Life and Works of Rizal

(3IE-1)
Chapter 14:
Rizal in London
Presented by:
Duyogan, Paula Jean
Reyes, Kenneth
Batalan, Mark Lester
Arevalo, David Kyle
Sanchez, Jerome Carlo
After visiting the United States, Rizal
lived in London from May 1888 to March
1889.
 He chose the English City to
be his new home for 3 reasons:
1. To improve my knowledge
of the English Language.

ENGLISH
 Rizal chose the English City to
be his new home for 3 reasons:
2. To study and annotate Morga’s
Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas.
Antonio de Morga
Rizal chose the English City to
be his new home for 3 reasons:
3. London was safe place for me
to carry on my fight against
Spanish tyranny.
Trip Across the
Atlantic
• Rizal was on board the “”SS City of Rome”.

• While on the board, Rizal entertained the

American and European passengers with
his marvelous skill of the yoyo as a
defensive weapon.
Rizal arrived at Liverpool, England on May
24, 1888

Liverpool, England

Adelphi Hotel
He spent his night at Adelphi Hotel
• Rizal wrote to his family:
“Liverpool is a big and beautiful
city and its celebrated port is
worthy of its great fame. The
entrance is magnificient and the
customhouse is quite good”
Life in London
 Dr. Antonio Ma.
Regidor

• On May 25,1888, Rizal went to London.

• He stayed as a guest at the home of Dr.
Antonio Ma. Regidor, an exile of 1872
and practicing lawyer in London.
• By the end of May, he found a modest boarding
place at No. 37 Chalcot, Crescent, Primrose Hill.

• Rizal was a boarder of the Beckett family.

 The Beckett Family

• Mr. Beckett, organist of St. Paul’s church

• Mrs. Beckett (his wife)
• 2 sons
• 4 daughters
• Rizal came to know Dr. Reinhold Frost

• I was the librarian of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and an authority on
Malayan language and
customs.

• I was impressed by Rizal’s teaming and

character and he gladly recommended Rizal
to the authorities of the British Museum.
• I called “Rizal “a Pearl of Man”.
News from Home,
Bad news
 Bad news
1. Persecution of the Filipino patriots who
signed the “Anti-friar Petition 1888”.
2. Persecution of the Calamba tenants
3. Furious attacks on Rizal by Senators
Salamanca and Vida in the Spanish
Cortes and Wenceslao Retana and Pablo
Feced in Spanish newspapers.
 Bad news
4. A friend of Rizal, Laureano Viado, a
medical student at the University of Santo
Tomas, was arrested and Jailed in Bilibid
prison because of the copies of Noli that were
found in his house.

5. Rizal’s brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo,

husband of Saturnina was exiled by Governor
General Weyler to Bohol without due process
of law.
News from Home,
Good news
• One good news cheered Rizal, and that
was Rev. Vicente Garcia’s defense of the
Noli against the attacks of the friars.

• Rizal heard this good

news from Mariano
Ponce.

• Later, on January 7, 1891,

he wrote to Father Garcia,
expressing his personal
thanks Mariano
Ponce
Annotating Morga’s
book
• The greatest achievement of Rizal on London
was the annotating of Morga’s book,
Sucessos de Las Isla Filipinas which was
published in Mexico, 1609.
Rizal spent many days
in the reading room of
the British Museum
poring over the pages
of this book and
laboriously reading the
old histories of the
Philippines.

British Museum
 Short visit to
Paris and Spain
 Early in September 1888,
Rizal visited Paris for a
week in order to search
for more historical
materials Bibliotheque
Nationale.

On December 11, 1888,

Rizal went to Madrid and
Barcelona, Spain. For the
first time, Rizal met
Marcelo del Pilar and
Mariano Ponce, the two
titans of Propaganda
movement.
Christmas in London
(1888)
 Christmas in London (1888)
• Rizal returned to London on December 24
and spent Christmas and New Year’s days
with the Becketts.
• To his friend, Bluemetritt,
Rizal sent as Christmas gift
a bust of Emperor Augustus
which he had made.

• To another friend, Dr. Carlos

Czepelak, Rizal gave as
Christmas gift a bust of
Julius Cesar.
• Rizal’s landlady, Mrs.
Beckett, knowing of his
interest in magic, gave
him as Christmas gift a
book entitled The Life
and Adventures of
Valentine Vox, the
Ventriloquist.
 Rizal becomes
leader of Filipinos in
Europe
 • By unanimous vote of
all the members, Rizal
was chosen honorary
president of society
called Asociacion La
Solidaridad
(Solidaridad
• This was a Association)
recognition of his
leadership among all
Filipino patriots in
Europe.
`

Rizal and the La

Solidaridad Newspaper
 Graciano Lopez
Jaena
• On February 15, 1889, Graciano Lopez Jaena
founded the patriotic newspaper called La
Solidaridad in Barcelona, Spain.
 aims:
1. To work peacefully for political and social
reforms.
2. To portray the deplorable conditions of the
Philippines so that the Spain may remedy them.
3. To oppose the evil forces of reaction
and medievalism.
 aims:
4. To advocate liberal ideas and progress.
5. To champion the legitimate aspirations of
the Filipino people to life, democracy
and happiness.
Rizal’s First Article in
La Solidaridad
 • Rizal’s first article in
La Solidaridad was
entitled Los
Agricultores
Filipinos (The
Filipino Farmers).

• It was published on
March 25, 1889, six
days after he left
London for Paris.
Writing’s in London
 In La Vision del Fray Rodriguez. I
demonstrated two things: 1.)my profound
knowledge of religion and 2.) my biting
satire.

• Rizal received news on Fray Rodriguez’ unabated

attack on his Noli. In defense he wrote a pamphlet
entitled La Vision del Fray Rodriguez (The Vision
of Fray Rodriguez) which was published in
Barcelona under his pen name Dimas Alang.
• In London, Rizal wrote
the famous “Letter to
the Young Women of
Malolos” in Tagalog

He penned it, upon the

request of Marcelo del Pilar
to praise the young ladies of
Malolos for their courage to
establish a school where they
could learn Spanish, despite
opposition of Father Felipe
Garcia, Spanish parish priest
of Malolos.
 Dr. Frost, editor of
Trubner’s Record, a
journal devoted to
Asian studies,
requested Rizal to
contribute some
articles.
Dr. Reinhold Frost
• In response to his request, Rizal prepared
two articles which were published in June
1889.
1. Specimen of Tagal Folklore
2. Two Eastern Fables
Romance with Gertrude
Beckett
• Rizal had a romantic interlude with the oldest of the three
Beckett sisters – Gertrude (Gettie). Gettie , as she was
affectionately called, was a buxom English girl with
brown hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks.

“I fell in love with Rizal. On cold

winter mornings I had a sunny smile for
him, chattering gaily like a humming
bird. During the family picnics, I was
particularly very happy because Rizal
was with them and I gave him all my
attention. And in rainy days when Rizal
stayed at home, I helped him by mixing
his colors for painting or assisted in
preparing the clay for sculpturing”
• Their friendship drifted towards romance.
Rizal affectionately called her “Gettie” and
she fondly called him “Pettie”.

• As their flirtation was

fast approaching the
point of no return.
Rizal suddenly
realized that he could
not marry Gettie for
he had a mission to
fulfill in life.
• Rizal suppressed the passionate yearning of his heart,
and decided to go away so that Gettie may not forget
him.
• Before leaving London, Rizal finished four sculptural
works: 4. A composite
carving of
The heads of
the Beckett
sisters (gave as
farewell gift to
the Beckett
sisters)

3. The Triumph of
2. The Triumph of
1. Prometheus Bond Science over Death
Death over Life
Adios, London
• Suddenly on March 19, 1889, he bade
goodbye to the kind Beckett family and left
London for Paris. He was sad as he crossed
the English channel, for he cherished so
many beautiful memories of London.
 Pamantasan Ng Lungsod Ng
Cabuyao
College Of Engineering

Thank you for Listening!

Reference:
Zaide, Gregorio F., and Sonia M, Zaide. "Chapter 14: Rizal in
London." In José Rizal: Life, Works, and Writings of a Genius
Writer,scientist and National Hero, 2nd ed. Manila: All Nations
Publishing Co, 1957.