His Studies at Ateneo de Manila

His Studies at Ateneo de ManilaRizal continued his studies, in spite of his mother’s

imprisonment.It was four months after the martyrdom of the three

priests, Gom-Bur-Za and he had not yet celebrated his eleventh birthday when he was sent to Ateneo de Municipal, a college under the management of the Spanish Jesuits, and which later became Ateneo de Manila.

Rizal entered the school accompanied by his brother, Paciano.

Rizal had taken an entrance examination on various subjects such as arithmetic and reading at the College of San Juan de Letran and passed them, but after he attended the fiesta in calamba his father changed his mind and decided to let him enroll in Ateneo.

At first he was refused admission to Ateneo Municipal, for two reasons:

1. He was late for registration. 2. He was sickly and frail, as he looked undersize for his age

at eleven.Due to the entervention of Father Manuel Burgos, a

nephew of the martyr Father Burgos, he was finally admitted to school.

Paciano Rizal

The Jesuit Educational SystemOne of the objectives of the Jesuit system of education

was to develop the child academically, in such subjects as physical culture, humanities, and science as found in the Bachelor of Arts curriculum, in wich he was enrolled.

It trained the student to have strong character through rigid discipline and training.

Religion was emphasized through masses every morning before the beginning of the class and prayers before and after class sessions.

The students were divided into two camps, the internos and externos.

Internos (boarders) – designated as the “Roman Empire”.

Externos (non-boarders) – the “Carthaginian Empire”.

The leader in each empire was called an “emperor”, a position which every student vied for and wish could be lost by failing to answer three questions asked of him on the day’s lesson.

Ateneo students wore a uniform consisting of hemp-fabric trousers and striped cotton coat materials called rayadillo.

His Four Years in Ateneo de ManilaHe was first year in Ateneo de Manila in the year 1872 to

1873, second year in 1873-1874, third year in 1874-1875, and fourth year in 1875-1876.

It was during his first year in Ateneo that he adopted the name “Rizal”, changing “Mercado”, the reason being that the latter namew was under the suspicion of the Spanish authorities.

He had been using the surname “Mercado” at the College of Father Manuel Burgos, a professor, at the same time a nephew of the martyr Father.

The name Rizal was given by a Spanish alcalde mayor of Laguna, who was family friend.

First Year in AteneoHis first professor was Father Jose Bech, a tall, thin man

who had Greek features.Being an externo, he was assigned to the Carthaginians,

and to the bottom of the class, for not being proficient in Spanish.

At the end of the first week, he became the “emperor” and was dubbed as the brightest in the class and was awarded a prize, the first he ever won in Ateneo.

He improved his knowledge and fluency in Spanish by taking private lessons in Santa Isabel College during noon recesses for the amount of three pesos.

Second Year in AteneoIn his second year, he regretted not studying as much

as in the first year, due to a remark given by a professor, but he overcome this by studying hard and was once more dubbed as the “emperor”.

He had new classmates, three of whom where from Binan and former classmates in the school of Maestro Justiniano.

At the end of the school year, he received not only excellent grades in all subjects but also a gold medal for scholastic honors.

He returned to Calamba for summer vacation and his sisters was so happy with his tales of his academic conquests.

In his visit to his mother prison, Rizal interpreted his mother’s dream and prophesied that she would soon be released, which was fulfilled after barely three months.

It was this summer period Rizal, now a teenager, began to read romantic novels.

One of his favorites was “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas, which made a deep impression on him.

He also read not only romantic novels but also historical works by Cesar Cantu which greatly helped him in his studies.

He also read “Travels in the Philippines” by Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German scientist who visited the Philippines in 1859-1860.

The last book interested him because: 1. It was an analysis of the Spanich colonization and

its defects.2. The prophecy that Spain would lose the

Philippines to the United States of America in the future.

Third Year in AteneoIt was when he was in the Junior year in Ateneo

that his dear mother was released from prison.Inspite of the joyous reconciliation, Jose was not

happy, and did not show as much performance as in the previous year, although his grades in the academic subjects were excellent, but he won only one medal- in Latin.

He did not receive the gold medal for Spanish because he was not as proficient as the Spaniard who beat him.

Fourth Year in Ateneo

He felt refreshed for the coming school year and was prepared to do the best time, especially with the encouragement given by his professor Father Francisco Paula Sanchez, to study harder and to write poetry.

Father Sanchez was a great educator and teacher, whom Jose learned to love, admire and respect and to rate him as the best professor in school.

As a result, he topped in all his subjects and won five medals for academic excellence at the end of the school term.

Last Year in Ateneo

Rizal finished his course with the highest honors, having one kind of grade of all his subjects from the first to fifth year, which was “excellent” gaining him the fame of being the brightest Atenean of his time.

He graduated at the age of sixteen with the degree of Bachelor of Arts on top his class which made a graduation day a proud day for the Rizal family.

On the eve of his graduation, he prayed very hard to the Virgin Mary, asking for guidance and protection as he takes his place in the world of community.

The development of Rizal as a student in college was not lopsided towards the academic subjects. There were also extra-curricular activities to reckon with. Being an “emperor” of an empire corresponded to leadership outside of the school.

He was an active member, later, secretary of a religious society, the Marian Congregation; was a devote of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the College Patroness, and also a member of the Academy of Spanish Literature, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and other extra- curricular activities, which only those with academic standing can qualify.

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