Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

POLITICAL SECTION

137

administration, were happily blended his knowledge of Philippine history and his forceful style which was highly appropriate for the articles and pamphlets he wrote on political
controversies and propaganda in those days. Del Pilar had an
organizing mind, skilful in handling people and in making
them share with him his difficulties. His correspondence with
the patriots in Manila was a proof of his ability in these
matters.
Rizal was, for the Filipino colony in Europe, almost an
idol, a model in manners, in dignity, in sensibility, in patriotism, in gentlemanliness,-consecrated to higher learning, to
noble ideals, to art, to history and to meditation. Marcelo H.
del Pilar, on the other hand, had to face the daily struggle, a
struggle full of prejudices and passions, of envies and rancours.
He was often hurt, it was true, but he always came out victorious. There was also, in that sturdy colony, Graciano
Lopez Jaena, tribune and demagogue, who was even ahead of
Rizal and del Pilar in his labors,-a restless soul, turbulent and
capricious. Antonio Luna had the same radicalism as that of
Jaena, with an even more fighting personality, but his principal
activity was manifested in newspaper writing.
Worthy of special mention was Mariano Ponce, an intimate
friend of the leaders and their most trusted confidant. He was
a firm and intelligent worker. Without doubt his greatest
personal contribution to the work of propaganda was in its
historical part, for Ponce was not only an earnest and faithful
witness of the events, but he gathered facts, letters and documents that then existed, with the purpose of presenting them
to posterity, as unimpeachable exhibits of the daring and brilliant efforts of those men. Thanks to Mariano Ponce, historians of today could trace almost day by day the labors of
those years, and appreciate even in their minutest details the life
and action of those leaders.
In the Philippines the campaign found ardent followers,active and intelligent, although they did not come into prominence as those in Europe, largely because of the fact that they
had to work secretly almost all the time. The patriots in the
Philippines were distributed among various secret organizations,
all having the same end, although bearing different names.