Vigan
From: Alex Schadenberg
To: Jose Rizal
An opinion of the Noli – Governor General Terrero’s order prohibiting its entry into the Philippines – Order of Archbishop Payo, given in Vigan, that all copies be burned – How Spanish could be diffused in the Philippines – Appreciates Rizal’s letter written in German, his mother tongue.
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Vigan, 9 April 1889
DR. J. RIZAL
LONDON
VERY RESPECTABLE SIR,
By the penultimate mail I receive your kind letter together with your work Noli me Tangere, and permit me now to express my most cordial appreciation for both things. I could not do it by return mail because I wanted first to read your book. Yesterday I finished it. I can say from my own experience that everything you relate there is unfortunately the sad truth and all taken from life, because not only do I know the superiority of this beautiful group of islands of the Philippines but also the many abuses that there are the order of the day. I could furnish some data on the matter.
Precisely because you tell the truth and you tell it so well, your work has aroused the indescribable ire of the clergy, so much so that a certain Fr. Font — you must already be well informed — in the year 1887, December, spoke in the name of the clergy to Governor General Terrero asking him to prohibit the entry of your book into the Philippines. I shall try to get a copy of the printed order and send it to you. When the late Archbishop Payo was here in Vigan last year, he ordered a careful inquiry about your book in order to eventually burn all the existing copies. It is really a pity that there is no law that orders firstly that all officials and employees learn the dialects of the country and that Spanish should be the official language in the public schools. This would be easy to achieve in my opinion if a fine of ₱500 is imposed on the head of the school, the curate, for every child who does not know how to speak Spanish. I believe that within one or two years all children of the towns will be able to speak Spanish besides his mother tongue.
In my province of Silesia, something like that was done years ago. When a recruit does not know how to read or write, the corresponding landlord, the curate, and the schoolteacher were fined. This gave such good result that now there cannot be found a single recruit who does not know how to read or write. You have been so thoughtful to use my native tongue in your letter. You write such as excellent German that I did not hesitate one moment to answer you in German inasmuch as this language is for me always easier than Spanish. If you have a free hour, I would be very glad if you would write me a letter. If I can do anything for you here, I shall do it with great pleasure.
With my highest consideration.
ALEX SCHADENBERG
02-384 [Blumentritt V.1]