The Social Cancer, by José Rizal - Home

CHAPTER XXXI 151
"Not yet, O lost one, but don't go to sleep again!" answered the good grandmother.
Of the second part of the sermon--that in Tagalog--we have only a few rough notes, for Padre Damaso
extemporized in this language, not because he knew it better, but because, holding the provincial Filipinos
ignorant of rhetoric, he was not afraid of making blunders before them. With Spaniards the case was different;
he had heard rules of oratory spoken of, and it was possible that among his hearers some one had been in
college-halls, perhaps the alcalde, so he wrote out his sermons, corrected and polished them, and then
memorized and rehearsed them for several days beforehand.
It is common knowledge that none of those present understood the drift of the sermon. They were so dull of
understanding and the preacher was so profound, as Sister Rufa said, that the audience waited in vain for an
opportunity to weep, and the lost grandchild of the blessed old woman went to sleep again. Nevertheless, this
part had greater consequences than the first, at least for certain hearers, as we shall see later.
He began with a "Mana capatir con cristiano," [91] followed by an avalanche of untranslatable phrases. He
talked of the soul, of Hell, of "mahal na santo pintacasi," [92] of the Indian sinners and of the virtuous
Franciscan Fathers.
"The devil!" exclaimed one of the two irreverent Manilans to his companion. "That's all Greek to me. I'm
going." Seeing the doors closed, he went out through the sacristy, to the great scandal of the people and
especially of the preacher, who turned pale and paused in the midst of his sentence. Some looked for a violent
apostrophe, but Padre Damaso contented himself with watching the delinquent, and then he went on with his
sermon.
Then were let loose curses upon the age, against the lack of reverence, against the growing indifference to
Religion. This matter seemed to be his forte, for he appeared to be inspired and expressed himself with force
and clearness. He talked of the sinners who did not attend confession, who died in prisons without the
sacraments, of families accursed, of proud and puffed-up little half-breeds, of young sages and little
philosophers, of pettifoggers, of picayunish students, and so on. Well known is this habit that many have
when they wish to ridicule their enemies; they apply to them belittling epithets because their brains do not
appear to furnish them any other means, and thus they are happy.
Ibarra heard it all and understood the allusions. Preserving an outward calm, he turned his eyes to God and the
authorities, but saw nothing more than the images of saints, and the alcalde was sleeping.
Meanwhile, the preacher's enthusiasm was rising by degrees. He spoke of the times when every Filipino upon
meeting a priest took off his hat, knelt on the ground, and kissed the priest's hand. "But now," he added, "you
only take off your salakot or your felt hat, which you have placed on the side of your head in order not to
ruffle your nicely combed hair! You content yourself with saying, 'good day, among,' and there are proud
dabblers in a little Latin who, from having studied in Manila or in Europe, believe that they have the right to
shake a priest's hand instead of kissing it. Ah, the day of judgment will quickly come, the world will end, as
many saints have foretold; it will rain fire, stones, and ashes to chastise your pride!" The people were exhorted
not to imitate such "savages" but to hate and shun them, since they were beyond the religious pale.
"Hear what the holy decrees say! When an Indian meets a curate in the street he should bow his head and offer
his neck for his master to step upon. If the curate and the Indian are both on horseback, then the Indian should
stop and take off his hat or salakot reverently; and finally, if the Indian is on horseback and the curate on foot,
the Indian should alight and not mount again until the curate has told him to go on, or is far away. This is what
the holy decrees say and he who does not obey will be excommunicated."
"And when one is riding a carabao?" asked a scrupulous countryman of his neighbor.