Noli me tángere. English

by José Rizal

  CHAPTER LIII

  Il Buon Di Si Conosce Da Mattina [137]

  Early the next morning the report spread through the town that manylights had been seen in the cemetery on the previous night. The leaderof the Venerable Tertiary Order spoke of lighted candles, of theirshape and size, and, although he could not fix the exact number, hadcounted more than twenty. Sister Sipa, of the Brotherhood of the HolyRosary, could not bear the thought that a member of a rival ordershould alone boast of having seen this divine marvel, so she, eventhough she did not live near the place, had heard cries and groans,and even thought she recognized by their voices certain persons withwhom she, in other times,--but out of Christian charity she not onlyforgave them but prayed for them and would keep their names secret,for all of which she was declared on the spot to be a saint. SisterRufa was not so keen of hearing, but she could not suffer that SisterSipa had heard so much and she nothing, so she related a dream inwhich there had appeared before her many souls--not only of thedead but even of the living--souls in torment who begged for a partof those indulgences of hers which were so carefully recorded andtreasured. She could furnish names to the families interested andonly asked for a few alms to succor the Pope in his needs. A littlefellow, a herder, who dared to assert that he had seen nothing morethan one light and two men in salakots had difficulty in escapingwith mere slaps and scoldings. Vainly he swore to it; there were hiscarabaos with him and could verify his statement. "Do you pretendto know more than the Warden and the Sisters, _paracmason_, [138]heretic?" he was asked amid angry looks. The curate went up into thepulpit and preached about purgatory so fervently that the pesos againflowed forth from their hiding-places to pay for masses.

  But let us leave the suffering souls and listen to the conversationbetween Don Filipo and old Tasio in the lonely home of the latter. TheSage, or Lunatic, was sick, having been for days unable to leave hisbed, prostrated by a malady that was rapidly growing worse.

  "Really, I don't know whether to congratulate you or not that yourresignation has been accepted. Formerly, when the gobernadorcillo soshamelessly disregarded the will of the majority, it was right foryou to tender it, but now that you are engaged in a contest with theCivil Guard it's not quite proper. In time of war you ought to remainat your post."

  "Yes, but not when the general sells himself," answered DonFilipo. "You know that on the following morning the gobernadorcilloliberated the soldiers that I had succeeded in arresting and refusedto take any further action. Without the consent of my superior officerI could do nothing."

  "You alone, nothing; but with the rest, much. You should havetaken advantage of this opportunity to set an example to the othertowns. Above the ridiculous authority of the gobernadorcillo are therights of the people. It was the beginning of a good lesson and youhave neglected it."

  "But what could I have done against the representative of theinterests? Here you have Senor Ibarra, he has bowed before the beliefsof the crowd. Do you think that he believes in excommunications?"

  "You are not in the same fix. Senor Ibarra is trying to sow the goodseed, and to do so he must bend himself and make what use he can ofthe material at hand. Your mission was to stir things up, and for thatpurpose initiative and force are required. Besides, the fight shouldnot be considered as merely against the gobernadorcillo. The principleought to be, against him who makes wrong use of his authority,against him who disturbs the public peace, against him who fails inhis duty. You would not have been alone, for the country is not thesame now that it was twenty years ago."

  "Do you think so?" asked Don Filipo.

  "Don't you feel it?" rejoined the old man, sitting up in his bed. "Ah,that is because you haven't seen the past, you haven't studied theeffect of European immigration, of the coming of new books, andof the movement of our youth to Europe. Examine and compare thesefacts. It is true that the Royal and Pontifical University of SantoTomas, with its most sapient faculty, still exists and that someintelligences are yet exercised in formulating distinctions and inpenetrating the subtleties of scholasticism; but where will you nowfind the metaphysical youth of our days, with their archaic education,who tortured their brains and died in full pursuit of sophistriesin some corner of the provinces, without ever having succeeded inunderstanding the attributes of _being_, or solving the problem of_essence_ and _existence_, those lofty concepts that made us forgetwhat was essential,--our own existence and our own individuality? Lookat the youth of today! Full of enthusiasm at the view of a widerhorizon, they study history, mathematics, geography, literature,physical sciences, languages--all subjects that in our times we heardmentioned with horror, as though they were heresies. The greatestfree-thinker of my day declared them inferior to the classifications ofAristotle and the laws of the syllogism. Man has at last comprehendedthat he is man; he has given up analyzing his God and searching intothe imperceptible, into what he has not seen; he has given up framinglaws for the phantasms of his brain; he comprehends that his heritageis the vast world, dominion over which is within his reach; weary ofhis useless and presumptuous toil, he lowers his head and examines whatsurrounds him. See how poets are now springing up among us! The Musesof Nature are gradually opening up their treasures to us and beginto smile in encouragement on our efforts; the experimental scienceshave already borne their first-fruits; time only is lacking for theirdevelopment. The lawyers of today are being trained in the new forms ofthe philosophy of law, some of them begin to shine in the midst of theshadows which surround our courts of justice, indicating a change inthe course of affairs. Hear how the youth talk, visit the centers oflearning! Other names resound within the walls of the schools, therewhere we heard only those of St. Thomas, Suarez, Amat, Sanchez, [139]and others who were the idols of our times. In vain do the friars cryout from the pulpits against our demoralization, as the fish-venderscry out against the cupidity of their customers, disregarding thefact that their wares are stale and unserviceable! In vain do theconventos extend their ramifications to check the new current. Thegods are going! The roots of the tree may weaken the plants thatsupport themselves under it, but they cannot take away life fromthose other beings, which, like birds, are soaring toward the sky."

  The Sage spoke with animation, his eyes gleamed.

  "Still, the new seed is small," objected Don Filipo incredulously. "Ifall enter upon the progress we purchase so dearly, it may be stifled."

  "Stifled! Who will stifle it? Man, that weak dwarf, stifle progress,the powerful child of time and action? When has he been able to doso? Bigotry, the gibbet, the stake, by endeavoring to stifle it,have hurried it along. _E pur si muove_, [140] said Galileo, whenthe Dominicans forced him to declare that the earth does not move,and the same statement might be applied to human progress. Some willsare broken down, some individuals sacrificed, but that is of littleimport; progress continues on its way, and from the blood of thosewho fall new and vigorous offspring is born. See, the press itself,however backward it may wish to be, is taking a step forward. TheDominicans themselves do not escape the operation of this law, but areimitating the Jesuits, their irreconcilable enemies. They hold fiestasin their cloisters, they erect little theaters, they compose poems,because, as they are not devoid of intelligence in spite of believingin the fifteenth century, they realize that the Jesuits are right,and they will still take part in the future of the younger peoplesthat they have reared."

  "So, according to you, the Jesuits keep up with progress?" asked DonFilipo in wonder. "Why, then, are they opposed in Europe?"

  "I will answer you like an old scholastic," replied the Sage, lyingdown again and resuming his jesting expression. "There are threeways in which one may accompany the course of progress: in front of,beside, or behind it. The first guide it, the second suffer themselvesto be carried along with it, and the last are dragged after it and tothese last the Jesuits belong. They would like to direct it, but asthey see that it is strong and has other tendencies, they capitulate,preferring to follow rather than to be crushed or left alone among theshado
ws by the wayside. Well now, we in the Philippines are movingalong at least three centuries behind the car of progress; we arebarely beginning to emerge from the Middle Ages. Hence the Jesuits,who are reactionary in Europe, when seen from our point of view,represent progress. To them the Philippines owes her dawning systemof instruction in the natural sciences, the soul of the nineteenthcentury, as she owed to the Dominicans scholasticism, already deadin spite of Leo XIII, for there is no Pope who can revive what commonsense has judged and condemned.

  "But where are we getting to?" he asked with a change of tone. "Ah,we were speaking of the present condition of the Philippines. Yes,we are now entering upon a period of strife, or rather, I should saythat you are, for my generation belongs to the night, we are passingaway. This strife is between the past, which seizes and striveswith curses to cling to the tottering feudal castle, and the future,whose song of triumph may be heard from afar amid the splendors of thecoming dawn, bringing the message of Good-News from other lands. Whowill fall and be buried in the moldering ruins?"

  The old man paused. Noticing that Don Filipo was gazing at himthoughtfully, he said with a smile, "I can almost guess what youare thinking."

  "Really?"

  "You are thinking of how easily I may be mistaken," was the answerwith a sad smile. "Today I am feverish, and I am not infallible: _homosum et nihil humani a me alienum puto_, [141] said Terence, and ifat any time one is allowed to dream, why not dream pleasantly in thelast hours of life? And after all, I have lived only in dreams! Youare right, it is a dream! Our youths think only of love affairs anddissipations; they expend more time and work harder to deceive anddishonor a maiden than in thinking about the welfare of their country;our women, in order to care for the house and family of God, neglecttheir own: our men are active only in vice and heroic only in shame;childhood develops amid ignorance and routine, youth lives its bestyears without ideals, and a sterile manhood serves only as an examplefor corrupting youth. Gladly do I die! _Claudite iam rivos, pueri!_"[142]

  "Don't you want some medicine?" asked Don Filipo in order to changethe course of the conversation, which had darkened the old man's face.

  "The dying need no medicines; you who remain need them. Tell DonCrisostomo to come and see me tomorrow, for I have some importantthings to say to him. In a few days I am going away. The Philippinesis in darkness!"

  After a few moments more of talk, Don Filipo left the sick man's house,grave and thoughtful.