the philippines a century hence by derbyshire)

8/10/2019 The Philippines a Century Hence by Derbyshire)

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The Philippines a Century Hence by Jos Rizal

(Translated by Charles E. Derbyshire)

NOTE: This famous essay of Rizal entitled Filipinas de Cien aos as first !ublished in La Solidaridad"

in #adrid beteen $% &e!tember ' and ' *ebruary '%.

I.

*olloin+ our usual ,ustom of fa,in+ s-uarely the most diffi,ult and deli,ate -uestions related to the

hili!!ines" ithout ei+hin+ the ,onse-uen,es that our fran/ness may brin+ u!on us" e shall in the

!resent arti,le treat of their future.

0n order to read the destiny of a !eo!le" it is ne,essary to o!en the boo/ of its !ast" and this" for the

hili!!ines may be redu,ed in +eneral terms to hat follos.

&,ar,ely had they been atta,hed to the &!anish ,ron than they had sustained ith their blood and

the efforts of their sons the ars and ambitions" and ,on-uest of the &!anish !eo!le" and in these

stru++les" in that terrible ,risis hen a !eo!le ,han+es its form of +o1ernment" its las" usa+es"

,ustoms" reli+ion and beliefs2 the hili!!ines as de!o!ulated" im!o1erished and retarded 33 ,au+ht intheir metamor!hosis ithout ,onfiden,e in their !ast" ithout faith in their !resent and ith no fond

home of the years to ,ome. The former rulers ho had merely endea1ored to se,ure the fear and

submission of their sub4e,ts" habituated by them to ser1itude" fell li/e lea1es from a dead tree" and

the !eo!le" ho had no lo1e for them nor /ne hat liberty as" easily ,han+ed masters" !erha!s

ho!in+ to +ain somethin+ by the inno1ation.

Then be+an a ne era for the *ili!inos. They +radually lost their an,ient traditions" their re,olle,tions"

33 they for+ot their ritin+s" their son+s" their !oetry" their las in order to learn by heart other

do,trines" hi,h they did not understand" other ethi,s" other tastes" different from those ins!ired in

their ra,e by their ,limate and their ay of thin/in+. Then there as a fallin+3off" they ere loered in

their on eyes" they be,ame ashamed of hat as distin,ti1ely their on" in order to admire and!raise that as forei+n and in,om!rehensible2 their s!irit as bro/en and they a,-uies,ed.

Thus years and ,enturies rolled on. Reli+ious shos" rites that ,au+ht the eye" son+s" li+hts" ima+es

arrayed ith +old" orshi! in a stran+e lan+ua+e" le+ends" mira,les and sermons" hy!notized the

already naturally su!erstitious s!irits of the ,ountry but did not su,,eed in destroyin+ it alto+ether" in

s!ite of the hole system afterards de1elo!ed and o!erated ith unyieldin+ tena,ity.

5hen the ethi,al abasement of the inhabitants had rea,hed this sta+e" hen they had be,ome

disheartened and dis+usted ith themsel1es" an effort as made to add the final stro/e for redu,in+

so many dormant ills and intelle,ts to nothin+ness" in order to ma/e of the indi1idual a sort of toiler"

a brute" a beast of burden and to de1elo! a ra,e ithout mind or heart. Then the end sou+ht as

re1ealed" it as ta/en for +ranted" and the ra,e as insulted" an effort as made to deny it e1ery

1irtue" e1ery human ,hara,teristi," and there ere e1en riters and !riests ho !ushed the

mo1ement still further by tryin+ to deny to the nati1es of the ,ountry not only ,a!a,ity for 1irtue but

also e1en the tenden,y to 1i,e.

Then this hi,h they had thou+ht ould be death as sure sal1ation. &ome dyin+ !ersons are

restored to health by a heroi, remedy.

&o +reat enduran,e rea,hed its ,lima6 ith the insults" and the lethar+i, s!irit o/e u! to life. 7is


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sensiti1eness" the ,hief trait of the nati1e" as tou,hed" and hile he had the forbearan,e to suffer

and die under a forei+n fla+" he had it not hen they hom he ser1ed re!aid his sa,rifi,es ith insults

and 4ests. Then he be+an to study himself and to realize his misfortune. Those ho had not e6!e,ted

this result" li/e all des!oti, masters" re+arded as a ron+ e1ery ,om!laint" e1ery !rotest" and !unished

it ith death" endea1orin+ thus to stifle e1ery ,ry of sorro ith blood" and they made mista/e after

mista/e.

The s!irit of the !eo!le as not thereby ,oed" and e1en thou+h it had been aa/ened in only a fe

hearts" its flame ne1ertheless as surely and ,onsumin+ly !ro!a+ated" than/s to abuses and the

stu!id endea1ors of ,ertain ,lasses to stifle noble and +enerous sentiments. Thus hen a flame

,at,hes a +arment" fear and ,onfusion !ro!a+ate it more and more" and ea,h sha/e" ea,h blo" is a

blast from the bellos to fan it into life.

8ndoubtedly durin+ all this time there ere not la,/in+ +enerous and noble s!irits amon+ the

dominant ra,e that tried to stru++le for the ri+hts of humanity and 4usti,e" or sordid and ,oardly

ones amon+ the dominated that aided the debasement of their on ,ountry. 9ut both ere

e6,e!tions and e are s!ea/in+ in +eneral terms.

&u,h is an outline of their !ast. 5e /no their !resent. No hat ill their future be5ill the hili!!ine 0slands ,ontinue to be a &!anish ,olony" and if so" hat /ind of ,olony 5ill they

be,ome a !ro1in,e of &!ain" ith or ithout autonomy ;nd to rea,h this sta+e" hat /ind of

sa,rifi,es ill ha1e to be made

5ill they be se!arated from the mother ,ountry to li1e inde!endently" to fall into the hands of other

nations" or to ally themsel1es ith nei+hborin+ !oers

0t is im!ossible to re!ly to these -uestions" for to all of them both yes and no may be ansered"

a,,ordin+ to the time desired to be ,o1ered. 5hen there is in nature no fi6ed ,ondition" ho mu,h

less must there be in the life of a !eo!le" bein+ endoed ith mobility and mo1ement< &o" it is that in

order to deal ith those -uestions" it is ne,essary to !resume an unlimited !eriod of time" and in

a,,ordan,e thereith try to fore,ast future e1ents.

II.

5hat ill be,ome of the hili!!ines ithin a ,entury 5ill they ,ontinue to be a &!anish ,olony

7ad this -uestion been as/ed three ,enturies a+o" hen at =e+az!i>s death the #alayan *ili!inos

be+an to be +radually unde,ei1ed and" findin+ the yo/e hea1y" tried in 1ain to sha/e it off ithout any

doubt hatsoe1er the re!ly ould ha1e been easy. To a s!irit enthusiasti, o1er the liberty of the

,ountry" to those un,on-uerable ?a+ayanes ho nourished ithin themsel1es the s!irit of #+alats" to

the des,endants of the heroi, @at ulintan+ and @at &ala/ab of the ro1in,e of 9atan+as"inde!enden,e as assured" it as merely a -uestion of +ettin+ to+ether and ma/in+ a determination.

9ut for him ho" disillusioned by sad e6!erien,e" sa e1eryhere dis,ord and disorder" a!athy and

brutalization in the loer ,lasses" dis,oura+ement and disunion in the u!!er" only one anser

!resented itself" and it as: e6tend his hands to the ,hains" bo his ne,/ beneath the yo/e and a,,e!t

the future ith the resi+nation of an in1alid ho at,hes the lea1es fall and foresees a lon+ inter

amid hose snos he dis,erns the outlines of his +ra1e. ;t the time dis,ord 4ustified !essimism 33 but

three ,enturies !assed" the mee/ had be,ome a,,ustomed to the yo/e" and ea,h ne +eneration"

be+otten in ,hains" as ,onstantly better ada!ted to the ne order of thin+s.


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No then" are the hili!!ines in the same ,ondition they ere three ,enturies a+o

*or the liberal &!aniards the ethi,al ,ondition of the !eo!le remains the same" that is" the nati1e

*ili!inos ha1e not ad1an,ed2 for the friars and their folloers the !eo!le ha1e been redeemed from

sa1a+ery" that is" they ha1e !ro+ressed2 for many *ili!inos ethi,s" s!irit and ,ustoms ha1e de,ayed" as

de,ay all the +ood -ualities of a !eo!le that falls into sla1ery that is" they ha1e retro+raded.

=ayin+ aside these ,onsiderations" so as not to +et aay from our sub4e,t let us dra the brief !arallelbeteen the !oliti,al situation then and the situation at !resent" in order to see if hat as not

!ossible at that time ,an be so no" or 1i,e 1ersa.

=et us !ass o1er the loyalty the *ili!inos may feel for &!ain2 let us su!!ose for a moment" alon+ ith

&!anish riters" that there e6ist only moti1es for hatred and 4ealousy beteen the to ra,es2 let us

admit the assertions flaunted by many that three ,enturies of domination ha1e not aa/ened in the

sensiti1e heart of the nati1e a sin+le s!ar/ of affe,tion or +ratitude2 and e may see hether or not

the &!anish ,ause has +ained +round in the 0slands.

*ormerly the &!anish authority as u!held amon+ the nati1es by a handful of soldiers" three to fi1e

hundred at most" many of hom ere en+a+ed in trade and ere s,attered about not only in the

0slands but also amon+ the nei+hborin+ nations" o,,u!ied in lon+ ars a+ainst the #ohammedans inthe south" a+ainst the 9ritish and Dut,h" and ,easelessly harassed by Aa!anese" Chinese" or some

tribes in the interior. Then ,ommuni,ation ith #e6i,o and &!ain as slo" rare and diffi,ult2 fre-uent

and 1iolent the disturban,es amon+ the rulin+ !oers in the 0slands" the treasury nearly alays

em!ty" and the life of the ,olonists de!endent u!on one frail shi! that handled the Chinese trade.

Then the seas in those re+ions ere infested ith !irates" all enemies of the &!anish name" hi,h as

defended by an im!o1erished fleet" +enerally manned by rude ad1enturers" hen not by forei+ners

and enemies" hi,h as ,he,/ed and an e6!edition of @omez erez DasmariBas" hi,h as ,he,/ed

and frustrated by the mutiny of the Chinese roers" ho /illed him and tharted all his !lans and

s,hemes. et in s!ite of so many ad1erse ,ir,umstan,es the &!anish authority had been u!held for

more than three ,enturies and" thou+h it has been ,urtailed" still ,ontinues to rule the destinies of thehili!!ine +rou!.

On the other hand" the !resent situation seems to be +ilded and rosy 33 as e mi+ht say" a beautiful

mornin+ ,om!ared to the 1e6ed and stormy ni+ht of the !ast. The material for,es at the dis!osal of

the &!anish so1erei+n ha1e no been trebled2 the fleet relati1ely im!ro1ed: there is more

or+anization in both ,i1il and military affairs2 ,ommuni,ation ith the so1erei+n ,ountry is sifter and

surer2 she has no enemies abroad2 her !ossession is assured and the ,ountry dominated seems to

ha1e less s!irit" less as!iration for inde!enden,e" a orld that is to it almost in,om!rehensible.

E1erythin+ then at first +lan,e !resa+es another three ,enturies" at least" of !ea,eful domination and

tran-uil suzerainty.

9ut abo1e the material ,onsiderations are arisin+ others" in1isible" of an ethi,al nature" far more!oerful and trans,endental.

Orientals and the #alays" in !arti,ular" are a sensiti1e !eo!le: deli,a,y of sentiment is !redominant

ith them. E1en no" in s!ite of ,onta,t ith the O,,idental nations" ho ha1e ideas different from

his" e see the #alayan *ili!ino sa,rifi,e e1erythin+ 33 liberty" ease" elfare" name for the sa/e of an

as!iration or a ,on,eit sometimes s,ientifi," or of some other nature but at the least ord hi,h

ounds his self3lo1e he for+ets all his sa,rifi,es" the labor e6!ended" to treasure in his memory and

ne1er for+et the sli+ht he thin/s he has re,ei1ed.


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&o the hili!!ine !eo!les ha1e remained faithful durin+ three ,enturies" +i1in+ u! their liberty and

their inde!enden,e" sometimes dazzled by the ho!e of the aradise !romised" sometimes ,a4oled by

the friendshi! offered them by a noble and +enerous !eo!le li/e the &!anish" sometimes also

,om!elled by su!eriority of arms of hi,h they ere i+norant and hi,h timid s!irits in1ested ith a

mysterious ,hara,ter" or sometimes be,ause the in1adin+ forei+ner too/ ad1anta+e of interne,ine

feuds to ste! in as the !ea,ema/er in dis,ord and thus after to dominate both !arties and sub4e,t

them to his authority.

&!anish domination on,e established" as firmly maintained" than/s to the atta,hment of the !eo!le"

to their mutual dissensions" and to the fa,t that the sensiti1e self3lo1e of the nati1e had not yet been

ounded. Then the !eo!le sa their on ,ountrymen in the hi+her ran/s of the army" their +eneral

offi,ers fi+htin+ beside the heroes of &!ain and sharin+ their laurels" be+rud+ed neither ,hara,ter"

re!utation nor ,onsideration2 then fidelity and atta,hment to &!ain" lo1e for the fatherland" made of

the nati1eencomendero and e1en +eneral" as durin+ the En+lish in1asion2 then there had not yet been

in1ented the insultin+ and ridi,ulous e!ithets ith hi,h re,ently the most laborious and !ainful

a,hie1ements of the nati1e leaders ha1e been sti+matized2 not then had it be,ome the fashion to

insult and slander in stereoty!ed !hrase" in nes!a!ers and boo/s !ublished ith +o1ernmental and

su!erior e,,lesiasti,al a!!ro1al" the !eo!le that !aid" fou+ht and !oured out its blood for the &!anishname" nor as it ,onsidered either noble or itty to offend a hole ra,e" hi,h as forbidden to

re!ly or defend itself" and if there ere reli+ious hy!o,hondria,s ho in the leisure of their ,loisters

dared to rite a+ainst it" as did the ;u+ustinian @as!ar de &an ;+ustin and the Aesuit elarde" their

loathsome abortions ne1er sa the li+ht" and still less ere they themsel1es rearded ith miters and

raised to hi+h offi,es. True it is that neither ere the nati1es of that time su,h as e are no: three

,enturies of brutalization and obs,urantism ha1e ne,essarily had some influen,e u!on us" the most

beautiful or/ of di1inity in the hands of ,ertain artisans may finally be ,on1erted into a ,ari,ature.

The !riests of that e!o,h" ishin+ to establish their domination o1er the !eo!le" +ot in tou,h ith it

and made ,ommon ,ause ith it a+ainst the o!!ressi1e en,omenderos. Naturally" the !eo!le sa in

them learnin+ and some !resti+e and !la,ed its ,onfiden,e in them" folloed their ad1i,e" andlistened to them in the dar/est hours. 0f they rote" they did so in defense of the ri+hts of the nati1e

and made his ,ry rea,h e1en to the distant ste!s of the Throne. ;nd not a fe !riests" both se,ular

and re+ular" undertoo/ dan+erous 4ourneys" as re!resentati1es of the ,ountry" and this" alon+ ith the

stri,t and !ubli, residen,ia then re-uired of the +o1ernin+ !oers" from the ,a!tain3+eneral to the

most insi+nifi,ant offi,ial" rather ,onsoled and !a,ified the ounded s!irits" satisfyin+" e1en thou+h it

ere only in form" all the mal,ontents.

;ll this has !assed aay. The derisi1e lau+hter !enetrates li/e mortal !oison into the heart of the

nati1e ho !ays and suffers and it be,omes more offensi1e the more immunity it en4oys. ; ,ommon

sore the +eneral affront offered to a hole ra,e" has i!ed aay the old feuds amon+ different

!ro1in,es. The !eo!le no lon+er ha1e ,onfiden,e in its former !rote,tors" no its e6!loiters ande6e,utioners. The mas/s ha1e fallen. 0t has been that the lo1e and !iety of the !ast ha1e ,ome to

resemble the de1otion of a nurse" ho" unable to li1e elsehere" desires the eternal infan,y" eternal

ea/ness" for the ,hild in order to +o on drain+ her a+es and e6istin+ at its e6!ense" it has seen not

only that she does not nourish it to ma/e it +ro but that she !oisons it to stunt its +roth and at the

sli+htest !rotest she flies into a ra+e< The an,ient sho of 4usti,e" the holy residen,ia has disa!!eared2

,onfusion of ideas be+ins to !re1ail2 the re+ard shon for a +o1ernor3+eneral" lie =a Torre" be,omes a

,rime in the +o1ernment of his su,,essor" suffi,ient to ,ause the ,itizen to lose his liberty and his

home2 if he obeys the order of one offi,ial" as in the re,ent matter of admittin+ ,or!ses into the


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,hur,h" it is enou+h to ha1e the obedient sub4e,ts later harassed and !erse,uted in e1ery !ossible

ay2 obli+ations and ta6es in,rease ithout thereby in,reasin+ ri+hts" !ri1ile+es and liberties or

assurin+ the fe in e6isten,e2 a re+ime of ,ontinual terror and un,ertainty disturbs the minds" a

re+ime orse than a !eriod of disorder for the fears that the ima+ination ,on4ures u! are +enerally

+reater than the reality2 the ,ountry is !oor2 the finan,ial ,risis throu+h hi,h it is !assin+ is a,ute"

and e1ery one !oints out ith the fin+er the !ersons ho are ,ausin+ the trouble" yet no one dares lay

hands u!on thems mouth and ea,h dish the !hysi,ian edro Rezio

inter!osed his and" sayin+" Ta/e it aays s/ill do &an,hos fault) should be

denied re!resentation to loo/ after them and see that they are not abused. They are the 1ery ones

ho most need it. No one ,eases to be a man" no one forfeits his ri+hts to ,i1ilization merely by bein+

more or less un,ultured" and sin,e the *ili!ino is re+arded as a fit ,itizen hen he is as/ed to !ay ta6es

or shed his blood to defend the fatherland hy must this fitness be denied him hen the -uestionarises of +rantin+ him some ri+ht #oreo1er" ho is he to be held res!onsible for his i+noran,e" hen

it is a,/noled+ed by all" friends and enemies that his zeal for learnin+ is so +reat that e1en before the

,omin+ of the &!aniards e1ery one ,ould read and rite" and that e no see the humblest families

ma/e enormous sa,rifi,es to the e6tent of or/in+ as ser1ants in order to learn &!anish 7o ,an the

,ountry be e6!e,ted to be,ome enli+htened under !resent ,onditions hen e see all the de,rees

issued by the +o1ernment in fa1or of edu,ation meet ith edro Rezios ho !re1ent e6e,ution

hereof be,ause they ha1e in their hands hat they ,all edu,ation 0f the *ili!ino" then" is suffi,iently


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intelli+ent to !ay ta6es" he must also be able to ,hoose and retain the one ho loo/s after him and his

interests" ith the !rodu,t hereof he ser1es the +o1ernment of his nation. To reason otherise is to

reason stu!idly.

5hen the las and the a,ts of offi,ials are /e!t under sur1eillan,e" the ord 4usti,e may ,ease to be a

,olonial 4est. The thin+ that ma/es the En+lish most res!e,ted in their !ossessions is their stri,t and

s!eedy 4usti,e so that the inhabitants re!ose entire ,onfiden,e in the 4ud+es. Austi,e is the foremost

1irtue of the ,i1ilized ra,es. 0t subdues the barbarous nations" hile in4usti,e arouses the ea/est.

Offi,es and trusts should be aarded by ,om!etition" !ublishin+ the or/ and the 4ud+ment thereon"

so that there may be stimulus and that dis,ontent may not be bred. Then" if the nati1e does not sha/e

off his indolence he ,an not ,om!lain hen he sees all the offi,es filled by Castilas.

5e !resume that it ill not be the &!aniard ho fears to enter in this ,ontest" for thus ill he be able

to !ro1e his su!eriority by the su!eriority of intelli+en,e. ;lthou+h this is not the ,ustom in the

so1erei+n ,ountry" it should be !ra,ti,ed in the ,olonies" for the reason that +enuine !resti+e should

be sou+ht by means of moral -ualities" be,ause the ,olonizers ou+ht to be" or at least to seem"

u!ri+ht" honest and intelli+ent" 4ust as a man stimulates 1irtues hen he deals ith a stran+er. The

offi,es and trusts so earned ill do aay ith arbitrary dismissal and de1elo! em!loyees and offi,ials,a!able and ,o+nizant of their duties. The offi,es held by nati1es" instead of endan+erin+ the &!anish

domination" ill merely ser1e to assure it" for hat interest ould they ha1e in ,on1ertin+ the sure

and stable into the un,ertain and !roblemati,al The nati1e is" moreo1er" 1ery fond of !ea,e and

!refers a humble !resent to a brilliant future. =et the 1arious *ili!inos still holdin+ offi,e s!ea/ in this

matter" they are the most unsha/en ,onser1ati1es.

5e ,ould add other minor reforms tou,hin+ ,ommer,e" a+ri,ulture" se,urity of the indi1idual and of

!ro!erty" edu,ation" and so on" but these are !oints ith hi,h e shall deal in other arti,les. *or the

!resent e are satisfied ith the outlines and no one ,an say that e as/ too mu,h.

There ill be la,/in+ ,riti,s to a,,use us of 8to!ianism: but hat is 8to!ia 8to!ia as a ,ountry

ima+ined by Thomas #oore" herein e6isted uni1ersal suffra+e" reli+ious toleration" almost ,om!leteabolition of the death !enalty and so on. 5hen the boo/ as !ublished these thin+s ere loo/ed

u!on as dreams" im!ossibilities" that is 8to!ianism. et ,i1ilization has left the ,ountry of 8to!ia far

behind" the human ill and ,ons,ien,e ha1e or/ed +reater mira,les" ha1e abolished sla1ery and the

death !enalty for adultery 33 thin+s im!ossible for e1en 8to!ia itselfs ba,/ or they ill se,ure by hoo/ or by ,roo/ some ad1anta+es in their,ountry ith the result that the o!!osition of !urblind and !areti, !oliti,ians ill not only be futile

but e1en !re4udi,ial be,ause it ill ,on1ert moti1es for lo1e and +ratitude into resentment and hatred.

7atred and resentment on one side" mistrust and an+er on the other" ill finally result in a 1iolent

terrible ,ollision" es!e,ially hen there e6ist elements interested in ha1in+ disturban,es" so that they

may +et somethin+ in the e6,itement" demonstrates their mi+hty !oer" foster lamentations and

re,riminations" or em!loy 1iolent measures. 0t is to be e6!e,ted that the +o1ernment ill trium!h and

be +enerally (as is the ,ustom) se1ere in !unishment" either to tea,h a stern lesson in order to 1aunt


14/17

its stren+th or e1en to re1en+e u!on the 1an-uished the s!ells of e6,itement and terror that the

dan+er ,aused it. ;n una1oidable ,on,omitant of those ,atastro!hes is the a,,umulation of a,ts of

in4usti,e ,ommitted a+ainst the inno,ent and !ea,eful inhabitants. ri1ate re!risals" denun,iation"

des!i,able a,,usations" resentments" ,o1etousness" the o!!ortune moment for ,alumny" the haste

and hurried !ro,edure of the ,ourt martials" the !rete6t of the inte+rity of the fatherland and the

safety of the state" hi,h ,loa/s and 4ustifies e1erythin+" e1en for s,ru!ulous minds" hi,h

unfortunately are still rare and abo1e all the !ani,3stri,/en timidity" the ,oardi,e that battens u!onthe ,on-uered 33 all these thin+s au+ment the se1ere measures and the number of the 1i,tims. The

result is that a ,hasm of blood is then o!ened beteen the to !eo!les that the ounded and the

affli,ted" instead of be,omin+ feer" are in,reased" for to the families and friends of the +uilty" ho

alays thin/ the !unishment e6,essi1e and the 4ud+e un4ust" must be added the families and friends

of the inno,ent" ho see no ad1anta+e in li1in+ and or/in+ submissi1ely and !ea,efully. Note" too"

that if se1ere measures are dan+erous in a nation made u! of homo+eneous !o!ulation" the !eril is

in,reased a hundred3fold hen the +o1ernment is formed a ra,e different from the +o1erned. 0n the

former an in4usti,e may still be as,ribed to one man alone" to a +o1ernor a,tuated by !ersonal mali,e"

and ith the death of the tyrant the 1i,tim is re,on,iled to the +o1ernment of his nation. 9ut in a

,ounty dominated by a forei+n ra,e" e1en the most 4ust a,t of se1erity is ,onstrued as in4usti,e and

o!!ression" be,ause it is ordered by a forei+ner" ho is unsym!atheti, or is an enemy of the ,ountry"

and the offense hurts not only the 1i,tim but his entire ra,e" be,ause it is not usually re+arded as

!ersonal and so the resentment naturally s!reads to the hole +o1ernin+ ra,e and does not die out

ith the offender.

7en,e the +reat !ruden,e and fine ta,t that should be e6er,ised by ,olonizin+ ,ountries" and the fa,t

that +o1ernment re+ards the ,olonies in +eneral and our ,olonial offi,e in !arti,ular" as trainin+

s,hools" ,ontributes notably to the fulfillment of the +reat la that the ,olonies sooner or later

de,lare themsel1es inde!endent.

&u,h is the des,ent don hi,h the !eo!les are !re,i!itated. 0n !ro!ortion as they are bathed in

blood and dren,hed in tears and +all" the ,olony" if it has any 1itality" learns ho to stru++le and!erfe,t itself in fi+htin+ hile the mother ,ountry hose ,olonial life de!ends u!on !ea,e and the

submission of the sub4e,ts" is ,onstantly ea/ened and e1en thou+h she ma/es heroi, efforts" as her

number is less and she has only a fi,titious e6isten,e" she finally !erishes. &he is li/e the ri,h

1olu!tuary a,,ustomed to be aited u!on by a ,rod of ser1ants toilin+ and !lantin+ for him and ho

on the day his sla1es refuse him obedien,e" as he does not li1e by his on efforts" must die.

Re!risals" ron+s and sus!i,ions on one !art and on the other the sentiment of !atriotism and liberty"

hi,h is aroused in these in,essant ,onfli,ts" insurre,tions and u!risin+s" o!erate to +eneralize the

mo1ement and one of the to !eo!les must su,,umb. The stru++le ill be brief" for it ill amount to

a sla1ery mu,h more ,ruel than death for the !eo!le and to a dishonorable loss of !resti+e for the

dominator. One of the !eo!les must su,,umb.

&!ain" from the number of her inhabitants" from the ,ondition of her army and na1y" from the

distan,e she is situated from the 0slands" from her s,anty /noled+e of them" and from stru++lin+

a+ainst a !eo!le hose lo1e and +oodill she has alienated" ill ne,essarily ha1e to +i1e ay" if she

does not ish to ris/ not only her other !ossessions and her future in ;fri,a" but also her 1ery

inde!enden,e in Euro!e. ;ll this is at the ,ost of bloodshed" and ,rime" after mortal ,onfli,ts"

murders" ,onfla+rations" military e6e,utions" famine and misery.

The &!aniard is +allant and !atrioti," and sa,rifi,es e1erythin+ in fa1orable moments" for his ,ountry>s


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+ood. 7e has the intre!idity of his bull. The *ili!ino lo1es his ,ountry no less and althou+h he is

-uieter" more !ea,eful and ith diffi,ulty stirred u!" hen he is on,e aroused he does not hesitate

and for him the stru++le means death to one or the other ,ombatant. 7e has all the mee/ness and all

the tena,ity and fero,ity of his ,arabao. Climate affe,ts bi!eds in the same ay that it does

-uadru!eds.

The terrible lessons and the hard tea,hin+s that these ,onfli,ts ill ha1e afforded the *ili!inos ill

o!erate to im!ro1e and stren+then their ethi,al nature. The &!ain of the fifteenth ,entury as not the

&!ain of the ei+hth. 5ith their bitter e6!erien,e" instead of intestine ,onfli,ts of some islands a+ainst

others" as is +enerally feared" they ill e6tend mutual su!!ort" li/e shi!re,/ed !ersons hen they

rea,h an island after a fearful ni+ht of storm. Nor may it be said that e shall !arta/e of the fate of the

small ;meri,an re!ubli,s. They a,hie1ed their inde!enden,e easily and their inhabitants are animated

by a different s!irit from hat the *ili!inos are. 9esides the dan+er of fallin+ a+ain into other hands"

En+lish or @erman" for e6am!le" ill for,e the *ili!inos to be sensible and !rudent. ;bsen,e of any

+reat !re!onderan,e of one ra,e o1er the others ill free their ima+ination from all mad ambitions of

domination" and as they tenden,y of ,ountries that ha1e been tyrannized o1er" hen they on,e sha/e

off the yo/e" is to ado!t the freest +o1ernment" li/e a boy lea1in+ s,hool" li/e the beat of the

!endulum or by a la of rea,tion" the 0slands ill !robably de,lare themsel1es a federal re!ubli,.

0f the hili!!ines se,ure their inde!enden,e after heroi, and stubborn ,onfli,ts" they ,an rest assured

that neither En+land or @ermany" nor *ran,e" and still less 7olland ill dare to ta/e u! hat &!ain has

been unable to hold. 5ithin a fe years ;fri,a ill ,om!letely absorb the attention of the Euro!eans"

and there is no sensible nation hi,h" in order to se,ure a +rou! of !oor and hostile islands" ill

ne+le,t the immense territory offered by the Dar/ Continent" untou,hed" unde1elo!ed and almost

undefended. En+land has enou+h ,olonies in the Orient and is not +oin+ to sa,rifi,e her 0ndian Em!ire

for the !oor hili!!ine 0slands 33 if she had entertained su,h an intention she ould not ha1e restored

#anila in 'FG$" but ould ha1e /e!t some !oint in the hili!!ines hen,e she mi+ht +radually

e6!and. #oreo1er" hat need has Aohn 9ull the trader to e6haust himself o1er the hili!!ines" hen

he is already lord of the Orient" hen he has &in+a!ore" 7on+ ?on+ and &han+hai 0t is !robable theEn+land ill loo/ fa1orably u!on the inde!enden,e of the hili!!ines" for it ill o!en their !orts to

her and afford +reater freedom to her ,ommer,e. *urthermore" there e6ist in the 8nited ?in+dom

tenden,ies and o!inions to the effe,t that she already has too many ,olonies" that they are harmful"

that they +reatly ea/en the so1erei+n ,ountry.

*or the same reasons @ermany ill not ,are to run any ris/" and be,ause a s,atterin+ of her for,es and

a ar in distant ,ountries ill endan+er her e6isten,e on the ,ontinent. Thus e see her attitude" as

mu,h in the a,ifi, as in ;fri,a" is ,onfined to ,on-uerin+ easy territory that belon+s to nobody.

@ermany a1oids any forei+n ,om!li,ations.

*ran,e has enou+h to do and see more of a future in Ton+/in+ and China" besides the fa,t that the

*ren,h s!irit does not shine in zeal for ,olonization. *ran,e lo1es +lory" but the +lory and laurels that

+ro on the battlefields of Euro!e. The e,ho from battlefields in the *ear East hardly satisfies her

,ra1in+ for renon" for it rea,hes her -uite faintly. &he has also other obli+ations" both internally and

on the ,ontinent.

7olland is sensible and ill be ,ontent to /ee! the #olu,,as and Aa1a. &umatra offers her a +reater

future than the hili!!ines hose seas and ,oasts ha1e a sinister omen for Dut,h e6!editions. 7olland

!ro,eeds ith +reat ,aution in &umatra and 9orneo" from fear of losin+ e1erythin+.


16/17

China ill ,onsider herself fortunate if she su,,eeds in /ee!in+ herself inta,t and is not dismembered

or !artitioned amon+ the Euro!ean !oers that they are ,olonizin+ the ,ontinent of ;sia.

The same is true ith Aa!an. On the north side she has Russia" ho en1ies and at,hes her" on the

south En+land" ith hom she is in a,,ord e1en to her offi,ial lan+ua+e. &he is" moreo1er" under su,h

di!lomati, !ressure from Euro!e that she ,an not thin/ of outside affairs until she is freed from it"

hi,h ill not be an easy matter. True it is that she has an e6,ess of !o!ulation" but ?orea attra,ts her

more than the hili!!ines and is also easier to seize.

erha!s the +reat ;meri,an Re!ubli," hose interests lie in the a,ifi, and ho has no hand in the

s!oliation of ;fri,a" may dream some day of forei+n !ossession. This is not im!ossible" for the

e6am!le is ,onta+ious" ,o1etousness and ambition are amon+ the stron+est 1i,es" and 7arrison

manifested somethin+ of this sort in the &amoan -uestion. 9ut the anama Canal is not o!ened nor

the territory of the &tates ,on+ested ith inhabitants" and in ,ase she should o!enly attem!t it the

Euro!ean !oers ould not allo her to !ro,eed" for they /no 1ery ell that the a!!etite is

shar!ened by the first bites. North ;meri,a ould be -uite a troublesome ri1al" if she should on,e +et

into the business. *urthermore" this is ,ontrary to her traditions.

ery li/ely the hili!!ines ill defend ith ine6!ressible 1alor the liberty se,ured at the !ri,e of somu,h blood and sa,rifi,e. 5ith the ne men that ill s!rin+ from their soil and ith the re,olle,tion

of their !ast" they ill !erha!s strife to enter freely u!on the ide road of !ro+ress" and all ill labor

to+ether to stren+then their fatherland" both internally and e6ternally" ith the same enthusiasm"

ith hi,h a youth falls a+ain to tillin+ the land of his an,estors ho lon+ asted and abandoned

throu+h the ne+le,t of those ho ha1e ithheld it from him. Then the mines ill be made to +i1e u!

their +old for relie1in+ distress" iron for ea!ons" ,o!!er" lead" and ,oal. erha!s the ,ountry ill

re1i1e the maritime and mer,antile life for hi,h the islanders are fitted by their nature" ability and

instin,ts" and on,e more free" li/e the bird that lea1es its ,a+e" li/e the floer that unfolds to the air"

ill re,o1er the !ristine 1irtues that are +radually dyin+ out and ill a+ain be,ome addi,ted to !ea,e

33 ,heerful" ha!!y" 4oyous" hos!itable and darin+.

These and many other thin+s may ,ome to !ass ithin somethin+ li/e a hundred years" but the most

lo+i,al !ro+nosti,ation" the !ro!he,y based on the best !robabilities" may err throu+h remote and

insi+nifi,ant ,auses: ;n o,to!us that seized #ar/ ;nthony>s shi! altered the fa,e of the orld2 a ,ross

on Cal1ary and a 4ust man nailed thereon ,han+ed the ethi,s of half the human ra,e" and yet before

Christ" ho many 4ust men ron+ly !erished and ho many ,rosses ere raised on that hill< The

death of the 4ust san,tified his or/ and made his tea,hin+ unanserable. ; sun/en road at the battle

of 5aterloo buried all the +lories of to brilliant de,ades" the hole na!oleoni, orld" and freed

Euro!e. 8!on hat ,han,e a,,idents ill the destiny of the hili!!ines de!end

Ne1ertheless" it is not ell to trust to a,,ident" for there is sometimes an im!er,e!tible and

in,om!rehensible lo+i, in the or/in+s of history. *ortunately" !eo!les as ell as +o1ernments aresub4e,ts to it.

Therefore" e re!eat and e ill e1er re!eat" hile there is time" and that is better to /ee! !a,e ith

the desire of a !eo!le than to +i1e ay before them2 the former be+ets sym!athy and lo1e" the latter

,ontem!t and an+er. &in,e it is ne,essary to +rant si6 million *ili!inos their ri+hts" so that they may be

in fa,t &!aniards" let the +o1ernment +rant these ri+hts freely and s!ontaneously" ithout dama+in+

reser1ations" ithout irritatin+ mistrust. 5e shall ne1er tire of re!eatin+ this hile a ray of ho!e is left

us" for e !refer this un!leasant tas/ to the need of some day sayin+ to the mother ,ountry: &!ain"


17/17

e ha1e sent our youth in ser1in+ thy interests in the interests of our ,ountry2 e ha1e loo/ed to thee"

e ha1e e6!ended the hole li+ht of our intelle,ts" all the fer1or and enthusiasm of our hearts in

or/in+ for the +ood of hat as tine" to dra from them a +lan,e of lo1e" a liberal !oli,y and that

ould assure us the !ea,e of our nati1e land and thy say o1er loyal but unfortunate islands< &!ain"

thou hast remained deaf" and ra!!ed u! in thy !ride" hast !ursued thy fatal ,ourse and a,,used us of

bein+ traitors" merely be,ause e lo1e our ,ountry be,ause e tell thee the truth and hate all /inds of

in4usti,e. 5hat dost thou ish us to tell our ret,hed ,ountry hen it as/s about the result of ourefforts #ust e say to it that" sin,e for it e ha1e lost e1erythin+ 33 youth" future" ho!e" !ea,e" and

family2 sin,e in its ser1i,e e ha1e e6hausted all the resour,es of ho!e" all the disillusions of desire" it

also ta/es the residue hi,h e ,an not use" the blood from our 1eins and the stren+th left in our

arms &!ain" must e some day tell *ili!inas that thou hast no ear for her oes and that if she ishes

to be sa1ed" she must redeem herself

the philippines a century hence by derbyshire)

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