the good fortune offered to him in Japan, Rizal chose to continue his journey. He was on to a
greater goal to emancipate his country from the oppression of the Spaniards. Rizal’s commitment
to his motherland prevailed over the well-paid position proposed to him by the Spanish embassy
in Japan. Rizal was determined to pursue his mission. Not even his own happiness could stop
him from proceeding on with his journey. His concern for the country was more compelling than
the joy O-Sei-San had brought to his heart.
From Japan, Rizal went to America. In this travel, he met Tetcho Suehiro, a Japanese
defender of freedom of press. On April 28, 1888, Rizal saw America for the first time. He was
impressed by the wealth and beauty of the place. Although our hero had a good impression of
America, it is interesting to note that he did not like the Americans. In his travel diaries, he wrote
of a train ride he took from Paris to Dieppe in 1889 where he happened to meet an American
passenger whom Rizal described as a “hambuguera”. The American kept on praising his country
while discrediting Europe. Rizal was so embarrassed about the egotism of the American that he
mentioned in his diary, “I was almost beginning to be annoyed by the fury of the traveler and I
was going to join the conversation to tell him what I have seen in America, in New York itself,
how many troubles and what torture the customs in the United States made us suffer” (Ocampo,
2008). Rizal had an unpleasant experience with the American immigration system. He
complained about the excessively strict customs and immigration procedure in California.
Despite the clearance and certification from the American consul and governor of Hongkong, he
was quarantined for thirteen days before he was allowed to disembark the ship. America
enforced a strict inspection on immigrants to avoid the spread of diseases carried by Asians and
prevent illegal entry of Chinese laborers. Rizal regarded this measure as embarrassing and
discriminating. If not for his first class booking, Rizal might have been held on the ship for an
indefinite time just like the other passengers in the second and third classes. In a letter to
Mariano Ponce dated July 27, 1888, Rizal remarked that, “America is a great country, but it still
has many defects. There is no real civil liberty” (Ocampo, 2008).
After passing through the United States, Rizal proceeded to London. In London, he
stayed with the Beckett family as a boarder. This paved the way for his acquaintance with
Gertrude Beckett. The meeting of Rizal and Gertrude soon developed into a romantic affair.
However, it was just a passing relationship. In May of 1888, Rizal began annotating Antonio de
Morga’s book entitled, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas. Our hero spent most of his time at the
British Library to work on his annotation. For a while, Rizal went to Paris, France (September 4-
10, 1888) to look for more historical documents in the Biblioteque Nationale. What inspired
Rizal in doing it? It is believed that Rizal annotated Morga’s book to inspire awareness among
the Filipinos of the impressive history of our country (Capino, et.al., 1990). It is truly
commendable because knowledge of our past will lift our sense of nationalism. It will lead us to
the appreciation of our being a Filipino and consequently feel proud of what and who we are.
The annotated book was published in Paris in 1890.
During Rizal’s stay in London, horrible events happened in the place. A series of murder
believed to be an act of a serial killer disturbed the city. The perpetrator was never apprehended
and his real identity remains elusive until today. Unfortunately, some fingers point on Rizal as
one of the suspects. While Rizal was in London, a series of manslaughter took place in the city.
Five of these cases were believed to be done by one person because of the resemblance in the
manner of the killing. The five victims, all women, sustained deep wounds. Their throats were
cut while their bodies were mutilated and internal organs removed. Unfortunately, until this day

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the real criminal has not yet been identified. He is only known as the Jack the Ripper.
But why is Rizal a suspect? Circumstantial evidences could link Rizal to the crime. For
one, the murders took place in London and it happened that Rizal was in London during the
period when the so-called Jack the Ripper made his horrible slaughters. The murderer used a
scalpel suggesting that the perpetrator was either a doctor or a person with medical training.
Well, Rizal was a graduate of a medical course. However, inconsistencies in the evidences
corroborating the allegation are evident. In the case of Catherine Eddowes, an eye-witness
described the killer as: 5’7” in height, around 30 years of age, with medium build, fair
complexion with a mustache, and his attire gave him the appearance of a sailor. Except for
having medium build, the rest of the descriptions do not match up with Rizal. Besides, if there
was only one killer, it would be impossible that Rizal was the Jack the Ripper. When Annie
Chapman was murdered, our hero was in Paris. However, it is interesting to note that our hero
and the killer have the same initials, “JR”. Anyway, we know that Rizal is a gentleman who won
the heart of many women. He could not even afford to speak ill of a woman, how much more kill
one of them. There was an incident in Madrid where Rizal and Antonio Luna almost got into a
duel. In defense of a woman’s reputation, Jose reproved Antonio’s harsh words against Nellie
Boustead. This event almost cost their friendship. Is Rizal the Jack the Ripper, or, just simply Joe
the gentleman?
In December of 1888, Rizal went to Spain to exchange ideas with his compatriots
regarding the political situation in the Philippines. The Filipino compatriots organized the
Asociacion La Solidaridad in Barcelona on December 31, 1888. Rizal was unanimously chosen
as the honorary president of the said association. Rizal became part of the propaganda movement
which called for the assimilation of the Philippines. Prior to the campaign for independence, the
propagandists sought political reforms and equality with the Spaniards. Since the Philippines is
part of Spain, it is therefore apposite that Filipinos must enjoy the same favor as the Spaniards.
On January 12, 1889, the Asociacion Hispano-Filipina was organized in Madrid to work for
reforms. The primary organizer was Prof. Miguel Morayta who was consequently elected as
president. Not all Spaniards were regarded as adversaries. Some of them were avid sympathizers
of the Filipinos. On the same month, Rizal informed Blumentritt of his plan to establish an
International Association of Filipinologists which was intended to study the Philippines from a
scientific and historic point of view. On February 15, 1889 La Solidaridad was born in
Barcelona with Graciano Lopez Jaena as its editor. La Solidaridad became a significant
instrument for the Propaganda Movement in its cry for reforms. It served as the paper used by
the reformists to express their ideas and views about the Philippine affairs. As a member of the
Propaganda Movement, Rizal wrote extensively for the La Solidaridad. In the middle of March
1889, Rizal moved to Paris to continue his research work and began writing for La Solidaridad.
In Paris, he formed the Kidlat Club and Indios Bravos for the purpose of bringing together the
Filipinos who were in the city during the Paris Exposition of 1889. During his stay in Paris, Rizal
published three installments of his essay, The Philippines within a Century. The said essay
presents Rizal’s assumption of the possible developments in the Philippines after one hundred
years.
Rizal was such an admirable person that women could not help falling for him. In Paris,
he faced a romantic dilemma. Rizal had an affair with Adelina Boustead whose older sister Nelly
also got infatuated with our hero. It was indeed complicated since Antonio Luna who had an
affectionate feeling for Nelly. Luna thought that Rizal was a hindrance in getting the attention of
the Parisian lad. Between the two sisters, Rizal favored Nelly. However, their romantic

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relationship ended up a failure. On January 28, 1890, Rizal left Paris for Brussels, Belgium.
Rizal moved to Brussels in order to escape from the high cost of living in Paris and be able to
publish his second novel, El Filibusterismo. While in Brussels, Rizal had another romantic affair.
This time he found a new love in the person of Suzanne Jacoby, the niece of the owner of the
house he had boarded. The said relationship was also an unfortunate one.
That year, Rizal received unpleasant news from the Philippines. He learned that
Governor-General Terrero ordered the prohibition of the Noli Me Tangere. He was also informed
that the Calamba tenants and of those who took part in the public demonstration headed by
Doroteo Cortes were persecuted. Furthermore, Rizal was told about the eviction of his parents.
Immediately, he went to Madrid to make an appeal on the case of his parents. Rizal called for the
Filipinos to stand against the abuse and injustice committed by the Spaniards. He inexhaustibly
wrote more articles for La Solidaridad and courageously campaigned for reforms. The Filipino
compatriots accorded him support yet their efforts proved to be insufficient. While in Madrid,
Rizal encountered two aborted duels. One was with Antonio Luna who spoke unpleasantly of
Nellie Boustead. Rizal was such a gentleman that he could not afford to let a man like Luna
ridicule a woman. Fortunately, their compatriots quelled the two without causing any harm on
each other. The other one was with Wenceslao Retana, an anti-Filipino writer who wrote articles
discrediting the family of Rizal. Later, Retana became an enthusiast of our hero and wrote the
first book on the life, works and writings of Rizal. Why switch? Retana was probably intimidated
because he knew that Rizal was an excellent shooter and swordsman. The only choice left to
Retana to save his life was to ask apology for the embarrassment he had caused to the Rizal
family.
Toward the end of the year 1890, Rizal received a letter from Leonor Rivera informing
him that she would be marry Henry C. Kipping, an English engineer. This heart-breaking news
really hurt Rizal. It prompted him to go back to Paris to propose marriage to Adelina. However,
Rizal failed in his intention. He did not concede to be converted to Protestantism. Besides, Mrs.
Boustead did not want a poor son-in-law. Rizal’s marriage proposal was denied. In the same
year, Rizal published the fourth installment of The Philippines within a Century. He also
published another essay, The Indolence of the Filipinos. In this article, Rizal argued against the
claim of the Spaniards that Filipinos by nature are lazy. According to him, Filipinos are
industrious people but lost their appetite to work because of the maltreatment and usurpation of
the Spaniards.
In 1891, Rizal formally ceased writing for La Solidaridad. A political disagreement
between Rizal and Marcelo H. Del Pilar caused him to withdraw from the organization. The
aspirations of the Propaganda Movement had turned into an impossible dream. Rizal realized
that the demand for assimilation and cry for reforms will not bear a good fortune. The fight
against the tyranny and injustice of Spain must be elevated to higher grounds. The call for
equality has transformed to a shout for freedom. Rizal felt the necessity to go back to his
motherland because it is there were the Filipino people belong. The struggle for independence
must be raised in the Philippines.
Our hero left Europe and arrived in Hongkong on November 20, 1891. While in
Hongkong, Rizal practiced his medical profession. In Hongkong, he reunited with his mother and
other members of his family who escaped from the Philippines. For the second time, Rizal
operated on his mother’s eyes. Through Jose Basa, he became acquainted with some well-known
professionals in the place. Aside from practicing medicine, he also spent part of his time in
writing and translating into Tagalog the famous French Declaration on the Rights of Man. Rizal

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wrote the constitution of La Liga Filipina with the assistance of Jose Ma. Basa. The La Liga
Filipina was an association of Filipinos for civic and social cause. On April 1892, Rizal visited
Borneo and informed Governor-General Eulogio Despujol of his plan to establish a Filipino
colony in North Borneo, now Sabah. Rizal’s intention for founding a Filipino colony in North
Borneo was primarily for the interests of the persecuted Filipinos. However, some of his friends
particularly Manuel Hidalgo disagreed with the plan. To end with, the plan did not merit the
approval of the governor-general.

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