BUILDERS of a NATION but When the Hour Pleaded and Died for Has Struck in Eternal Spaces and at the Cry of Liberty an Arm of Vengeance Chal
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THE LIB RARY OF THE U NIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES G IFT OF Cl ar k J. Mil l ir on E RR ATA th t a n 2 r ins On e itle p ge and o page 3 1 D . Rob o n R a A t . should read Dr . J mes . ober son On page 23 7 Senor Miguel Zaragossa should read Senor Miguel Zaragoza . Bu ide rs of a Natio n A Se rie s of Biographic al Ske tche s By M M NOR ON . , T HISTORICAL SKETCH O F P H I L I PP I N E S M ariano Ponce L I T E R A R Y RESU M E O F TAGALOG PROSE AND POETRY De los Santos y Cristobal L E C T U R E O N T H E PHI LI PPI NE ASSE MBLY Gregorio Nieva S H O R T P A P E R O N PHILI PPI NE U NIVE RSITY Austin Craig S H O R T P A P E R O N TABACALER A COLLECTION n n Dr . Robi so M ANILA PHILIPPINE ISLANDS B Y TH E SAM E AUTH OR Gloria Victis , (a drama) America Verses from the Orient , (poems) Manila K of n ingdom the Sea , (poems) Ma ila f Songs o the Pacific , (poems) Manila f Songs o Heroes and Days , (poems) Tokyo Outposts of Asia , (prose) Manila Charity in the Philippines , (prose) Manila Quills and Seals , (prose) Manila Studies in Philippine Architecture , (prose) Manila AUTH OR ’ S NOTE These articles were prepared , most of them , for the Cablen -Ame daily press and appeared in the ews rican throughout the year 1 9 1 3 . The stirring events of this year , when the Filipinos have realized more deeply their National destiny and have risen to assume n ewresponsi b ilities , seem to give a reason for the publication in book form of these biographies of some of the leading figures in the Philippines who have been and are shaping its history . 1 1 4 Manila, February, 9 . THE PHILIPPINE ISLAND S ’ Written for th e Merchants Association B an quet given for Vis iting n r ssmn M r e . o e e H ote et o ol C g , l p Castle and lion ! Castile l Strength of an ancient domain ! of of ! Bars red ; Field blue Young blood , far purpose, ! Eagles flight , presaging a grander refrain e Past years, freedom and manhood mingled in strif n ew For the good and the , ! Proud isles , cities of seas , horizons vast as the blue Our escutcheon is strength and our faith is true ! M abi n i Ag u i n ald o Apac ible Llo ren te Pomn ce D el Pilar O s ena Palma A rellan o M apa D el Pan Tavera Kalaw V ll mr i a o To rres Si n gson Earn shaw AR TS AND LE TTER S D e lo s San to s C ri sto bal INTR OD UCTION The prenatal life of the Filipino Nation has its h roots in the earliest history , w en the proud and independent sea people roamed free afar the Pacific and over their lofty mountains , then after hundreds of e of years for ign occupation , the Malay soul awoke anew from dreams never quenched to a desire for life , f the life o an Independent Nation . R izal came , in the fulness of time , as the liber ator . A witness of the highhanded methods of u n scrupulous men , his poet soul was wrung even in early youth and was already dedicated to the liberation of his lan d . All he was , was patriotism , all he thought was patriotic . ’ L L Ouv erture K ike Toussaint , like ossuth , like Patrick Henry he burned with a quenchless fire of devotion to country which has inspired many and con t h e sumed chosen few , those great enough to crush ’ down all personal desire , in service for their country s freedom , great enough to die as they have lived for the same end . ’ R izal s death is on e of the sublimest of all the overmastering dramas of history ; none in profane history for its simplicity , sublimity and depth can excel it . on e of f This death is the triumphs o history . It meant the lifting of a race to the rank of those who command the respect , sympathy and love of their fellow men . Many Filipinos , before that memorable hour , ” n e but dimly understood the word country , o , a mere — youth and he was but one of many coming home from the execution— wrote verses passionate with the first of birth this dominating love . BUILDERS OF A NATION But when the hour pleaded and died for has struck in eternal spaces And at the cry of Liberty an arm of vengeance chal len eth g , Up from thy burning soil Liberty the people are calling , f f Crying with mu fled uproar , like the sound o the sea in torment , Before it rises in tempest . n The echo resou ding , speaketh of redress and of battle , of From the limits earth with terrible clamor , R usheth to the contest an armed host , athirst for blood shed , Anxious for thy glory and fame and tightening about the foe , We see a routed Spain . listen h r Who s ea s the cries of terrible unyielding combat , son r in di Not a who trembles , o turns in his fierce g nation , And at each onslaught his valor grows with the day , of For thy love is his inspiration , in the midst the strug le g , ’ He presses on and his fury o erleaps as a volcanic torrent ! ’ And the voice of triumph sounds from thy land s far limit , She , Aurora , awakens at the sound of the musical trumpet, And the far vibrations of cannon in the distance tell Thy coming redemption ! our O , Manila , embedded in flowers , j ewel adorning ocean , L and ift high thy glistening forehead , by sorrow bent darkened, Dress thee in garments of splendor . Come sit thee here , fair Sultana , Here on thy shores free from sorrow , thy pain and submission are over . The heavens are rosy with Dawn , Th of - Dawn to morrow . e4 INTRODUCTION i s Dream in peace , blest and bowed one , n our brea t confide Thy affliction , from afar thy desire is coming , - Thy sacred hope awakens , thy to day will be soon to morrow , For we see a star , a star ascending , the star of freedom , And its light forever white and burning shall shine upon us , Living or dying . f Fortunately the light , not the darkness o that epoch , for R izal was a soul of light , filled the land , and forgiveness for the Past ov erflowed and they arose ou and stretched t their arms in hope , the hope born n f f even o that splendid dawn o the 30th o December . The coming of the Americans brought the modern world to their doors , and the public schools , the right of voting and the beginning of a legislative life of their own have led them onward and upward to this hour . M AR IANO PONCE La aparicion de u n nuevo libro sobre nuestro pais ha sido siempre mirada por nosotros con vivo interés ; l este interés adquiere mayor calor cuando , como en e el la n x r n caso presente , autor de obra nueva es u a e t a u gera ya conocida en nuestra rep blica literaria , como uno de los que nos estudian con amor y j usticia y nos j uzgan al través de u n temperamento de bondad é im parcialidad : caso este de qué encontramos muy pocos ej emplos . M . t Miss M Nor on , lleva publicados ya varios v l men e o u s , unos en prosa y otros en verso , sobre Fili . A pinas lma generosa y bondadosa , ha tratado siempre t n u nues ras cosas con cari o y afecto , dentro de n criterio P r justo y razonable . o eso leemos siempre con placer sus tanto versos como sus prosas . E n el presente libro trata esta eximia escritora de presentar a los pueblos que hablan el inglés un grupo de nuestras personalidades representativas , que han con trib uid o l y contribuyen , de uno y de otro modo , a desa rrollo d emcr i de las ideas o at cas v de progreso en nuestro i pa s . E s muy satisfactorio decir que esas ideas no han nacido hoy en la mente de los filipinos . Se arrancan desde muy atras y han ido desenvolviendo paulatina l mente durante varias generaciones , hasta llegar a es s n al tado de completo desarrollo como o presente . De nada nos hubieran servido las modernas ense fi n zas m i a d e ocrat cas si no hubiesen encontrado u n te rren o preparado por el trabaj o de las generaciones pre . re aracion cedentes Esa p p no se improvisa , y la semilla se hubiera malogrado a no haber encontrado abierto el surco . Pod riamos seguir , por ej emplo , la trayectoria que han a tom do esas ideas , desde los primeros afios de la centuria - a decimo nona , por no ir mas atr s , hasta nuestros dias 1 8 B U ILD E R S o r A NATION En efecto ; cuando a principios del siglo mencionado , in v adio n n Napoleon Bonaparte Espa a , los espa oles opu ‘ e re sieron resistencia formidable y decidida , haci ndo troced er al coloso en s u carrera de triunfos por Europa .