Rizal’s Letter to the Young Women of Malolos * Written by Rizal on the 17th of February, 1889 when he was in Europe. * A long letter written in Tagalog to the young women of Malolos in compliance to Marcelo H. Del Pilar’s request while Rizal was annotating Morga’s book. * Addressed to 20 courageous young women of Malolos for their perseverance to pursue the establishment of a night school where they can study Spanish. “Based on accounts, on 12 December 1888, 20 young women from Malolos petitioned GovernorGeneral Weyler for the establishment of a “night school” to study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko, a professor of Latin. However, Fr. Felipe Garcia, the Spanish parish priest, objected to the petition, prompting the governor-general to dismiss the petition. Unperturbed, the young women continued with their clamor (for the establishment of the school) and eventually received permission to open their school on certain conditions. First, the women were required to fund the school themselves since the government refused to. Second, their teacher would be Guadalupe Reyes rather than Sandico, who had been blacklisted by the friar-curate of Malolos. Third, the classes would have to be held in the day and not at night, probably due to the association of nighttime gatherings with subversive meetings. The school remained open for three months and was closed down on May 10, 1889.” 1st and 2nd paragraph * Rizal starts his letter by pondering on the lack of courage of young women in the Philippines. * Stated that he only knew a few women of our country who fits his ideals. * Since news came to Spain, Rizal was delighted that his ideals of a young woman are met. * Admitted that he did not know the town of Malolos and its young women, except for one named Emilia who he only knew by name. 3rd paragraph * The confidence in Rizal that the country would achieve victory was restored. * Confident that the Filipino woman would no longer bow her head to every unjust order, to smile at an insult, to seek solace in humble tears. * Questioned the teachings of priests including prolonged kneeling, long prayers, large rosaries, soiled scapulars. * Believed that God created all men equal with his own mind, conscience and will – unchained and free. * Wrote an example for the young women to reflect on – a father who gave each his sons a lamp to light their way in the darkness. To not depend on the light of others but help one another, seek other’s counsel in the search for the way. 4th paragraph * Considered someone who wants to dominate other’s will as arrogant. * More arrogant is he who poses as God as if he knew every manifestation of God’s will and blasphemous is he who attributes to God everything he says and desires making his personal enemies the enemies of God. * Rizal said that no one should depend on his self alone. One should seek advice, listen to others but in the end, should be able to comprehend and follow what is most reasonable.
5th paragraph * Rizal believed that the child of a woman roots from her actions. * If a woman would follow the teachings of priests, her child would be the same. If a woman would be courageous enough to seek the light, her child would be brave in protecting his mother, fellow countrymen and country. * Stated the rightful actions taught by God such giving to the needy, helping the poor and feeding the hungry and not by being deaf to the entreaties of the poor, stuffing those who are satiated, lavishing money on silver decorations for the altar, giving alms to the church or the friar. 6h paragraph * Exposed the wrong doings of friars and compares it to how Christ lived His life. * Friars were able to gain money through selling of rosaries, scapulars, belts and other things. They also taught people to give alms to the church for the forgiveness of theirs sins. * Stated that Christ didn’t do any of these things for the forgiveness of people’s sins. 7th paragraph * Rizal is trying to ask his countrymen to be reasonable and seek for the light. * Gave special mention to women and mothers because he believed that they were the ones capable of opening the minds of men. * Mothers and women to teach their children to praise the true God and not the one set by friars. Teach their children to seek for the truth and not live in ignorance. 8th paragraph * Compared the women in the Philippines and Asia to the women in Europe and America. * He believed that the duties of the women to her country are not beyond their capabilities. * Women in the Philippines and Asia are ignorant and oppressed while women in Europe and America are powerful, brave, free and educated. *”So long as the mother is a slave, all her children can be enslaved also” 9th paragraph * Told the women in the Europe would extend their help to the women of the Philippines. * Saw the act of the young women of Malolos as a glow in the dark which could turn out as a light as help reaches their shores. 10th paragraph * Young women should choose wisely who to love and share her thoughts with. * Spaniards and friars who came back to Spain from the Philippines broadcasted by print and by word of mouth that the Filipino women are weak and ignorant. * Spaniards and friars considered the naiveté, excessive kindness, meekness or blindness, the kissing of the hand were forms of flirtation. * Friars related the sins confessed by women to their Spanish callers and embellishing them at times with incredible tall and lewd stories. * Filipinos in Spain could not stand what these friars are doing as if considering Spanish women as sinless and Filipino women as sinners.
11th paragraph * Stated an old custom in which the woman makes a man weak and coward. A woman was considered to be the reason why a man wastes everything he had. * Told the women that they should love only a man who can protect her weakness, a noble mind that will not permit him to be the father of slaves. * The woman should be the one encouraging her partner to live with courage and honor and teach her children to be nationalistic. 12th and 13th paragraph * Rizal said that Filipino women should imitate what the women of Sparta did by giving an example. * When a mother hands the shield to her son who is going to war, this is all she said to him: “Bring this back or they bring you back.” * “You come back a victor or you die” * If her son was killed in war but the army achieved victory, she would be thankful. But if her son returns and the army lost the war, she would put on mourning. * Stated what happened to a once defeated king who hid in the temple for fear of popular indignation. Spartans locked him up in the temple and starved him to death. The mother was the first to bring stones as they sealed the door. * Men, said the Spartans, are not born to live for themselves but for their country. 14th paragraph and Rizal’ summary * Rizal summarized the lessons he wanted to portray in his letter: 1. Some become treacherous because of the cowardice and negligence of others. 2. Lack of self-respect and excessive timidity invite scorn. 3. Ignorance is bondage, because like mind, like man. A man without a will of his own is a man without personality. The blind who follows other’s opinion is like a beast led by a halter. 4. One who wants to help himself should help others, because, if he neglects others, he too will be neglected by them. 5. If the Filipino woman will not change, she should not be entrusted with education of her children. 6. Men are born equal, naked and without chains. 7. Analyze carefully the kind of religion taught to you.
