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especially the higher institutions. Along with other con­
spicuous Oaxacans, he helped renovate the Scientific and
Literary Institute. In October of 1885 he was named
President of the Oaxacan Congress for the following term.
Serra Rojas, upon examining the minutes, notes: "Las actas,
durante la presidencia de Rabasa estan muy correctamente
27
escritas." Another of Rabasa's outstanding qualities was
that he strived to excell in all that he undertook.
A frequent contributor to the newspapers and jour­
nals of the time, Rabasa made his debut in El Porvenir of
San Cristobal las Casas in l88l and wrote many articles for
El Liberal of Oaxaca in 1883-^. Of his publishing inactiv­
ity of l88l-2, he said: "Tenia desaliento. Sentia falta
2 8
de estfmulo." Almost all of his early writing dealt with
political material and showed his continuous and lasting
interest in progress and justice.
In 1886 he prologued and edited an anthology of
29
Oaxacan poets, La musa oaxaquefia. This renewed interest
in literature helped him to resolve to move to the capital
city of Mexico. Part of this move was influenced by his
difficulties with Governor Mier y Teran, who was on the
brink of insanity; and the other reason was that he felt
27 ^
Serra Rojas, Antologfa, I, 85.
2 8 Pola, "En casa. . .," 1.
po Emilio Rabasa, La musa oaxaquefia (Oaxaca, 1886)
23