September 4, 1936

After luncheon at Malacañan, Quezon took Ross and me into his office and read us a long letter from a young Filipina girl who had been one of the summa cum laude students whom he had congratulated at the recent University of the Philippines commencement. He had met her again on the steamer on his last trip to Iloilo and since then has been conducting a sentimental, (tho innocent!) correspondence with her. He seemed struck with amazement at her independence of view, lack of respect for his position, distrust of politicians and freedom of thought. She even used that phrase “corrupting the youth” (for which Socrates was condemned) about one of her University Professors who had been discharged from the faculty for teaching the students to think for themselves. Quezon exclaimed many times how the Filipina had changed since he was young. I told him my own daughters made me understand this, and he was lucky to find out by chance what the young people of his country are thinking. I have never seen him more absorbed. A few days later I sat next but one to him at the funeral ceremonies for poor Trinidad. In middle-age, the sudden death of one of the group sobers up all the rest of us. Quezon looked very shocked. He came in barong tagalog, while all the rest of us were formally dressed. At the coffin afterwards, Quezon was quite noticeably jostled–for once, he was not the first person in the room. Visit to Osmeña’s home on his birthday–talk with Rafael Palma &c.