Passage Saullnier, Paris
Poems of Rizal – Rizal advises Filipinos to buy books by Filipinos and to mention in their writings names of Filipinos like Pelaez, Garcia, Burgos, Graciano, and others in their writings – The third number of La Solidaridad is better than the first two – He regrets La Defensa was not answered.
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23 Passage Saullnier, Paris
19 March [1889]
[Mr. Mariano Ponce]
MY DEAR FRIEND NANING,
Excuse me if I had not seen my sad poem[1] of Madrid that you sent me. Now I return it to you with some corrections. Frankly, I tell you that I do not like the poem, but on this matter I am not a competent judge. If you think that it will please the readers, publish it, only not in a prominent place but there somewhere in the last pages. Take note that I sign it Laon Laang and not Laong Laan, for in fact it is Laon.[2] Do not publish my poem En el bosque.[3] I shall write to Manila to send me a copy of the last poem[4] I wrote and I shall send it to you. I think it is the best I have written.
Keep my money there on deposit, because I am finishing in the meantime a little work that I intend to publish.
I have read the 3rd number of La Solidaridad loaned to me by Abarca. It is better that the first two numbers because it contains more varied features. Though in No. 2 was Graciano’s speech, on the other hand it had little of the rest.
I am very sorry that you let pass an excellent occasion to smash La Defensa[5] and leave her wounded with her own weapons. La Defensa cited Escosura.[6] Well, you could have cited the very same Escosura against the friars, because this gentleman, in spite of all his clatter, made it of record in various parts of his book affirmations, rather than coverings for against the friars with respect to education, etc. etc. Another occasion maybe.
There are very good things in this number. Tell me what truth there is about that sermon of the Recollect friar in Tondo, for the thing deserves to be celebrated. The same, the same, the same, about that of the sergeant.
It would be desirable for La Solidaridad to invest a part of its income in the acquisition of books on the Philippines so that you may study them with care and diligence, for the majority of the books contain much chaff and are written by them[7].
Buy books by the Filipinos; mention now and then names of Filipinos like Pelaez, Garcia, Burgos, Graciano, etc.; quote their phrases.[8] In those books of Viva España, Viva there are articles by Burgos. If you have none there, here I have a great number.
It is necessary to publish our staff, which is worthy, only they do not recognize it.
Tell P. Dore that I am going to write him shortly.
Yours,
RIZAL
02-372 [Blumentritt V.1]
[1] Me piden versos written at the request of the Circulo Hispano-Filipino of Madrid in 1882
[2] Rizal explains his nom de plume: Laon Laang , Tagalog phrase meaning “old only.” The other phrase Laong Laan means “long ready.”
[3] This poem is not found in the collection of Rizal’s poems published by the Philippine National Library in 1946.
[4] Critics do not agree as to which is this poem.
[5] La Defensa is a Catholic newspaper of Manila.
[6] The Spanish author Patricio de la Escosura who was anti-Filipino and defender of the friars. One of his books is Memoria sobre Filipinas y Jolo, written in 1863 and 1864, but published at Madrid in 1882.
[7] Those against the Filipinos
[8] Rizal would like Filipino thinkers and writers to be known, for ignorance about the Philippines was prevalent and some writers stressed only their unfavorable expressions of the country and its people.