Part 24 (2/2)

He wrote a letter in which he urged reform by the expulsion of corrupt officers of the Government and of certain immoral priests. This awakened the Government and made him secret enemies. He was accused by the Government of treason and by the decadent priests of the Church of blasphemy. He held to his convictions against all opposition, knowing that right was right and truth was truth.

He sought to unite the worthy representatives of the State and Church in an effort to bring about a change which should honor morals and give justice to the people. Among men of conscience his influence secretly grew. He hoped to gain such force as to make an appeal to the court at Madrid.

He organized a moral revolution.

Conscience is power, but its progress is slow.

In 1890 Dr. Rizal published a pamphlet that stirred the island world. He pictured the sufferings of the natives under the Spanish rule. He appealed to the enlightened Church, conscience and humanity.

The patriot's friends saw that the reform movement was about to be crushed, and said to Rizal:

”Escape to Hong Kong!”

There was a patriotic club in Hong Kong that sought the emanc.i.p.ation of the natives of Luzon and the Philippines from the extortions of Spain.

It would be well for him now to go there.

”How shall I leave the city?” was the one question that suddenly haunted his mind.

He must go by sea. He could not go on board a s.h.i.+p without being detected and detained.

”Get into a perforated box,” said a fellow patriot, ”and I will s.h.i.+p you with the merchandise.”

Dr. Rizal secreted himself in the perforated box, and was s.h.i.+pped from Luzon to Hong Kong.

He was received with great enthusiasm by the Philippine patriots in Hong Kong.

But he was more dangerous to the officials of Luzon in Hong Kong than at Cavite. It became a problem with the latter how to get him once more in their power.

The Governor General Weyler caused a dispatch to be sent to him which stated that he ”was too valuable a man for the State to lose his services,” that his past conduct would be overlooked, and that he could safely return to his own island.

Honest himself, he could not believe that the dispatch was insincere.

He went back to Manila. His foes were bent on his destruction.

He was one day absent from his rooms attending probably to his medical duties, when some soldiers led by a spy entered his apartments and searched his trunks and pretended to find there seditious books.

Dr. Rizal was arrested. His enemies formed the court to try him for treason.

The books were put out as evidence against him.

”I imported no books,” said he.

”But the books are here.”

”The customhouse officers found no books in my trunks,” said Dr. Rizal.

”But here are the books that witness against you.”

”There were no books in my room when I left it,” said he.

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