13 March 1895

Dapitan

Gratitude for favor bestowed on Mr. Boustead – His mother and sister already in Manila – Presence of Mr. Taufer and Josephine Bracken – Irrigation project done by pupils – Rizal’s pupil in Dapitan offer to work in his house – Good teachers teach so that children may learn and not waste their time – A Malayan grammar and a book for collectors of natural objects – An explanation to why the Tagalog i is changed into o in Bisayan? – Curious way of the formulation of the present tense in Tagalog – Wishes to study the phonetic changer of other dialects to resolve the problem of Philippine languages – Governor General’s promise to relocate him to another island still unfulfilled – A comparative philology of Malayan-Polynesian languages.

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Dapitan

13 March 1895

Jose Rizal

My very dear Friend,

I received your letter through the last mail and if I have not been able to answer you by the return mail, it was because of lack of time. Besides, it took your letter a month and a half to reach me.

I appreciate most sincerely whatever you have wished to do for Mr. Boustead. I owe him many favors.

My good old mother has already left for Manila, called by my father. So has also my sister Trining. But I have here another sister with two children and a blind North American with a daughter.[1] He has come from Hong Kong for treatment, but it seems he is incurable.

Through this mail I have received some books. I do not know who has sent them, for I have received no letters concerning them.

I have undertaken some works on my land. I am constructing a dike in order to have a water-depository for the dry season. The water is now more than three meters deep; the wall has a base two meters wide. It is all made of live rock, sand, lime, and cement and constructed by boys of thirteen to fourteen under the direction of one of twenty. They did it as play.

I have now 16 boys studying with me, paying me with their labor. They all belong to the best families in the town and one can see their eagerness to learn even if they have to work for me in order to study. If I would ask them for money, I am sure they would pay with pleasure and more would come. Ah, what a lack there is of a good school with good teachers who teach so that the children may learn and not that they may waste their time, as it happens generally. If teaching were free here, it is very probable that many good teachers from Spain and other countries would come.

Among the books that I have just received, without knowing their sender, are a Malayan grammar and a book for collectors of natural objects. They are two books which are going to be a great usefulness to me. The Malayan grammar will put me in contact with this language and will make me decide to undertake a philological study of our languages. A few weeks ago I discovered the reason for the change of the Tagalog i into o in Bisayan. It was a problem that stunned me and I did not know how to explain the reason for it. You will know that almost all the Tagalog i’s are converted into o in Bisayan for example: maitim (black), maitom in Bisayan; kanin (to eat), kanon in Bisayan, etc. as you will see, this striking grammatical fact made me giddy and I needed an explanation and at last I have found it.

I don’t know if I have already spoken to you about my discovery of Tagalog conjugation, but I discovered the formation of the present tense in a very curious manner as it will be seen in my grammar.

I should like to be transferred to another island or province in order to study the phonetical changes and thus be able to resolve the problem of Philippine languages. It has been five months ago that the governor general has promised to take me to Ilocos Sur, but until now the promise is not fulfilled.

I would appreciate it if you would tell me if there is some special modern work on comparative philology of Malayo-Polynesian languages beside the Kawi Sprache of Humboldt. I would not like to publish my grammar without having seen first the best work on the subject. Humboldt has the inconvenience of having allowed himself to be led too much by Esguerra who, though a good author, has however committed pardonable errors for being a foreigner. I am sure that Humboldt’s genius, had he consulted better authors, would have discovered important connections between our languages.

Wishing all your family much happiness, I send you a fraternal embrace from this corner of the Philippines.

Affectionately yours,

Rizal

04-842 [Misc.]