1st Sem Bio 1-1

Chapter 4: SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS at ATENEO de MANILA (1872-1877)

➢ Brief history of Ateneo:

❖ Established in 1817 by the City Government. Located in Intramuros,Manila.

❖ Formerly known as “Escuela Pia”(charity school) for poor boys.

❖ Managed by Jesuits (members of Roman Catholic religious order engaged in missionary and educational work worldwide), who returned to Manila in 1859,after being expelled in 1768.They renamed it to Ateneo Municipal. They were splendid educators, so that Ateneo became an excellent college from boys.

❖ Bitter RIVAL of the Dominican-owned ,SAN JUAN DE LETRAN.

➢ Jesuit system of education

• It is more ADVANCED than that of other colleges in that period.

• Trains the character of the student by Rigid Discipline and Religious Instruction.

• Promotes Physical Culture, Humanities and Scientific Studies.

• Also offers vocational courses in Agriculture,Commerce,Mechanics and Surveying.

• The students heard Mass in the morning before the beginning of the daily class. Classes in every subject were opened and closed with a prayer.

• The students are divided into two groups:

• ROMAN EMPIRE-consisting of internos (boarders).

• CARTHAGINIAN EMPIRE-composes of externos (non-boarders)

Ranking:

❖ Any student could challenge any officer in his “empire” to answer questions on the days lesson.

❖ Three(3) mistakes = loss of position

❖ End of the line ( (studies hard and was brilliant) ( could depose the officers one after another and become an EMPEROR.

RIZAL ENTERS ATENEO

❖ June 10,1872-took the entrance examination at the COLLEGE OF SAN JUAN DE LETRAN about:

• Christian Doctrine

• Arithmetic

• Reading

Passes.

❖ His father, Don Francisco first wished of him to study at Letran,but changes his mind and decided to send him to ATENEO instead.

❖ He was refused to be admitted by Father MAGIN FERRANDO, the College Registrar, because:

• He was late for registration

• He was sickly and undersized for an 11-year old.

• But by the help of MANUEL XEREZ-BURGOS, nephew of Father Burgos, he was admitted.

• Jose was the first of his family to adopt “Rizal” in registering in Ateneo for their family name “Mercado” has come under suspicion of the Spanish authorities.

• His brother, Paciano had used “Mercado” at the College of San Jose, he was also known to the authorities as Father Burgos’ favorite student and confidant.

• He boarded in a house at CARABALLO STREET, which is a 25 min. walk from the college, it is owned by a spinster named Titay, who owed the Rizal family P 300,he boarded there to collect part of the debt.

• In Rizal’s time the students at Ateneo wore a uniform consisted of “hemp-fabric trousers” and a coat made of stripped cotton(rayadillo),later became famous as a uniform of the Filipino Troops of the First Philippine Republic.

Rizal’s first year in ateneo (1872-1873)

❖ At his first day heard the Mass in the college chapel and prayed fervently to GOD for guidance and success.

❖ He saw a great number of boys, Spaniards, Mestizos, and Filipinos.

❖ He described his first professor, Fr. Jose Bech, as a tall, thin man, with a body slightly bent forward, a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe and inspired small deep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose ends fell towards the chin.

❖ As a newcomer and knowing little Spanish he was placed at the bottom of the class, and as a externo he was placed at the end of the line.

❖ But after a week he progressed rapidly, and by the end of the month he became EMPEROR.

❖ He improved his Spanish by taking extra private lessons, for 3 pesos, at the Santa Isabel College. It was money well spent.

❖ As a reward he won a religious picture and he was proud of it because it was the first he ever won in Ateneo.

❖ In the second half of the year, he did not try hard to retain his academic supremacy because he resented some remarks of his professor.

❖ He placed second at the end of the year, although his grades were “EXCELLENT”.

Summer vacation (1873)

❖ He returned to Calamba in March for summer vacation.

❖ He did not particularly enjoy his vacation because his mother was still in prison.

❖ To cheer him up his sister Neneng (Saturnina) brought him to Tanawan, but still it did nothing to make him happy.

❖ He went to Santa Cruz, without telling his father, to visit his mother in prison. He told her about his brilliant grades at Ateneo, she embraced her favorite son.

❖ He returned to Manila for his second semester in Ateneo. This time he boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street. It is owned by an old widow named Donya Pepay, who had a widowed daughter and four sons.

Second year in ateneo (1873-’74)

❖ Nothing unusual happened except that he repented having neglecting his studies the previous year simply because he was offended by the teachers remarks.

❖ To regain his his lost class leadership,he studied harder.Once more he became “EMPEROR”.

❖ He had new classmates who were also his classmates from Maestro Justiniano in Binyan.

Prophecy of mother’s release

❖ Rizal lost no time in going to Santa Cruz in order to visit his mother in the provincial jail.

❖ He cheered his mother up with news about his scholastic triumphs in Ateneo and with fun tales about his professors and fellow students, she was happy to hear about his splendid progress in college.

❖ His mother told him about her dream the previous night, he interpreted the dream that she would be released after three months time she would be released, she smiled thinking it was a mere boyish attempt to cheer her up.

❖ But Rizal’s prophecy came true, in less than three months passed she was suddenly set free, by that time Rizal was already in Manila attending his classes in Ateneo.

❖ She was happily back in Calamba and was even more proud of his son Jose whom she likened to the youthful Joseph in the Bible in his ability of interpreting dreams.

Teenage interest in reading

❖ Calamba,1874-Rizal began to take interest in reading romantic novels.

❖ His reading habit helped him to enrich his fecund mind.

❖ As a voracious reader he does not just read fiction but also non-fiction.

❖ Novels that Rizal has read:

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas-his first favorite novel because:

a) It made a deep impression on him

b) It stirred Rizal’s imagination by the suffering of Edmond Dantes in prison and Dantes dramatic revenge on his enemies.

❖ Universal History by Cesar Cantu- He persuaded his buy him this set, even this is very costly, because he said that it will a great aid for his studies, thus it will enable him to win more prizes in Ateneo.

❖ Travels in the Philippines by Dr. Feodor Jagor-Who is a German scientist that visited the Philippines in 1859-1860.

❖ What impressed about this book:

• Jagor’s keen observation of the defects of the Spanish colonialization,and;

• His prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that America would come to succeed her as colonizer.

Third year in ateneo (1874-’75)

❖ June 1874-Rizal returns to Ateneo for junior year.

❖ After the opening of classes, his mother arrived and joyously told his son that his prophecy came true.

❖ He was happy because his mother was a free woman once more.

❖ But Rizal did not make an excellent showing in his studies unlike last year.

❖ He only won one medal in Latin,because he was beaten by a Spaniard in Spanish.

❖ He himself was not impressed by his scholastic work.

❖ March 1875 he returned to Calamba for the summer vacation.

Fourth year in ateneo(1875-’76)

❖ June 16,1875-He went back to Ateneo for his fourth year ,he also became an “interno” there.

❖ Who is Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez?

• is a great educator and scholar.

• He inspired Rizal to study harder and to write poetry

• He also became an admirer and a friend to Rizal; in return, Rizal had the highest respect for him.

• Rizal considered him as the best professor in Ateneo, He also wrote in his student memoirs that Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez “is a model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his pupils”.

• Inspired by Fr. Sanchez,he topped all his classmates and won five medals at the end of the school term.

• March 1876-he returned to Calamba for summer vacation and offered his medals to his parents,he was happy because he was able to repay his father somewhat for his sacrifices.

Last year in ateneo (1876-’77)

❖ June 1876-he returned to Ateneo for his last year.

❖ As a matter-of-fact, he excelled in all his subjects.

❖ He was the most brilliant Atenean of his time.

❖ He was also called the “pride of the Jesuits”.

❖ He finished his last year in a Blaze of Glory,he obtained the highest grades in all his subjects:

Philosophy Chemistry etc.

Languanges Mineralogy

Physics Biology

Graduation with highest honors

❖ At his last night in his dormitory, he could not sleep.

❖ Early the fol. Morning he prayed fervently at the college chapel he said “commend my life to the Virgin so that when I step into that world, which inspired me with so much terror, she would protect me.”

❖ March 23,1877,Commencement Day

- Rizal received a Degree of Bachelor of Arts from his Alma Mater, Ateneo de Municipal with the highest honors.

- This was a proud day for his family.

- But to him this was a time of bitter sweetness, a joy mellowed with poignancy.

➢ EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN ATENEO

• He was an emperor and a campus leader outside.

• Secretary of the Marian Congregation

• Member of Academy of Spanish

• Literature Member of Academy of Natural Sciences

• FATHER JOSE VILLACLARA – advised Rizal to stop communing with the muses but to pay more attention to practical studies.

➢ SCULPTURAL WORKS IN ATENEO

• Rizal studied painting at AGUSTIN SAEZ and sculpture under ROMUALDO DE JESUS, a Filipino sculptor.

• THE VIRGIN MARY - he carved an image with Batikuling (Phil. Hardwood) with his pocket knife.

• FATHER LLEONART – requested Rizal to carved an image of SACRED HEART OF JESUS.

➢ POEMS MADE BY RIZAL IN ATENEO

• Doña Teodora- was the first one to discover Rizal’s poetical talent while;

• Father Sanchez-inspired Rizal to write more poems.

❖ 1874

• My first Inspiration – dedicate to his mother

❖ 1875

• Felicitation

• The Departure: Hymn to Magellan’s Fleet.

• And He is Spanish: El Cano, the first to Circumnavigate the World

• ‘The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo

• These poems were written through the encouragement of Fr. Sanchez

❖ 1876

• Poems Jose Rizal written this year was on different topics – religion, war, childhood memories and education.

• In Memory of My Town – a poem in honor of Calamba, the hero’s birthplace

• Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education

• Through Education the Country Receives Light

• The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle of Lucena and the Imprisonement of Boabdil – This martial poem conjured up the defeat and capture of Boabdil, the last Moorish Sultan of Granda.

• The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic Monarchs into Granda – a description of the victorious entry of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel into Granda.

• 1877 Rizal’s Final Year in Ateneo, Poems written were the following:

• The heroism of Columbus – A poem of praise to Columbus, the discover of America.

• Columbus and John II – this poem relates how king John II of Portugal lost fame and riches by his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the New World

• Great Solace in Great Misfortune – a description of the tragic life of Columbus

• A Farewell Dialogue of the Students – the last poem Jose Rizal wrote in Ateneo

➢ ANECDOTES ON RIZAL,THE ATENEAN

• FELIX M. ROXAS

-it is about when Rizal got hit by a book in the face but he did not get angry noravenged himself

• MANUEL XERES BURGOS

-he risked his life to get Julio’s kite that was stuck on the vines on the belfry of the Manila Cathedral when the bigger boys just mocked Julio’s misfortune.

➢ DRAMATIC WORK IN ATENEO

• Father Sanchez-requested Rizal to write a drama based of ST. EUSTACE THE MARTYR

• June 2, 1876- Rizal had finished the drama

➢ FIRST ROMANCE OF RIZAL

• SEGUNDA KATIGBAK – a 14 yr. old Batangueña from Lipa whom Rizal first fell inloved with but, Segunda was already engaged to Manuel Luz.

• MARIANO KATIGBAK – brother of Segunda

• CONCORDIA COLLEGE – where Segunda and Olimpia (Rizal’s sister) studied.