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GE 9 – LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

LESSON 5
Rizal's Life: Higher Education and Life Abroad

I. Learning Outcomes
1. Describe the life of Rizal in Ateneo and in UST;
2. Analyze Rizal's growth as a propagandist.

II. Lecture Notes / Lesson Content

Article 1
12 Ludwigsplatz, 11 March 1886
Heidelberg

MY DEAR PARENTS AND BROTHERS,

As I announced to you in my previous letter, I’m now in this new house, in
front of the University itself, and in which I intend to remain all the time I have to
be in this city, until I can go to Berlin, which will be within a few months.
During last week and half of this it had been very cold, and snow fell during
that time in the mountain as well as in the city. The wind blows with great force,
beats the tree branches, and makes the snow whirl, lashing and reddening the
face. Despite the fact that I’m not sanguine, my cheeks are red and at that I'm not
very stout. Despite the cold, the wind, and the snow, continue going to the
hospital and studying ophthalmology and German everyday. I'm progressing
fairly in German, for now I can make myself understood by everyone, only that I
don't understand everybody, for many here speak' very fast or speak a patois or
dialect which is not the classic German, or high German that I study.
Although snow makes many suffer on account of the cold it causes, on the
other hand it entertains children and the youth. The children make snowballs with
which they attack one another. The young people ride in sledges or they slide
from a height on a mountain path down to the valley below.
It is worth describing to you the Fackelzug or the torch festival which I
mentioned to you in my previous letter. On the occasion of the election of the
Rector, the students, numbering from 650 to 700, hold this celebration. All art.
dressed in the uniform of their corporations, usually preceded by two bearing
duel swords. Each corporation selects its finest young men, and these lead the
march. Ahead go the Rector and the highest official in a carriage and behind them
march the students with bands of music. All carry lighted torches and walk at a
light gait. The effect is beautiful and wonderful. After going through the streets of
Heidelberg, they all gather at this square and form a square leaving a big space in
the middle. At a given signal all throw their torches up in the air - seven hundred
torches fluttering in space. Those that fall are picked up and thrown up again,
while all sing in chorus Gaudeamus igitur to the beat of the music and the
clashing of the swords. Here it is the student' who prevails; without students
Heidelberg is a dead city. On Saturday there will be another Fackelzug as a
farewell, for March and April are vacation months.
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Carnival passed away with more gaiety, though with very much less pomp
and animation than in Madrid. Very few masks, 20 or 30 floats only but as the
German is serious during the whole year, on Shrove Tuesday he "takes up and
enjoys himself. The street where they stroll is moreover narrow, so that all the
merry-making is concentrated and the people enliven with their presence what
luxury and movement do in other places. In spite of the cold and the wind that
makes the ears crack, there were some little jokes, throwing of peas from carriage
to carriage, and ...
The German language is becoming clearer to me. It no longer seems to me
so obscure and difficult as at the beginning. I hope that within five months I'll
speak it like Spanish. I'm afraid that I may forget the latter language, for until the
present, since I arrived in Germany, I haven't found anyone who knows Spanish.
On the other hand, I spoke Tagalog once with a German who stayed a long time at
Singapore and who spoke Malay. Although we couldn't understand each other
very well, nevertheless I encountered many words similar to Tagalog.
Now I lead an entirely different life from what I had lately. I eat outside. The
house with service costs me 28 marks — this is 7 pesos, each mark being worth 2
reales fuertes. Breakfast served at the house costs mc 40 pfennigs; I lunch at the
restaurant; for 2 reales 18 cuartos they give me soup, three dishes, dessert, and
wine, besides potatoes, salad, cabbage and other vegetables, for it must be noted
that German cooking is all full of vegetables and many things mixed together. At
night I buy two small rolls which cost three cuartos, cheese, fruits, and a piece of
sausage or butter. All in all, the heating, light, laundry, room, and food cost me
some 30 pesos a month or a little less. Add to these expenses, the cleaning etc...
so that for 40 pesos one can live well in Germany, if one doesn’t have to buy
clothes and to travel from time to time.
At the hospital I practice and examine patients who come every day. The
professor corrects our mistakes in diagnosis; I help in the treatment and although
I don't see so many operations as I did at Paris, here I study more the practical
side. If I receive sufficient money in April or May, I intend to enroll in regular
course in ophthalmology either in Leipzig, Halle, or Berlin. God willing, I don’t
intend to remain in Germany longer than until November at most in order to go
afterward to England in December and remain there during the spring of 1887 and
go again to Paris to observe the operations of Dr. de Wecker who, as a surgeon, it
seems to me, is very superior to anyone I have been until the present. From there
I can return to the Philippines and manage very suitably a clinic for eye diseases.
Until now I haven’t received a letter from you since the Iast, that I received
from my brother at the beginning of January. You may continue sending me your
letters to Paris and send them through the French mail boat which departs from
there every fortnight.
A German promised me one of these days ...

Article 2
MY DEAR PARENTS AND BROTHERS,
Since the beginning of January until now, I haven't received either a letter
or draft, though according to calculation I ought to receive money a month ago,
for what I have would barely last until the beginning of May. The next mail doesn't
arrive until after two weeks, and as I haven't received your advice to give up, I
continue hoping Ill Germany I have neither a countryman nor a true friend to turn
to, Luna has been lending me the whole past month, but my friend is poor and
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besides has his brother at Paris and has to support two. I expected to receive
through the latter, who arrived two weeks ago, the watch my brother promised
me, but undoubtedly you didn’t know he was leaving.
I repeat once more, lest you may have forgotten it, the convenience and
necessity of writing me in advance when you cannot send me the promised
amount. Thus I shall be at ease knowing by what to abide and I don't contract
obligations which later will cause displeasures that are not easy to imagine.
If you don't have much to tell me, a postal card with four or five words
would suffice, which is very convenient and costs one half. With an expenditure
of four cuartos, you save me many displeasures. This is always easy to do.
It is my serious and ardent desire to go home, for it scents to me that I
cause too much expense and I wish to help the family in whatever way I can. I’m
tired of Europe and I'm afraid to ruin the family, for they say that business is very
bad. I wish to go home as soon as possible in order to be with you.
When you send me a draft, send me through the following mail the 2nd
copy, and the 3rd copy through the one after that, in order that in case it is lost,
the amount can be collected. I fear that that is what might have happened this
time, for I can't explain the delay and lack of letters. In Europe postal employees
are very honest and diligent, at least in France, Germany, and England. It is
seldom that a letter gets lost.
YOURS,
RIZAL
Please answer this letter.

Glorious Student's Life Starts at Ateneo de Municipal

Jose Rizal had his Bachiller en Artes at the school of the Jesuits. This religious
order loved Jose so much, in fact in 1892 when he was exiled in Dapitan, the real
sentence for him was execution but because of the Jesuits he was just exiled. In
Ateneo, he excelled in academics, in extracurricular and vocational education.
Jose P. Rizal was again accompanied by his brother Paciano to Ateneo Municipal.
He was introduced to Father Minister Magin Ferrando and at first, the Father Minister
did not want to accept him because of his weak constitution and short stature. However,
with the help of Manuel Jerez, the nephew of late Father Burgos, the eleven-year-old
Jose Rizal was accepted in Ateneo Municipal. At first, he was overwhelmed to see
students from different classes, he saw a great number of Spaniards, mestizos and
Filipinos. In his stay in Ateneo, he needed to change his name to Rizal instead of
Mercado to avoid being associated with Father Burgos. He was included in the class of
a Jesuit priest, Father Jose Bech and according to Rizal, he was a tall man, thin, with
body bent forward, with hasty pace, an ascetic, severe and inspired physiognomy,
sunken, small eyes and fine lips. He was able to meet some of his classmates in Biñan.

Success in Ateneo de Municipal

The teachers in Ateneo encouraged their students to study harder with the use of
competition. The class was divided into two groups, the Carthaginian (the non-boarder
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of Ateneo) and the Roman (the boarder inside Ateneo). The two groups competed in all
class discussion and each member could challenge the other members of the group,
the opponent who would commit three mistakes in the questions about the lesson
would lose his position. The best student in each group was called as the Emperor, the
second best was the Tribune, the third best was the Decurion, the fourth best was the
Centurion and the fifth best was the Standard Bearer (Zaide, 1994). In the first quarter
of his stay in Ateneo, he already achieved the title as Emperor. The challenge of
competition had a positive effect to the academic status of Jose P. Rizal and this was
evident in his scholastic records.

Extra-Curricular Activities at Ateneo

Aside from the academics, Jose also engaged into various extra-curricular
activities like he was part of the literary group under the guidance of Fr. Sanchez, a
member of a Marian Congregation who were devoted to Virgin Mary, a member of the
club of Natural Sciences. He also continued his painting under Agustin Saez, and he
also studied sculpture under the guidance of Romualdo de Jesus.
His literary skills were also sharpened because of his passion in reading. During
his Ateneo days, he was able to read and understand complicated novels like The
Count of Monte Cristo written by Alexander Dumas. He also read books in different
areas, he asked his father to buy the expensive historical book of Cesar Cantu entitled,
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Universal History and he also became fascinated by work of Dr. Feodor Jagor entitled,
Travels in the Philippines.
Literary Works of Jose Rizal in Ateneo
Along with his success in academics, he also had various achievements writing
poems, essays and drama in Ateneo. The first poem that he wrote in Ateneo was for his
mother entitled "My First Inspiration." In 1876, he wrote poems about the importance
of education for the development of a country entitled "Through Education the
Country Receives Light" and connection between Education and Religion entitled
"Intimate Alliance Between Religious and Good Education." Aside from poems and
essays, he Also ventured in writing manuscripts for play. In June 1876, he handed to Fr.
Sanchez the entitled "St. Eustache, the Martyr."
First Inspiration

The Release of his Mother from Prison

Jose's success in Ateneo was not complete because he still longed for justice for
his mother who was imprisoned because of the wrong accusation of her sister-in-law
Teodora Herbosa that Teodora Alonzo attempted to poison her. During his summer
break, Jose visited her mother in prison and cheered her up by citing his academic
excellence in Ateneo. In his summer break, after his second year in Ateneo, her mother
told him about her dream and Jose interpreted it as a sign that after three months, she
would be released from prison and Rizal's prophecy came true. reason why his mother
was released from prison was the request of his sister Soledad to the Governor General
after the latter appreciated her talent in dancing.
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The Loves of Rizal during His Teenage Years

At the age of thirteen, during his stay in the province. Jose met a girl named
Julia. Jose first noticed a sweet voice of a girl who taking a bath in the river. sweet voice
made Jose stop and search for the owner of the voice and when he found her he made
a way to know the name of the young lady. He described Julia as a girl with an oval
face, had olive skin and hair. And in order to capture the attention of Julia, he and told in
all those beautiful flowers that he had who caught his attention. He brought Julia and
her grandmother to their home but after that he did not make a way to meet Julia.
College Life in Universidad de Santo Tomas
At the end of education of Jose Rizal in Ateneo, he was able to gain the highest
award as the emperor of his class and the title Bachiller en Artes. He-wanted to
pursue his higher education inspite of the disapproval of his mother who thought that
the higher education would lead to Rizal’s disadvantage. He entered the university as a
student of Philosophy and Letter. He was not sure of the course that he would pursue in
college so he sought the advice of his former teacher in Ateneo, Fr. Ramon but because
the latter was in Mindanao his teacher was not able to reply to his question immediately.
Following the course his father, he took Philosophy and Letters from 1877-1878 and in
1878 he shifted to Medicine course because he considered the situation of his mother
who had failing eyesight.
His life in Ateneo as a student was different from UST maybe because in
Ateneo his teachers monitored the students closely since it was considered a school for
secondary education while in UST the students were free to do their other activities. The
students were only required to attend their classes for three hours and they were free to
do their other things for the rest of the time. So even if he was enrolled in UST he spent
his other time in going back to Ateneo to continue his extra-curricular activities and in
1877—1878 he used his spare time in UST to study a vocational course. In Ateneo, he
studied surveying course and gained the title of Perito Agrimensor.
His brilliance in Philosophy was evident in his grades that he attained in his
Philosophy course in UST and during those time this course was considered as the
preparatory course of Theology and Law.

In 1887, he shifted from Philosophy to Medicine. During this time, he had 23

classmates in Medicine consisted of three peninsulares, three insulares and the
others were natives. Among the 24 students, 22 of them finished the course and Rizal
was part of the four students who gained the mark of Aprovechado.
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Some of the historians who ventured in the life of Jose Rizal commented that
Rizal had lower grades in UST than when he studied in Ateneo and they attributed his
low grades to the discrimination that he experienced in UST. However, according to
Villaroel and De Viana, Jose Rizal was not discriminated in UST because first among
other students, he was able to get higher grades. Second the story of Placido
Pinetente in Physics class did not happen in UST because personally Rizal took
Ampliacion so he did not take Physics in UST, third, the reason why Rizal got lower
grades in UST was the different distraction that he experienced while studying in UST
like his love life and group that he established (Compadrenismo).
The Literary Triumph of Rizal in UST
ln April 1880. Jose joined the competition which commemorated the 400th death
anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes. He wrote a play entitled, El Consejo de Ios
Dioses, a play which recognized Cervantes as equal to Homer and Virgil and even if
the jury was composed of Spaniards, they awarded Rizal the highest prize. Rizal's
triumph on the said literary award was contested by the Spaniards who could not accept
that the winner came from the natives but the judges stood by their decision and on the
time of the awarding the crowd which was composed of the Spaniards did not applaud
Rizal,
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Like in Ateneo, Jose Rizal also had various literary works in UST. In 1879, Rizal
joined the Liceo Artistico-Literario of Manila and won the competition. He wrote the "La
Juventud Filipina" (To the Filipino Youth), this poem encouraged and inspired the
Filipino youth to stand up and work harder to attain the highest objectives.
The First Journey to Europe
The secret mission to Spain was the agreement between Jose and his brother
Paciano. After his four years of Medicine course in UST, Jose decided to follow the
advice of his brother Paciano to leave the country and travel to Spain. The first reason
why he needed to leave was to pursue his medical course second was to observe the
political situation in Madrid. It was only Paciano, Antonio Rivera, his friend Chenggoy
and the family of Orang who knew about his departure. His former teacher in Ateneo
also gave him a letter of recommendation to the Jesuit House in Barcelona in case he
needed assistance. His parents did not know that when he kissed their hands before he
left Calamba on May 1, 1882, that it would take many years before they could see their
son again. Before he left, his brother handed him $56 that he would use for his travel,
his passport using the name Jose Mercado and a first class ticket for the cruise
Salvadora.
On May 2, 1882, he visited the family of Orang. Orang's mother gave him a can
of cookies called sopas and a box of chocolate that he would consume on his travels.
The night before he left, he had the opportunity to talk to Orang Valenzuela.
On May 3, 1882 at 5:00, he heard Mass at Santo Domingo church and then
Chenggoy, Antonio Rivera and his cousin Gella accompanied him to the dock near
Magallanes monument. He rode the cruise Salvadora and as the ship started to leave
Manila, Jose became emotional because he was not able to say goodbye to his
parents and to Leonor Rivera. On May 8, 1882, their cruise reached Singapore. He
immediately traveled to different parts of the country and visited the gardens, the
Buddhist temple, the monument of Stamford Raffles and the market where he bought
his personal things. He admired the Chinese architecture and the freedom of religion in
Singapore which was evident in different churches in the country.
On May 11, 1882, he rode the cruise of Djemnah going to Ceylon (old name of
Sri Lanka). His ticket was for first class so he would enjoy a first-class cabin, with
carpeted floor, bed with springs, curtain and wash basin. Most of the passengers of the
cruise were French and because of this Jose practiced the French language that he
learned during his Ateneo days but he knew that he needed to study more to become
fluent in the language. They reached Ceylon on May 17, 1882. Jose was enchanted
because of the beautiful scenery in the island and according to Rizal this was one of the
most beautiful islands that he had seen, however, it was full of loneliness. From Ceylon
they travelled to North Africa and Rizal described Africa as a country with hot climate.
Then, they travelled to Suez Canal for five days. Their next stop over was in Port Said in
Egypt, in this place Rizal observed the multicultural city since he saw different people
speaking in different languages like Arabic, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Egyptian.
On June 11, 1882, Djemnah reached Naples in Italy. Rizal admired the
panoramic beauty by the bay and then their cruise reached Marseilles. He enjoyed his
tour in this city because he wanted to visit the place of his favorite writer Alexander
Dumas. After three days, he travelled to Barcelona using train.
On June 16, 1882, he reached Barcelona and he learned that he ran out of cash
and the money that left to him was only seven pesos which was not enough to rent a
dormitory. So he used the letter of recommendation that his teachers from Ateneo
handed to him and the Jesuit in Barcelona helped him and lent him money. Because of
insufficient money; he first rented a room in Barcelona which cost only 11 pesos.
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The room did not pass the taste of Rizal but he had no other choice. His room
had a brick floor, dirty, hard bed. There was no mirror and the wash basin was broken.
His first impression of Barcelona was negative because he viewed it as an ugly and
dirty place. However, when his brother Paciano was able to send him money, he
transferred to a more expensive room that suited his taste.
Life in Barcelona and Madrid
Since he arrived in Spain during the summer vacation, he had the opportunity to
travel to different parts of the city and meet the other Filipinos living in the city. His
former classmates in Ateneo who resided in Madrid prepared a party for Rizal which
was held at Plaza Cataluna. And while waiting for the start of the classes, he wrote an
essay which reflected how he Loved and missed his country. He wrote his first
nationalistic essay in Barcelona entitled El Amor Patrio. This essay was published in
Diariong Tagalog on August 20, 1882 and was translated in Tagalog by Marcelo H. del
Pilar.
When his brother Paciano learned that he was staying in Barcelona, he wrote a
letter to Jose and reminded him about his secret mission in going to Spain. On
November 3, 1882, Rizal was enrolled in Universidad Central de Madrid under the
course of Medicine and Philosophy and Letters. However, while waiting for the start of
classes in Madrid, he also enrolled in Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando for
painting and he also travelled to different historical places and museums. Because of
his engagement in different lessons and the difficulty, Paciano was having in sending
him money for his allowance, he had a hard time budgeting his money. Sometimes,
according to his diary, he would only eat biscuit for each meal or sometimes he would
just go to different restaurants in Madrid and let his eyes enjoy the food because his
money was not enough to buy food for his meal.
Rizal in Paris
On July 17, 1883, he travelled to Paris. He visited the different tourist spots in the
city, the museums, the Opera House, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Bois de Boulogne,
Madelaine Church, the Column of Vendome, the Invalides and the libraries. But
because he was mistaken as a Japanese, the prices for his food, accommodation and
entrance fees were more expensive than other people of other nationalities. Aside from
the different historical places, Rizal had the opportunity to visit some restaurants in
Paris and this was described in the letter that he sent to his sister Maria.
Speaking...of the dining room in Europe, there is a general feeling that if
would be made pleasing, graceful, agreeable. In the houses of the very rich, you
will see paintings of landscapes, fruits and animals by the great masters. You will
see the paintings of oysters, prawns, lobster, fishes, etc. Others who cannot pay
so much, content themselves with copies and the poorest ones with
chromolithographs.
In some houses in Germany, particularly in Holland, what I see with regard
to painting is that they hang on the walls very old plates, with more or less colors,
with more or less designs. In some houses they would show you grandfather's
and grandmother's plates.
In the house of the Pardos in Paris, I saw a big plate, 50 years old a
century old perhaps, side by side with söme plates of Chinese porcelain nearly
two centuries old, a big plate like many plates from China that we have there for
daily use, if my memory is not bad, and which has this form.
Rizal could not afford the high cost of living in Paris so he decided to go back to
Madrid.
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Rizal Joined the Masonry

In Madrid, Rizal was able to meet different personalities with liberal ideas like
Miguel Morayta, Francisco Pi y Margal and other people who were brave to openly
criticize the government and friars during their time. And these people were part of the
(Masonic Lodge so Rizal also joined the Masonry hoping that he could utilize the Free
Masonry as his shield against the friars who according to him were the hindrance for the
development and reform of the society in the Philippines. On February 15, 1884, he
received his diploma as the Master Mason.
The Toast for Luna and Hidalgo
On June 25, 1884, the Filipinos in Madrid had a gathering to celebrate Juan
Luna's success because his painting Spolarium gained gold medal and Felix
Resurrecion Hidalgo's Christian Virgins Exposed to Populance received a silver
medal on a prestigious painting competition in Madrid. And Jose Rizal, who was not
able to take his meal for the whole day was requested to deliver an impromptu speech
that would be a salute for the two Filipino painters.
The Concepts of Brindis
1. The independence of the Philippines in the future because the Filipinos
already had education from Spain and their achievements were recognized
abroad.
2. The genius could come from any nations so the people in a particular race
should not treat themselves as superior.
3. The talents and intelligence of the Filipinos are innate and Spain gave them
education which polished their capabilities.
4. The Filipinos are ready for the reforms that the Spanish government will give.
5. The Union of Spain and the Philippines is not impossible and he recognized
the contributions of Spain for our country.
6. The credit should be given to Juan Luna, Felix Hidalgo, to the students who
choose to be apart from their families to continue their education and to the
parents who worked hard and bore the longing for their children for the sake of
their education.
The Academic Records of Rizal in Universidad Central de Madrid
Despite of his financial difficulties, Jose Rizal was able to do his responsibilities
as a student in Madrid. During his vacant time, he did not waste time but he consumed
his free hours in going to the library, attended different seminars and lectures and went
to various feasts. On June 21, 1884, Rizal completed his medical studies and attained
the title of Licentiate in Medicine.
Fifth Year of Medicine Sixth Year of Medicine
(1882-1883) (1883-1884)
Medical Clinic I - Bueno Medical Clinic Il - Bueno
Surgical Clinic I - Bueno Surgical Clinic Il - Notable
Obstetrical Clinic - Aprobado
Legal Medicine - Sobresaliente
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In 1884, after earning his Licentiate in Medicine, Rizal continued his studies for
Doctorate in Medicine. However, because of financial difficulties, he was not able to
present his thesis and get the title as Doctor of Medicine.
History of the Medical Science Aprobado
Surgical Analysis applied to the Medical Science Bueno
Advanced Normal and Pathological Histology Sobresaliente

For his Course in Philosophy and Letters

(1882-1883) (1884-1885)
Universal History I - Saliente Spanish - Sobresaliente
Language (with a scholarship)
General Literature - Sobresaliente Arabic - Sobresaliente
Language (with a scholarship)
(1883-1884)
Universal History 2 - Sobresaliente
Greek and Latin Literature - Sobresaliente (with prize)
Greek I - Sobresaliente (with prize)

Rizal, Assimilation and Propaganda Movement

The Filipno illustrado in Madrid between the year 1880 to 1885 had a secret
mission to inform the Spanish government in Madrid about the true condition of the
Philippines under their colonial government. This is due of their assumption that the
administration of Spain is not aware about the abusive policies of the assigned Spanish
officers in the Philippines. Equipped with high education and literary talents, the Filipino
illustrado contributed articles to their newspaper, La Solidaridad to enlighten the
minds of the Spaniards and other Filipinos about the real condition of the country. The
triumvirates of the organization were Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena and
Dr. Jose Rizal. Among the contributors of the newspaper, it was Jose Rizal who was the
most diligent in writing and brave to defend the Filipinos.
The Conflict between Jose Rizal and Antonio Luna
Antonio Luna and Jose Rizal were close friends but when Antonio knew that
Nelly Boustead, the lady whom he was courting had special feelings for Jose Rizal their
friendship was shaken. In one incident, when Antonio was drunk, he stated negative
things about Nelly, and Rizal did not like the words that Antonio said so he challenged
Luna to a duel. Being an expert in guns and swords, Rizal was confident that he would
win the duel but the other Filipinos present prevented the duel to happen. After the
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incident, Antonio realized his mistakes and talked to Rizal. Upon realizing that Nelly was
in love with Rizal, Antonio just helped Rizal win the heart of Nelly Boustead.
The Conflict Between Rizal and Wenceslao Retana
Wenceslao wrote an article which stated that the Domican friars evicted Rizal's
family from their land in Calamba which they rented from the Dominican because Rizal's
family did not pay enough amount to the corporation. And because of the negative
comments of Retana about his family, he challenged Retana to a duel but again having
in mind that Rizal was an expert in gun and sword, Retana did not agree to the
challenge.
The Conflict Between Marcelo H. del Pilar and Rizal
Marcelo H. del Pilar and Rizal had a conflict because of leadership. The
members in the association were divided as Pilarist (for del Pilar) and Rizalist (for
Rizal) and to end the conflict they held an election. On the first election, Rizal won the
presidency but did not get the minimum vote needed, in the second election, Rizal again
won the presidency but again did not get the minimum vote needed and in the third
election finally Rizal got the minimum vote needed. However, Rizal did not accept the
leadership because of the lack of unity. The conflict between Rizal and Marcelo was
published in La Solidaridad which was opposed by Rizal.
The conflict of Rizal with other reformists made him think that his real battle was
in the Philippines so inspite of the advice of his other friends and family for him not to go
back to the country, he decided to return to the Philippines.