CHAPTER 4

RIZAL’S HIGHER EDUCATION AND LIFE ABROAD

Education at the Ateneo

June 1872 – Jose was sent to Manila to study at the Ateneo Municipal. At ang
kasa-kasama niya ng mga panahong ito ay ang kanyang kuya na si Pasciano.
Ateneo was the former Escuela Pia or charity school of Manila under the
supervision of Jesuits. Pinamumunuan ng mga paring Jesuits.
Ateneo was the counterpart of Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
Don Francisco changed his mind and decided to send Rizal to Ateneo
Municipal
Rizal almost did not enroll by the school registrar Fr. Magin Fernando because
of two reasons:
1. He was late for registration.
2. He appeared to be frail and sickly.
Through the intercession of Manuel Burgos (pamangkin ni Fr. Burgos), Jose
was able to enter Ateneo.
Jose used the surname “Rizal” for the first time.
Jose was called an “externo” (Nakatira sa labas ng campus ng Ateneo) or a
living out student during his days in Ateneo Municipal.
Fr. Jose Bech – first professor of Jose in Ateneo.
Jesuits System of education encouraged competition among students.
Rizal was placed at the bottom of the class and assigned with the Carthaginians.
The class was divided into two groups:
Carthaginian (the non-boarder of Ateneo)
Roman (the boarder inside Ateneo)
The best student: Emperor
The second best student: Tribune
The third best student: Decurion
The fourth best student: Centurion
The fifth best student: Standard Bearer
Within the empire, the students fought for these positions by challenging the
ones holding the ranks to answer questions based on the day’s lesson.
Dahil wala pa siyang gaanong kaalaman sa Spanish, nag-aral siya ng mabuti at
cinonvince niya ang kanyang ama na bilhan siya ng mga libro:
Historia Universal by Cesar Cantu
 Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Travels to the Philippines by Feodor Jagor
Jose took a private lesson in Santa Isabel College during break time to improve
his knowledge of Spanish.
After a month, Rizal became the emperor, and he was considered as the
brightest student of the class.
In his second year and third year in Ateneo, nothing usual happened to Rizal.
In his fourth year in Ateneo, Rizal was inspired to study hard and to write poetry
by one of his best professors, Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez – a great
educator and scholar.
He expressed his ideas on the value of education in his poem “Through
Education the Motherland Receives Light.” Nagpapakita ng pagpapahalaga
ni Rizal sa sistema ng edukasyon. Naniniwala siya sa ginagampanan ng
edukasyon para sa ikauunlad ng isang bayan o bansa.
Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) – a poem dedicated to his mother
on her birthday.
In Memory of My Town – a tender poem in honor of Calamba
Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education – it shows the
importance of religion in education.
A Farewell Dialogue of the Students – the last poem written by Rizal in Ateneo.
He excelled in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term.
March 23, 1877 – he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts with honors.

Rizal’s Studies at the University of Santo Tomas (UST)

After Rizal completed his education at the Ateneo, his mother wanted him to
return home and look after the family business.
April 1877 – Rizal was 16 years old, enrolled at the UST taking Philosophy and
Letters.
Rizal was still unsure of what course to take.
He tried to seek guidance from Fr. Pablo Ramon but since he was in Mindanao.
For his first term, Rizal studied at the Philosophy program.
In the following term he decided to shift to medicine.
His decision was prompted by his desire to:
Cure his mother’s failing eyesight.
Fr. Ramon wrote back advising Jose to take up medicine.
Highly in demand course
 Rizal entered a very different world in UST as a student.
Rizal spent his time studying. He returned to Ateneo to take up a land surveying
course which was then a vocational course.
He completed the surveyor’s course and was awarded the title of perito
agrimensor.

Experience of Spanish Brutality

Rizal experienced his first taste of brutality during his first year of medical studies
at UST.
One night while he was walking alone a dark street, Rizal failed to
recognize the Spanish civil guard, passing by his side, thus, he did not bow,
salute or greet the man. At a striking distance, the civil guard whipped Rizal
mercilessly at the back with a stingray tail (buntot pagi).

Literary Works of Rizal in University of Sto. Tomas

To the Filipino Youth (Sa Kabataang Pilipino/ A La Juventud Filipina) a winning

masterpiece which he submitted in the literacy contest held by Liceo-Artistico-
Literario of Manila.
“The youth is the fair hope of our Fatherland.”
The Council of Gods (El Consejo De Los Dioses) – it was another contest of
Liceo-Artistico-Literario to commemorate the death of Miguel Cervantes, the
author of Don Quixote.
The jury which was composed of Spaniards awarded Rizal the grand prize.
The Spanish community especially the press was appalled upon learning that
the author was an Indio.
The study of Rizal at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) was not meaningful and
fruitful just like he was at Ateneo.
Rizal, after completing his four years in Medical School decided to leave for
Europe.
Rizal’s decision to leave for Spain had the blessings of his brother Paciano and
his uncle Antonio Rivera.
He decided not to seek his parents’ blessing knowing that they will never
approve his plan.
Education and Life in Europe

Travel for Spain

May 1, 1882 – Rizal began writing farewell letters to his friends and family.
Using the name Jose Mercado, his departure for Spain was made possible.
Paciano gave him money for his allowance.
Saturnina gave him a diamond ring.
May 3, 1882 – Rizal left on board the Spanish steamer Salvadora bound for
Singapore.
After 5 days of sailing, the Salvadora reached Singapore.
He registered at Hotel dela Paz.
His two-days stop over were spent in visiting historic places.

From Singapore to Colombo, Sri-Lanka

May 11, 1882 – from Singapore, he bounded to Djemnah, a French steamer

bound for Europe.
May 17, 1882 – Djemnah made its stop over at the Point Galle.
Rizal noted, “Point Galle, a seacoast town which is picturesque but lonely, quiet
and sad.”
May 18, 1882 – Djemnah docked at Colombo.
Rizal said, ”Colombo is more beautiful, smart and elegant then Singapore, Point
Galle and Manila.”

Trip to Suez Canal

The Djemnah continued to voyage crossing the Indian Ocean to the Cape of
Guardaful – for Rizal, this was an inhospitable land but famous.
The next stopover was in Aden – this was the firs time Rizal stepped in African
soil and saw real camels.
From Aden, the Djemnah arrived at the Port Said in the City of Suez.
From Port Said, the ship arrived at Napoli (Italy).
After the brief stop at Napoli, the ship proceeded to Marseilles.
June 15, 1882 – Rizal left Marseilles and they finally reached Barcelona – the
second largest city of Spain and the greatest city of Cataluña.
While in Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay entitled, Love of Country
(Amor Patrio) - this was his first article written is Spain’s soil under the pen name
LAONG LAAN.
 He send this to his friend Basilio Teodoro Moran – the publisher of Diariong
Tagalog.
Diariong Tagalog – the first Manila newspaper that published both Spanish and
Tagalog.
The Amor Patrio was published on August 201, 18823 in two texts.
Marcelo H. del Pilar – he made the transation of Amor Patrio in Tagalog text.
Rizal in his essay (Amort Patrio):
He urged the Filipinos to love the Philippines.
He wanted them to be free, people with dignity and honor according to
God’s plan and not slaves.
Los Viajes (Travels) – second article of Diariong Tagalog
Revista De Madrid (Review of Madrid) – third article of Diariong Tagalog, it was
returned to Rizal and stopped the publication because of lack of funds.

In Madrid, Spain

November 3, 1882 – Rizal left Barcelona and he enrolled at the Central

University of Madrid (Universidad Central de Madrid) for the Licentiate in
Medicine and Philosophy and Letters.
He also took up lessons in painting ang sculpture at the Academia de Bellas
Artes de San Fernando (Academy of Fine Arts of San Pedro) as well as lessons
in French, German and English.
He was a vocarious reader and with many books he read, two books left a deep
impression on him: The Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The
Wandering Jew by Eugene Sue.
Aside from his studies, Rizal had the chance to meet Consuelo Ortiga y Perez.
Rizal fell inlove with Conseulo but because of Eduardo de Lete, Rizal did not
pursue his feelings but instead he made a poem for Consuelo.
Rizal joined the Hispano-Philippine Circle (Circulo Hispana-Filipino) – a society
of Spaniards and Filipinos.
He wrote a poem entitled, They Ask Me For Verses (Me Piden Verse) upon the
request of his co-member.
Rizal came in close contact with the Spanish liberals and republicans who were
mostly masons.
He discovered the political possibilities of becoming a Mason, so he joined the
Masonic Lodge called Acacia in Madrid with the Masonic name DIMASALANG.
 While in Madrid, the Filipinos including Rizal were having financial problems
however, they were inspired by the victory of Juan Luna’s painting “Spolaruim”
and Resurrecion Hidalgo’s painting ”Christian Virgins Exposed to the
Populace”.

Rizal’s Education in Spain

Rizal completed his medical course and was conferred the degree of Licentiate
in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid on June 21, 1884.
The next academic year, he studied and passed all the subjects leading to the
degree of Doctor of Medicine but was not awarded his Doctor’s Diploma.
He was also awarded the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters on
June 19, 1885 with the rating of “Sobresaliente”.
With Rizal’s relentless search for relevant education and advance studies , he
went to Paris, France and Berlin (Germany) to specialize in Opthalmology.
Maximo Viola – a friend of Rizal and a medical student who belonged to a rich
family in San Miguel, Bulacan.
Don Miguel Morayta – the owner of La Publicidad.
February 3, 1886 – Rizal reached Heidelberg – a historic city in Germany famous
for for its old university.
He worked at the University Eye Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Otto
Becker.
During his stay in Heidelberg, he lived with a Protestant pastor Dr. Karl Ullmen,
who became his good friend.
“A Las Flores de Heidelbeg” – this was written during his stay in the city of
Heidelberg.
Rizal wrote a German letter to Professor Ferdinand Bluementritt on July 31, 1885
because he knew that Bluementritt was interested in Philippine languages.
Rizal sent a bookentitled Arithmetica to Bluementritt.
Bluementritt became the best friend of Rizal.
June 19 in Geneva, Switzerland celebrated his 26th birthday.
After two weeks, then he toured the Italy.
Rome – “Eternal City” and “City of Caesars”
Vatican – “Seat of Authority” of the Roman Catholic Church and “City of Popes”