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vi ii
explains why he supported the Diaz regime but authored a book
condemning dictatorships; and it explains why he worked for
peaceful evolution instead of armed revolution.
Of special importance in this study was his decision
to try his hand at literature. Though the positivistic
education stressed reas on and the sciences over sentiment and
the humanities, Rabasa considered sentiment an inborn trait
of youth and poetry the means of expressing it. While a stu­
dent, he wrote a group of love poems; the influence of Becquer
is so great that certain poems could be intermixed and appear
to be the work of one man. Poetry was but the initial attempt
of Rabasa to create literature and he soon turned to prose.
During a two-year period, 1887-1888, he veritably
began and ended a literary career which consisted of four
novels, a novelette, four short stories, and five articles on
literary criticism. These literary works, especially the
novels, mirrored his observation of Mexican society and poli­
tics , and uncovered many flaws in the existing system of
government.
Having pointed out this discrepancy between the ideal
and reality, Rabasa then dedicated his life--he served as
lawyer, judge, governor, senator, diplomat, professor and
political theorist--to the betterment of the laws and politi­
cal institutions of Mexico.
A chapter dealing with his scientific works has been
included in order to show that Rabasa's literary career was