50
BUILDERS OF A NATION
of the Filipinos was strengthened and brightened the flame of patriotism in their hearts, as the powerful redoubled their abuses, arbitrary conduct and acts of violence in their desire to stifle the first rumblings of rebellion and protests which began to emerge from the peaceful nature of the Filipinos. The leaders of thought in our country soon realized t he need of guiding these feelings and ideas in order to direct the energies bred by such feelings and ideas to a common goal, and for this reason they founded La Solidaridad. This paper gathered these psychic manifestations which floated timidly and in an indefinite manner in the atmosphere, giving them a concrete and tangible form; demonstrated our right to life and happiness; pointed out the root of our grievances, and showed the legal means which could remedy them. It made the people see their real situation and the condition to which they had right to aspire; it warned the mother country of the di astrous result which would inevitably flow from that op~ression, whigh did not satisfy popular aspirations. The air was filled with general unrest; we all felt something which weighed down on our breasts and created disquietude in our minds; everyone had some foreboding of an impending, mysterious peril which was all the more terrific because it was unknown; but no one dared convey his impressions and thoughts to another, for great were the suspicion, distrust and lack 0f confidence created by this threat of an unknown fate. It was then seen that it was not sufficient to preach from the columns of a newspaper as if one were explaining from a professor's chair. It was likewise necessary to reach the very heart of the people in order to guide their customs and habits. And freemasonry was established in order to give our people a school which should teach our people standards of social conduct and accustom them to public spirit. In freemasonry we learned the spirit of assoc~ation; in the midst of that