Scholastic Triumphs at Ateneo de Manila PDF

Here is the converted text from the images into a structured markdown format: # SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS AT ATENEO DE MANILA 1872-1877 Four months after the martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and Donya Teodora still in prison, the 10-year-old Jose Rizal was sent to Manila to study. ## Ateneo Municipal * Colle...

Here is the converted text from the images into a structured markdown format: # SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS AT ATENEO DE MANILA 1872-1877 Four months after the martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and Donya Teodora still in prison, the 10-year-old Jose Rizal was sent to Manila to study. ## Ateneo Municipal * College under the supervision of Spanish Jesuits. * Bitter rival of the Dominican-owned College of San Juan de Letran. * Formerly Escuela Pia (Charity School) for poor boys in Manila established in 1817. * In 1859, name was changed to Ateneo Municipal by the Jesuits and later became the Ateneo de Manila. ## Rizal Enters the Ateneo * June 10, 1872 - Rizal, accompanied by Paciano, went to Manila to take the entrance examinations on Christian Doctrine, arithmetic, and reading at College of San Juan de Letran, and passed them all. * His father wished him to study at Letran but he changed his mind and decided to send Jose at Ateneo instead. * Father Magin Fernando - college registrar of Ateneo Municipal, refused to admit Jose who's at that time is eleven years old because: * He was late for registration and * He was sickly and undersized for his age * Manuel Xerez Burgos – nephew of Father Burgos; upon his intercession, Jose Rizal was admitted at Ateneo. * Jose used "Rizal" instead of Mercado because the name "Mercado" had come under suspicion of the Spanish authorities. * Boarded in a house outside Intramuros, Caraballo Street, 25 minutes' walk from college, owned by a spinster named Titay who owed Rizal family 300 pesos. ## Jesuit System of Education * The system of education in Ateneo is advanced from other colleges that period. * Jesuit trained the character of the student by rigid discipline, humanities, and religious instruction * Promotes physical culture, fine arts, and scientific studies. * The students heard Mass in the morning before the beginning of daily class; classes were opened and closed with prayers * Students were divided into two groups: * Roman Empire - consisting of the internos (boarders) with red banners * Carthaginian Empire – composed of the externos (non-boarders) with blue banners Each of these empires had its rank, and students fought for positions * 1st best: EMPEROR * 2nd best: TRIBUNE * 3rd best: DECURION * 4th best: CENTURION * 5th best: STANDARD-BEARER * Any student could challenge any officer in his "empire" to answer questions on the day's lesson; with 3 mistakes, one could lose his position ## Rizal's First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873) * Fr. Jose Bech - first professor of Rizal * Rizal was placed at the bottom of the class since he was a newcomer and knows little Spanish; * He was an externo and was assigned to Carthaginians; * At the end of the month, he became emperor of his empire; the brightest pupil of his class * Took private lessons in Santa Isabel College and paid 3 pesos for extra Spanish lessons * Placed 2nd at the end of the year, with all grades still marked excellent * His sister Neneng (Saturnina) brought him to Tanawan to cheer him up * Visited his mother in prison at Santa Cruz without telling his father * He returned to Manila for his 2nd year term in Ateneo; * Boarded inside Intramuros at No. 8 Magallanes Street * Doña Pepay - landlady and old widow with a widowed daughter and four sons ## Summer Vacation (1873) * March 1873 - Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation. * His sister Neneng (Saturnina) brought him to Tanawan to cheer him up. * Visited his mother in prison at Santa Cruz without telling his father. * After vacation, he returned to Manila for his 2nd year term in Ateneo. * Boarded inside Intramuros at No. 8 Magallanes Street. * Doña Pepay - landlady and old widow with a widowed daughter and four sons. ## Second Year in Ateneo (1873-1874) * Rizal lost the leadership; he repented and even studied harder, and once more becoming an emperor * He received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal * He had 3 classmates from Biñan who had also been his classmates in the school of Maestro Justiniano ## Prophecy of the Mother's release * Doña Teodora told her son of her dream the previous night; * Rizal, interpreting the dream, told her that she would be released from prison in 3 months' time, and became true * Doña Teodora likened his son to the youthful Joseph in the Bible in his ability to interpret dreams ## Teenage Interest in Reading * The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas - Jose Rizal's first favorite novel ## Extra-Curricular Activities * An emperor inside the classroom and campus leader outside. * Secretary of the Marian Congregation. * Member of Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences. * Studied painting under the famous Spanish painter Agustin Saez. * Studied sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor. * Engaged in gymnastics and fencing. * Fr. Jose Villaclara advised him to stop communing with the muses and pay more attention to practical studies such as philosophy and natural science. ## Sculptural Works in Ateneo * Carved an image of The Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine hardwood). * Father Lleonart requested him to carve an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Ateneo students placed the image on the door of the dormitory and remained there for many years ## Anecdotes on Rizal, The Atenean * Felix M. Ramos – one of Rizal's contemporaries in Ateneo. * Manuel Xeres Burgos – whose house Rizal boarded shortly before he became an inferno. ## Poems Written in Ateneo * Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) – first poem he wrote for his mother's birthday. ## Rizal's Religious Poems * Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus) – a brief ode; written in 1875 when he was 14 years old. * A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary). ## Dramatic Work in Ateneo * Father Sanchez, his favorite teacher, ask him to write a drama based on the prose story of St. Eustace the Martyr. * Summer 1876 in Calamba - he wrote the religious drama in poetic verses. * June 02, 1876 - finished the manuscript. * He submitted the finished manuscript entitled "San Eustacio, Martir" (St. Eustace, the Martyr) to Father Sanchez in his last academic year in Ateneo. ## First Romance of Rizal * 16 years old - Rizal experienced his first romance. * Segunda Katigba - a pretty 14 years old Batangueña from Lipa; sister of his friend Mariano Katigbak. * His sister Olimpia was a close friend of Segunda in La Concordia College. * Segunda was already engaged to Manuel Luz. His first romance was ruined by his own shyness and reserve. * Segunda returned to Lipa and later married Manuel Luz. Rizal remained in Calamba, a frustrated lover, cherishing nostalgic memories of lost love.