IN GAY PARIS 1889-90

“THE TRUTH IS THAT PARIS IS NOT THE PERFECT CITY IMAGINED BY MANY PARISIENNES.”
- JOSE RIZAL

It's “gay Paris” (the French pronunciation of “Paris” is approximately “Paree”) and the term comes from a time when
“gay” meant “happy and carefree”. “Gay Paris” means something like “joyous Paris”. It has nothing to do with
homosexuality.

 AFTER HIS TRIP TO LONDON, HE MOVED TO PARIS. TIMELY THERE IS AN INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION
BEING HELD AT PARIS.

International Exposition is a World’s fair held in Paris, France. 100th Anniversary of the “Storming of the Bastille”, an
event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution

Storming of the Bastille. The Storming of the Bastille took place in Paris, France on July 14, 1789. This violent attack
on the government by the people of France signaled the start of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a fortress built
in the late 1300s to protect Paris during the Hundred Years' War.

 DIFFICULTY OF FINDING LIVING QUARTERS.

IN MARCH 1889, THE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION HAD ATTRACTED THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS
SO THAT ALL HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS WERE TAKEN. RIZAL WAS VERY DISGUSTED BECAUSE
FRENCH LANDORDS, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RAISING THE RENTS OF THE ROOMS.

 RIZAL LIVED IN THE HOUSE OF HIS FRIEND VALENTIN VENTURA FOR A SHORT TIME, AT
NO.40 RUE MAUBEUGE. TWO FILIPINOS ROOMMATES OF RIZAL: CAPITAN JUSTO TRINIDAD –
FORMER GOBERNADORCILLO OF STA. ANA, MANILA AND REFUGEE FROM SPANISH TYRANNY.
JOSE ALBERT – A YOUNG STUDENT FROM MANILA. IS THE ONE WHO ACCOMPANIED RIZAL’S TO
MOVE TO BRUSSELS.

 LIFE IN PARIS.
RIZAL SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME IN THE READING ROOM OF BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE. DURING
HIS SPARE HOURS, HE USED TO DINE AT THE HOMES OF HIS FRIENDS: PARDO DE TAVERAS, THE
VENTURAS, THE RAMIREZES, THE ROCHAS.

1. DR. TRINIDAD PARDO DE TAVERA – PHYSICIAN BY VOCATION ANDPHILOLOGIST BY

AVOCATION
2. DR. FELIX PARDO DE TAVERA – A PHYSICIAN BY VOCATION AND AN ARTIST AND
SCULPTOR BY AVOCATION
3. PAZ PARDO DE TAVERA – WIFE OF JUAN LUNA
4. DON JOAQUIN PARDO DE TAVERA – AN EXLE OF 1872 WHO ESCAPE FROM MARIANAS AND
LIVED IN FRANCE

MR. EDWARD BOUSTEAD – WAS BORN IN THE PHILIPPINES, THE SON OF THE RICH FRENCH
BUSINESSMAN OF SINGAPORE, AND HAD MARRIED A DAUGHTER OF PROMINENT GENATO
FAMILY OF MANILA. HE GREAT LIKING FOR RIZAL WHOSE SPLENDID TALENTS AMAZED
HIM. HE HAD TWO DAUGHTERS – NELLY, athletic. ADELINA, quiet, dignified and refined.
Adelina – is the other romance of Rizal in Paris.
Nelly – was attracted by the talented of Rizal, with whom she was infatuated
Antonio Luna - a dashing man of violent passions who is madly in love with Nelly
 Mir Dias – a Spanish Newspaperman who was writing articles against the Filipinos.

 RIZAL’S MARRIAGE PROPOSALS DID NOT PROSPER: ADELINA WAS NOT SURE HE
LOVED HER BECAUSE OF HIS BROKEN WITH LEONOR RIVERA, RIZAL REFUSED TO ACCEPT
THE CONDITION THAT HE WILL LIKE A PROTESTANT LIKE HER, ADELINA’S MOTHER
OPPOSED THE MATCH BECAUSE RIZAL WAS NOT RICH ENOUGH TO SUPPORT A FAMILY IN
STYLE.

 RIZAL CONTINUES HIS STUDY OF LANGUAGES. HE PERFECTS HIS FRENCH, SO THAT HE

COULD SPEAK AND WRITE LIKE A FRENCHMAN. HE WAS ABLE TO PREPARE A VOLUME OF
FRENCH EXERCISES AS A TEXTBOOK FOR STUDENTS OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. HE
ATTENDED CERTAIN LECTURE ON ORIENTAL LANGUAGES WITH DR. TRINIDAD.

ON SUNDAYS, HE ATTENDED THE FENCING LESSONS AT THE STUDIO OF LUNA. HE FENCED

WITH THE LUNA BROTHERS (JUAN AND ANTONIO), VALENTIN VENTURA, AND THE
BOUSTEAD SISTERS.

HE CARRIED ON HIS ARTISTIC HOBBY. HE MADE TWO STATUES: “THE BEGGAR” AND “THE
MAID WITH A BASKET” WHICH HE SENT TO BLUMENTRITT, TOGETHER THE ARTISTIC
WALLET (PETACA) MADE OF PHILIPPINES VINE (NITO).

 TWO CLUBS FOUNDED BY RIZAL: THE KIDLAT CLUB AND INDIOS BRAVOS
Kidlat Club was founded by Rizal to bring together the young Filipinos in the French capital so that they could
enjoy their sojourn in the city during the duration of the Universal Exposition. Rizal and the members of the Kidlat
Club were amazed to see the Buffalo Bull show which featured the American Indians. The tall, dignified, proud
and powerfully built Indiands ignited Rizal’s imagination. He said “ Why should we resent being called Indios
by the Spaniards. Look at the American Indians. They were not ashamed of their race. Let us be like
them. Let us be proud of the name Indio and make Spaniards revise their conception of the term. We
shall become Indios Bravos!” It replaced the Kidlat Club as a new society of Filipinos.

MEMBERS: ANTONIO AND JUAN LUNA, LAURO DIMAYUGA, BALDOMERO ROXAS,

GREGORIO AGUILERA, FERNANDO CANON, GREGORIO PAUTU AND JULIO LLORENTE.
The members pledge to excel in intellectual and physical prowess in order to win the admiration of the
Spaniards. They practiced the use of sword and pistol. Rizal taught them jiujitsu, the Japanese art of self-
defense.

ANNOTED EDITION OF MORGA PUBLISHED

RIZAL’S OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PARIS WAS THE PUBLICATION IN JANUARY, 1890
OF ANNOTATED EDITION OF MORGA’S SUCESOS. IT WAS PRINTED BY GARNIER FRERES.
HE DEDICATED THIS HISTORICAL WORK “TO THE FILIPINOS”.

Morga wrote that the purpose for writing Sucesos was so he could chronicle "the deeds achieved by our Spaniards i
the discovery, conquest, and conversion of the Filipinas Islands - as well as various fortunes that they have from time to
time in the great kingdoms and among the pagan peoples surrounding the islands. "
 THE PROLOGUE WAS WRITTEN BY PROFESSOR BLUMENTRITT, HE FRANKLY CENSURED
RIZAL FOR 2 THINGS: 1.) COMMITS THE ERROR OF MANY HISTORIANS IN APPRAISING
THE EVENTS OF THE PAST IN THE LIGHT OF PRESENT STANDARDS 2.) ATTACKS ON
THE CHURCH WERE UNFAIR AND UNJUSTIFIED BECAUSE THE ABUSES OF THE FRIARS
SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUCTED TO MEAN THAT CATHOLOCISM IS BAD

RIZAL ANNOTATED AND PUBLISHED MORGA’S SUCESOS BECAUSE IT WAS THE BEST OF
THE MANY HISTORIES OF THE PHILIPPINES WRITTEN BY THE EARLY SPANISH WRITERS. IN
THIS HISTORICAL WORK, RIZAL PROVED THAT THE FILIPINOS WERE ALREADY CIVILIZED
BEFORE THE ADVENT OF SPAIN: RIZAL BLASTED THE HISTORICAL HERESIES OF THE
SPANISH WRITERS WHO CLAIMED THAT THE EARLY FILIPINOS WERE SAVAGES AND WERE
OF LOW MENTALITY.