u 
 
 £, 
 
 6 
 
 J- 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 RIVERSIDE 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 
 PRO!' . FRED PETERSEN 
 
 Spanish Department 
 
 University of California, Riverside 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 His Wife
 
 Spain of the Spanish
 
 UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME 
 
 Countries and Peoples Series 
 
 Each in imperial 16mo, cloth gilt, gilt 
 
 top, with about 30 full-page plate 
 
 illustrations, 6s. ntt. 
 
 Italy of the Italians. By Helen 
 
 ZiMMERN. 
 
 France of the French. By E. 
 Harrison Barker. 
 
 Switzerland of the Swiss. By 
 Frank Webb. 
 
 Germany of the Germans. By 
 Robert M. Berry. 
 
 Turkey of the Ottomans. By Lucy 
 M. J. Garnett. 
 
 Belgium of the Belgians. By 
 Demetrius C. Boulger. 
 
 Servia of the Servians. By Chedo 
 
 MlJATOVICH. 
 
 Japan of the Japanese. By Joseph 
 H. Longford. 
 
 Volumes in preparation on Russia, 
 Austria, etc.
 
 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 By 
 
 Mrs. Villiers-Wardell 
 
 NEW YORK 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 597-599 Fifth Avenue 
 1915
 
 
 Printed by 
 Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., London
 
 To 
 IDALIA 
 
 MY COLLABORATRICE AND MY BEST FRIEND
 
 PREFACE 
 
 I THINK most persons find themselves willing to speak, or 
 write, of anything they like very much. But sometimes it 
 happens, at least this is my personal experience, that spoken 
 words and written thoughts, on subjects which interest us 
 greatly, seem weak and inadequate. The fear of seeming to 
 say too much makes us, not infrequently, say too little, and 
 then — ^how difficult it is to make people see through our eyes ! 
 
 The difficulty of writing reasonably and effectively about 
 Spain oppresses me at this moment : just when I have written 
 the last line of the last chapter in this book. It has been a 
 very real pleasure, this task of trying to indicate some of the 
 characteristics of the wonderful Land of the Unexpected, but 
 now that it has come to an end I feel, and very keenly, my 
 own shortcomings. 
 
 Love counts for something in this funny old world of ours, 
 but to give an adequate impression of a great country, some- 
 thing more than love for it is required. However, I take 
 consolation from the fact — and it is a fact — that without 
 love one cannot hope to learn, much less to teach, the secrets 
 of Spain. Of love I have enough and to spare, and this is 
 easily accounted for, since I have always enjoyed a thoroughly 
 good time in the Peninsula and, without exception, I have 
 found its people sympathetic. 
 
 The Spaniards possess one special quahty which is absolutely 
 priceless. They are naturally trustful. Even to strangers 
 they extend the hand of good-fellowship, without the least 
 fear or suspicion that such confidence may be misplaced. 
 They are quick to resent and slow to forgive a betrayal of 
 trust ; but in the beginning, before anything has been done 
 to arouse reserve, they are frankly friendly, as children. And
 
 Viu PREFACE 
 
 of all qualities this is one of the most delightful, for it enables 
 a stranger to enter into the national life : to wander, as it 
 were, behind the scenes. 
 
 I have said, somewhere in the chapter on Literature, that 
 a true realist must set aside his personal thoughts and feelings 
 and content himself with stating facts. But then one cannot 
 state facts unless one knows them, and one cannot know a 
 Country and a People unless one is in sympathy with them. 
 And the parent of sympathy is understanding, just as the 
 parent of understanding is trust. And so we find ourselves 
 once again appreciating that most splendid quality of the 
 Spaniard to which I have above alluded ! 
 
 It is very possible that here and there in these pages English 
 readers may find ideas and sentiments with which they are 
 not in accord, but always the title of the book must be 
 remembered. Spain of the English is not at all the same 
 thing as Spain of the Spanish ! 
 
 Very specially my thanks are due to Dr. Jose Aviles, brother 
 of the Caridad, Sevilla ; to the Marques de Castejon, Mr. 
 Arthur Pyman, Mr. Luis Dotesio and Don Manuel Trascierra. 
 
 I must also express my indebtedness to Sefior Vinardell, 
 whose Conferences, delivered at the Sorbonne, threw so much 
 light on the Catalan question. 
 
 JANIE VILLIERS-WARDELL
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 I. COURT AND STATE 
 
 II. MODERN LITERATURE 
 
 III. MODERN PAINTERS 
 
 IV. PLAYS AND PLAYERS 
 V. THE PRESS 
 
 VI. SPORTS AND PASTIMES 
 
 VII. MUSIC AND MUSICIANS 
 
 VIII. SPAIN OF TO-MORROW 
 
 IX, CHURCHES AND MONUMENTS 
 
 X. COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES 
 
 XI. THE SPANISH 
 
 XII. FIESTAS — RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR 
 
 XIII. CATALUNA AND THE CATALANS 
 
 PAGC 
 1 
 
 26 
 
 62 
 
 86 
 
 97 
 
 106 
 
 138 
 
 155 
 
 166 
 
 189 
 
 211 
 
 227 
 
 239
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 THE KING ...... Frontispiece 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 THE QUEEN ...... 4 
 
 PRINCE OF THE ASTURIAS ..... 8 
 
 ROYAL PALACE AT MADRID .... 10 
 
 CASINO AT SAN SEBASTIAN . . . . .12 
 
 CALLE MAYOR ...... 22 
 
 THE ESCORIAL. . . . . . .34 
 
 BLASCO IBANEZ ...... 54 
 
 LAS MENINAS ....... 64 
 
 A GARDEN SCENE (SOROLLA) ... 66 
 
 DIEGO LOPEZ ....... 78 
 
 MARIA GUERRERO ..... 94 
 
 RAMIRO DE MAEZTU ...... 102 
 
 PLAZA DE TOROS . . . . . . 114 
 
 ENTRY OF THE CUADRILLAS . . . .116 
 
 MACHAQUITO . . . . . . 122 
 
 MANTON DE MANILA . . . . . .134 
 
 JOSE OTERO ...... 136
 
 XU ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 FACING 
 PACK 
 
 PELANDO LA PAVA . . . . . .146 
 
 FERNANDEZ ARBOS . . . . . 166 
 
 THE ALHAMBRA . . . . . .170 
 
 MOSQUE AT CORDOVA . . . . . 172 
 
 CATHEDRAL (SEVILLA) ..... 174 
 
 GIRALDA OF SEVILLA . . . . . 178 
 
 EXAMPLE OF A RETABLO (OVIEDO CATHEDRAL) . 182 
 
 MONTSERRAT . ..... 188 
 
 A BEAUTIFUL SEVILLANA .... 216 
 
 PATIO IN SEVILLA ..... 226 
 
 FIESTA ANDALUZA ..... 228 
 
 HOLY WEEK PROCESSION .... 230 
 
 THE SEISES ...... 232 
 
 BARCELONA CATHEDRAL . r . . 252
 
 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 COURT AND STATE 
 
 What a very little time it seems since that memorable day, 
 
 in May, 1901, when "the boy King" — Alfonso XIII — came 
 
 face to face, for the first time, as a ruler, with 
 
 The King. his people and with his parliament ! Less 
 
 than twelve years, and yet in that time how 
 
 much has been accomphshed by him and by his Ministers ! 
 
 Bonds of friendship and good-will have been greatly 
 strengthened between Spain and the leading Powers of 
 Europe. King Alfonso has attached himself to England by 
 the closest possible ties, and it may very well be that in the 
 near future England will prove to be Spain's most valuable^ 
 ally, even from a purely commercial point of view, for the 
 countries are within easy reach of each other, and Spain 
 produces, in quantities, many articles which are necessary 
 to England and which she does not produce : such as wines, 
 fruits, olives and minerals. A direct commercial communica- 
 tion — on a very extensive scale — between England and Spain 
 could not fail to be of immense advantage to both countries. 
 
 The present iruler of Spain was singularly blessed in his 
 parents. His father, Don Alfonso XII, was a brilliant and 
 successful monarch who understood how to 
 Don Alfonso XII. make himself respected by his people. He 
 was a great linguist, and had he lived might 
 have rivalled King Edward VII in his gift of remembering 
 faces and of saying the right thing to the right person. And
 
 2 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 besides this he was brave and very diplomatic. He under- 
 stood his subjects, and it was he who began the concilia- 
 tion of the Catalans which his son has so ably continued. In 
 Cataluna it has never been forgotten that King Alfonso XII, 
 in speaking to some influential merchants, said : " My wish 
 is to make all Spain a Barcelona ! " 
 
 And then Queen Cristina — the mother of the present King : 
 
 What a splendid woman she proved herself to be ! Placed 
 
 in one of the most difficult positions it is 
 
 o ^M th r possible to imagine, she passed through the 
 
 days of her Regency in a manner which was 
 
 more than admirable. She knew how to hold to what she felt 
 
 to be right, but she acted so wisely and so quietly that everyone 
 
 was disarmed. And just how difficult was her position none 
 
 but those intimately acquainted with the history of Spain 
 
 could realise. 
 
 King Alfonso XII's brief reign may be said to have resembled 
 the phoenix rising from its ashes — the ashes of a whole century 
 of disaster, of misrule and of retrogression. And he only 
 lived long enough to set alight the flame of possible redemption. 
 It was left to Queen Cristina to fan, most carefully and 
 assiduously, this flickering torch. And so it happened that 
 when the beloved " boy King " came into his own he found 
 something like a new Spain springing up under his feet ; a 
 vast country which was keenly appreciative of its glorious 
 past, but which was nevertheless looking with eager, question- 
 ing eyes into the future. A very famous monarch once said : 
 " Je lis I'avenir dans le passe," and it seems certain that King 
 Alfonso XIII is making plans for the future with a map of 
 the past ever before his e3^es. He works quietly but with 
 admirable method and forethought, and he is ably assisted 
 and advised by Don Antonio Maura, the late Prime Minister, 
 whom Sefior Canalejas has succeeded. 
 
 Happily for Spain, Sefior Maura is a consistent optimist, 
 for the country has, in the past, suffered at the hands of 
 pessimistic politicians. Even Canovas de Castillo — one
 
 Court and State - 3 
 
 of the greatest statesmen Spain has ever known — seemed 
 towards the end of his career imbued with pessimistic views. 
 His long and varied experiences had suc- 
 Minis^ers^f the (.gg(jg(j ^j^ inspiring in him a feeling of distrust 
 in the nation. In one of his historical works 
 this illustrious man expresses the beUef that Spain's pre- 
 eminent position in Europe, in the Middle Ages, was mainly 
 due to chance. That her greatness was due to a happy 
 combination of circumstances rather than to any integral 
 power of people or State. 
 
 Silvela — a man of great intelligence and unbounded kindness 
 of heart — was in his day considered to be one of the most 
 optimistic of Spanish poUticians. In reahty, his optimism 
 consisted — chiefly — in a firm conviction that the Spanish 
 people were superior to their rulers : but he cherished no 
 great hopes of either one or the other. His role as a great 
 public leader demanded a certain show of optimism, but he 
 had no real behef in the ultimate success of his work, and his 
 retirement was a final evidence of his own pessimism and 
 disillusion. 
 
 Praxedes Mateo Sagasta — the late Liberal Prime Minister, — 
 who was naturally one of the most cheerful and optimistic 
 of men, was completely transformed during his years of office. 
 The difficulties which surrounded him weighed upon him, as 
 he himself said, " like lead," and he also eventually adopted the 
 prevailing tone of discouragement. 
 
 Don Antonio Maura is a man who appears destined to 
 succeed where his predecessors have failed. And his plan 
 of campaign is directly opposed to their's ! It seems more 
 than possible that the partial failure of Canovas de Castillo 
 was due to his want of faith in the people. He was so sure 
 of their inability to stand alone that he never dreamed of 
 allowing them to try. Maura, on the other hand, seems 
 determined to remove the crutches and to allow the nation 
 to realise its own possibilities. His laws of Electoral Reform 
 and of Local Administration clearly prove this. The people
 
 4 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 are to be taught to govern themselves, to a large extent. 
 He believes in them and is prepared to put his belief to the 
 test. 
 
 The result of some of the reforms brought about by Seiior 
 Maura has yet to be seen. The Local Government Bill which 
 was passed under him made a great sensation throughout 
 Spain. It provided for an important reform in the adminis- 
 tration of the cities and provinces of Spain, and through 
 it a large measure of autonomy will be granted. 
 
 That bin is notable in Parliamentary history in Spain, 
 
 for its discussion began in October, 1907, and it entailed 
 
 417 speeches by Senor Maura and 653 by 
 
 The Local Seiior Lombardero, Chairman of the Com- 
 
 Bill. mittee. In all 3,835 speeches were made on 
 
 this question. The Opposition was very keen 
 
 in its antagonism to the measure, but the Catalans expressed 
 
 much satisfaction, as that great change could not fail to be 
 
 highly beneficial to them. 
 
 In considering this new Local Government law in connection 
 with other important measures of the present administration, 
 it seems certain that King Alfonso and Senor Maura are 
 opening up a new era of success and prosperity for Spain. 
 
 Las Cortes — the Spanish Parliament — consists of two 
 Houses : The Senate, with functions about equal to that of 
 the English House of Lords ; and the 
 The Parliament. Congress, which corresponds, more or less, to 
 the House of Commons. The Senate com- 
 prises three classes of Senadores : First, Senadores de derecho 
 propio, viz.. Sons of the King ; Sons of the immediate successor 
 to the Crown ; Grandees of Spain in certain circumstances ; 
 Capitanes General ; First Admiral of the Navy ; the Arch- 
 bishops ; Presidents of the Consejo del Estado of the Supreme 
 Court, the Tribunal de cuentas del Reino, Supreme Council of 
 War and Supreme Council of the Navy. These Presidents 
 must have occupied their posts for two years. Second, 
 Senadores Vitalicios : appointed by the Crown. Third,
 
 photo by 
 
 Franzen 
 
 H.M. OUEEN VICTORIA
 
 Court and State 5 
 
 Senadores Electivis : elected by the various Corporations of 
 Spain and of the Universities. 
 
 The qualifications for the second and third classes of 
 Senadores are as follows : To have been President of the 
 Congress ; Deputies who have belonged to three different 
 Parliaments or who have sat in Parliament eight sessions; 
 ^linisters of the Crown ; Bishops ; Grandees of Spain ; 
 Lieutenant-Generals of the Army and Vice-Admirals of the 
 Navy — after two years' service ; Ambassadors — after two 
 years' serA^ce ; Ministers Plenipotentiaries — after four years' 
 ser\dce ; Consejeros de Estado : Ministers and Fiscal of the 
 Supreme Court of the Consejo de Cuentas del Reino ; Consejeros 
 de Querra and Armada ; Doyen of the Council of Mihtar)' 
 Orders — after two j-ears' service ; Presidents or Directors of 
 the follo\\ing Academies : Bellas Artes de San Fernando, de 
 las Historia, Exact Science, Physical Science, Natural Science, 
 Moral and Pohtical Science and of Medicine. 
 
 Members of this House are elected by suffrage. The 
 
 essential qualification is that they must be Spanish and not 
 
 less than twenty-three j^ears of age. The 
 
 Chamber of Electors are all Spaniards of at least twenty- 
 Deputies. , . ^ . , , , ^ 
 five years ot age, of good character, but the 
 
 question of income does not enter in. The Hmit of each 
 
 Parhament is five years, but there can be a dissolution at any 
 
 time, as in England. 
 
 In addition to the National Parliament there is in Spain 
 a Chamber for each Pro\ance called Diputacion Provincial. 
 All Spaniards over twenty-three years of age, residing in the 
 Province, are ehgible as members. The duty of these Dipufa- 
 ciones is to administer the general aff'airs of the Pro\'ince, 
 such as roads, communications, hospitals, schools, prisons, 
 asvlums for the poor, etc., etc. Election for the Diputacion 
 Provincial is the same as for the Chamber of Deputies in the 
 National Parliament. 
 
 King Alfonso XIII has already shoun that he is possessed 
 of many fine qualities. And foremost amongst these is that 
 
 3— (2399)
 
 6 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 personal, natural bravery which has so often been displayed 
 by Spaniards. I shall never forget an example of this un- 
 conscious bravery which came directly under 
 
 Alfonso xni. my notice a few years ago, on the occasion of 
 the King's first State visit to Paris. Everyone 
 will remember the dastardly attempt that was made on his 
 life on that occasion : the bomb which was thrown under his 
 carriage wheels as he, with President Loubet, was returning 
 from a Gala at the Opera. The bomb was thrown at the 
 corner of the rue de Rohan and the rue de Rivoli, and I was 
 at that moment standing on the balcony of my flat in the 
 rue de I'Echelle, close by. At the moment of the explosion 
 of the bomb — which was terrific — the foremost Cuirassiers of 
 the Guard of Honour had dashed up the rue de Rivoli, and it 
 seemed as though I only had time to turn in horror to friends 
 who were with me on the balcony before the open carriage 
 containing the King and President Loubet swept past the end 
 of the rue de I'Echelle. And at that moment — but a second 
 after the explosion of the bomb — the King was standing up 
 in the carriage, his arm resting affectionately on the shoulder 
 of the terrified old President, and a smile on his face. 
 
 Of fear he had none. His only thought was to reassure 
 the French people that he and the President were safe. And 
 since then, in many ways, he has displayed a calm courage 
 which is most admirable. Quite recently he insisted — even 
 against the advice of the Prime Minister — on visiting some 
 of the mining districts in Catalufia whch were considered 
 hot-beds of disaffection, and the results proved most clearly 
 that the young Monarch was justified in completely trusting 
 his people. The King is very thorough in everything he 
 does ; he is never satisfied until he has grasped each detail 
 of such matters as come under his notice. And even in 
 ordinary affairs, wholly unconnected with State, this desire 
 to become master of a subject makes itself felt. A short 
 time ago, for example. King Alfonso visited Pau for the 
 express purpose of studying Mr. Wright's aeroplane ; and,
 
 Court and State 7 
 
 in making his observations, he asked the most minute and 
 searching questions and was not satisfied until he felt that 
 he himself could, if required, steer and manage the wonderful 
 machine. 
 
 The excellent manner in which he was educated shows itself 
 at every turn and added to this he displays natural intelligence 
 and shrewdness of a very exceptional order. 
 
 What has been described as " The Victorian Era" promises 
 
 to be a golden era in Spain ! The beautiful young Queen has 
 
 captivated all hearts — as much by her charm 
 
 Queen Victoria, of manner and goodness of heart as by her 
 
 pretty face and wonderful golden hair. Blonde 
 
 beauty — of the pure English type — ^makes a strong appeal to 
 
 the critical Spaniard. It is something to which he is not 
 
 quite accustomed, and for that reason, if for no other, it 
 
 attracts his attention and compels his admiration. 
 
 Of the affection felt by the people of Spain for their young 
 Queen there can be no doubt. And intermingled with this 
 affection there is a strong feeling of pride in being the owners 
 of the most lovely Queen — Queen Alexandra always excepted 
 — in Europe. Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain has genius 
 in matters which concern dress. She always wears just the 
 thing most suitable to her particular style : the becoming 
 picture hats, with their long ostrich feathers, and the 
 picturesque gowns of softest blue or white or pale rose. 
 
 In the summer, when she is at San Sebastian and always 
 
 under the public gaze, she looks like the model of one of 
 
 Gainsborough's pictures. The muslins and laces of her dainty 
 
 gowns are drawn together by ribbons of palest blue : at her 
 
 breast there is a cluster of pink roses, and her hat — nine times 
 
 in ten — is of the Gainsborough shape, with soft feathers falling 
 
 over the wide brim ! In thinking of our Queen Victoria of 
 
 to-day some lines of Wordsworth suggest themselves — 
 
 A perfect woman, nobly planned. 
 To warn, to comfort, and command. 
 
 The heir to the Throne, the Prince of the Asturias, ought
 
 8 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 to be introduced with military honours, for he is already in 
 command of an important regiment ! On the first anniversary 
 
 of the Prince's birthday the picturesque and 
 TT • J oj. „t unique little ceremony of his entrance into 
 
 the army took place. It has been customary, 
 for many years, for the Sovereigns of Spain to show their 
 respect for the Army, and at the same tiine to set a good 
 example to their people, by formally enlisting the heir to the 
 Throne in some well-known regiment. 
 
 The present King almost invariably wore his military 
 uniform during his minority, and King Alfonso XII was also 
 a cadet in the Regimiento Inmemorial del Rey. It is this 
 regiment that the little Prince has joined. On the first 
 anniversary of his birthday the ceremony of enlistment took 
 place : he was dressed in a diminutive uniform and a veteran 
 soldier was told off to instruct the new recruit ! Henceforward 
 a bed will be reserved for him in the barracks, and the regu- 
 lation plate, cup, and spoon of his equipment, in silver, has 
 been presented by the officers of his regiment. 
 f The formal regimental register of this event is most amusing. 
 In it the Prince is described as being " resident in the province 
 of Madrid, aged one year, and a bachelor. "\ It is further 
 set forth that according to rule the Penal Laws have been 
 read to him, in order that henceforward he will not be able 
 to justify any infraction of discipline by his alleged ignorance 
 of these said laws ! This paper was duly signed by the 
 usual witnesses, and was further embellished by a " X " 
 signed by the new recruit. 
 
 The Royal Palace of Madrid is a magnificent building, and 
 its situation lends it a specially commanding aspect, for it is 
 
 on a height. This Palace stands on the site 
 ^^Madrid*^^' °^ ^" ancient Moorish Alcazar, and it was 
 
 erected in 1738 by Giovanni Battista 
 Sacchetti, who is also responsible for the Palace of San Ilde- 
 fonso at La Gran j a. Both these Palaces are fine specimens 
 of tlie Baroque Style.
 
 Photo by Franzen 
 
 THE KING WITH THE PRINXE OF ASTURIAS
 
 Court and State 9 
 
 The interior of the Royal Palace at Madrid is splendid, and 
 the decorations of the Hall of Ambassadors really superb. 
 The collection of tapestries in the Palace is unique, but the 
 famous Goya tapestries are, chiefly, to be found at the Escorial. 
 
 The Royal Armoury of Madrid is said to possess the most 
 complete collection of arms and armour in the world, and 
 the Museo del Prado is unsurpassed. In this great building 
 sixty-four master-pieces by Velasquez are to be found ; 
 forty-six Murillos, twenty-two Van Dycks, forty-three Titians, 
 and innumerable examples of the genius of such painters as 
 Raphael, Tintoretto, Veronese, Goya, Ribera, etc., etc. To 
 gain any real idea of the Prado it is necessary to visit the 
 museum again and again. 
 
 Of Madrid itself many different accounts have been given. 
 
 Personally, I think it an ideal Capital for Spain, for it is 
 
 essentially, and before all, a City of the 
 
 The Capital. Unexpected. Spain has been described as 
 the land of " fire and ice," and most certainly 
 its capital city lives up to this description. It is by turns the 
 hottest and the coldest and the wettest and the most windy 
 city in all Europe ! And yet it is very fascinating — this city 
 perched up on a height 2,130 feet above the level of the sea. 
 It is open to the embraces of all the gods of the winds, and 
 towering above it are the great mountains, ever snow-capped, 
 of the Sierra de Guadarrama. When viewed from the outside 
 Madrid seems like an enchanted City of the East standing 
 alone amidst bare and bleak plains, with its towers and 
 monuments thrusting themselves upwards towards the skies. 
 
 I remember disliking Madrid very much, on a first acquain- 
 tance. And also I remember walking to the cemetery of San 
 Isidro on a certain All Saints' Day and looking back on the 
 city from the rough country road which is called the Camino 
 de San Isidro. And there, in the light of a golden sun, 
 already setting, the fascinations of the City of the Unexpected 
 stretched out their arms and softly drew me in. In that 
 moment I recognised how uniquely attractive a city may be
 
 10 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 when it knows nothing of suburbs ! For of suburbs, in Madrid, 
 there are none. You can ride, drive, or even walk, right out 
 of the city into country which is fiat and bleak as the steppes 
 of Russia. 
 
 The variable climate of Madrid is proverbial. Added to the 
 
 extreme heat of summer and the cold of winter, there is always 
 
 a chilly wind blowing from the Sierras. A 
 
 Madrid ° Spanish proverb says that this wind is so 
 
 subtle that it will kill a man, but will not 
 
 blow out a candle ! The unfortunate result of this combination 
 
 of heat and chilly winds is that tuberculosis and other lung 
 
 diseases are very prevalent in Madrid. 
 
 The population last year was 573,676. There were 16,457 
 births and 13,370 deaths. Of the latter, 107 out of every 
 thousand were due to tuberculosis, seventy-nine in the 
 thousand to pneumonia, and fifty-five in the thousand to 
 bronchitis. 
 
 It is a curious fact that tuberculosis is specially prevalent 
 among the men of Madrid, who always go about in winter 
 muffled up to the eyes in a great " capa," and who have a 
 horror of the slightest draught ; while it is comparatively rare 
 among the women of the lower classes, who scarcely wrap up 
 at all, and who wear nothing on their heads except a little 
 handkerchief or a lace velo. 
 
 The alarming prevalence of lung diseases has caused the 
 institution of a Permanent Commission against tuberculosis, 
 which studies the best means of combating the evil. At the 
 last Session a resolution was passed that not only were the 
 hospitals and sanatoriums to be rigorously maintained but 
 steps were to be taken to check the disease in its early 
 stages. First, by making extensive improvements in the 
 dwelling-houses of the lower classes, which are often badly 
 built and in need of hygienic reform ; and, secondly, by 
 seriously representing the necessity of checking incipient 
 coughs and colds, which in such a climate are liable, if 
 neglected, to lead to the initial symptoms of lung diseases.
 
 ^
 
 Court and State 11 
 
 The idea of ski-ing and toboganning in the vicinity of Madrid 
 may seem extraordinary to those who are unacquainted with 
 
 " Spain, the Unexpected." It is, nevertheless, 
 Ski-ing. a fact that there exists in Madrid a " Spanish 
 
 Alpine Club " which organises the most 
 delightiul expeditions to the Sierra Guadarrama for the 
 purpose of enjoying the winter sports generally assumed to 
 belong exclusively to Switzerland and the northern countries. 
 These immense mountains which form such a superb back- 
 groimd for Madrid are thickly covered with snow in winter : 
 there are great forests of pine-trees, deep ravines, and long, 
 gentle slopes which would delight any ski-ing enthusiast. 
 The Club Alpino Espanol has built three charming chalets at 
 Navacerrada and after the toboganning, luging and ski-ing, 
 a retreat is made to the nearest chalet, where lunch is served. 
 The nearest station to Madrid is Cercedilla, and from there 
 the iscent to the club-house is made on foot or in sleighs. 
 Many of the younger members of the most aristocratic families 
 of Madrid belong to this club, and perhaps no costume is 
 mere eminently becoming to a pretty madrilena than the 
 short skirt, knitted jersey, and cap of the tobogannist. 
 
 for two or three months of each year the Spanish Court 
 is to be found at San Sebastian : one of the loveliest spots 
 
 in all Spain. San Sebastian, like Santander, 
 Jan Sebastian, is situated in the northern coast, washed by 
 
 the Bay of Biscay, and its natural surround- 
 ings make it ideally beautiful. The famous " concha " bay, 
 which is very large, and shaped like a great oyster-shell, is 
 guarded by two picturesque mountains, one on either side. 
 
 Monte Urgtill, which guards the town side, is specially 
 interesting to English visitors because far up on its heights 
 may be found a Httle " Garden of Sleep " in which lie buried 
 the British officers who fell in 1813 when helping the Spaniards 
 in their " War of Liberation " against the French : and also 
 the British soldiers who fell in 1836 when aiding the Cristinos 
 to make a stand against the Carlist forces.
 
 12 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 On the other side of the bay Monte Igueldo seems placed 
 as a guard to the Palacio de Miramar, where the King has. 
 since his earhest childhood, spent so many happy days. The 
 Palace is beautifully situated, on a crest above the bay, but 
 it is far more homelike than any other of the Royal houses. 
 In fact it very fitly represents the delightful home life enjoyed 
 by the Spanish Royalties when holiday-making at San 
 Sebastian. 
 
 The Spaniards themselves have often assured me that 
 September is essentially the month for San Sebastian, and I 
 quite appreciate their point of view ; at the same time, [ think 
 foreign visitors, who are anxious to study the people of a 
 strange country, will find the months of July and Au^st — 
 especially the latter — the most satisfactory. 
 
 In September San Sebastian is peopled almost entirely by 
 those who are in some way connected with the Court. In 
 this month the balls at the Casino are especially brilliant, 
 and exquisitely dressed women are to be seen on every side, 
 at every hour of the day, but of the people — the backbone 
 of the nation — very little is to be seen. 
 
 In the months of July and August everyone takes a holiday, 
 and all those who can afford it spend this holiday, or part 
 of it, at the " Royal Plage." And thus a foreigner gets in 
 exceptional opportunity of seeing all sorts and conditions of 
 Spaniards gathered together in the best of circumstances. 
 
 The King and Queen always spend August and September 
 at the Miramar Palace, and of course their presence necessitates 
 the presence of the various circles connected with the court, 
 and in this way almost every side of Spanish life can be 
 quickly studied. 
 
 I do not know of any more brilliant or interesting scene than 
 that in the Alameda at San Sebastian on a Sunday morning 
 after church. The splendid boulevard is so crowded that it 
 is almost impossible to walk, and so varied are the types and 
 costumes that one might easily imagine oneself back again 
 in the days of Goya, and of the Spain described by Gautier.
 
 Court and State 13 
 
 It is certain that in no other town, and in no other circum- 
 stances, can a foreigner obtain such an excellent idea 
 of the possibilities of Spain, from a picturesque point of 
 view. 
 
 And then, later in the same day, those who dislike the idea 
 of going to a bull-fight can enjoy all its brilliant surroundings 
 without any of its disagreeables, by simply strolling — with 
 the crowd — towards the Plaza de Toros. They will see the 
 brdl-fighters in full costume driving by in their carriages, 
 and the picadors, also in costume, will ride up right through 
 the crowd. Everyone will be in the best of good humours, 
 and one is repaid for a climb up hill by the glorious view 
 from the terrace of the Plaza, which is perched on a height 
 overlooking the bay. 
 
 At San Sebastian the King and Queen may constantly be 
 
 seen, walking or driving ; and it very often happens that 
 
 the King takes the helm in one of his own 
 
 Yachteman^ yachts when the races are on. He is specially 
 fond of yacht racing, and is doing a great deal 
 to encourage this sport all along the coast of Spain. At 
 present he possesses a little fleet of six yachts : two of ten 
 metres, three " sonderclasse," and one of six metres. Besides 
 these, he has a very good racing cutter of fifteen metres designed 
 for him by Mr. William Fife, which was finished for the 
 Cowes Week in 1909. The King was particularly anxious 
 that his yacht should be built entirely of native materials 
 and by Spanish workmen, and he made arrangements that 
 Mr. Fife should personally visit San Sebastian to give the 
 instructions necessary. 
 
 The Regattas at this most delightful of all sea-side places 
 are very important, and yacht owners from various parts of 
 Europe, and America, take part in them. Besides the yacht 
 races there are races for Canots Automobile and other boats, 
 and, in the month of September, a Concours Hippique at which 
 very valuable prizes are given. 
 
 I take pleasure in recommending San Sebastian to those
 
 14 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 who wish to see something of Spain and the Spaniards, without 
 making a prolonged tour in the country, because it is very 
 easily reached — a little more than two hours from Biarritz — 
 and because it contains, in a comparatively confined space, 
 many elements which are purely Spanish. 
 
 The town itself is modern and essentiaDy gay, but a short 
 excursion in a light tramway brings one to a quaint old town 
 right up in the hills, called Hernani. And in this curious old 
 place there are sombre palaces, narrow streets and a beautiful 
 old church which contains some wonderful wood carving. 
 Or, on the other side, a larger and more important mediaeval 
 town, which lies half way between Biarritz and San Sebastian, 
 may be visited. Fuenterrabia possesses a fine Gothic church, 
 with a Renaissance portal and a seventeeth-century belfry. 
 It is an old town full of picturesque objects, and it has been 
 immortalised in the poems of Milton and of Scott. 
 
 For people who like a fashionable life one of the chief 
 attractions of San Sebastian is its splendid Casino. In the 
 chapter on Music and Musicians I shall speak of Seiior Arbos, 
 the Chef d'Orchestre of this Casino. He is a true artist and a 
 skilled musician, who is as well known in London as in Spain. 
 During the winter season his place is taken by the Maestro 
 Larrocha, who is also a most accomplished musician, and the 
 classic concerts at the Casino are a real treat to lovers of 
 good music. 
 
 Of all the problems presented by modern Spain none is 
 
 more critical and difficult to solve than the problem of national 
 
 education. In the opinion of intelligent 
 
 Educaf on Spaniards this question is one in comparison 
 
 with which all other considerations are of 
 
 minor importance. Spain is at present undergoing a sort of 
 
 internal crisis ; she is emerging from a century of misfortune, 
 
 of ineffective government, and of national calamity. The 
 
 present period is one of transition, and to the Spaniards of 
 
 the twentieth century will fall the task of completing the 
 
 regeneration which has been begun.
 
 Court and State 15 
 
 The welfare of Spain in the future depends, naturally, upon 
 the education of the younger generation, and Spaniards are 
 beginning to ask themselves very seriously whether the 
 education problem is being dealt with in a competent manner. 
 Education has been compulsory in Spain for some time and 
 the Alcaldes are authorised to punish with fines, or even with 
 imprisonment, any parents who refuse to send their children 
 to school. 
 
 And there are plenty of schools ! According to statistics 
 there are in Spain about 26,000 schools. But — and this but 
 is the keynote of the difficulty — there are only 23,000 masters : 
 the fact being that 3,000 of the schools had to be closed 
 because there were no masters to teach in them. Besides, 
 out of the twenty million inhabitants of Spain, only one 
 million attends school: that is to say, five per cent, of the 
 population. This is an excessively low percentage in com- 
 parison with England, where eighteen per cent, of the popula- 
 tion are scholars. Or with America which can boast of 
 twenty per cent ! 
 
 Of course, the first and most obvious reform should be to 
 augment the number of professors, for it is indeed a case of 
 " Wliat are these amongst so many ? " In this connection 
 an unhappy schoolmaster in the provinces, an extremely 
 intelligent and hardworking man, recently said : " What can 
 I be expected to do in my school, with eighty scholars of all 
 ages, from seven to fourteen years ? " Naturally, in institu- 
 tions so seriously under-manned, it is not possible to give 
 adequate moral or intellectual instruction. 
 
 Another grievance is the tendency to suppress private 
 colleges and schools directed by the religious congregations ; 
 this has long been the aim of certain political parties, and it 
 has aroused the most decided opposition from the Spaniards, 
 who naturally say : " Where are our children to go for 
 instruction ? " 
 
 I have already said that parents and guardians are liable 
 to punishment for neglecting to send their children to school ;
 
 16 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 it, however, not infrequently happens that the authorities 
 are handicapped in the exercise of their duties by the fact 
 that the schools do not conform to what is required of them 
 by the law : that is to say, installation and method of 
 instruction is often defective. They are not invariably 
 hygienic, and well ventilated. They have not an adequate 
 staff of masters, and in these conditions parents cannot be 
 compelled to conform to their obligations. 
 
 The difficulties of educating the children of the working 
 
 classes are very great because, although there is not in Spain 
 
 a very large percentage of the actually desti- 
 
 ^Education*° ^^^^' ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^ immense number of poor 
 
 families who have barely enough to exist 
 
 upon ; and it will be readily understood that it would be 
 
 asking a great deal to expect such parents to send a child 
 
 who might otherwise earn a few pence a day. 
 
 Besides this, there are, especially in the south, many poor 
 families who go together into the country at certain seasons 
 to work in vineyards, olive-yards, etc., and who evidently 
 could not leave their children behind at school. To meet such 
 cases as these the only thing possible would be to give the 
 children, during the months they spent at school, such solid 
 instruction in essential subjects as would enable them to earn 
 their living and become useful citizens in the future. 
 
 There has always been a real love for learning in Spain : in 
 Andalusia, which, by reason of its climate, is the most indolent 
 of all the provinces, the schools are crowded : both the 
 children's and adults' classes are regularly attended, 
 the one imperious necessity being the augmentation of 
 masters. 
 
 In connection with these education problems Ramiro de 
 Maeztu — who is an acknowledged authority — has said : "To 
 improve the education of our country an additional live 
 millions — as suggested — would be useless. We want almost 
 one hundred millions (pesetas). What we must try to do is 
 to accustom our contributive classes to the idea of making
 
 Court and State 17 
 
 great sacrifices for the sake of public instruction : but at the 
 same time we have to reaUse the necessity of giving them 
 a guarantee that their money will not be misspent." 
 
 One of the latest developments of educational reform has 
 
 been the institution of a School of Police at Madrid. This 
 
 excellent work has been carried out under the 
 
 A School for auspices of Senor La Cierva, the Minister for 
 
 Home Affairs. The policemen of Spain have 
 
 always been noted for their intelligence : the Guardia Civil, 
 
 in particular, could not be excelled as a law-preserving 
 
 organization. 
 
 The first qualification demanded by the School of Police 
 is that candidates should be thoroughly respectable : given 
 this essential quality, the institution undertakes to supply 
 all that is wanting to make an ideal guardian of the 
 peace. 
 
 The instruction is of a most practical nature. There is an 
 efficient corps of professors, among whom are Seiior Millan 
 Astray — the organizer and director of the School ; Sefior 
 Oloriz — the distinguished anthropologist, who will lecture 
 on " photography applied to anthropology," and on anthropo- 
 metry, or the measurement of the human body ; Seiior Priego 
 — ^who will give instruction in Legislation ; Seiior Salvat — 
 Professor of Foreign Languages, and Sefior Ceballos, Professor 
 of Gjrmnastics and Fencing. 
 
 After a course of study of the various subjects the pupils 
 undergo an examination ; if they do not pass the first time 
 they may make a second attempt, but in cases of obvious 
 inefficiency they are disqualified. There are at present fifty 
 pupils at the school, and fifty others have applied for admit- 
 tance ; all policemen at present engaged will be invited to 
 attend the lectures. 
 
 The installation of the new institution is most admirable : 
 there is a beautiful library ; a fencing hall and a gymnasium ; 
 an anthropometrical cabinet, besides the fine lecture 
 haU.
 
 18 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 With regard to the logical and effective treatment of the 
 
 criminal class, Spain is showing herself well in advance of the 
 
 times. The Spanish Press has had a great 
 
 Prison Valencia ^^^^ ^° ^^^ about a new prison which is being 
 run on entirely individual lines — at Valencia. 
 The Spaniards are rather inclined to regard with suspicion 
 anything quite new; nevertheless, should this institution 
 prove a success — of which there seems every probability — 
 it will cause many important changes to be made in the 
 prison system in Spain. 
 
 Ganivet has said that there is a certain spark of inspiration 
 in every Spaniard who allows himself to be individual and 
 who thinks simply and naturally. This " inspiration " was 
 evidently at work when the authorities of Valencia planned 
 their Model Prison. They seem, in the first place, to have 
 realised exactly what a prison is for, and how invaluable is 
 the opportunity offered for improving the lives of those who 
 are entrusted to the State to have their faults corrected. 
 
 On no point have sociologists differed more than upon the 
 prison system. It is evident that there would be no good end 
 gained by making prisons little paradises upon earth, where 
 evil-doers might retire to enjoy themselves. But neither is 
 there any use in detaining the prisoner for a certain time and 
 then sending him out to continue a career of violence, without 
 having derived any benefit from his imprisonment. 
 
 The aim of this Model Prison is thoroughly to educate those 
 who are in sore need of instruction : to give them a new interest 
 in life and to ensure their being able to support themselves 
 honestly on their release. All sorts of trades are taught in 
 airy and comfortable workrooms : such as grass-weaving, 
 cabinet-making, etc. ; and the whole atmosphere is not one 
 of depression and unhappiness but rather of cheerful energy. 
 
 One feels that the prisoners are being encouraged to cultivate 
 the better side of their nature instead of being sternly repressed 
 by unnecessary discipline. 
 
 These are, roughly speaking, the ideals of the Model Prison.
 
 Court and State 19 
 
 Its excellence has just been publicly attested by a recent 
 
 inmate — Sefior Torrubia y Rojas, who was imprisoned for 
 
 publishing in his paper a poem of pronounced anarchical 
 
 views : a sort of apologia for the regicide. In a letter 
 
 published in El Pais, Seiior Rojas declares that this Model 
 
 Prison in Valencia is the only one in Spain which works on 
 
 the right lines, and he urges that its system should be adopted 
 
 by all the others. 
 
 In connection with the really valuable work which Spain 
 
 is to-day doing in the field of Criminal Anthropology, I 
 
 quote at length from a most interesting article 
 
 ^^i^^tcr^ —from the pen of Seiior A. A^iilera y 
 Anthropology. {^ u^^ -u a ■ 4.u 
 
 Arjona — which was recently published m the 
 
 Nuevo Mundo — 
 
 The School of Criminology in Madrid is installed in the same building 
 as the prison. It is on the ground floor and consists of two lecture 
 rooms, a library, a museum, a room for the professors, and a few 
 smaller rooms. With this modest installation and the generous 
 collaboration of a nucleus of savants, the immensely important work 
 of penitentiary reform is being begun. 
 
 The first impression received by the visitor is one of austerity. The 
 pupils go there to work and nothing distracts their attention from the 
 definite aims of the school. The library is there in order that students 
 may make use of their intelligence by consulting the works of the 
 greatest scientists. The eminently practical and experimental char- 
 acter of the instruction is attested by the collections in the museum. 
 Skulls of abnormal " subjects " ; photographs of famous criminals — 
 duly classified ; histories of famous crimes ; implements habitually 
 used by criminals, etc. When the students possess the indispensable 
 preparation, they commence their studies in the laboratory, experiments 
 in anima vili with the prisoners, and, perhaps, excursions to other 
 penitentiary establishments. The school responds on all points to the 
 modem conception of Penal Law, according to which the criminal is 
 always an anomaly, for whom restoration to a normal and healthy 
 state of mind is more necessary than punishment. 
 
 The prison ought to be, in fact, a hospital, where persons who have 
 sinned through weakness of will or from want of education are to be 
 cured. The Governor of the prison ought to be a doctor and a school- 
 master, for he has to reform characters and morals. The vagabond 
 must be made accustomed to work ; the vicious person must be cured 
 of his evil passions ; the ignorant must be educated. Accepting as a 
 fact that ignorance, misery and evil companionship are, for the greater 
 part, the generators of crime, the prison has to be at once a school 
 and a moral society in order to counteract these influences.
 
 20 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 For cases of physical degeneration and lack of mental balance the 
 prison has to be at once a penitentiary and a lunatic, asylum where 
 the doctor has to set in action the forces of regeneration. Each 
 criminal is an individual case, without subjective analogy with any 
 other, and in each case it is necessarj^ to individualise in order to apply 
 perfectly suitable treatment. How, in common justice, could the same 
 penitentiary treatment be applied to one who had robbed because he 
 was unable to find work and to another who had committed the same 
 offence from motives of self-indulgence or vanity ? 
 
 The pupils of the School of Criminology, having terminated their 
 course of studies, will be sent out to direct prisons and penal establish- 
 ments. They will be admirably qualified to judge of tlie treatment 
 demanded, for instance, by the two cases above cited. The history 
 of each will be studied from its remote antecedents, and having 
 determined the exact physiological and psychological conditions of 
 the prisoners, steps will be taken to ensure that the first shall find 
 suitable employment on his release and that the second shall be 
 accustomed to habits of temperance and moderation, in keeping with 
 his position in life. 
 
 For the empiricism of the present prison system, based solely on the 
 deprivation of liberty and almost entirely at variance with the moral 
 aims of the penalties imposed, there will be substituted a scientific 
 regimen in which justice will attain a far higher end than the mere 
 assertion of legal authority. It will correct the delinquent and send 
 him back to the world a sane and useful member of society. 
 
 If, as is expected, the Madrid School of Criminology realises its 
 ambitions, the probable result will be the entire reformation of Spanish 
 prisons and the establishment of a new Penal Legislation to replace the 
 antiquated system now in vogue. 
 
 These are the ideals of the little group of savants, which includes 
 Sres Salillas, Oloriz, Cossio, Anton, Simarro and Aramburo : a veritable 
 apostolate of science, working solely for the national regeneration. 
 
 I have given this valuable article almost in full because it 
 clearly sets forth what is being done in a most important 
 matter. I take this opportunity of offering my sincere thanks 
 to Sefior A. Aguilera y Arjona and also the able Director of 
 the Nuevo Mundo. 
 
 In the person of Don Rafael Salillas, Spain possesses an 
 
 anthropologist of the first order : one who, in many respects, 
 
 walks in line with Cesare Lombroso. In the 
 
 Rafael Salillas. profound study of Criminal Anthropology, 
 
 Italy is very prominent at the present day, 
 
 with such men as Lombroso, Mantegazza, Ferri, etc., taking 
 
 the lead, but this fascinating science has also taken deep root
 
 Court and State 21 
 
 in Spain and in the near future we shall find that it is being 
 made the means of attaining a great end. 
 
 The Spaniards are curiously matter of fact. They do not 
 care about accepting new ideas, but when they do accept them, 
 they make use of them in a practical way. 
 
 Rafael Salillas has published several important works : 
 amongst others, " La Vida Penal en Espafia," " La Antropo- 
 logia en el Derecho Penal," " Poesia Delincuente," and 
 " Hampa " ; the latter being a very interesting psychological 
 study of the gipsies. In the preface to " Hampa," this 
 scientist introduces a paragraph which bears directly on the 
 account, just given, of the work being done by the Madrid 
 School of Criminology. He says : "In criminal anthropology 
 there is a direct subject — the study of the character of the 
 criminal and of the organic, physical and social conditions, 
 in which the crime manifested itself ; and an indirect subject 
 — that of the actual nature of the crime studied from the 
 point of view of natural evolution. To approach the second 
 subject there exists the Lombrosian bridge, which consists 
 of seven letters — atavism. This second subject is not very 
 large in detail : it may be reduced to an appreciation of the 
 equivalents of crime in animals, savages and children." 
 
 The Spanish postal system does not invariably give satis- 
 faction to foreign visitors, who find even the sending of a 
 telegram a much more complicated matter in 
 The Post Office Spain than it is at home ! Perhaps the most 
 Postal Reforms, striking difference, and one which especially 
 affects residents, is the fee of five centimes 
 paid to the postman for the delivery of each inland letter and 
 postcard. This fee is part of the salary of the postmen 
 amongst whom it is distributed pro rata ; it is charged for 
 letters sent in the interior of Spain, nevertheless in large 
 business houses it frequently amounts to no trifling sum. 
 
 Letters within the Postal Union cost 25 centimes and letters 
 for the interior cost 15 centimes : this latter charge is con- 
 sidered excessive in view of the fact that almost every other 
 
 3— (2399)
 
 22 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 country has adopted the 10 centime postage for inland letters. 
 I shall speak later on about this proposed reform. 
 
 The fee for registration is 25 centimes, and insufficiently 
 prepaid or unstamped inland letters are not forwarded 
 at all. 
 
 What at once strikes foreigners as a most unnecessary 
 inconvenience is that there are no postal orders or money 
 orders in Spain. Transmission of money to and from foreign 
 countries is effected by banker's bills or cheques. The 
 Libranzas del Giro MiUuo take the place of inland money 
 orders ; the amount to be forwarded being paid in to the 
 financial administration of the place, together with 2% 
 commission. In the case of France these rules can sometimes 
 be circumvented by the dispatch of a hon de -poste, payable 
 at the Credit Lyonnais, but this is not a very safe method of 
 transmission : nor is there a Credit Lyonnais in every Spanish 
 town. 
 
 The Spanish method of dispatching telegrams is really most 
 unusual, and, to a foreigner unacquainted with the little 
 formality, quite incomprehensible. When the telegram is 
 handed in and the number of words counted you are informed 
 how much it will cost, and it is then necessary for you to 
 purchase stamps for the amount, and to fix them to the 
 telegram. This is all very well in large post offices, where 
 stamps are to be had at the next desk, but in small towns the 
 post office may not have just the requisite number of stamps 
 and then the sender of the telegram has to go and buy them 
 at the nearest tobacco shop ! sometimes having to go the 
 length of several streets, telegram in hand, and then probably 
 having again to await his turn when he gets back to the post 
 office. 
 
 In common justice to the much maligned Spanish post office, 
 it must be recorded that politeness — of an exceptional order — 
 is the prevailing rule. When it is possible, ladies are served 
 first, and, in many cases, chairs are provided for them when 
 there is a slight delay.
 
 CALLE MAYOR, MADRID
 
 Court and State 23 
 
 The reduction of the inland postage to 10 centimes has been 
 urged for a long while : it is considered time that Spain should 
 follow the example of France, which has greatly benefited by 
 the change. Spain's growing commercial activity necessitates 
 an increase of correspondence, and many of the smaller 
 commercial houses find their postal expenses very heavy at 
 the present rates of 15 centimes for Spain and 25 for foreign 
 countries. 
 
 Although a reduction of 5 centimes would mean nothing 
 to the average well-to-do citizen, it would be a great economy 
 for poorer letter-writers, such as the domestic servant, the 
 soldier, and the student of small means : all of whom have to 
 make sacrifices in order to write to their families and who 
 cannot always spare the necessary 15 centimes for the dispatch 
 of a letter or even the 5 centime tax on those received. Besides, 
 as a natural result, there would be more letters written, and 
 the Postal Revenues instead of decreasing would increase : 
 this has occurred in other countries, and it would certainly 
 occur in Spain. 
 
 Within the last ten years, or so, the Spaniards have begun 
 
 to realise the fact that their country is gradually losing the 
 
 greater part of its artistic treasures, which — 
 
 The Art since there is no law to prevent it — are beine: 
 
 Spain. sold and taken away to enrich foreign 
 
 museums. The State appears now to be 
 
 prepared to take action in the matter, since a short time ago 
 
 an organised protest was made when it was discovered that 
 
 one of the most historic buildings in the land, dating from 
 
 the tenth century, and formerly the residence of emperors, 
 
 was on the point of being sold to a wealthy Englishman, who 
 
 wished to transform it into a country house. Steps 
 
 were taken to prevent the sale in this particular case, 
 
 but there is no law to prevent the removal of historic 
 
 valuables. 
 
 Both Italy and Japan have taken strict measures to prevent 
 the wholesale plunder of their works of art ; in Japan every
 
 24 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 object of historic interest is entered in a Government schedule 
 and the owners are forbidden to part with it. 
 
 That the same law exists in Italy was demonstrated at the 
 time of the Messina earthquake, when a Commission, which 
 proposed to search the ruins for the purpose of buying any 
 art treasures which might be found, were at once informed 
 that there were severe laws forbidding the exportation of 
 works of art, and that the Government itself had control of 
 all researches made among the ruins. 
 
 Some law of this kind is urgently needed in Spain, where 
 there is no official catalogue of historic monuments ; the 
 authentic and the fraudulent works of art are inextricably 
 confused, and now that there is a question of changing the 
 legislation on this point, the treasure-hunters are busily 
 availing themselves of what may be their last opportunity. 
 
 According to statistics forwarded to the A cademia de Bellas 
 Aries, the quantity of valuables which have been exported 
 within the last few months is incredible. Among them was a 
 priceless Altar, with groups of carved figures — dating from 
 the sixteenth century, which was dispatched to London ; two 
 pictures by Goya ; an ancient reliquary of rock crystal and 
 silver ; a beautiful Persian carpet from the historic church 
 of the Portillo ; a souvenir of the seige of Zaragoza, and 
 innumerable antique jewels which can never be replaced. It 
 was represented that nothing short of a severe law would 
 prevent Spain from losing the artistic patrimony of treasures 
 which are her national inheritance. 
 
 It is now about two years ago that a very important contract 
 
 for the construction of a new fleet for Spain was duly signed, 
 
 the Government accepting the proposals 
 
 c • h Fl t tendered by the Spanish Society of Naval 
 Construction, a Syndicate of which the 
 practical head is Vickers, Maxim, Ltd., and which is composed 
 of both Spanish and English capitalists. Measures have 
 been taken to ensure that Spanish interests shall largely 
 predominate ; 60" o of the total capital is Spanish, the
 
 Court and State 25 
 
 remaining 40% being subscribed by Vickers, Maxim, Ltd., 
 John Brown & Co., and Sir Armstrong Whitworth & Co., Ltd. 
 
 The construction of the Fleet will give a great impetus to 
 Spanish trade, as the Government has stipulated that, as far 
 as possible, all the work is to be done in Spain ; the materials 
 used are also to be purchased in Spain whenever it is feasible, 
 although necessarily much will have to be bought in England. 
 
 It has been found necessary to construct two new dock- 
 yards : one in Ferrol and one in Santander, and to enlarge 
 and improve the dockyards already existing in Ferrol. 
 
 It has been proposed to build at Cartagena three destroyers 
 of 380 tons ; twenty-four torpedo boats of 195 tons, and four 
 gun-boats of eighty tons. The Syndicate has acquired the 
 exclusive right to construct in Spain the famous Parsons' 
 turbines ; the Arsenal at Ferrol is to be equipped in such a 
 manner that the construction of these turbines, and almost 
 all the other works required for the Fleet, will be able to be 
 carried out there. 
 
 Various plans are being formed for the benefit of the workmen 
 engaged in the shipbuilding ; in this connection, we shall 
 probably have yet another example of the excellent manage- 
 ment which prevails when English and Spanish directors work 
 together.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 MODERN LITERATURE 
 
 A QUOTATION from Coventry Patmore's" Religio Poetae " may 
 
 very well be permitted to illuminate this chapter. The quoted 
 
 words were used in connection with a criticism 
 
 Spanish ^^ ^^^ ^^ Juan Valera's best known novels, 
 Literature. •' 
 
 and they embody that subtle, elusive spirit 
 
 which has always lent distinction to Spanish literature. In 
 
 speaking of " Pepita Jimenez," Patmore says — 
 
 Alike in Calderon and in this work of Juan Valera, we find the com- 
 plete synthesis of gravity of matter and gaiety of manner which is 
 the glittering crown of art, and which out of Spanish Literature is to 
 be found only in Shakespeare, and even in him in a far less obvious 
 degree. It is only in Spanish Literature, with the one exception of 
 Dante, that religion and art are discovered to be not necessarily hostile 
 powers ; and it is in Spanish Literature only, and without exception, 
 that gaiety of life is made to appear as being not only compatible 
 with, but the ver}.- flower of that root which in the best works of other 
 literatures hides itself in the earth, and only sends its concealed sap 
 through stem and leaf of human duty and desire. The reason of this 
 great and admirable singularity seems mainly to have been the singular 
 aspect of most of the best Spanish minds towards religion. With 
 them religion has been, as it was meant to be, a human passion. 
 
 It would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a more 
 enlightened revelation of the Spanish literary spirit than this, 
 and using the quoted words as torches we find it easy to see 
 how it happens that Spanish writers, and they only, have 
 found it possible to reveal the human side of the priest, in 
 relation to human love, without offence. A little later on I 
 shall have occasion to speak of various novels in which priests 
 play leading roles, and then the truth of Patmore's words wiU 
 be realised. 
 
 In seeking to balance cause and effect in regard to modern 
 Spanish hterature we find that its branches spring, very
 
 Modern Literature 27 
 
 largely, from two important and wide-spreading roots — from 
 the influence of the golden age in which the works of such 
 Hterary giants as Santa Teresa, Cervantes, and Lope de Vega 
 were contemporaneous, and from the influence of the French 
 reahstic school. 
 
 The influence of Cervantes can only be described as universal 
 
 and deathless. The foundations of " Don Quixote " — 
 
 admittedly the finest novel the world has 
 
 Cervantes. ever known — rest on the rock bed of human 
 
 possibilities, and in its pages men and women 
 
 of all nations have found heralds of their most noble 
 
 thoughts and aspirations. When we remember that " Don 
 
 Quixote" and "King Lear" appeared in the same year 
 
 we reahse that the seventeenth century stands alone in the 
 
 annals of literature. 
 
 Cervantes and Shakespeare both died in 1616, and it cannot 
 be said that either was, during his lifetime, fitly honoured. 
 Cervantes died a poor man, but then that does not prove very 
 much, since the profession of letters has never been a really 
 lucrative one in Spain. In fact, untU recent days it was an 
 unheard-of thing for anyone to make literature, and that alone, 
 a profession. 
 
 Cervantes was a soldier before he set about conquering 
 worlds with his pen. Lope de Vega was a first-class fighting 
 man, and in the Armada expedition used some of his precious 
 manuscript verses — to Dorotea, whom he eventually married 
 — as gun wads. Calderon belonged to the Order of Santiago 
 and fought against the Catalan rebels in 1640. In Spain, and 
 perhaps here alone, the hand which grasped the sword has 
 been equally doughty when handling the pen. 
 
 Since it is true that in the sixteenth century England and 
 Spain were equally well armed for a joust of literary giants, 
 it is interesting to remember that no foreign nation has 
 equalled the English in appreciation of the creator of the 
 " Knight of La Mancha." The first biography of Cervantes was 
 written by an Enghshman in 1738, and the first really fine
 
 28 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 edition of " Don Quixote " was prepared, in 1781, by another 
 
 Englishman, the Rev. John Bowie. 
 
 In studying modern Spanish literature we find evident, in 
 
 at least two notable cases, the influence of Cervantes and of 
 
 Santa Teresa. The genius of the Condesa de 
 
 Emiha Pardo Bazan — the most remarkable woman 
 
 Pardo Bazan. 
 
 wTiter of to-day, in any country — has been 
 
 compared by Juan Valera to that of Santa Teresa de J^sus, 
 
 and Froude has more than once compared the works of Santa 
 
 Teresa with those of Cervantes. And since a connecting link 
 
 has been traced, and in master minds, between the genius of 
 
 those great ones of the past and that of Emilia Pardo Bazan 
 
 it becomes evident that any attempt to deal in stenographic 
 
 style with her ideas and works must be surrounded by pitfalls, 
 
 none the less dangerous because partly hidden by the wings 
 
 of the guardian of fools who " rush in where angels fear to 
 
 tread." And yet it is necessary to be stenographic in a 
 
 single chapter on literature in which a number of notable 
 
 writers have to be introduced with some show of honour and 
 
 reverence. 
 
 Emilia Pardo Bazan is a woman of profound and cathoUc 
 learning. She is a great linguist ; is suificiently learned in 
 the dead languages to be able to read the classics in the 
 original ; she has studied, and closely, philosophy and many 
 of the sciences. It was her ambition to fit herself for a place 
 in the profession of letters side by side with the greatest, 
 regardless of sex, and that ambition has been fully realised, 
 In speaking of this gifted woman, Castelar, in a discourse 
 delivered at the University of Paris, once said : "In literature 
 we have a Celtic writer, Emilia Pardo Bazan, whom, though 
 still living, we count amongst the immortals, and whose works 
 we consider classics by reason of their mastery of style and 
 of our national language." 
 
 The most enchanting, as the most distracting, quality of this 
 writer is her many-sidedness. She has published a bewildering 
 number of important works, historical, polemical, critical, and
 
 Modern Literature 29 
 
 biographical. Besides this she has written many novels. But 
 even in deahng exclusively with the latter the many-sided 
 nature of the writer is very baffling. 
 
 Space being limited and the subject vast, I have decided 
 to speak in detail of only three or four of Emilia Pardo Bazan's 
 works. Since it is impossible for me to give an adequate idea 
 of the whole it will, I think, be best to indicate the directions 
 in which her genius flows, and to place in position some sign- 
 posts, for the guidance of those who happily have time and 
 opportunity to follow its surging streams. 
 
 The Condesa de Pardo Bazan is a native of Galicia and is 
 
 sincerely attached to her native soil. In several of her books 
 
 she has given graphic descriptions of that 
 
 Graphic north and north-western coast of Spain which 
 
 Galicia. is washed by the waves of the Atlantic and 
 
 by the Biscay waters. She has written of 
 
 Galicia as Pereda has written of Santander and Salvador 
 
 Rueda of Andalusia, with perfect sympathy and clear insight. 
 
 Amongst the many charms of Spain the Enchantress none 
 
 is more potent than the kaleidoscopic effects to be found on 
 
 every side. 
 
 In Spain there are many Spains, and each one is worthy of 
 study ; the various provinces differ as though they did not 
 belong to the same mother-country ; each possesses its own 
 dances, folk-songs, costumes, customs, and dialect. 
 
 The people of Galicia, for example, are of purely Celtic 
 origin. Their Celtic ancestors emigrated from Galicia into 
 Ireland about the year 200 B.C. That was the age of Ossian 
 and of Fingall, who seem the prototypes of a Galician poet 
 of to-day, Eduardo Pondal. 
 
 " De mi tierra," one of Emilia Pardo Bazan's earlier works, 
 a volume of essays and criticism, which deals chiefly with the 
 literature of Galicia, is very little known, because of the 
 difficulties presented by the dialect in which much of it is 
 written. In this book she says, in speaking of the poetry of 
 her province, that, " Before being judged, these poems have
 
 30 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 to be felt ; they are as essentially part of our country and of 
 our life as are the breezes of our coasts and the maize of our 
 harvests." 
 
 Galicia has always considered itself the twin-sister of 
 Portugal and it is probable that Portuguese and GaUego were 
 one and the same language until the fifteenth century. This 
 kinship with the neighbouring kingdom has helped to separate 
 Galicia from the rest of Spain and Spaniards have found some 
 difficulty in appreciating the literature of this Celtic race — a 
 literature which reflects the coldness and mystery of wild 
 seas and inaccessible mountains. 
 
 One of the most beautiful essays in " De mi Tierra " is that 
 
 entitled " Moonlight " ; this essay deals with the poems of 
 
 that curious, old-world poet Pondal, and the 
 
 Ed ^°d'^P°^d 1 ^^^^^ " ^Ioo"ligl^t " is based on the poetic idea 
 
 that Galician poems are full of the cold light 
 
 of the moon in contradistinction, for example, to the poems 
 
 of Andalusia which are radiant with warmth and sunlight. 
 
 Eduardo Pondal has reproduced in his writings the very 
 atmosphere of Galicia. His soul seems filled with the murmur- 
 ing of pine trees, which is an echo of the sob of the restless 
 ocean on a stormy night. His love for the mysterious pine 
 is ever present, and two of his most remarkable works are 
 entitled " Rumores de los pinos " and " Queixumes (Lamenta- 
 tions) de los pinos." Pondal has showTi in these books a 
 spirit essentially allied to that of the ancient Celtic bards : 
 he is eloquent with love and reverence for the earth, the air, 
 the moon, and his conception of love is that of the primitive 
 man in the mysterious ages which preceded the birth of Our 
 Lord. 
 
 Emilia Pardo Bazan points out that in the study of Pondal's 
 works the curious fact becomes apparent that they contain no 
 evidences of the existence of Christianity ; they convey the 
 idea that the poet had been brought up in full belief in the 
 pantheistic worship of the bards ; in the adoration of oak-tree 
 and moon ! And the fact that this point of view is perfectly
 
 Modern Literature 31 
 
 natural and unpremeditated makes his works curiously 
 interesting. 
 
 " De mi tierra " is full of picturesque criticisms and appre- 
 ciations of a literature which is too little known ; amongst 
 these we find a detailed account of the 
 "De mi tierra." writings of the blind poet, Valentin Lamas, 
 This poet has published surprisingly beautiful 
 word pictures of Galicia ; his poems are homely and simple, 
 but they belong to the soil. The soft odour of damp earth 
 and the teams of oxen patiently ploughing the fields are 
 lovingly dealt with by one who has only known them in the 
 spirit. 
 
 Passing away from the works of Emilia Pardo Bazan which 
 treat, chiefly, of scenery, life, culture and progress in her own 
 province, another phase of her genius presents itself — her 
 powerful short stories. 
 
 In a volume entitled " Cuentos Sacro-profanos," several 
 
 notable short stories appear. Two of these, " La Sed de 
 
 Cristo " and " La logica," created an extra- 
 
 Cr' to " ordinary sensation in Spain some years ago. 
 
 For months everyone talked of them, and 
 
 their author was pilloried and exposed to the expostulations 
 
 of thousands. Indeed, in the matter of " La Sed de Cristo," 
 
 it may be said that it rivalled the famous " Pequefieces " of 
 
 the Padre Coloma as a literary bomb of far-reaching 
 
 power. 
 
 It is a little difficult to understand why " La Sed de Cristo " 
 should have so horrified the Spanish public. Certainly it 
 contains not one word which could be considered profane, or 
 which detracts from the Majesty and Glory of Our Lord. 
 Possibly it might be argued that no writer is justified in deahng 
 with a divine and historic episode in a purely imaginative 
 spirit. There is something to be said for this point of view, 
 but not enough to justify the manner in which this cuento 
 was received in Spain. 
 
 This curious and poetic little story is woven round one of
 
 32 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Christ's words from the cross : " I thirst." Mary Magdalen 
 is represented kneehng, grief stricken, at the foot of the cross, 
 and on hearing the painful words of her dying Master, she 
 resolved to go in search of some rare and exquisite draught 
 which might be worthy to assuage His thirst. Not far from 
 Calvary there was a limpid stream springing crystal-like 
 among the rocks. Mary ran to it and, having filled a bowl 
 with the cool water, returned and offered it to her suffering 
 Lord. He turned aside his head and repeated, " I thirst." 
 Fearing it was the slight value of the offering that caused 
 it to be refused, Mary fled towards Jerusalem and begged of 
 Herod's head steward a cup of priceless wine, of which a single 
 drop would suffice to revive a dying man. Again her offering 
 was silently refused. 
 
 Distracted with grief the Magdalen made a further journey 
 in search of the sacred ambrosia of the Greek gods, but not 
 alone was her offering refused but the dying Christ turned 
 His head from her in bitter sorrow. Mary sank to the foot 
 of the cross, overwhelmed with a sense of her own unworthi- 
 ness. As she thought of her past life and of her many sins 
 her heart became filled with grief and remorse and her tears 
 flowed fast ; it seemed as though her broken heart were 
 melted in those bitter tears of humility and contrition. 
 Raising her eyes to the Saviour's face she read there an ardent 
 but silent request, and suddenly a light broke upon her. She 
 gathered her fast falling tears in trembling hands, and 
 with them moistened the parched lips. The thirst was 
 assuaged. 
 
 In the closing words of this little story Emilia Pardo Bazan 
 forestalls possible criticisms by clearly stating that it is not 
 founded on Biblical authority, nor upon any ecclesiastical 
 tradition. That it simply sets forth the clear doctrine of the 
 Gospel ; that repentance, humility and true contrition are 
 alone dear to the heart of Our Lord. 
 
 After the " Sed de Cristo " the story which called forth the 
 most scathing criticism was " La logica," the plot of which
 
 Modern Literature 33 
 
 is based on the curious mania of a man possessed with the 
 
 idea that the only logical way of ensuring the certain welfare 
 
 and happiness of his wife and child was to kill 
 
 " La l(5gica. ' ' them both and so to put them out of the reach 
 of possible sin and unhappiness ! In this 
 little story, as in many others, it would appear that a series 
 of foot-notes was necessary to make clear the writer's inten- 
 tions, for in Spain, at least, the impression was given that the 
 Sefiora de Pardo Bazan recommended murder and suicide 
 as a possible solution for the problems of life ! In reahty, 
 her views were expressed by the priest who attended Justino 
 Guijarro on the eve of his execution. In a few simple but 
 intensely dramatic words this priest makes it clear that 
 profoundly entangled logical reasonings were absolutely to be 
 shunned because that, besides being impious, they most 
 certainly are fecund seeds of delusion and madness. 
 
 All these cuentos are powerful as they are original ; several 
 of them treat of incidents in the lives of priests and one of 
 the most spirituel is " Travesura pontificia," in which, in 
 connection with an amusing incident, the reader is permitted 
 to enjoy the delicate humour in which the Vatican occasionally 
 indulges. A humour which finds expression in a subtle smile 
 rather than in a hearty laugh ! 
 
 The Condesa de Pardo Bazan, who is, as I have already 
 said, very much interested in aU things connected with her 
 own province, has taken active part in the various discussions 
 that have, from time to time, arisen on the subject of 
 " language or dialect." Many persons have contended that 
 Gallego is a distinct language, but the author of " De mi 
 tierra " declares it to be a dialect, and she adds that in thus 
 placing Gallego she is not making the least suggestion of 
 inferiority since most of the great languages are in reality only 
 dialects of some other tongue. She brings forward the example 
 of Provencal, which is popularly supposed to be a corrupt 
 form of French, but which is in reality the language which 
 was spoken all over France from the sixth to the ninth
 
 34 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 centuries ; and from Provencal was derived modern French, 
 Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. 
 
 It is certainly true that almost the only European language 
 
 which possesses the qualifications necessary for the claim of 
 
 " language " is Basque, the origin of which 
 
 ^^'' lan^fge"'"^ is lost in remote antiquity and which it is 
 
 supposed may have been the original tongue 
 
 of pre-historic man ! 
 
 In several of the works of this gifted writer we find exquisite 
 descriptions of scenery in the wilder parts of Spain, but 
 country life in Galicia itself is especially well depicted in 
 " Pazos de Ulloa," one of her early novels. This book is 
 full of enchanting word-pictures of majestic mountains, 
 massive grey rocks and turbulent rivers which wind in and 
 out of lonely vaUeys. 
 
 The plot is laid in one of the old feudal castles which still 
 exist in many of these mountain heights and which can be 
 reached only on mule back. In some of these castles it 
 would appear that the old customs of the twelfth century 
 hold good and that the tenants are still regarded, by the lord 
 of the estate, as serfs with whom he can deal as he thinks best. 
 
 The little scattered villages, with their classic Ferias, 
 political intrigues, simple home life — aU are described accu- 
 rately and sympathetically by this Galician writer, who 
 understands the heart and soul of her own province better 
 than any other living Spaniard. 
 
 Of the long and serious novels by Emilia Pardo Bazan, the 
 
 most remarkable, in many respects, is " La Quimera," a work 
 
 which treats of society in Madrid, Paris, and 
 
 " La Quimera. ' ' Alborada — the latter representing a small 
 
 town in Galicia. This novel, besides throwing 
 
 a vivid searchlight on the doings of fashionable society, is 
 
 profoundly psychological. It has for a fond Flaubert's 
 
 dialogue between " Le Sphinx et La Chimere," and it contains 
 
 character studies which are as masterly in conception as in 
 
 realisation.
 
 Modern Literature 35 
 
 When this book was first pubhshed it created no Httle 
 sensation in Madrid, as it was loudly whispered that many 
 of the characters had been drawn direct from life ; it is possible 
 that there was some truth in this rumour, nevertheless " La 
 Quimera " cannot be said to vie with " Pequeiieces " as a 
 criticism on the doings of society. 
 
 In this remarkable novel the author's widely diverse gifts 
 are brought to bear on a single volume ; her intimate know- 
 ledge of social life in Madrid and Paris is wedded to her 
 enchanting gift of scenic description. The " quimera " which 
 supplies the leading theme is the impassioned pursuit of an 
 ideal state of existence, frequently unattainable, with which 
 so many minds are possessed in these days. One person 
 spends her life in the pursuit of fame ; another in the pursuit 
 of ideal love ; yet another in the fruitless search for universal 
 admiration. In each case the " quimera " is a monster which 
 eventually crushes its victim. 
 
 In this novel the character of the hero, a young painter, 
 is finely drawn ; he is possessed of boundless ambition, and 
 desires to be great as Rubens or Velasquez, but circumstances 
 force him to make pastel portraits of pretty society women. 
 These aristocratic, capricious, society women are perfectly 
 portrayed ; one of them seeks to grasp the chimere of perfect 
 happiness through the medium of morphia ; another is driven, 
 by the cruelty of the disappointed painter, to seek for hien 
 etre behind the walls of a convent. 
 
 It is a notable work and one which will stand the test of 
 time. 
 
 Emilia Pardo Bazan is anxious to further the higher educa- 
 tion of women in Spain. In this cause she has founded, 
 edited, and partly written a comprehensive 
 
 " 1^'^Mu-ef "'^^ Bihlioteca de la Mujer (Woman's Library), in 
 
 which she presents a number of useful and 
 
 instructive works. This library is divided into sections : 
 
 Rehgious, Sociological, Fictional, Biographical, Historical, 
 
 Critical, etc. In the sociological section we find some of
 
 36 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 John Stuart Mill's best known works, and in the critical 
 section there is a powerful work on "La Revolucion y la 
 No vela en Rusia," by the Editress herself. " Memorias de 
 Madame de Stael," " Women of the French Revolution," 
 and George Eliot's " Adam Bede " are included in this 
 library. 
 
 While reviewing, briefly and inadequately, the personality 
 and the genius of this notable woman, it is interesting to recall 
 some words which she contributed to a Parisian weekly paper, 
 not long ago. In this paper, La Vie Heureuse, the question had 
 been asked : " Quelles quahtes faut-il pour etre heureuse ? " 
 Answers from a number of well-known personages were 
 printed, and amongst these there were three from Spanish 
 writers of whose works I am speaking in this chapter. I 
 cannot resist the temptation to give these answers in full. 
 In the first place we have that of the Condesa de Pardo Bazan : 
 " Si je savais quelles sont les qualites qui assurent le bonheur 
 d'une femme, je me serais consacree a les acquerir. J 'ignore 
 completement quelles sont ces qualites. H y a des qualites 
 fort estimables qui ne contribuent aucunement au bonheur. 
 Et en Espagne on dit sou vent : ' Celle qui nait tres belle 
 est malheureuse.' Du reste le bonheur est aussi chose relative 
 et discutable. Parfois, il s'appuie sur des defauts, ou sur des 
 qualit6s plutot inferieures. Done je ne sais rien." 
 
 And then, short and to the point, the answer of Perez 
 Galdos : " Les qualites qui rendent la femme heureuse sont 
 celles qui refletent, compl^tent, suppleent celles de I'homme." 
 
 And, last of all, the answer of the most daring realistic writer 
 in Spain — the " Spanish Zola," as he has so often been called, — 
 Vicente Blasco Ibaiiez : " Je pense que les qualitds les plus 
 propres a assurer le bonheur d'une femme sont celles qui lui 
 permcttent de se faire aimer. L'amour est I'^tat d'illusion 
 qui nous aide a supporter les tristesses de la vie. Pour 
 6clairer la monotonie de I'existence quotidienne nous avons 
 besoin de nous tromper nous-memes ; et de toutes les ruses, 
 l'amour est la plus charmante."
 
 Modern Literature 37 
 
 It is not necessary to take any of these answers very seriously, 
 but each, in its own way, is a landmark which indicates marked 
 differences of outlook. 
 
 Juan Valera y Alcala Galiano is one of the most fascinating 
 
 figures in the world of Spanish hterature. He is no longer 
 
 with us in the flesh, but the shadow of his 
 
 Juan Valera. spirit haunts the imagination of more than 
 one, and it may very well happen that one 
 day this insistent shadow will return to its alter ego, bearing 
 with it the full appreciation denied it on earth. For Valera 
 was not, in his own country, a really popular writer. The 
 Spaniards acknowledged his charm of matter and perfection 
 of style, but he was as " one born out of due time." In this 
 connection Valera himself said : "I have, and always shall 
 have, few readers." 
 
 Towards the close of the nineteenth century the literary 
 son of Spain teemed with virile germs of realism, and when 
 these germs burst forth into vigorous life they proved all 
 powerful, or nearly so, for they never found it possible to 
 draw the calm and purely beautiful ideals of Valera into even 
 a passing exchange of amenities. 
 
 Zola was at that period the Napoleon of the reading world. 
 He was admired or execrated, according to individual taste, 
 but he was a power in the land and his influence was far- 
 reaching. It is very interesting to study the effect of Zolaism 
 on the writers of different nations, and, though this is neither 
 the time nor place to enlarge on the subject, I must draw 
 attention to the fact that realism, as understood of Zola, never 
 took root in England. English reaHsts there have been, of 
 a somewhat hybrid order, but the spirit of Zola never found 
 a mate in the Anglo-Saxon ether. 
 
 Notwithstanding legends and traditions to the contrary, it 
 still remains that England is the home of romance and senti- 
 ment. Realism is foreign to it and if, as wiU never be the 
 case, it were to any appreciable extent artificially introduced 
 into the soil, the result could not fail to be unpleasant. 
 
 4— (2399)
 
 38 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Quite otherwise with the soil of Spain, but even here, in the 
 
 land of born, natural, realists, the French spirit is alien. Up 
 
 to the present, ever since the first burst 
 
 Influence of ^j cosmopohtan enthusiasm over the achieve- 
 ments of Zola, Flaubert, Daudet, etc., the 
 Spanish writers, many of them, have accepted with 
 acclamation the dominion of the French school ; but already 
 the tide shows signs of turning. 
 
 Nature must, sooner or later, assert herself, and apart as 
 the poles, fundamentally, is nature in the Frenchman and 
 in the Spaniard. There is every reason why the Spaniards 
 ought to be the greatest realists in the world, but when they 
 arrive at their goal the influence of the French school will 
 have loosed its hold and the literary sons of Spain will have 
 taken possession of a kingdom wholly their own. It savours 
 of heterodoxy to introduce the subject of realism in connection 
 with Juan Valera for, of all Spanish wTiters, he was farthest 
 removed from its influence, but in searching for the reason 
 of Valera's confined success, in his own country, Zolaism has 
 to be taken into consideration ; he would have none of it at 
 a time when the reading public was, like poor little Oliver, 
 " asking for more." Valera was a man of lofty ideals. He 
 worshipped beauty of form and was strongly imbued with the 
 Greek spirit. Violent contrasts he frankly detested, and all 
 through his long life he remained serenely consistent. Though 
 realising, and accurately appraising, the strength of the 
 currents of romanticism, realism, decadentism and symbolism 
 which successively swept past him, he never permitted 
 turbulent waters to disturb the calm of his Hellenic lake. 
 
 With regard to literature, one of Valera's ideals is best 
 expressed in his own words : " Writings become famous and 
 immortal by their beauty and not by the truth they teach." 
 To the ordinary mind this announcement rings hollow, for 
 what are beautiful writings if not the perfect expression of 
 thoughts ? And if written words, even at their best, are but 
 the visible sign of thoughts how can we accept this further
 
 Modern Literature 39 
 
 sentence : " The pretension of those who believe it is possible 
 to teach by writing is nearly always vain ? " You may not 
 write for the purpose of teaching, but how can you limit the 
 influence of written words ? Other WTiters than Valera have 
 cherished this same ideal but, unconsciously, some of these 
 have been forced into the despised position of teacher. No one 
 who has read " Dorian Grey " could conceive it possible that 
 a more penetrating sermon could have been delivered from 
 pulpit or desk. And yet the author of that history of a 
 physical debacle would have turned with horror from anyone 
 who had greeted him as a moral teacher. 
 
 In the life story of a Don Juan other than Don Juan Valera, 
 the following verse is to be found — 
 
 But words are things, and a small drop of ink, 
 
 Falling like dew upon a thought, produces 
 That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. 
 
 Valera's heroines have supplied subject matter for dis- 
 cussions in at least three languages. They are, almost without 
 exception, splendid creatures : strong, resolute, full of vivid 
 life, dignity and personal charm. They ride, dance, walk, 
 talk, fall in love, and take good care of themselves — all to 
 perfection. They are by turns amazing, delicious, and 
 inspiring ! In fact, they are pretty well everything that is 
 adorable, but the question so often asked is : " Are they 
 Spanish ? " 
 
 I think it may fairly be admitted that the Valera woman — 
 it is not incorrect to speak of her in the singular — does not 
 recall the average Spanish woman of everyday life. As a 
 type she does not seem to belong to Spain of to-day, but then 
 it is most unlikely that she was intended to do so. Her 
 creator was an idealist whose conception of the beautiful 
 and fitting rested on far-reaching foundations. Pepita 
 Jimenez and Doila Luz may not to-day exist in Spain, except 
 in isolated and exceptional circumstances, but the qualities 
 which make these women so delightful sleep lightly under the 
 surface covering of conventionaUsm, in which the average
 
 40 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Spanish woman is wrapt. It has been said that Valera 
 created an exotic type, and it is hkely that to his women, 
 largely, he owed his confined success in Spain, but it is never- 
 theless true that the virile germs thrown together for the 
 creation of this " type " were quite Spanish. 
 
 In many respects the Valera type represents the eternal 
 woman. A healthy, vivid creature, neither purely ancient 
 
 nor purely modern, but wholly refreshing, 
 A born ^^^ whose companionship could not fail to 
 
 be stimulating and beneficial. Au fond, the 
 various particles necessary for the construction of the 
 eternal woman are cosmopolitan. If you care to see 
 a Valera woman through English e3^es, follow closely the 
 feelings, thoughts and actions of Dominie Enfilden in " The 
 Garden of Allah," or, with reservations, of " Diana of the 
 Crossways." Don Juan Valera was a diplomatist by profession 
 and, so it seemed, a novelist by accident. Always a man of 
 letters, he early published some volumes of poems, and these 
 poems remained to the last his best loved children of the pen. 
 When quite a young man he became second secretary of the 
 Spanish Legation at Naples, under the Duque de Rivas, 
 and he was accustomed to speak of the years passed in Italy 
 as the happiest of his life. It seemed as though Nature 
 specially intended him for the diplomatic service, for she 
 endowed him richly with every quality necessary for success 
 in that career. He was a learned, polished man of the world, 
 endowed with great natural distinction of manner, and 
 possessing much of the charm of the southern Spaniard : for 
 he was a son of Andalucia — and very proud of the fact. He 
 was above all a man incapable of giving offence or of causing 
 pain, and it used to be said of him that, in the role of critic 
 of modern writers, he deliberately ignored works which did 
 not plecise him rather than say disagreeable things about 
 them. This accusation is probably apocryphal, but it was 
 based on possibilities. 
 
 Valera's first and most popular novel was not wTitten until
 
 Modern Literature 41 
 
 travel in many countries and close study of human nature had 
 shaped and polished his views of life. " Pepita Jimenez " at 
 once attracted general attention, and in Spain Valera is still 
 almost always spoken of in connection with this book. 
 
 In " Pepita," the marriage of religion and art, of which 
 Coventry Patmore has spoken, is excellently exemplified. 
 The hero of the book is a young Spaniard who, with all 
 sincerity and fervour, is preparing to become a priest. A 
 restrained and life-like picture is drawn of this young man, 
 whose only desire is to do his duty and to serve his God with 
 all the strength of his nature. With much delicacy and 
 penetration Valera unrolls the story of his meeting with 
 Pepita Jimenez, a young widow of delicious charm ; and of 
 the human love which makes him realise, in bitterness of soul 
 not far removed from rapture, that he has mistaken his 
 vocation. The character of Pepita is drawn by a master 
 hand. Here we have the true Valera woman : a human, 
 lovable creature, worthy to touch the wings of angels, and 
 yet — a very woman who cannot resist the temptation to 
 exercise her powers of fascination. One of the finest character 
 studies in the book is that of a priest who does not appear 
 in person, but whose letters to the distracted young student 
 are models of sympathy and common sense. 
 
 In " Dofia Luz " the interest of the story again circulates 
 
 round a religious struggle. A priest — one of the best and 
 
 simplest of men — unconsciously learnt to 
 
 A Religious J ^ beautiiul woman. This love, striven 
 Struggle. . .... 
 
 against with prayer and fasting, is never 
 
 revealed during the good man's Ufetime, but after 
 
 his death the woman discovers some of his manuscripts, in 
 
 which the whole story is written in heart-blood. 
 
 Many eminent critics have pronounced " Comendador 
 Mendoza " to be Valera's finest work, but I feel inclined to 
 award the laurel crown to " Genio y Figura," one of his last 
 and strongest novels. 
 
 The heroine, Rafaela la Generosa, could not be regarded as
 
 42 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 reputable, especially in her younger days, but she is a splendid 
 spirited woman who possessed, in a marked degree, a curious 
 sense of honour which can only be described as manlike ! She, 
 like other heroines of this writer, seemed to see life through 
 a man's eyes, while always remaining, physically and mentally, 
 a very woman. 
 
 Towards the end of his long life Valera became blind, and 
 his later writings had to be dictated, not written. To the 
 end he remained keenly interested in all matters which 
 concerned literature, and the work that occupied him at the 
 last was a discourse on Cervantes, which was read before the 
 Spanish Academy on the occasion of the tercentenary of 
 " Don Quixote." Shortly before this celebration Valera died 
 of apoplexy at his home in Madrid, 
 
 In marked contrast to Juan Valera there is Benito Perez 
 
 Galdos, a serious teacher and an ardent reformer. Galdos 
 
 may be said to be the most representative 
 
 ^^G^M^^'^^^ literary force in Spain on the side of pro- 
 gressive reform, and of all modern writers he 
 has been the most misunderstood, especially in France, where 
 his supposed views on religion and politics have been eagerly 
 taken up and exploited by conflicting parties who have not 
 hesitated, in many cases, to distort his meaning in adapting 
 it to their own theories. The early training of Galdos was 
 well fitted to encourage the powers of observation which, later 
 on, developed themselves and made of him a great dramatist 
 and even a greater novelist. 
 
 He was born in 1845 at Las Palmas, and passed the first 
 eighteen years of his life in the Canary Islands, where a large 
 part of the population is English and where Protestant and 
 Catholic faiths flourish side by side. The young Spaniard 
 early became thoroughly conversant with the English language 
 and an ardent admirer of Dickens, whose influence on his 
 after-life proved far-reaching. 
 
 In 1864 Galdos left the Canary Islands and went to Madrid. 
 He had an idea of studying law, but quickly abandoned this
 
 Modern Literature 43 
 
 intention and turned, for a short time, to journalism. His 
 experiences of newspaper work showed him the difficulty of 
 doing anything really useful in an atmosphere of political 
 intrigue, and he soon arrived at a determination to withdraw 
 from public life as much as possible and to devote all his 
 energies to an exhaustive study of Spain : her hopes, necessi- 
 ties, possibilities, and aspirations. He wished to devote his 
 life to writing, but in a clear atmosphere where his ideas and 
 patriotic desires could remain untrammelled. 
 
 In Spain, where a large part of the reading public wishes to 
 be amused rather than edified, the length of many of Galdos' 
 books has been severely criticised. Public 
 '' Episodios^ opinion seems to say : " We have no patience 
 with so much reading ; who would think 
 of buying three or four volumes of 400 pages each ? " 
 Indeed, as Emilia Pardo Bazan has aptly put it, it appeared 
 as though the works of Galdos were judged by weight, 
 like the souls of the ancient Egyptians ! Certainly his 
 earliest writings, the famous " Episodios Nacionales," might 
 with some reason be objected to on the score of length, 
 since they comprise four series, each containing ten volumes. 
 These " Episodios," in which there is more knowledge to 
 be gleaned than in many histories, represent the national 
 story of Spain, from Trafalgar to the Revolution of 1868, in 
 the form of novels in which about 500 characters are intro- 
 duced. They are absolutely accurate studies of various 
 historic episodes in which, besides the real personages of the 
 period, a number of fictitious characters are introduced to 
 give material for a plot. 
 
 These " Episodios " are aU animated by that intense spirit 
 of patriotism which is so characteristic of Galdos. He has 
 always sought to fix upon his canvas the real and essential 
 values of the struggle between traditions and the new ideas 
 with which Spain is overrun. He has sought not only to 
 define the exact limits of the conflict, but to search for a real 
 solution to the problem : a solution which would surely
 
 44 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 advance the welfare of Spain. Although Galdos is a Liberal, 
 he has never considered himself bound to follow blindly any 
 one political party. He has never been carried away by the 
 intemperance of Chauvinism, and he has, in his books and 
 dramas, repeatedly held up to ridicule the quixotic vapourings 
 of supposed patriots who, blinded by exalted aspirations, give 
 no thought to the real needs of the country. 
 
 Of the many questions which agitate contemporary Spain 
 there are three of paramount importance. The question of 
 religion, the question of economics, and that of politics. 
 
 When we reaUse that it is with these three great questions 
 
 that Galdos chiefly, almost entirely, concerns himself in 
 
 his books and plays, we find it easy to 
 
 Religion. appreciate the importance of the task 
 
 Economics. i.i j. -u- ^t j. t r. J 
 
 Politics. "^ "^^ ^^^ hunself to accomplish, and 
 the keen interest with which his literary 
 career is followed in Spain. 
 
 This writer's attitude towards religious problems has drawn 
 forth repeated attacks : often from the very people whose 
 ideas he is defending. The storm which was raised over the 
 famous play, " Electra," in France as well as in Spain, proves 
 that the large majority of persons entirely misunderstood 
 Galdos' attitude towards religion. This play, which was 
 considered by the anti-clerical party to be an absolute vindica- 
 tion of their theories, was written by a man who keenly 
 sympathises with all that is best in the Catholic religion. He 
 has no desire to weaken the influence of the Church : he aims 
 only at the Hmitation of the Church's influence on politics. 
 He would check the growth of monasticism, and he is certainly 
 the enemy of the Jesuit Order, though he upholds the 
 Augustinians and Carmelites, whose mission is wholly one of 
 charity. 
 
 Moderate views are very liable to misconstruction in a 
 country where extreme opinions run wild, and " Angel 
 Guerra," Galdos' finest novel, added fuel to an already flaming 
 fire of criticism. This wonderful novel is based upon political
 
 Modern Literature 45 
 
 as well as religious problems, and it has been favourably 
 compared with the finest works of Tolstoy. Angel Guerra, 
 the hero of this book, is a man of strong political views and an 
 ardent republican. At the same time he is an idealist and a 
 man of quick impulses : his impressions and emotions sway him, 
 but he clings tenaciously to what he feels to be " the right." 
 
 Guerra's religious views were what may be considered as 
 broad, and they were combated on every point by his mother's 
 rigid and narrow Catholicism. To her his projects for the 
 advancement of his country savoured of criminal lunacy. 
 
 This mother and son embody the perpetual struggle which 
 
 exists in Spain between the old and the new. Dofia Sales 
 
 represents the ancient and established order 
 
 Ind ?hl New*^ °^ *^^"&^ ^"^ Guerra the new ideals which 
 so frequently dash themselves against the 
 iron gates of Traditions. Guerra was a widower, and the 
 death of his mother, and later of his daughter, to whom 
 he was passionately attached, threw him back upon himself, 
 and the latent mysticism of his nature impelled him to 
 seek to prostrate himself before a superior will and to ask 
 of it help in his hour of great need. He feels to the depth of 
 his soul the necessity for rehgion : he longs for direct spiritual 
 guidance, but finds himself adrift on a sea of uncertainty. He 
 has become disillusioned with his political party : he perceives 
 that its aims are, very often, unworthy and its methods 
 corrupt. Chaos seems to surround him. In this condition 
 he accepts with rapture the advice and guidance of a young 
 girl who has been the companion of his mother and of his 
 daughter. This young girl, Lorenza, had preserved through 
 a humble and unhappy childhood a singularly pure spirit of 
 exalted mysticism, and on the death of Dofia Sales, her patron, 
 she took the resolution to become a nun. The influence 
 gradually exercised by this girl over Guerra is indicated with 
 power and delicacy. She feels it to be her mission to draw 
 him towards a purely religious life, and he, on his side, imagines 
 that her influence over him is entirely spiritual. He learns to
 
 46 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 lean on her advice and guidance and combats the idea of 
 losing her behind the gates of a convent. This part of the 
 story is full of interest, and the word picture of the spiritual 
 friendship between Lorenza and Angel is one of the best 
 things Galdos has ever done. It is impossible to go further 
 into detail, but the hour comes when, prompted by the fervent 
 wishes of Lorenza, Guerra becomes convinced that he has a 
 true vocation for religion, and he determines to become a 
 priest. With his whole strength he desires to prove himself 
 worthy to tread in the footsteps of saints and martyrs, but 
 Nature suddenly asserts herself. Watching in a sick room, by 
 the side of the saintly Lorenza, he discovers, in a single 
 moment, that he has utterly mistaken his own emotions. He 
 realises that he loves the woman with a passionate human 
 love. He had dreamed of a spiritual communion of souls, 
 and he awakens to find himself longing for possession of the 
 adored body. 
 
 A period of terrible anguish follows this awakening, but in 
 the end he finds it possible to rest contented in the arms of 
 religion. He had mistaken the way, for him, when he had 
 imagined that he was fitted to become a priest, but none the 
 less surely he realised, on his death-bed, that in religion alone 
 is to be found perfect content. 
 
 WTien " Angel Guerra " was first published a crowd of critics 
 announced that Galdos had once more held up to ridicule the 
 Roman Catholic Church. Indignant expostulations rained on 
 the author from every side, but he remained quite unmoved. 
 His motives had again been misconstrued, but what of that ? 
 He was accustomed to it ! 
 
 In another chapter I shall have occasion to discuss Galdos' 
 
 plays at some length, since they represent the ideas and ideals 
 
 of the most interesting dramatist in Spain of 
 
 "^o'f Gddosf^^' to-day. In his plays this uTiter goes deeply 
 
 into questions of moral analysis : in them 
 
 he depicts Spain as she is, not as she was, and his studies 
 
 of Spain actual draw from him no useless lamentations
 
 Modern Literature 47 
 
 over a glorious past, now disappearing from view, but instead 
 they draw forth fervent desires for a regeneration of the 
 present. Galdos has always been sincerely convinced that 
 the book and the drama are only separated by a superficial 
 barrier, and most of his plays have also appeared in book form. 
 It must, however, be admitted that, in some cases, the books 
 are superior to the plays : some of his works have suffered 
 considerably from the changes and modifications necessary 
 from the dramatic point of view, and this was specially true 
 in the case of " Dofia Perfecta," which in book form has been 
 translated into almost all the European languages, and which 
 is very well known in England. 
 
 " Dofia Perfecta " deals on broad lines with the religious 
 question, and the problem posed is a far deeper one than 
 the mere struggle of a rather bigoted aunt against the 
 advanced views of her nephew. As Pepe Rey himself says : 
 " Behind us there is a terrific struggle of principles against 
 principles." 
 
 In " Dofia Perfecta" the leading theme is the new spirit of 
 modernism in Spain engaged in perpetual combat with the 
 old traditions. Pepe Rey, the lover of Dofia Perfecta's 
 daughter, is the forerunner of Maximo Yuste, the hero of 
 " Electra." Both of them, though by no means sceptical in 
 religious matters, are charged with the mission of carrying 
 the standard of enlightenment into a field hitherto obscured 
 by superstition. In the drama much is necessarily lost : for 
 instance, the beautiful descriptions of Spanish scenery with 
 which the book is full. Of one of Galdos' most recent works, 
 " El Abuelo," I shall speak in the chapter on Plays and 
 Players : it was first published in book form, but it became 
 the great dramatic sensation of Madrid in 1905. 
 
 Perez Galdos at present lives in a charming house, specially 
 built for him at Santander, in which town his friend Pereda 
 once lived. In his library, over the mantelpiece, there is 
 an escutcheon which displays the National Lion in an 
 attitude of vivid defiance, and underneath is this motto
 
 48 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 — which also appears on the frontispiece of his books : 
 " Ars-Natura- Veritas." 
 
 It dftes not require much imagination to draw the conclusion 
 that Galdos regards these emblems as a sjonbol of the means 
 necessary for the redemption of modem Spain. 
 
 Perez Galdos is a great lover of pottery and porcelain, and 
 he possesses many rare specimens of Stratford-on-Avon and 
 Delft ware. He is not an amateur of antiquities, and his 
 walls are hung with fine works of modern Spanish painters 
 and with sketches and etchings by Sala, Melida, and Apeles 
 Mestres. 
 
 Among the favourite books which find a place in this library 
 are the complete works of Dickens, and there is a dainty little 
 bookcase containing a miniature edition of Sir Walter Scott, 
 which was presented by his admirers on the occasion of a 
 banquet given in honour of the author of " Electra." 
 
 The most notable and accomplished Spanish critic of to-day 
 
 is Marcelino Men6ndez y Pelayo. This writer has already 
 
 produced a number of important works, and 
 
 Marcelino j^g [^ ^^ present engaged in editing a complete 
 
 y Pelayo. edition of the writings of Lope de Vega. He 
 
 is a man of extraordinary learning, and as a 
 
 literary historian he occupies a unique position. Spain was 
 
 not very rich in literary historians in the nineteenth century, 
 
 but Seiior Men^ndez y Pelayo has aroused renewed interest 
 
 in this important direction and, under his guidance, a serious 
 
 school of criticism has taken form in Spain. 
 
 Of the Obras of Lope de Vega — now being printed under the 
 editorship of Don Marcelino — only eight quartos are as yet 
 ready, but these are invaluable to students of the amazing 
 genius who has been well described as " a very prodigy of 
 nature." Amongst the more notable works of Don Marcelino 
 are the " Historia de las Ideas Estdticas en Espaiia," which 
 treats of literature at many points and which is full of learned 
 and suggestive reflections : " Calderon y su Teatro," an ample 
 and impartial criticism of the genius of Pedro Calderon de la
 
 Modern Literature 49 
 
 Barca Henao de la Barreda y Riano — the most representative 
 Spaniard of the seventeenth century. 
 
 The dramatic works of Calderon have been described and 
 criticised again and again, but no critic has so thoroughly 
 exhausted his merits and demerits as has Senor Menendez y 
 Pelayo in the volume just mentioned. These criticisms were 
 originally delivered in lecture form, and they are so clearly 
 and graphically expressed that they make very interesting 
 reading for even those who know little of Calderon or his 
 times. 
 
 Amongst the many other works of this writer are " Historia 
 de los Heterodoxos Espanoles," " Ciencia Espafiola," and 
 " Odas, Epistolas y Tragedias," the latter volume containing 
 a remarkably good version of " The Isles of Greece." 
 
 In serious literary circles in Spain the criticisms of Senor 
 Men6ndez y Pelayo are invariably accepted as the final word. 
 
 In speaking of this powerful writer — who uses the 
 psuedonym of " Clarin " — Fitzmaurice Kelly says : " In all 
 the length and breadth of Spain no writer 
 Leopoldo Alas, is better known and more feared than 
 Leopold© Alas. Alas is often accused of 
 fierce intolerance as a critic : and the charge has this 
 much truth in it — that he is righteously, splendidly intolerant 
 of a pretender, a mountebank, or a dullard. He may be right 
 or wrong in judgment ; but there is something noble in the 
 intrepidity with which he handles an established repu- 
 tation, in the infinite malice with which he riddles an 
 enemy." 
 
 It is certainly true that " Clarin " was a fearless critic — a 
 veritable gladiator in the arena of journalism — but then he 
 was a man of wide learning and of cultured taste : he was 
 acquainted with the literature of France, Germany, and other 
 countries, and — he stood in awe of no man ! 
 
 It is as a critic that Leopoldo Alas is best known to the 
 general public, but he also was a novelist of great distinction. 
 His " La Regenta," published in 1885, is a masterly work :
 
 50 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 full of subtle and searching analysis and conceived on bold 
 lines. Since then he was the author of several other novels 
 and a remarkable volume of short stories, entitled 
 " Pipa." 
 
 Pereda is a writer who must, of necessity, be placed among 
 
 the realists of Spain, although his realism is of a very different 
 
 order from that of Blasco Ibafiez and Juan 
 
 de%eS* Ochoa, of whom I shall presently speak. The 
 
 realistic school of writing in Spain has many 
 
 branches : Blasco Ibanez adheres closely to the dramatic 
 
 style of Zola and Maupassant, Ochoa is a master of the subtle 
 
 interpretation of home-life in the provinces, while Pereda — 
 
 a dweller in the country by choice — has almost invariably 
 
 chosen as a background the rugged mountains and restless 
 
 seas of his native town of Santander. Pereda is, perhaps, best 
 
 described by the Spanish word " costumbrista " ! 
 
 He was born with an intense love for his own province and 
 a sympathetic understanding of his own people. In his books 
 the poor inhabitants of remote mountain villages, the fishing 
 folk of the Cantabrian coast, and the small social circles 
 common to all provincial towns, are portrayed by the hand 
 of a writer who intimately knows them. 
 
 Dona Emilia Pardo Bazan, a great friend and admirer of 
 Pereda, has said of him that " if not the most [realistic of 
 Spanish writers, certainly he is the least idealistic." 
 
 He is in every respect unlike his compatriot Galdos who, 
 while seeking truthfully to portray what exists, still sees life 
 as it were through a microscope, discovering marvels which 
 are non-existent to an ordinary observer. 
 
 Pereda is possessed of no such acute inner-vision : his point 
 of view is that of a well-balanced mind delineating faithfully 
 what it sees : his is the realism of the old classic school : 
 less profound, perhaps, but more reposeful than the realistic 
 school of to-day. He does not interrogate life — he portrays 
 it, just as it is : his phrases are always correct, always 
 expressive, always energetic, and without exaggeration.
 
 Modern Literature 51 
 
 To quote again some words of Emilia Pardo Bazan : " The 
 
 rhetoric of Pereda is the rhetoric of common sense illuminated 
 
 by art." This author's writings may be 
 
 "^^f P^ r^da"*^ roughly divided into two classes : his earher 
 works, which were entirely limited by the 
 horizon of Santander, and his later works in which, begin- 
 ning with Pedro Sanchez, he has sought, and not always with 
 complete success, to extend his field of labour. 
 
 In the earl)^ writings the most notable defect is that the 
 characters are, to a very large extent, smothered by their 
 surroundings. These superb pictures of wild seas, towering 
 mountains and wind-swept coasts seem, by reason of their 
 immensity, to dwarf the actors in the story. However, it 
 was to these really fine descriptions of scenery that Pereda 
 owed his first and greatest successes. 
 
 Of this early phase the best works are " El Buey Suelto," 
 " Don Gonzalo Gonzales de la Gonzalera," and " De tal palo 
 tal astilla." 
 
 The " Buey Suelto " is a work in which the moral is some- 
 what too obviously insisted upon to please present-day readers. 
 In it the question of marriage versus celibacy is treated at 
 length, and the ponderous arguments advanced in favour of 
 the former state are not very convincing to students of Tolstoy, 
 Flaubert, and other writers who have treated this subject 
 with so much understanding and brilliancy. 
 
 " De tal palo tal astilla " brings to light once more the 
 question, apparently perennial in Spain, of Faith versus 
 free-thought. The heroine is a young girl, brought up in a 
 strictly religious atmosphere, who is engaged to be married 
 to an atheist. Fanaticism is the central motif of the story, 
 and religion and pohtics loom large. 
 
 To the first phase of Pereda belongs also the exquisite 
 " Sabor de la tierruca," a beautiful work which, though 
 wanting in human interest, is full of poetic descriptions of 
 Cantabrian scenery. 
 
 To the second period of this writer's work belong two famous
 
 52 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 books, " Pedro Sanchez " and " La Montalvez." Here we 
 have a complete change of style ; a change which originated 
 in Pereda's desire to emerge from what he has himself called 
 his " huerto " — or kitchen garden. 
 
 " Pedro Sanchez " is a political novel, but of a very different 
 order to its predecessor, " De tal palo tal astilla." The 
 two principal characters, Pedro Sanchez and 
 ^ Nover^' Augustin Valenzuela, are both engaged in 
 politics, the former belonging to a rustic 
 community in the north of Spain, and Valenzuela having 
 for his sphere of action the entangled and complicated 
 political world of Madrid. The beauty of this book is 
 embraced in its purity of stj^'le and in the masterly manner in 
 which the interest is developed and made to culminate in the 
 final chapter. The dialogue in this particular story is more 
 than a little stiff and ornate : Pereda's examples of conversa- 
 tion at a " tertulia " — a gathering of friends — are constrained, 
 to say the least ! But this defect, even when added to the 
 fact that Pereda is almost always more successful when dealing 
 with men than with women, does not take away from the 
 certainty that " Pedro Sanchez " is one of the finest of modern 
 Spanish novels : it is, in its own way, a masterpiece. 
 
 With regard to " La Montalvez " there was, at time of publi- 
 cation, a great diversity of opinion. It was unfortunate for 
 Pereda that this book should have followed the famous 
 " Pequefieces " of Padre Coloma. 
 
 Comparisons were inevitable, as both books were satires on 
 the doings of fashionable personages in society : critics were 
 not wanting who loudly eisserted that Pereda had borrowed 
 from " Pequeiieces " a superficial brilliancy of style, without 
 being able to penetrate into the heart of the social whirlpool 
 as the Padre had done. 
 
 Pereda Uves in the provinces from choice, and sincerely 
 dislikes the gay life of big cities ; for these reasons it is easy 
 to understand why this particular venture — with his pen — 
 was not wholly successful.
 
 Modern Literature 53 
 
 One of Pereda's recent works, " Sotileza," deals chiefly with 
 hfe amongst the fishing population of Santander. It is a 
 notable novel, from every point of view, and everyone should 
 read it, if only because of its wonderful final chapter, in which 
 is embodied a most dramatic account of the return of a fleet 
 of fishing boats after a terrific storm. 
 
 At the head of the Spanish Zolaistic school must be placed 
 
 Vicente Blasco Ibafiez. He is one of many, for in the Spanish 
 
 soil realists thrive and expand with incredible 
 
 Bla co^^Ibanez ^^cility, but he is head and shoulders over his 
 
 fellows. A strangely turbulent personage is 
 
 this virile son of Valencia. A red-hot republican who in 
 
 early youth determined to fight tooth and nail for what he 
 
 considered to be his rights and those of his countrymen. His 
 
 life has been so full of adventures, and these of an amazing 
 
 character, that to the ordinary imagination he seems like a 
 
 latter-day d'Artagnan ! 
 
 Blasco Ibanez' sympathies have always been with the people, 
 and he writes of them, frequently of the poorest and least 
 reputable, in a comprehensive and illuminative manner. 
 Nothing is hidden or glozed over, but the writings betray an 
 insight into human nature which is as admirable as it is rare. 
 It is evident that at the beginning of his career as a writer he 
 was influenced by Guy de Maupassant, though from the first 
 a resonant individual note made itself felt. " Cuentos 
 Valencianos " — a remarkable collection of short stories — first 
 appeared in El Pueblo — a newspaper founded, edited, and, 
 it may be said, written by Ibafiez. 
 
 In these " Cuentos " the influence of Flaubert's famous pupil 
 
 is especially evident. Some of them seem too frankly like 
 
 echoes to possess serious interest, but others 
 
 MfupTsslrS! ^^^ g^"^^ o^ realistic art. " Dimoni," for 
 
 example : a few pages from the life of two 
 
 utterly disreputable creatures, a man and a woman, both 
 
 drunkards. The realistic description of their manner of 
 
 existence and of La Boracha's personal appearance is 
 
 5— (2399)
 
 54 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 abnost appalling. The woman died when her child was born, 
 and one's imagination is haunted by the quivering notes of 
 Dimoni's " dulzaina," which he played as he wandered into 
 the Uttle country churchyard at nightfall and, still drunk, 
 sought out the last resting-place of the woman who had 
 never been his wife. 
 
 The villagers peered through the darkness and called aloud, 
 but while they were there the " dulzaina " never spoke. 
 Later on, " when the steps had died away, when the silence 
 of night reigned once more over the immense plain, the music 
 broke out again, sad as a lament ; like the distant weeping 
 of a child for the mother who would never return." (This is 
 a free translation of the final words of the little story.) 
 
 A very amusing " Cuento " in the same volume is "La 
 Cencerrada." This story is in the style of Maupassant, and 
 its realism is alarmingly frank, but the idea is a very comical 
 one and Blasco Ibafiez has done it justice. It is sufficient to 
 say that " La Cencerrada " means a noise with bells and horns 
 made before the door of an elderly bridegroom on the night of 
 his marriage ! One of the early novels of this writer remains 
 one of his finest works. " Flor de Mayo " is a perfect piece of 
 realistic writing. I do not think Blasco Ibanez ever felt 
 inclined to copy Zola, much as he must have admired him : 
 very early in his career he entered into his own kingdom, well 
 armed with weapons which were entirely individual ; never- 
 theless, he must have studied the methods of the French 
 school very closely. 
 
 In the early pages of " Flor de Mayo " there is a description 
 
 of a fish market which recalls, by reason of its effect on the 
 
 olfactory nerves, a famous picture of a pork 
 
 A Masterpiece ! butcher's shop, by Zola. These two descrip- 
 tions are unlike in style, but just as Zola 
 was able to impregnate the air with fat pork so Ibanez 
 envelopes the readers of " Flor de Mayo " in the smell of fish ! 
 It seems impossible to get away from the penetrating odour, 
 even after the chapter has been finished and the pages turned

 
 Modern Literature 55 
 
 over. In this work life in Valencia amongst the fishing folks 
 is admirably depicted. 
 
 All through the book characters and scenery are painted 
 with masterly skill. The story is a simple one, but sufficiently 
 tragic. 
 
 Pascual — called El Retor — and Tonet are brothers : fisher- 
 men and the sons of an old woman who makes her home of a 
 boat in which her husband was wrecked, and in which his dead 
 body was washed up on the shore. El Retor is married to a 
 beautiful woman, Dolores, whom his brother has long loved. 
 All the world knows that Dolores has not been faithful to 
 her husband, but Pascual lives in complete and contented 
 ignorance. 
 
 The brothers are given an opportunity of making a good 
 deal of money by smuggling tobacco into Algiers, and as 
 Pascual is anxious to possess a fine fishing-boat of his own, 
 he takes chances and they visit the African coast. 
 
 A luminous word-picture is given of Algiers, seen by night, 
 from the sea. 
 
 All goes well, and the boat — the Flor de Mayo — is built 
 and made ready for sea. The description of the baptism of 
 this boat is so graphic that I wish it were possible to give it 
 in full. All the village turns out for the ceremony, and El 
 Retor himself is described as looking like an English yacht 
 owner, in his new suit of navy serge. His cup of happiness 
 is full to overflowing, but suddenly it is dashed from his lips. 
 Rosario, the wife of Tonet, can no longer contain her jealousy, 
 and in a moment of impotent rage she tells Pascual that his 
 wife has been unfaithful to him ; that the little boy he so 
 dearly loves is not his own son but that Tonet is the father. 
 For a time Pascual refuses to believe the horrible thing, but 
 in the end he realises that it must be true and he becomes 
 possessed with a longing for revenge. He says nothing, either 
 to his wife or to his brother, but notwithstanding the fierce 
 storm that is rising he insists on going to sea at once. The 
 old mother prays and entreats of him to wait, but he pays
 
 56 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 no heed : worse still, he determines to take the child Pascualet 
 as cabin-boy. 
 
 The description of the storm at sea is superb : one of the 
 finest word-pictures I have ever read. 
 
 The distracted women are waiting on the shore, for they 
 can see the wi-eck without being able to give assistance. On 
 the deck of the Flor de Mayo Pascual realises that his revenge 
 has succeeded beyond his wildest hopes : his brother is doomed 
 and so is the child. But then, at the very last, his love for 
 the boy prevails ; he fastens him to the only life-belt on the 
 ship and casts him off towards the shore. 
 
 And by and by a little lifeless body, covered with blood and 
 disfigured by blows from spars and broken timbers, is washed 
 up on the beach, at the feet of the grandmother, at the feet 
 of the faithless wife and of the woman whose jealous words had 
 brought about the disaster. 
 
 Blasco Ibafiez has written many novels since " Flor de 
 Mayo." Of these " La Barraca " — which has been translated 
 into French under the title " Terre Maudite " — is one of the 
 best known outside Spain. I have not space to speak of this 
 book or of many others of equal value and interest, for a recent 
 work of this author demands consideration. 
 
 In " Sangre y Arena " the Valenciano is, I think, at his best. 
 
 The picture of Andalusia and of the people of southern 
 
 Spain is painted with a full brush but with 
 
 "Aperf'^^"'^ inimitable art. This book belongs to the 
 
 soil of Andalusia, and so much of it is 
 
 written in the soft southern patois that it would be impossible 
 
 to translate it. Besides, the subject of the book would not 
 
 interest the average foreigner. The hero is Juan Gallardo, 
 
 a famous bull-fighter, and everything connected with his life 
 
 and profession is dealt with in a frankly reaUstic manner. 
 
 His mode of life, his successes, his failures, his affaires de 
 
 cxur, his healthy and unabashed vanity : everything is 
 
 minutely described. We are shown how a successful torero 
 
 may live and how — very probably — he may die.
 
 Modern Literature 57 
 
 The closing chapter of Gallardo's hfe is full of subtle 
 restraint. In congratulating Blasco Ibaiiez on this scene the 
 words, " qui ne sut se homer, ne sut jamais ecrire," suggest 
 themselves. 
 
 If he had not known how to "keep within bounds" he 
 might so easily have written just the one phrase too much. 
 Gallardo's wife is praying in a church close to the Plaza de 
 Tows. A beautiful v/oman, aristocratic and insolent, whom 
 the torero had loved, was seated in a palco when the fatal gore 
 was given. All the " stars " were within easy call, but the 
 author of " Sangre y Arena," proved himself a true artist. 
 Nothing was required but a bare statement of facts, and 
 nothing more was given. The torero never spoke after he 
 was carried from the arena, and El Nacional, his favourite 
 handerillero, learned the truth in a single sentence, spoken by 
 the doctor. " Se acabo, Sebastian Puedes huscarte otro 
 matador." (" It is finished, Sebastian. You can look for 
 another matador.") One special point connected with the 
 writings of Blasco Ibaiiez has impressed me very much, and 
 it is this : He is a man of marked individuality, of strong 
 emotions, of masterful nature, and yet his writings are most 
 curiously impersonal. You may study them closely. You 
 may turn the phrases this way or that, but you will not easily 
 find one single trace of the man himself, of his own thoughts 
 or feelings. And this is one of my reasons for placing him 
 at the head of the realists of to-day, without reservations as 
 to nationahty. 
 
 The man is not a true realist who cannot set aside his 
 personal likes and dislikes. Realism is not what any one 
 person feels, on this subject or that : it is not 
 A True Realist, even the piling up of hard facts and details. 
 It is the picture of life as it actually is. 
 All the values true. Sunshine holding a position equal — if 
 necessary — to that of shadow. A realist should not attempt 
 to be a teacher. Neither should he introduce his own indi- 
 vidual views of life, except on an occasion, and this would
 
 58 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 rarely present itself, when the character depicted coincided 
 exactly with his own. 
 
 In very many of Zola's works the great French master has 
 proved himself an incomparable realist, but towards the end of 
 his career his method seemed to have undergone a subtle change. 
 This is specially evident in his famous trilogy — " Paris " : 
 "Lourdes": "Rome." In the latter work, for example, 
 he introduces impossible situations for the purpose of giving 
 voice to thoughts and ideas which were evidently personal. 
 
 The " Abbe Froment " is a wonderful character. True to 
 life in thought, in so far as that many priests of the present 
 day hold just such ideas, but absolutely untrue to life in 
 action, since no priest possessed of such keen intelligence could, 
 for a single moment, have supposed that tlie Holy Father 
 would receive with acclamation the idea of a " New Religion " 
 and a " New Rome." Still more untrue to life is the supposi- 
 tion that a cardinal could, or would, have written a preface 
 for a book bearing such a title and advised the writer of it to 
 go and lay his ideas at the feet of the Holy Father, Such 
 priests and cardinals may be ideal : that is a matter of 
 individual opinion : but emphatically they are not real. 
 
 I mention the case of " Abbe Froment " because it indicates 
 what we do not find in the works of Blasco Ibaiiez. So far, 
 he has proved himself an uncompromising realist, whose 
 perception of balance is singularly correct. An account of 
 the adventures of this writer would fill a thick volume. When 
 only a young lad he wrote a poem which brought him into 
 serious trouble on a question of lese Majeste, and he was 
 imprisoned for six months. Later on, his republican views 
 and speeches made him a marked man, and on one occasion 
 he escaped by a mere chance and crossed the greater part of 
 Spain on foot. 
 
 On another occasion he had to escape by sea, and this time 
 he visited Italy and found subject matter for his " En el Pais 
 del Arte." Adventure followed adventure in this turbulent 
 life, but Blasco Ibaiiez always found time for study. He has
 
 Modern Literature 59 
 
 translated into Spanish Michelet's " History of the French 
 Revolution," and when it is reahsed that this work runs into 
 three large volumes, it will be seen that he is a vehement 
 worker as well as an ardent republican. 
 
 The last novel published by this writer — and it is one which 
 is enjoying a great success — is called " Los Muertos Mandan." 
 I have not space to discuss this book, but will just say that it 
 contains some exquisite word-paintings of the Balearic 
 Islands. 
 
 In the midst of the Spanish school of realists of a vivid and 
 
 bold type there are a few writers, little known outside Spain, 
 
 who might be described as realists in a minor 
 
 Juan Ochoa. key. Or, to borrow from a sister Muse, 
 painters in half-tone. Among these Juan 
 Ochoa stands pre-eminent. 
 
 No Spanish writer of modem days so nearly approaches 
 Dickens in the skilful delineation of simple home life, with its 
 moments of infinite pathos. His books are not numerous, 
 but each is, in its own way, a gem. His style is singularly 
 Hmpid and natural, and it is keenly appreciated by his own 
 countrymen, who love, above all things, simplicity and 
 sincerity, and who are quick to detect a note of exaggeration 
 or artificiality. 
 
 Ochoa's finest work is " Un Alma de Dios," which has, I 
 think, been translated into Enghsh ; but no translation could 
 give any idea of the beauty of the original Spanish : nor would 
 it be easy for foreigners not knowing Spain to realise 
 the absolute fidelity with which Ochoa has described 
 everyday life in a Spanish provincial town. 
 
 Dickens would have rejoiced over the hero of " Un Alma de 
 Dios," an affectionate cheerful creature who is long unable 
 to realise that he is being betrayed, and to whose simple nature 
 the final realisation brought no bitterness of feeling, but only 
 the conviction that the great happiness with which he had 
 been surrounded must have been more than he deserved, since 
 it had been taken away from him.
 
 60 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 This little volume abounds in poetic descriptions of an 
 impressionistic nature, in which a whole scene is depicted in a 
 few vivid words. One of these, a description of a provincial 
 town silhouetted against a sunset sky, is sufficiently striking 
 to bear quotation — 
 
 He saw from the little lofty balcony the well-known panorama 
 stretching before his eyes ; many tiled roofs blackened by smoke, the 
 dark tower of a church, two or three pinnacles and domes of large 
 buildings, and in the sky a long procession of clouds advancing slowly, 
 blown by the wind, outlined by the bright rose-coloured twilight. In 
 the distance a long line of giant poplars like swaying phantoms seemed 
 to stretch out their ghostly arms to the little town. 
 
 In these few lines is embraced the sweet melancholy of the 
 Spanish paysage. 
 
 Besides the WTiters of whom I have spoken at some length, 
 there are in Spain of to-day very many others. Notable 
 amongst these are Narciso Oler, the Catalan, and Salvador 
 Rueda, the poet of Andalusia : these two writers are excellent 
 exponents of the purely Spanish school. 
 
 Armando Palacio Valdes, whose most notable work is 
 " Marta y Maria," has been widely translated into foreign 
 languages, and in his own country he is a general favourite, 
 but I have not space to speak of his novels in detail. 
 
 With regard to Salvador Rueda, I must just say that his 
 impressionistic pictures of life in Andalusia, of the sun-swept 
 plains with their green oHve groves, are as remarkable in 
 their fidelity to Nature as are Pereda's sea pictures of the 
 northern coast. 
 
 The French influence has always made itself evident in 
 
 Spanish literature, and sometimes it happens that the blending 
 
 of French and Spanish ideas is productive of 
 
 Sonie Effects of results which are more interesting than 
 
 School. satisfactory. I have already spoken of the 
 
 influence of Guy de Maupassant and Zola on 
 
 the modern Spanish school and have pointed out how, as in 
 
 the case of Blasco Ibafiez, this influence may be used to 
 
 f-btain highly desirable ends, but the influence of what may
 
 Modern Literature 61 
 
 be called the " decadent French school " upon the younger 
 generation of Spanish writers is quite another affair. 
 
 The Spanish have no decadent tendencies at all — naturally, 
 and the effort to cultivate what is quite foreign to nature is 
 ever attended with lamentable results. 
 
 Many of the younger minor poets have assiduously culti- 
 vated the ideas of Baudelaire, Catulle Mendes, and Paul 
 Verlaine, but it must be admitted that the fruit thus produced 
 is of a thoroughly unsatisfactory nature. 
 
 Nothing is more fatal to the Spaniard than artificiality. 
 The mental attitude of, for example, Paul Verlaine and of 
 Baudelaire, was, for them, natural, but when the minor poets 
 of Spain strive to imitate this exceedingly exotic " mental 
 attitude " the result is frankly deplorable : it is " neither 
 fish nor flesh nor good red herring " !
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 MODERN PAINTERS 
 
 Spain of to-day is rich in painters. Indeed it would not be 
 exaggeration to say very rich. It is not easy to account for 
 the fact that very httle, comparatively, is 
 Painting. known of Spanish Art of the present day. 
 In isolated cases the notable painters have 
 been discussed and criticised in print, and this more especially 
 in England and in America, but I do not know of any important 
 work which treats, seriously and comprehensively, of the 
 modem Spanish painters. And yet they are as interesting as 
 they are, in style, varied. The world owes much to Spanish 
 art of times past. To the exquisite charm of Murillo. To 
 the sombre dignity and unrivalled naturalism of Velasquez, 
 To the " call of the blood " of the superb incorrigible Goya ! 
 For the life and the works of Goya are nothing less than an 
 imperious " call " to those in whose veins flow " hot and 
 rebellious liquors " ! 
 
 Sevilla has good reason to be proud of her sons — in the 
 world of painting as of literature. Bartolome Estaban 
 Murillo was a sevillano who never quitted Spain : who 
 remained to the end the Spanish painter who was least touched 
 by foreign influences. 
 
 Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velasquez belonged entirely to 
 the Sevilla school, though he was by birth a Portuguese, 
 And in the present day Andalusia can boast of such masters 
 as Villegas, Bilbao, Carbonero, and many others. 
 
 In briefly considering the works of some of the modern 
 Spanish painters it is necessary to look for a moment into 
 the past in order to trace, if possible, the various sources from 
 which this modern art has sprung. And three important 
 sources immediately present themselves : Velasquez ; Goya ;
 
 Modern Painters 63 
 
 the modern French school. And of these three the first and 
 the third loom largest in our horizon. 
 
 The " call " of Goya is felt to be a httle too primitive by 
 ultra-moderns who have learnt to dissect sensations. 
 
 To Velasquez — directly and indirectly — the modern 
 painters of Spain owe very much. He was, and must ever 
 remain, the king of naturalistic painters. He painted what 
 he saw, as he saw it : nothing more and nothing less. 
 
 The art of Velasquez was removed from the art of Murillo 
 as are the poles. One was a great idealist and the other one 
 of the greatest realists the world has ever known. And in 
 painting what he saw, Velasquez bowed before the genius of 
 Nature : he accepted her dictates and never tried to impose 
 a " second opinion." 
 
 To realise the pure realism of Velasquez one ought to study 
 very carefully his matchless " Las Meninas " — which is in 
 possession of a private salon of its own at the Prado Museum. 
 In speaking of this picture George Clausen once said : "It is, 
 I should think, the greatest achievement in painting of true 
 ordinary lighting in the world. There is no doubt that the 
 effect in this picture is exactly as in the room : everything 
 is accounted for naturally. It is worth remarking how the 
 picture is arranged — divided diagonally into light and shade, 
 with a strong dark on the light side and a little light taken 
 into the dark. This is a very effective arrangement and a 
 natural one. How beautifully the figures are proportioned to 
 the room, and how finely the large dark empty space above 
 contrasts with the light and sparkle of the figures." These 
 represent Velasquez painting Philip IV and Queen Marianne, 
 with the little Princess Margaret in front, surrounded by her 
 master of the ceremonies, dwarfs, and maids of honour. 
 
 I lay special stress on the influence of Velasquez on Spanish 
 painters of to-day, because this influence makes itself felt in 
 many different and very subtle ways. We find it in the 
 works of Antonio de la Gandara in one form, and in those of 
 Sorolla in another.
 
 64 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 In the former case it shows itself in the deep tones of 
 emotional colour, in the sombre harmonies of velvet blacks 
 and browns, and in the latter it is an influence which can be 
 felt rather than seen : the naturalism of Velasquez adapted, 
 unconsciously, to our surroundings of to-day. 
 
 Of all the great masters of Spain it is probable that, to the 
 
 general public, Murillo is the most popular, but it would 
 
 be difficult to find any important trace 
 
 I'paSshMTsS^^ ^^^ influence of Murillo in the work 
 
 of the modern artists. And this is not 
 
 difficult to understand. 
 
 Murillo was an idealist : a great exponent of the romantic 
 school. And the Spaniards are born realists — in every walk 
 in life. 
 
 The influence of the French school on modern Spanish 
 painters is, in some cases, considerable, but not, I think, so 
 marked as in the region of literature. Some of the Spanish 
 writers of to-day are " very French," but all the painters — 
 even those who have studied almost entirely in Paris — remain 
 " very Spanish " : this is notably true of the art of Antonio 
 de la Gandara, of whose works I shall speak a little later on. 
 
 I venture the opinion that the painters of Spain have 
 entered the arena of French art in the right spirit. They have 
 borrowed from it everything that is best suited to assist the 
 production of their own ideas and aspirations, and they have 
 given in exchange none of their own marked individuality. 
 
 One of the most remarkable Spanish painters of to-day is 
 
 Joaquin Sorolla — a Valenciano who is still a young man, for 
 
 he was not born until the year 1862. Sorolla 
 
 ^"y'^BasSa^"^ is one of the many notable Spaniards who 
 
 may be described as sons of the people. His 
 
 father was, I think, a poor man, and the young Sorolla was 
 
 brought up by an uncle who followed the trade of locksmith. 
 
 I hardly think that any country can rival Spain in the 
 production of great men of humble parentage — if, in any 
 circumstances, one is justified in describing a Spaniard as
 
 Photo by 
 
 Aiitltisnn, Rome 
 
 " LAS MENINAS "
 
 Modern Painters 65 
 
 " humble." Race seems to have absolutely nothing to do 
 with the success of these superb democrats : nor can oppor- 
 tunities for special education be largely taken into account. 
 
 The sons of Spain succeed, if they want to succeed, and 
 this, very often, in the most unfavourable surroundings. 
 They know how to place themselves right in the front 
 ranks of art, in all its branches, and they are indomitable 
 fighters. 
 
 Take the case of another famous Valenciano — Blasco Ibaiiez, 
 of whom I have spoken at some length in the chapter on 
 Literature. I am especially reminded of him at this moment 
 because he has described in words what Sorolla has portrayed 
 with his brush — the wonderful and ever varying beauties of 
 the coast of Valencia : hardy fishermen putting out to sea on 
 stormy nights and brown-limbed urchins scampering along 
 a great length of golden sand. 
 
 Sorolla is equally celebrated in two distinct phases of art, 
 
 in his portraits and in his landscapes and seascapes. Amongst 
 
 the latter, his "A Sad Inheritance " is world- 
 
 T u -i .. famous. In speaking of this wonderful picture 
 
 Inheritance." ,. _ , \,,.„. *= . • f- r 
 
 Mr. Leonard Williams, in an appreciation of 
 
 SoroDa which appeared some years ago in The Studio, 
 
 spoke as follows : "He " — Sorolla — " has described to me, 
 
 with almost childish satisfaction, how natural and un-studio- 
 
 like was the genesis of ' A Sad Inheritance,' which won for 
 
 him the Grand Prix and the Legion of Honour. ' One day,' 
 
 he says, ' I was in the midst of one of my Valencian 
 
 fisher-studies, when I descried, a long way off, a number of 
 
 naked children in and near the sea, and tending them, the 
 
 stalwart figure of a solitary priest. It seems they were the 
 
 inmates of the Hospital of San Juan de Dios, the sorriest 
 
 refuse of society : the blind, the mad, the crippled, and the 
 
 leprous. I cannot tell you how it all impressed me, so much 
 
 so that I lost no time in securing from the hospital authorities 
 
 permission to get to work upon the spot, and there and 
 
 then, beside the water's edge produced my picture.' "
 
 66 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 And then Mr. Williams continues : " Consider for a moment 
 the intense and yet spontaneous and unstudious melancholy 
 of this terrible masterpiece. The steel-blue sea, cruelly hard 
 in colour and consistence, appears, about this unfrequented 
 portion of the Malvarosa beach, to wear an isolated and 
 accursed aspect. The just domain of those misshapen 
 outcasts, it seems to echo back society's scorn, and scowl into 
 their faces." 
 
 There is a grandeur and simplicity about this picture which 
 recalls the works of Millet and Bastien-Lepage. Indeed, for 
 pure and virile naturahsm, it stands side by side with " Les 
 Foins," the masterpiece of Lepage, which is one of the gems 
 of the Luxembourg. 
 
 With regard to the portraits of Sorolla, they may be 
 described as superb. Personally, I do not very much like his 
 famous " The Regency " — which represents 
 P ""te t^ Queen Cristina standing beside her son, the 
 " young King " — but it is a splendidly effec- 
 tive picture. I much prefer his portrait of Antonio Gomar, 
 the landscape-painter : in fact, this seems to me to be 
 one of the most remarkable portrait studies of modern 
 days, and on looking at it and admiring its amazing 
 naturalism it is easy to guess at the success this painter is 
 certain to enjoy with the portrait of the American President, 
 which he has just been asked to undertake. 
 
 Sorolla's portrait of himself is a very remarkable work which 
 enchains the attention by reason of its grandeur of simplicity. 
 It is the picture of a determined worker : a man of broad 
 sympathies, of keen susceptibilities, and of iron will. A 
 rugged face lit up by penetrating eyes, which seem almost 
 menacing in their determination to tear from Nature her 
 most cherished secrets. 
 
 The art of Sorolla is known and appreciated all over Europe, 
 but it seems as though his most fervid admirers are to be found 
 in America. Since the beginning of 1909 he has had an over- 
 whelming success in New York and in other parts of the United
 
 Modern Painters 67 
 
 States. It is said that 175,000 persons visited his exhibition 
 of pictures at the Hispanic Museum of New York and that 
 this echpses all American records for attendance at an exhibi- 
 tion of pictures by only one artist. There were about 365 
 pictures in all at this exhibition and some of them were lent 
 specially for the occasion, but so great is the demand for the 
 others, by art collectors, that it is most unlikely that any of 
 them will be returned to Europe. 
 
 It would be difficult to find a painter whose expression of 
 
 Nature is more opposed to that of SoroUa than Zuloaga, and 
 
 yet each of these painters is Spanish in blood, 
 
 ignacio ^^ vision, in thought, and in expression. In 
 
 considering these two painters, side by side, 
 
 we seem to find some of the secrets of Spain, the Unexpected, 
 
 revealed ! 
 
 Zuloaga — to the foreigner — seems very much more 
 " Spanish " than Sorolla. He paints, and to perfection, just 
 what visitors to Spain expect to see, on every side. And yet 
 Ignacio Zuloaga is not one whit more Spanish — in style — than 
 is the creator of " A Sad Inheritance." 
 
 Setting aside entirely the question of skill and without 
 making any sort of comparison, from the technical point of 
 view, between these two artists, it will be instructive, I think, 
 to consider them for a moment from the point of view of the 
 Spaniard. If the latter agreed to consider Sorolla and Zuloaga 
 equally great as artists, he would still — in a majority of cases — 
 vote unhesitatingly in favour of Sorolla. And why ? Because 
 — and it must be remembered that the whole position is 
 hypothetical — the art of Zuloaga represents the vision of the 
 eyes and that of Sorolla the vision of the intelligence. And 
 at this period of her existence Spain is rather turning her back 
 on " the lust of the eyes and the pride of life." 
 
 The pictures of Zuloaga give us the vivid, brilliant types 
 of which Gautier and Hugo and Merim6e have sung with so 
 much fervid eloquence, and these are types which actually 
 exist at the present day, if we but know where to look for them.
 
 68 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 But the ultra-modern Spaniard does not desire to find them : 
 he is only too pleased to find it possible to believe that such 
 " types " exist only in the imagination of foreigners ! 
 
 With regard to the art of Zuloaga, it has frequently been 
 
 said, and I think very unfairly, that he has closely copied 
 
 the style of Goya. He has, to a large extent, 
 
 Rich Colour ^c?^*''<^^ the style of Goya in certain respects, 
 but his art is the expression of a powerful 
 and individual intelligence. He is a Basque and possessed 
 of the qualities which have helped to keep the people of 
 the northern provinces of Spain and the southern provinces 
 of France a thing apart from the rest of Europe. 
 
 Personally, I am an enthusiastic admirer of the art of 
 Zuloaga. It represents a side of nature which seems to me 
 to be of infinite importance : the world of rich colour of 
 alluring smiles, of fragrant flowers, of joyous laughter, and 
 of amour. 
 
 In life we want the silver-grey tints of humanity, but also, 
 at times. Nature calls aloud for an orgy of the senses. Of 
 the many delicious types of Spanish beauty depicted by 
 Ignacio Zuloaga one of the most fascinating is his picture 
 entitled " Lola La Gitana." For entrancing coquetry this 
 portrait of a southern gipsy could not be surpassed. The 
 calm assurance of her pose and the half-veiled mockery of her 
 superb eyes help to make this picture one of the most notable 
 in the world of modern Spanish Art. 
 
 And there is a certain portrait of a picador, in traje de luces, 
 which is a genuine masterpiece. The pose of the figure is 
 extraordinarily natural, and the expression on the rugged 
 face haunts the imagination. As a portrait it is impossible 
 to imagine anything more perfect. 
 
 Zuloaga was born thirty-nine years ago, at Eibar, the home 
 of damascene work, and his father — Placido Zuloaga — is a 
 past-master in the metallic art. 
 
 He has worked a great deal in Paris, and has already 
 produced a surprising number of notable pictures, which are
 
 Modern Painters 69 
 
 to be found in the galleries of all the important European 
 
 capitals. 
 
 It has been said that Antonio de la Gandara is an 
 
 enthusiastic disciple of Velasquez, just as it has been said that 
 
 Ignacio Zuloaga is an enthusiastic disciple of 
 
 Antonio Qova. And in some of Gandara's pictures 
 de la Gandara. -' ^ 
 
 there is a subtle " something " which recalls 
 
 Velasquez : the rich, velvet depth of colour to which I 
 
 alluded at the beginning of this chapter. Beyond this I find 
 
 but little trace of the Velasquez influence in the work of this 
 
 most interesting artist : and I do not hesitate to say this, 
 
 even though a solitary example of Seiior de la Gandara's work 
 
 might be considered quite Velasquez in some respects ! 
 
 As a matter of fact, Antonio de la Gandara is a great admirer 
 and student of the schools of Gainsborough and of Sir Joshua : 
 more than this, he is an ardent admirer of the genius of 
 Hogarth. From every point of view the work of this artist 
 is full of interest. He is a Parisian of Parisians, who has 
 long made his home in the French capital, and yet he remains 
 — in the expression of his art — entirely Spanish. 
 
 Critics have said that Antonio de la Gandara has created 
 the " greyhound type." That there is a suggestion of that 
 most graceful and subtle of animals in many of his portraits. 
 
 If I were asked to sum up, in a very few words, the 
 most remarkable revelation of this painter's art, I should 
 unhesitatingly say that he stands alone as a painter of 
 nerves ! 
 
 The finest portrait ever painted by Gandara — this is my 
 
 personal opinion — was to be found in the galleries of the 
 
 Beaux Arts a few years ago : where it is now 
 
 ^Portrait"^ I do not know. It was a full-length picture 
 of a tall, slender man, dressed in dark 
 brown, and he was standing against a background of 
 sombre colour, like black velvet in certain lights. I do not 
 remember the name of the picture, but once seen it could never 
 be forgotten. The thin face, with its pointed beard and 
 
 6— (2399)
 
 70 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 haunting eyes, seemed quivering with nervous life and the 
 tapering fingers of the slender hands were more eloquent than 
 spoken words. It was a portrait, but also, and this very 
 specially, it was a type. The essentially modem " type "of 
 intellectual Paris, where nerves and subtle suggestions 
 dominate the untutored senses. 
 
 Antonio de la Gandara is, above aU, a painter of beautiful 
 women : beautiful of feature and form or — and this more 
 often — of rarely beautiful intelligence. One of the most 
 fascinating portraits of a woman I have ever seen is this artist's 
 pastel sketch of Madame Gabrielle d'Annunzio : I prefer it 
 to his large and important portrait in oils of the same lady. 
 
 All the pastel studies of this artist are full of fascination, 
 and he recently exhibited some remarkable specimens of his 
 pastel work on grey paper at the exposition of the " Peintres 
 et Sculpteurs," at the rue de She, Paris. 
 
 A great charm of Gandara's work lies in its variety of 
 expression. He is equally successful, for example, in a 
 portrait of a spirituelle blonde, such as Madame Henri Letellier, 
 and of such a personality as the poet Verlaine ! 
 
 Rusinol has often been spoken of as " the Painter of 
 Gardens," but to describe him as the " Poet Painter " would 
 seem more adequate. He has made a 
 Santiago speciality of gardens of all kinds, but he has 
 introduced into each picture the very spirit 
 of poetry. Figures are rarely, if ever, introduced : never- 
 theless the gardens of Santiago Rusinol are peopled with spirits 
 of the past. They never give an impression of loneliness. 
 
 Rusifiol is a Catalan, and was born in Barcelona in 1861. 
 At the beginning of his career he felt inclined to take up 
 figure-painting, but then the spirit of the garden entered into 
 possession of his soul and never since has he found it possible 
 to escape from the sweet enthralment. 
 
 And the fascination of these Spanish gardens must be felt 
 to be realised : it is impossible to convey, in mere words, any 
 real impression of their charm and of their infinite variety.
 
 Modern Painters 71 
 
 For so varied are the garden scenes of Rusifiol that they can 
 be placed side by side in a " one man " exhibition without 
 becoming monotonous. In fact, such exhibitions have been 
 given in Madrid, Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, etc., and with 
 immense success. 
 
 One of the most fascinating of the Rusifiol gardens is that 
 
 called " The Labyrinth, Barcelona." This is an exquisite 
 
 study of light and shade, the winding walks 
 
 "^^^R^siHor' °^ outlmed with clean-cut hedges aU leading 
 
 to a clear pond, in which is reflected the 
 
 gleaming marbles of white statuary. An atmosphere of 
 
 summer silence pervades this picture, but one, unconsciously, 
 
 looks for the appearance of joyous figures stealing through 
 
 the green arches, finger on lips as they endeavour to 
 
 preserve the secret of their presence from their companions 
 
 in the outer paths. 
 
 And again in the wonderful picture, " Dans un Jardin 
 Seigneurial," with its stately flight of stone steps and its 
 luxuriant foliage on either side ! The steps, which mount 
 and mount until they seem almost to mingle with the waving 
 branches of sombre trees, are empty, save for the presence 
 of two superb peacocks, but in imagination one sees the 
 stately form of some lovely woman, shrouded in laces and 
 with roses thrown against her heavy coils of hair, slowly 
 descending to meet her lover and lord ! The whole picture 
 is enveloped in an atmosphere of riches and magnificence and 
 passionate love. 
 
 If Rusihol had not elected to become a painter it is quite 
 likely that he would have made a name for himself in the 
 world of literature, for he has produced some remarkable 
 short stories, and also some dramas — ail written in Catalan. 
 A specially interesting volume published by him is entitled 
 " Itnpresiones de Arte," which is illustrated by himself and also 
 by Zuloaga and by Utrillo. He has enjoyed many wanderings 
 in foreign countries, and has, in several instances, recorded 
 his impressions with pen as well as brush.
 
 72 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 This gifted woman is one of the most notable of the Spanish 
 painters resident in Paris. She has made a speciaHty of 
 fiower and fruit subjects, but has also executed 
 ^Kiv^MuLl^ ^°^"® portraits of rare charm. Of the fruit 
 studies of Madame de la Riva Muiioz it is 
 impossible to speak with sufficient warmth for they are abso- 
 lutely marvellous. And this is specially true of the texture 
 of the bunches of grapes which are frequently introduced into 
 her pictures : no other living artist approaches her in this field 
 of art. 
 
 Madame de la Riva Mufioz has long been one of the favourite 
 painters of Queen Cristina — the mother of King Alfonso : 
 this Royal lady has purchased a number of her paintings, 
 water-colours as well as oils, and these are to be found in the 
 Royal Palace of Madrid and also at the Palais de Miramar at 
 San Sebastian. The Infanta Isabel, aunt to the King, has 
 also become possessed of notable specimens of this great 
 artist's works. 
 
 In aU the important art centres of Europe Madame de la 
 Riva Mufioz ' works have been received with acclamation. 
 She received bronze and silver medals at the Paris Exhibitions 
 of 1889 and of 1900, and is a Member of the Jury of the 
 Society of " Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs " of France. She 
 is " Membre elu de la Societe des Artistes de Berlin " and 
 ' Membre elu de la Society des Artistes et Ecrivains de 
 Vienne," etc., etc. 
 
 Important pictures by this eminent artist are to be found 
 in the principal art collections of Berlin, Saint Petersburg, 
 Vienna, Munich, Madrid, Paris, etc., and the State of France 
 has purchased two of her exquisite studies of nature morte. 
 
 One of the best known and most appreciated Spanish artists 
 of the present day is Don Jos^ Villegas, the Director of the 
 Prado Museum of Madrid. This eminent 
 Villeea^ painter is a Sevillano, and well sustains the 
 glory of Andalusian art : his ^ime is world- 
 wide. Don Jos6, who was born in the year 1848, began his
 
 Modern Painters 73 
 
 art studies under Jose Maria Romero, at Sevilla. Later on 
 he became a pupil at the Belles Artes, of Eduardo Cano, but 
 broke with this school because of the absence of a " hfe " 
 class, Villegas had been immensely impressed by an exhibi- 
 tion of pictures by famous artists, which he had seen at Sevilla, 
 and on leaving this exhibition he at once announced to his 
 then master, Cano, that he did not intend to continue the 
 system of copying from the flat, but that he was determined 
 at once to begin studying from life. Cano placed such 
 difficulties in the way of the young enthusiast that the latter 
 finally left Sevilla and made his way to Madrid. At this period 
 Villegas made several excellent portraits, and he also found 
 great benefit from the copies he made of the works of Velasquez 
 and Titian. 
 
 Quite early in his career his paintings created a sensation 
 in Madrid, and he received so much encouragement that he 
 decided to continue his studies in Rome. In Rome the young 
 Spaniard studied in the famous academy of Gigi, through 
 which had passed all the most famous pictures of the 
 nineteenth century. 
 
 While in Rome he painted a picture which at once placed 
 him in the front ranks of his profession : it represented a 
 Plaza de Toros in his native country, and was called " El 
 Descanso de la Cuadrilla." 
 
 So charmed was the illustrious artist, Benito Mercader, with 
 the pictures of Andalusian life created by Jose Villegas, that 
 he took some of them with him to Paris and there exhibited 
 them to a circle of art critics. From that moment the success 
 of the sevillano was assured. 
 
 In a delightfully sympathetic letter, which I recently 
 received from this great artist, he pomts out that his two finest 
 pictures, in his own opinion, are the " I\Iuerte del Maestro " 
 and " El Triunfo de la Dogaresa Foscari." Both these 
 paintings are world-famous. 
 
 With regard to the " Dogaresa Foscari," the grouping of 
 the vast number of figures introduced is most remarkable :
 
 74 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 the central figure is surrounded by ladies of the Court, ambas- 
 sadors and other notable personages, and beyond these there 
 are pages and standard-bearers, etc. The impression of vivid 
 life conveyed is quite extraordinary : each separate figure 
 seems alert and ready for motion. 
 
 Both the paintings above mentioned were — in 1894 — 
 exhibited in Munich, Berlin, Vienna, and Brussels, everywhere 
 creating a veritable sensation. In fact, at 
 "^Jj^g"^^*^,''^^ Brussels the excitement which raged round 
 the " Muerte del Maestro " was so great that 
 it had to be railed off in the exhibition gallery, to guard 
 it from injury by the immense crowds which surrounded 
 it at all hours of the day. The conception of this 
 picture — the " Muerte del Maestro," which represents the 
 death of a bull-fighter — is masterly. The unfortunate man, 
 wounded unto death, has been conveyed from the arena into 
 the little chapel, which is always to be found at a Plaza de 
 Toros. He is lying on a mattress at the foot of the altar, 
 and an alguacil is conveying, with a despairing gesture of 
 the hand, that all is over. Besides the powerful and strangely 
 pathetic figure of the dead man there are several figures in this 
 painting which enchain the attention : notably that of a 
 mozo de estoques — the keeper of the torero's swords. A replica 
 of this picture is in the possession of the Emperor of 
 Russia. 
 
 The more important paintings of Sefior Villegas are to be 
 found in private collections in America. He has also notable 
 works in the public galleries of London, Paris, BerUn, Vienna, 
 New York, St. Petersburg, etc. 
 
 He is a Commander of the Legion of Honour, an Academi- 
 cian of fourteen different Academies, and has been decorated 
 by nearly all the crowned heads of Europe. His most 
 cherished decoration, however, is the Gold Medal of Austria, 
 which is a rare and much coveted distinction. 
 
 Amongst his best known pictures the following may be 
 singled out for special mention : "Los Primeros Frutos," in
 
 Modern Painters 75 
 
 the possession of Queen Margarita of Italy ; " The Doge 
 Foscari leaving his Ducal Palace after his deposition " ; an 
 admirable portrait of Madame Villegas ; " The Last Kiss," 
 and his portrait of King Alfonso XIII, in the costume of a 
 Colonel of Halberdiers, this picture having been executed at 
 the order of the Bank of Spain. 
 
 Don Jose Villegas is rather a small man with the kindest 
 
 of smiles and fierce moustaches ! His bearing is so 
 
 determined that almost it might be 
 
 ' described as defiant, and he is the most 
 
 sjmipathetic of friends. 
 
 In the letter, to which I have already alluded, he said : "I 
 am working at present with as much enthusiasm as in my first 
 years of student life. I still continue studying, since for me no 
 religion is greater than that of art, for which I am filled with 
 an idolatrous love : I do not think that anything more 
 beautiful could exist than Art and Science, for to these we owe 
 all our ideals." 
 
 I have placed together two famous sons of Sevilla : Bilbao 
 
 — who was born in the year 1861 — studied in Rome with 
 
 Villegas and afterwards spent some time in 
 
 Gonzalo Bilbao. Naples and Venice. His first prominent 
 
 picture was entitled, " El Idilio de Dafnis y 
 
 Cloe," and it attracted immediate attention by reason of its 
 
 superb draughtsmanship. It is notable in the case of Bilbao that 
 
 he is equally notable as a draughtsman and as a subtle colourist. 
 
 Bilbao has made successes in several regions of art, but the 
 work done during his prolonged visit to the north of Africa 
 is given, by many critics, the most important place. The 
 majority of these Moroccan scenes were exhibited in Munich 
 some years ago and enjoyed a sensational success. Chief 
 amongst these are " Una Calle de Tetuan," " El Santon 
 Arabe," " Primavera," and " Pasa Tiempos Arabes " — all of 
 which are bathed in light and sunshine. There is reflected 
 in them not only the Oriental fantasy, but also the imagination 
 of an artist who is wholly Spanish.
 
 76 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 One of the largest and best known of this artist's pictures 
 is " La Vuelta al Hato," which obtained a silver medal at the 
 exhibition of Barcelona in 1891. Of this painting the critic 
 Don Augusto Comas y Blanco has written : " It is late in the 
 afternoon ; twiliglit gathers and the light fades. On the 
 horizon the violet tints of night begin to appear and labourers 
 after their day's work return through the cornfields, singing 
 joyously. The figures are exquisitely balanced in this picture ; 
 each one occupies its own proper place and each movement 
 is natural. The mother on arriving at the cottage runs to 
 greet her child, whom she raises in her arms with a gesture of 
 rapture ; the father — whose oxen are still yoked together — 
 contemplates the scene which represents his domestic 
 happiness. The conception of this simple scene is most 
 admirable." 
 
 Of quite another order is Bilbao's " Cojedores de Naranjas," 
 
 which represents a grove of orange trees in full fruit. In the 
 
 foreground a woman mounted on a ladder 
 
 PainUne ^^ plucking the golden fruit and throwing 
 
 it down to a companion who is standing 
 
 under the tree. To the right of the canvas, and in the 
 
 shadow of the trees some men are piling the oranges into 
 
 great baskets. The most notable thing in this picture is 
 
 the figure of the woman standing near the orange tree 
 
 and looking up ; the drawing of her head and shoulders 
 
 is masterly. Brilliant rays of sunshine, which have forced 
 
 their way through the branches of the trees, fall on the 
 
 figures of the workers, and the glory of golden light is 
 
 almost startling in its intensity, for it is the sunshine of 
 
 Sevilla in full summer. 
 
 This picture obtained a reward at the great exhibition of 
 Chicago. 
 
 Many modern Spanish artists have been accused of sacri- 
 ficing line to colour or vice versa, but in the case of Bilbao it 
 may again be said that he is as fine a draughtsman as he is 
 a fine colourist,
 
 Modern Painters 77 
 
 Yet another famous Andalusian comes to be added to the 
 hst. Carbonero is a native of Malaga, and he is a true son of 
 southern soil. Happy and joyous in tempera- 
 Jos 6 Moreno jyjgj^^ as in his art, this painter seems to 
 Carbonero. , , , .' . r x ^ ■, ■ ii , 
 
 breathe out the spirit of Andalusia : . that 
 
 delicious philosophy of accepting the day as it comes and 
 enjoying its delights to the full. 
 
 Of all the modern Spanish painters, Moreno Carbonero seems 
 the most joyous and contented. He does not worry Nature 
 by ceaseless questionings as does Sorolla, but he admires our 
 great common mother with all his heart and depicts her varied 
 aspects with unerring skill. 
 
 But from this view of his character it must not be supposed 
 that Carbonero cannot be very serious when he likes, for his 
 greatest painting represents a scene of intense 
 ^" ^Pkture "^""^ solemnity. It is called " The Conversion 
 of the Duke of Gandia," and it is at present 
 one of the notable features in the Museum of Modern Art 
 at Madrid. The story of this picture — which is historic — 
 is so romantic that it is worth while to recapitulate some of 
 its leading incidents. " Don Francisco de Borja y Aragon," 
 " Duque de Gandia," was the equerry and intimate friend 
 of Carlos I of Spain. It was said that he was also the devoted 
 admirer of the Empress Isabel. It was his duty to escort the 
 Empress on her travels, when she went hunting, etc., and on 
 occasion, when the Royal party was hunting at Toledo, Dona 
 Isabel died suddenly from a virulent fever. The Duke of 
 Gandia had to escort her remains to Granada, that she might 
 be buried in the Chapel of the Reyes Catolicos. 
 
 They were received at the Chapel by a bishop, who 
 demanded to see Her Majesty. The cofftn had to be opened, 
 and a terrible odour of death and decay spread itself through 
 the building. 
 
 It was necessary that the Duke should call on the name 
 of the Empress three times, and then when he received no 
 response, he announced that she was dead.
 
 78 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 This heartrending ceremony took such an effect upon the 
 Duke that he declared he would never again serve an earthly 
 monarch, and in 1548 he became a member of the Jesuit 
 Order. From that moment he led such a markedly holy life 
 that he was finally canonized and is venerated under the name 
 of San Francisco de Borja. 
 
 The arrangement of the figures in this picture is very remark- 
 able. The coffin of the dead Empress, with its rich draperies 
 falling from it to the floor, occupies one side and the centre of the 
 canvas. At the other side the Prelates, in gorgeous vestments 
 and flanked by lighted candles, are standing, and at the foot 
 of the coffin the grief-stricken man is supported by a friend. 
 
 To the world at large Carbonero is best known as an 
 
 inimitable portrayer of Don Quixote. He has executed many 
 
 pictures in which the marvellous knight of 
 
 Inimitable Lg. Mancha has been the chief figure, but of 
 
 Don Quixote, these none is more fascinating than his "Don 
 ■Quixote and the Windmill." In this painting 
 our well-beloved knight is depicted falling from a height, with 
 poor terrified Rosinante just above him, the reins still tightly 
 clutched in Don Quixote's gloved hand. The whole thing is 
 an amazing tour de force, and would alone have made its 
 creator famous. 
 
 I have already alluded, in passing, to Carbonero's large 
 portrait of King Alfonso XIII. Personally, I do not like it, 
 because it does not recall to me the King, but as a painting 
 it is very fine and the figure is posed in a simple but dignified 
 attitude. 
 
 Once more we have a sevillano, and one whose studio, in 
 Se villa, can only be described by the single word ideal, for it 
 is in the Alcazar, with its great windows over- 
 Diego Lopez, looking the terrace that leads down to the 
 delicious gardens in which Maria de Padilla 
 used to walk, and in which may still be seen her bath, from 
 which the courtiers of Don Pedro the Cruel used to drink to 
 show their gallantry !
 
 Photo bv 
 
 Pavon 
 
 ^T'^^i
 
 Modern Painters 79 
 
 It is a real delight to visit the studio of Don Diego Lopez on 
 a sultry afternoon of late spring — in Sevilla ; when outside 
 the myrtles and roses are filling the air with fragrance, and 
 inside, in the lofty, peaceful room, where the pictures are 
 placed, here and there, on easels, everything is bathed in a 
 soft and subdued light. 
 
 It is as a portrait painter that Diego Lopez is most eminently 
 successful, and already he has had for subjects some of the 
 most beautiful women of Madrid and of other parts of Spain. 
 One of his finest portraits is that of King Alfonso XIII, which 
 may be said to be entirely successful as it is very like the 
 King and also a most pleasing picture. And it is a great deal 
 to be able to say this of a Royal portrait, for some unwritten 
 law seems to govern the brush of each painter who undertakes 
 such a task — a law which indicates that all Royal Personages 
 must be represented with smaU features, smooth faces, and 
 placid expressions ! 
 
 A very well-known art critic has said of Don Diego that his 
 
 success as a portrait painter may be attributed largely to his 
 
 faculty for keeping his "subjects" thoroughly 
 
 Su^ccess*^ interested and amused. He talks to them 
 
 all the time he is painting, and he rarely 
 
 attempts to place them in special positions. While he is 
 
 talking and laughing with his sitters he is busily engaged in 
 
 studying them, from every point of view, and before he begins 
 
 to work seriously with his brush he has painted the picture 
 
 in his imagination. 
 
 The sevillano is by nature a guason — otherwise a person very 
 fond of joking ! Diego Lopez is in this respect, as in many 
 others, a true son of the Andalusian soil, and his love of fun 
 has often made it possible for his sitters to pass an ideal 
 hour instead of a tiresome one ! 
 
 Besides his portraits, this artist has done some beautiful 
 landscapes in oils — and in giving the impression of southern 
 sunlight he is specially successful. 
 
 Juan Sala, who is a pupil of Courtois and of CoUin, is stiU
 
 80 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 quite a young man, but already he has made a name for 
 
 himself in Europe. This artist is remarkably versatile ; not 
 
 only is he the successful delineator of 
 
 Juan Sala. Spanish beauties and of Andalusian scenery, 
 
 but also he understands how to portray the 
 
 spirituelle Parisienne with a delicacy of touch which, in some 
 
 cases, recalls the art of Helleu. 
 
 It is, however, as a painter of Spanish types of beauty that 
 Juan Sala is best known, outside Spain ; in Paris he has, for 
 some years past, enjoyed a genuine success, and his exhibitions 
 of paintings are always crowded. The Parisian papers have 
 aU spoken in words of glowing praise of a certain " Carmen " 
 painted by this artist ; he has more than once depicted the 
 wayward gipsy of Prosper Merimee, but in the picture to 
 which I am now specially alluding, he achieved a sensational 
 success. The conception of this " Carmen " was quite 
 unconventional ; she was not clothed in brilliant colours, nor 
 was she represented as an audaciously alluring creature of 
 fierce and violent passions ; the svelt figure looks almost 
 fragile in its swathed shawl of sombre black, and even more 
 sombre is the heavy hair which makes a mysterious frame 
 for her curiously fascinating face. The eyes are brilliant 
 but full of a malicious and subtle fire ; the skin is golden 
 yellow, and the voluptuous lips scarlet as a ripe pomegranate ! 
 
 Juan Sala is very successful as a portrait painter, two of 
 his finest works in this connection being a striking picture of 
 Coquelin Aine and of his own wife, who is a brilliant Parisienne. 
 
 An artist of a curiously interesting and complex personality 
 
 is Roberto Montenegro, who is half Mexican and half Spanish. 
 
 His drawings and etchings are really remark- 
 
 Mo^rTtenegro. ^^^^^ "^^ ^^^y ^^^ ^^^ origmality of the 
 
 subjects, but for their decorative treatment, 
 
 which, although distinctly of the school of Aubrey Beardsley, 
 
 is permeated with a subtle mysticism which is quite personal. 
 
 Montenegro has been influenced, undeniably, by the 
 German school of Symbolists. In Germany lie would be
 
 Modern Painters 81 
 
 classed among the Gedankekiinstler — a word which may be 
 roughly translated Ideologists — but this influence may be 
 compared to a narrow river course through which his own 
 imagination rushes in a tumultuous and capricious torrent. 
 The dominant note in Montenegro's work is a love for the 
 strange and the luxurious. His gardens of the eighteenth 
 century, with their peacocks, their yew hedges, and their dark 
 and silent avenues, form a background for some beautiful 
 nude figure, with powdered hair, reclining on a mass ' of 
 embroidered draperies and adorned with heavy jewels of 
 Byzantine design, such as one sees in the pictures of Gustave 
 Moreau. A certain note of melancholy and disillusion, which 
 is very modern, is also evident, and is reminiscent of the 
 scarcely concealed satire of Aubrey Beardsley. 
 
 An exhibition of Montenegro's works was recently held in 
 Madrid, and created quite a sensation in art circles. The finest 
 drawings exhibited were " The Temptation of Saint Anthony," 
 " The Fountain of Life," " Salome," and a remarkable portrait 
 of Evelina Paoli, the heroine of d'Annunzio's " La Nave." 
 
 Spain is, at the present day, rich in sculptors, but most 
 prominent among these must be placed Mariano Benlliure — 
 
 one of three remarkable brothers. Benlliure 
 Some Notable ^^^ ^^gg^^ eminently successful in many 
 
 branches of his art, but in one particular line 
 he reigns supreme ; no one can rival him as a sculptor of bulls 
 and of picadors. 
 
 What Goya did in the past for the bull ring with canvas 
 and brush, Mariano Benlliure has done with bronze and 
 
 marble. His first success was made at the 
 Mariano early age of nine years, when he modelled a 
 
 surprisingly life-like figure of a wounded 
 picador, and since then he has again and again compelled 
 the admiration of nations with his bronze figures depicting 
 scenes in some Plaza de toros. 
 
 Benlliure might have — perhaps has — made a fortune 
 several times over with his portrait busts in marble.
 
 82 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Every beautiful woman in Spain, from the Queen down, has 
 been immortaUsed by him, and these portrait busts are 
 remarkable for several reasons ; they are invariably faithful 
 likenesses, but more than that, they indicate, in some subtle 
 way, the temperament of the subject. 
 
 Benlliure's portrait of Queen Victoria of Spain is a master- 
 piece. The resemblance is lifelike, and there is a certain regal 
 grace, a certain fine simplicity, which makes this bust very 
 striking. 
 
 Of quite another order is the same artist's bust of C16o de 
 Merode, the dancer. This portrait is enveloped in a subtle 
 and exotic atmosphere which distinctly recalls the tempera- 
 ment of the beautiful model : the heavy hair is loosely drawn 
 down at either side of the small face, and twisted into a great 
 Greek knot at the back of the head, and the flat throat, which 
 is one of M^rode's most remarkable points, is modelled to 
 perfection. 
 
 Miranda is one of the eminent Spanish artists who have 
 
 elected to spend much of their time in other countries than 
 
 their own. For many years he made his home 
 
 Mfra,nda° ^^ America, and is President of the Sculptor's 
 
 Society of the United States. Fernando 
 
 Miranda began his career as a black and white artist : he was 
 
 an important contributor in those days to the Ilustracion 
 
 Espanola y Americana, and was, in this connection, weU 
 
 known in the States long before he took up sculpture. 
 
 Amongst the finest works of this eminent sculptor may be 
 mentioned " El Espiritu de hivestigacion " (" The Spirit of 
 Research"), which stands in the court-yard of the Public 
 Library of Boston ; his beautiful group, " Colon y los 
 Pinzones " ; the equestrian statue of Washington which 
 occupies a prominent position in the city of Newark, and his 
 colossal statue of " Fame," which was one of the most notable 
 features in the St. Louis Exhibition. 
 
 This statue, " Fame," is magnificent — in conception as in 
 execution. There is a colossal female figure of great beauty,
 
 Modern Painters 83 
 
 upon whose head is bound a wreath of laurels. She is standing 
 in an attitude of imperious aloofness and her head is partly 
 turned away from the figure by her side, whose arms are 
 stretched up in a vain attempt to snatch the treasures 
 contained in the casket which she is carrjnng. 
 
 Senor Miranda has recently returned to Spain, and it is 
 hoped that he will now settle down in his own country, where 
 his presence will be keenly appreciated. 
 
 Prominent in the group of Catalan sculptors are Miguel 
 Blay and Gustavo Obiols. Both these artists reside in 
 Paris and are well known in the art circles of the French 
 capital. 
 
 Blay's career opened in a very simple and unpretentious 
 
 way. In his native town of Olot, in Cataluna, he began by 
 
 making images of saints for the churches ; 
 
 Miguel Blay. after a time his love of work and of close study 
 
 attracted the attention of important persons, 
 
 and through their influence he obtained from the Municipality 
 
 a grant of money which enabled him to continue his studies 
 
 in Rome and in Paris. 
 
 His first great success was made in Madrid, with a group 
 entitled " Los Primeros Frios," for which he received a gold 
 medal. There is a grim strength and breadth in the figure 
 of the old man represented in this group which recalls some 
 of Rodin's works, and from the moment that the exceptional 
 merit of " Los Primeros Frios " was recognised in Madrid, 
 the successful career of Miguel Blay was assured. In the 
 Universal Exhibition of Paris this Catalan sculptor divided 
 with Benlliure the first prize in the Spanish Art section. 
 
 This sculptor was the founder of the Association of Spanish 
 
 Artists in Paris, and in connection with this Association he 
 
 has done splendid work ; yearly exhibitions 
 
 Gustavo Obiols. are held, in which the productions of eminent 
 
 Spanish artists are brought before the French 
 
 public. Sefior Obiols makes a speciality of the nude ; his 
 
 statues are rarely large, but they are always imbued with
 
 84 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 vivid life, and their purity of outline is wholly admirable. 
 
 This artist resides entirely in Paris. 
 
 Before closing this chapter on the Modern Painters of Spain, 
 
 I should like, once again, to look into the vexed question of 
 
 things " very Spanish." I have pointed out 
 
 The very more than once in this volume that the 
 Spanish." , • , r r „ 
 
 disappomtments which often seem to fall to 
 
 the lot of visitors to Spain are the natural result of a mistaken 
 
 outlook in the first instance. 
 
 In Spain so very many things are " very Spanish," and these 
 things differ, the one from the other, in a manner which is 
 nothing short of extraordinary. It is almost certain that nine 
 persons in ten — I am speaking of foreigners — would declare 
 Zuloaga to be far more Spanish in style than Sorolla. Bilbao, 
 again, in his Andalusian and African pictures, would 
 probably supply what was expected, but not, I think, 
 Carbonero. 
 
 In this connection, Mr. Leonard Williams tells an amusing 
 little story, of which Don Joaquin Sorolla is the hero. In 
 conversation with Mr. Williams, the painter once said that 
 even the best of the French critics summed up his 
 work somewhat after this style : " Senor Sorolla is a 
 very good painter : but why does he not paint Spanish 
 scenes ? " 
 
 " WTiat do they want ? " Sorolla continued. " Am I to 
 perpetrate for them a modern Spanish gentleman in a cheese- 
 shaped hat and fringed leggings ; or a Spanish duchess hanging 
 from a bull-fighter's neck ? I can assure you that I do but 
 paint my country as she is : my countrymen as they 
 are." 
 
 The little story is sufficiently amusing, and it indicates 
 very accurately the point of view taken by many eminent 
 Spaniards ; nevertheless the bull-fighters still exist, and are 
 the subjects of considerable adoration ! 
 
 And at the great Fiestas — notably at the Spring Fair at 
 Sevilla — many modern Spaniards wear very picturesque
 
 Modern Painters 85 
 
 costumes indeed, and those who have eyes to see, and who 
 
 know where to look, may to-day see types and costumes which 
 
 will recaU very strongly the brilliant pictures of Goya and 
 
 of our modern Zuloaga. The whole fact of the 
 
 Picturesque matter is, that Spain is essentially and above 
 
 Sevilla Fair. ^^ ^^^ land of the unexpected : the land of 
 
 contradictions ; the land — and perhaps in this 
 
 respect the Peninsula is unique — in which things ancient 
 
 and ultra-modern march side by side, without apparent 
 
 incongruity. 
 
 Speaking personally, I can with truth say that in my 
 wanderings in Spain I have chanced across the Spaniards of 
 Sorolla, of Zuloaga, and of Bilbao ! And I have walked in the 
 silent gardens of Rusifiol ! AU these artists have painted 
 Spanish scenes and types of to-day, and it is absurd to say 
 that one is " more Spanish " than the other, for Spain is made 
 up of a bewildering number of " types " and of human crea- 
 tures possessed of a bewildering number of unexpected 
 characteristics. 
 
 7— (2399)
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 PLAYS AND PLAYERS 
 
 With regard to his amusements, as with most other things, 
 
 the Spaniard is very practical. He — I am now speaking of 
 
 the average individual — goes to the theatre 
 
 The Theatres ^^ -^^ amused and entertained, not to be 
 01 opa.in. 
 
 instructed. And since he dines late and 
 
 requires, during each evening, many moments in which to 
 
 " pass the time of day " with his fellows, he demands that his 
 
 theatrical performances shall begin early and end late, and 
 
 that they shall be so arranged that he may be able to stroll 
 
 into a theatre just at the hour most convenient to him ! 
 
 And really, when one takes time to consider the position, 
 the Spaniard's idea of an entertaining evening is not incorrect. 
 He does not see why he should be hurried over his dinner ; 
 nor does he see why he should be obliged to sit in the same 
 position for a couple of hours at a stretch ; nor does he see 
 why he should be obliged to sit and listen when his inclinations 
 whisper that it would be much more agreeable to stand and 
 talk ! And it is for all these reasons that the zarzuela is the 
 favourite entertainment of the average Spaniard. 
 
 A zarzuela is simply a musical play, of one or more acts, 
 
 and at some of the popular theatres of Madrid four of these 
 
 little pieces are played — one after the other — 
 
 ttie^ Zarzuela^ ^^ ^^^ same evening. The managers of these 
 theatres aim at constant variety, and quite a 
 surprising number of little pieces may be played in a single 
 week. Generally speaking, there are four distinct perform- 
 ances at such theatres as those to which I am now alluding, 
 and the prices — for each performance — range from two to
 
 Plays and Players 87 
 
 four reales, the real being worth about twopence-halfpenny. 
 For five pesetas one can have a superb box which will hold 
 five or six persons. 
 
 At first this system seems, to the foreigner, very curious, 
 but a short sojourn in Spain brings out its excellent qualities. 
 A very pleasant and amusing hour can be passed without 
 serious expenditure and those who feel so inclined can pass 
 out between the performances, spend an hour at a cafe with 
 some friends, and then return for another little piece. 
 
 For the benefit of visitors who do not know the country 
 well it may be advisable to remark that — as a rule — the 
 performances are arranged to suit the requirements of special 
 patrons ! Thus the more or less " family " pieces are put 
 on the stage between the hours of eight and eleven ; after 
 that the tastes of the man-about-town are considered ! 
 
 Some of the zarzuelas given at the Spanish theatres are 
 really excellent, bright and amusing, with very effective 
 music. One of the most successful zarzuela writers in Spain 
 at the present day is Joaquin Valverde, pere ; Joaquin 
 Valverde, fits, is also very clever and the composer of the 
 Polio Tejada and other popular successes, but the elder 
 Valverde is the finer musician of the two, and his career has 
 been an interesting one. 
 
 I have mentioned first the theatres given over to zarzuelas, 
 
 because these are certainly more numerous than any others in 
 
 Spain, but it must not be supposed from this 
 
 The Serious ^)^^^ ^]^g Spaniards are not appreciative of the 
 Spain. serious drama. On the contrary, they accept 
 
 and appreciate plays which would in England 
 be considered ultra-serious and educational ; more than that, 
 many of these plays are — like so many Spanish novels — 
 exceedingly long and discursive. Amongst the serious 
 dramatists of Spain Jose Echegaray takes a prominent place. 
 By the younger school he is considered rather old-fashioned, 
 but he has made for himself a solid reputation, and his pieces 
 never fail to interest his own countrymen, as well as foreigners.
 
 88 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Echegaray is a very remarkable-looking man with a noble 
 forehead, keen yet kindly eyes, a long thin nose, and the 
 " goaty " beard which used to be associated 
 Jos6 Echegaray. with American politicians. In speaking of 
 Sorolla's fine portrait of this Spanish dramatist 
 Mr. Leonard Williams made the following apposite remark : 
 " Many of the modern critics find his (Echegaray 's) drama 
 antiquated and unreal. He seems prepared, upon this canvas 
 of Sorolla's, to reply to such a charge. ' Gentlemen,' he seems 
 to say, ' the world is old, and I am old, and even you may some 
 day grow acquainted with the soothing scepticism of old age. 
 This earth of ours is not, as fledgling sages think, a revolu- 
 tionary red, but simply grey — just like the colour of my 
 dramas, or my conversation, or my eyes, the background of 
 this portrait, or the ashes of my cigarette.' " 
 
 He is a wonderful old man, this writer of plays, who is 
 also a poet and a philosopher, a statesman, an orator, a 
 mathematician and an inimitable lecturer. 
 
 Born in the year 1832, he early became famous as a revolu- 
 tionary orator and held office in the short-lived republic. 
 Since then he has written many dramatic pieces, some of 
 which have enjoyed great success ; quite recently an adapta- 
 tion of his, " El Gran Galeoto" — under the title "The World 
 and his Wife " — was produced in New York, and the 
 Americans found it entirely to their taste. In criticising it 
 a well-known New York manager said : " There is not 
 a moment of obscurity in the play, not an instant of 
 heaviness." 
 
 The plays of Echegaray belong to the romantic school of 
 yesterday. He almost invariably arranges that virtue may 
 be rewarded and vice punished, and though his style cannot 
 be called melodramatic, the plots of some of his best known 
 plays recall the pieces which used to draw crowds to the 
 Adelphi in days gone by. 
 
 It has been said that he writes entirely for the great middle- 
 class, and it is certain that by the average individual he is
 
 Plays and Players 89 
 
 admired and appreciated. He sees life from a serial-story 
 point of view, and as he sees it so he represents it : always 
 with effective dialogue and " situations." 
 
 The most successful plays of this dramatist are " La Esposa 
 del Vengador " ; " O Locura 6 Santidad," and " El Gran 
 Galeoto " — the latter setting forth the dangers of a three- 
 cornered friendship between a man, his wife, and a mutual 
 friend. The leading idea might be said to be time-worn, but 
 the manner in which the world regards friendships of this kind 
 is cleverly depicted. 
 
 I have already said, in speaking of the literary works of 
 
 Galdos, that this writer has always held that there should 
 
 be no line of demarcation drawn between the 
 
 ^^clldrs^''^^ novel and the play ; that a good book should 
 necessarily make a good play. Galdos has 
 been able to put this theory to the test, and many times, since 
 the majority of his plays have first appeared in book form. 
 It was not until 1892, after he had enjoyed twenty years 
 of success as a novelist, that the first play of Galdos was 
 produced, but since that date he has written a number of 
 dramas, each one interesting from a psychological point of 
 view. 
 
 Perez Galdos is at present, with the exception of ]os6 
 Echegaray, the only great dramatist in Spain, and the immense 
 importance of his work is only beginning to be realised in a 
 land where things move slowly and in which striking originality 
 is certain of a mixed reception. 
 
 From the beginning of his literary career this writer's views 
 have never changed ; he has always cherished a strong and 
 entirely admirable purpose, for he has proposed to work, by 
 all the means in his power, for the regeneration of his country, 
 and — no less than the poet Ganivet — he has realised that this 
 regeneration must come from within ; he has made use of the 
 stage as a sort of blackboard on which to depict the causes of 
 the nation's decadence and the means, as he sees them, by 
 which the regeneration might be effected.
 
 90 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 The defects personified in his characters are the defects of 
 
 the entire Spanish race ; any intelhgent Spaniard will admit 
 
 that caciquismo — or political wire-pulling — 
 
 Interesting j^^s been the ruin of the country for the last 
 
 Plays of Gaidos. century, and that religious zeal, pushed to 
 
 extreme excess, is certain to degenerate into 
 
 fanaticism and superstition in a people already susceptible 
 
 to these defects. Gaidos has plainly set forth these facts in 
 
 his plays, but we must not, for that reason, suppose that he 
 
 is a revolutionary or an enemy of religion, the truth being 
 
 that he has simply preached the ideas which seemed to him 
 
 necessary for the progress of his countr5mien. 
 
 Menendez y Pelayo, the illustrious representative of Spanish 
 Catholicism, was at one time strongly opposed to Gaidos' ideas, 
 which he considered heterodox in the extreme, but he has 
 since entirely altered his opinion, and has recognised the 
 necessity of opening up newer and wider horizons in a country 
 which is too much inclined to look back to the Middle Ages for 
 inspiration. It is a notable fact that foreigners have often 
 been amazed at the indignation aroused in Spain by Gaidos' 
 plays, which to them appeared quite nomial in tone. 
 
 Abroad the public is familiar with the point of view of 
 Ibsen, Tolstoy, and all the modern Russian and Norwegian 
 writers, which is simply the point of view of Perez Gaidos, 
 acclimatized to the Spanish atmosphere. 
 
 The average theatre-going public in Spain, however, 
 accustomed to dramas of a highly conventional and stereo- 
 typed order, found itself obliged suddenly to re-adjust its 
 mental attitude and to accept a standpoint in violent contrast 
 to the old-established ideas consecrated by tradition. Hence 
 the fact that many of Gaidos' plays, which were extremely 
 successful, and which aroused the most heated discussions 
 in Spain, passed almost unnoticed when represented 
 abroad. 
 
 Gaidos' dramatic works present a sort of cycle of psycho- 
 logical analyses : there is a connection through them all.
 
 Plays and Players 91 
 
 For example, " Los Condenados," produced in 1894, resumed 
 
 and concluded the problems presented in " Realidad " (1892). 
 
 In the same way " Alma y Vida " (1902) 
 
 j/^ ^^}^ °^ , is the natural conclusion of " Voluntad " 
 AnalysS (1895). The finest of aU Galdos' plays, " El 
 Abuelo," which had a triumphant success 
 in Madrid in the winter of 1904-1905, is a resume of all that 
 was best in the preceding works, and represents the dramatist's 
 final affranchisement from the trammels of Spanish tradition, 
 since in this play he proves that humanity can triumph even 
 over that legendary heirloom — family honour ! 
 
 The plot of this play is remarkable : it is simple and full of 
 emotion ; the interest is centred in a psychological problem 
 which makes one pause to consider whether the great primeval 
 impulses of humanity are not, after all, of the first importance. 
 
 An outline of the plot of this play may be given in a few 
 words. An old count, who was the grandfather of two 
 charming girls — Nell and Dolly, — learns that one of them is 
 not the child of his dead son. The situation is rendered 
 poignant by the fact that he does not know which of the girls 
 has a right to his affections : both are equally charming and 
 lovable. 
 
 The painful searching of the old man to discover this family 
 secret is depicted in a masterly manner ; the audience is kept 
 on tip-toe with curiosity and interest. At one moment the 
 count is convinced that his son's child is " Nell " ; then he 
 finds himself equally sure that it must be " Dolly " ; finally, 
 he learns that " Nell " is his true grandchild. The question 
 then arises as to whether the honour of the family would 
 permit him to continue to love, and show consideration for, 
 the stranger who has no right to the protection of his roof : 
 whose very existence is a blot upon the family honour. 
 
 The old man's decision, that love must triumph over every- 
 thing, affords a beautiful lesson in humanity, and one which 
 is admirably put forward at the conclusion of the play. 
 
 The success of this drama was quite remarkable in Spain
 
 92 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 where the theatre generally depends for its success on striking 
 denouements or complicated intrigues. 
 
 A peculiarity of Galdos' work — which is shared by other 
 Spanish writers, notably Valera — is that all his heroines seem 
 
 to have been cast in the same mould : the 
 Hwo^^^s same type of woman, with a strong tendency 
 
 towards mysticism and a perfect passion for 
 renunciation, appears again and again in his plays. Isidora 
 in " Voluntad," Laura in " Alma y Vida," Mariucha in the 
 play of that name, and above all, Barbara, represent the same 
 emotions and the same ideals ; they might one and all be said 
 to be symbolic of Spain, with its mystic exaltations and its 
 profound melancholy ; there is an undoubted affinity between 
 them and the enigmatic heroines of Ibsen. 
 
 The play called " Barbara " is of a frankly s5mibohc nature : 
 the Spanish public, indeed, demanded an explanation of its 
 
 symbolism, and this explanation has not, in 
 " Barbara." my opinion, yet been given, unless we are to 
 
 take it that this play is symbohc of an ironic 
 form of justice. The scene is laid in Syracuse, in 1815 : 
 Barbara, Countess de Termini, driven to desperation by a 
 brutal husband, murders him. Suspicion falls upon Leonardo 
 de Acufia — a hero of Wagnerian type. Leonardo secretly loves 
 the countess and is loved by her ; he is tried and condemned 
 for her crime, and in despair she appeals to Baddaloni, the 
 Governor of Syracuse, to obtain the release of her lover. 
 This tyrant, who appears to have sprung directly from the 
 Middle Ages, demands as the price of Leonardo's release that 
 Barbara shall marry the brother of her murdered husband. 
 After a futile struggle she accepts this marriage as the expiation 
 of her crime, and Leonardo starts on a pilgrimage to the Holy 
 Land. 
 
 It is not surprising that the public was left in considerable 
 doubt as to the author's intention in writing this play, which is 
 an astounding mixture of Wagner and Shakespeare, cemented 
 together by Galdos' own curiously complex views of life.
 
 Plays and Players 93 
 
 Benavente is a dramatist whose plays always present points 
 
 of interest, but his sphere is widely different from that of 
 
 Echegaray or even Galdos. He is chief in the 
 
 Benavente school of writers who aim at giving their public 
 
 food for thought. His plays are mainly 
 
 studies of social problems, and he seems likely to found a 
 
 " Teatro Benaventiano," since quite a number of the younger 
 
 dramatists are following in his footsteps. 
 
 Benavente 's last play, " Por las Nubes," threw an interesting 
 sidelight upon the matrimonial question ; it is a tragi-comedy of 
 lower middle-class life, and depicts, with merciless candour, the 
 disastrous consequences of marriage without sufficient means. 
 
 The author has shown considerable courage in attacking this 
 question, which is undoubtedly the basis of much of the 
 unnecessary poverty and misery of the lower classes. 
 
 It is, hoM'ever, very questionable whether the Spanish public 
 is at all prepared to appreciate a series of plays of this class, 
 as its conception of the office of the theatre is somewhat 
 behind the times. The average Spaniard, as I have already 
 remarked, does not care to regard the theatre as an educational 
 force : he prefers to consider it as a means of passing an 
 agreeable hour or two, and for this reason the pioneers of the 
 modern drama do not in Spain always find it easy to obtain a 
 hearing. 
 
 The " Teatro de Arte " of Madrid is of very recent foun- 
 dation, and — at first sight — it would appear as though it had 
 been organised on somewhat quixotic lines. 
 
 The Teatro since the avowed object of its Director is to 
 
 and Angel work dismterestedly for the advancement of 
 
 Ganivet. art in Spain, without aspiring to any other 
 
 recompense than the aesthetic satisfaction of 
 
 having produced beautiful works. 
 
 The " Teatro de Arte " will probably occupy in Spain very 
 much the same position as that occupied by the " Theatre de 
 rCEuvre " in Paris. It will produce plays extremely inter- 
 esting from an artistic point of view, but not, necessarily.
 
 94 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 popular, and it affords another instance of the undoubted 
 progress of modern ideas in the Peninsula. 
 
 The " Teatro de Arte " began its career with a daring 
 venture ; it produced Angel Ganivet's mystic play, " El 
 Escultor de su Alma " — which had always been regarded by 
 theatrical managers as quite impossible, from a dramatic 
 standpoint, and foredoomed to failure by reason of its 
 complicated symbolism. 
 
 Nevertheless the production of this beautiful work aroused 
 keen interest, and, if it was not universally understood, it 
 was at least appreciated. 
 
 The hero of the play, Pedro Martin, is the personification of 
 Ganivet himself : a being filled with infinite aspirations 
 towards a higher and more perfect form of existence. One 
 might easily imagine that the spirits of Calderon and Ibsen 
 had joined together to take possession of the soul of Ganivet, 
 so profound was his philosophy, and withal so purely Spanish. 
 I do not think I am mistaken in saying that, within the last 
 centur3^ Spain has produced no finer nature than that which 
 belonged to this unhappy poet. 
 
 The actors of the " Teatro de Arte " succeeded, to a 
 surprising degree, in entering into the spirit of the play : the 
 difficult role of Alma was ideally presented by Anita Martos, 
 who is not alone one of the most beautifiil girls in Madrid, 
 but an actress of subtle talent. 
 
 Spain cannot be said to be rich in either actors or actresses. 
 
 Indeed she is notably wanting in dramatic artists of the first 
 
 rank : so much so, that the moment one 
 
 Actors and mentions the serious drama to an intelligent 
 Actresses. " 
 
 Spaniard he invariably brings forward the 
 
 names of Maria Guerrero and of her husband, Fernando Diaz 
 
 de Mendoza. Maria Guerrero is so gifted that she occupies a 
 
 position which is peculiarly personal ; and she must necessarily 
 
 have occupied a like position had she been born in a country 
 
 other than Spain, for she is one of the world's great dramatic 
 
 artists ; she ranks with Elenora Duse and with Sarah Bernhardt.
 
 MARIA GUERRERO
 
 Plays and Players 95 
 
 One of Maria Guerrero's most brilliant successes was made 
 in Galdos' play, " Realidad," in which play she interpreted 
 the difficult role of Augusta. When the play was first produced 
 the actress of whom I am now speaking was still too young 
 to look the part, but she attacked it with so much enthusiasm 
 and fervour that everyone was completely carried away, and 
 her reputation as a consummate actress became completely 
 established. 
 
 It was Maria Guerrero who played the role of the heroine in 
 
 " The Duchess of Saint-Quentin " — by Galdos — when this 
 
 play was hrst presented in Paris, but the 
 
 ^^"in Pari"^" Parisians disUked the play so much that they 
 
 could hardly find a good word for the artists. 
 
 At that time the plays of Perez Galdos were very little known 
 
 in the French capital, and because they were not understood 
 
 they were not appreciated. Later on, however, " Electra " 
 
 enjoyed a huge success, but this was partly due to the fact 
 
 that the Parisians thought it was written for the purpose of 
 
 behttling the Catholic Religion and of holding priests up to 
 
 ridicule. Nothing was further from the intention of Galdos 
 
 than this, but the French public joined the Spaniards in 
 
 insisting on this reading of the work, and the result was a 
 
 sweeping success — in both countries ! 
 
 Maria Guen^ero is a very attractive-looking woman, and 
 she possesses a wonderful speaking voice. Not the " voice of 
 gold," which used to be the most potent weapon in Bernhardt's 
 armoury, but a liquid, exquisitely sympathetic voice which 
 can with ease suggest tears. Fernando Diaz de Mendoza is 
 an accomplished actor, and both he and his gifted wife take 
 infinite pains to stage their pieces with exceeding care and 
 accuracy. It used not to be the custom, in the theatres of 
 Spain, to spend large sums of money on the staging of a piece, 
 but since the Guerrero-Mendoza era began a regular reforma- 
 tion has taken place, especially in Madrid, and now the 
 prominent managers see the necessity of falling into line with 
 London and with Paris in this most important matter.
 
 96 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Amongst the younger Spanish actresses none is more charm- 
 ing than Matilde Moreno. This artist is possessed of a very 
 interesting personahty. She is — in tempera- 
 Matilde Moreno, ment — an extraordinary mixture of a joyous 
 child and a serious woman whose outlook on 
 life is almost manlike ! Exceptionally well educated, she 
 is well acquainted with the literature of many countries 
 besides her own, and her happiest moments are passed 
 in her splendidly-stocked library. 
 
 It was this actress who made, to a great extent, the success 
 of " Por las Nubes," by Benavente, of which I spoke earlier 
 in this chapter, and she has been associated with many of the 
 successes of Galdos : notably " Electra " and " Alma y Vida." 
 
 As an actress Matilde Moreno is universally admired : as 
 
 a woman she is greatly beloved. Amongst her cherished 
 
 possessions is a certain album of the " confession " order, in 
 
 which very famous personages have recorded their thoughts 
 
 and opinions of the young actress. In this album may be 
 
 found the signatures of Juan Valera, Perez Galdos, Men^ndez 
 
 y Pelayo, Nufiez de Arce, Salvador Rueda, and many, many 
 
 others. Here we find the very last poem ever wTitten by the 
 
 poet Campoamor, which, as it possesses unique interest, I 
 
 give in the original — 
 
 Es el amor un galdn 
 que ni hambre ni locura quiere, 
 pues le mata el mucho pan 
 y con poco pan se muere. 
 
 Campoamor. 
 
 In the same book the famous writer, the Condesa de Pardo 
 
 Bazan, has written a few lines which are entirely characteristic. 
 
 The Condesa is, by nature, frank — almost to a fault, and she 
 
 has entitled her little contribution to Matilde Moreno's album, 
 
 " Un rasgo de franqueza," which, in colloquial English, means 
 
 something like " a little bit of my mind " ! On this occasion, 
 
 however, this " little bit " embodied some very flattering and 
 
 graceful sentiments !
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE PRESS 
 
 There are few countries in which The Press plays a more 
 
 important role than in Spain. There everyone reads the 
 
 newspapers and, in the south, a great many 
 
 The Newspaper, persons read very little else. Hence the 
 
 immense influence, for good or evil, of the 
 
 Spanish Press. And it must be recorded that it is, for the 
 
 greater part, very dignified and interesting : also, it is often 
 
 very amusing, as Spanish journalists are past-masters in the 
 
 art of making remarks which may be guileless or — very much 
 
 otherwise ! 
 
 They are fond of telling clever little stories which to ordinary 
 readers seem nothing more than excellent " copy," but which 
 are veritable parables to the initiated. And thus it happens 
 that the Spanish newspapers are often most entertaining 
 reading, for those who understand their inner meaning. 
 
 There are in Spain no large newspapers, as " large " is 
 understood in England, but nearly all the journals of Madrid 
 and of the important provinces are well and clearly printed. 
 From the point of view of popularity no newspaper in Spain, 
 at this moment, can vie with La Correspondencia de Espana. 
 This journal has had quite an eventful history and one which 
 may be said to be unique. It was founded by the Marqu6s 
 de Santa Ana, one of the shrewdest of men and an indefatigable 
 worker. In its early days it used to be said of the Corre- 
 spondencia that it had no editor, no paid writers, and no 
 regular correspondents ; that it was supplied with news by 
 clever individuals who seemed to be all eyes and ears, and 
 who got together, in the shortest space of time, information 
 on every possible subject, which information was printed in 
 the paper just as it came, without any consideration as to
 
 98 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 suitability or order. It has even been said that it not infre- 
 quently happened, in those days, that the Conespondencia 
 made statements in one column which it flatly contradicted 
 in another ! All this is probably exaggeration, but it is certain 
 that the Correspondencia de Espaiia heralded a new era in the 
 newspaper world of Madrid and from the very first it took 
 possession of popular taste. 
 
 Its present director and proprietor, Senor Romeo, has 
 altered the paper considerably since he came into ofhce, but 
 it still gives paragraphs of news from all parts of the world 
 and on every conceivable subject. The Correspondencia is 
 not supposed to have any determined politics, but to be the 
 organ of logical common sense. It publishes articles bearing 
 the names of some of the most brilliant journalists in Spain — 
 Ramiro de Maeztu at their head — and it may almost be said 
 to be the Organ of To-morrow, so up-to-date is it in every 
 respect. 
 
 The three principal newspapers of Madrid, setting aside the 
 Correspondencia, are El Liberal, El Heraldo, and El Imparcial. 
 These three papers are run by a powerful " Trust," and each 
 in its own way sets forth advanced views. 
 
 El Heraldo de Madrid is the leading organ of the democratic 
 
 party. It counts upon its regular staff many of the most 
 
 brilliant of the younger section of Spanish 
 
 The Organ of writers. The Heraldo makes a feature of 
 
 the Democratic ,. . , . , ^ .■ ■, , • j 
 
 Party. stirrmg articles on educational questions, and 
 
 many of these have been signed by well-known 
 
 professors and by other persons interested in a subject which 
 
 is just now in possession of the soul of Spain. 
 
 The theatrical criticisms of this newspaper are, as a rule, 
 admirable, very just, and written in a tone which combines 
 serious criticism with a certain vein of humour which is very 
 attractive. Echegaray contributes articles to the Heraldo, 
 from time to time, and so does Jos6 Benavente. 
 
 On political subjects Don Jose Canal ej as — the present 
 Prime Minister — contributes brilliant, if rather scathing.
 
 The Press 99 
 
 articles : Don Luis Bonafoux also signs articles on political 
 subjects in this paper. 
 
 The art critic of the Heraldo is looked on as a giant amongst 
 his fellows ; certainly he is possessed of a very ready pen. 
 Everything written by Saint Aubin is of interest, but he has 
 been gifted, generously, with the essentially Spanish quality 
 of being able to say very clever and pointed things in the 
 most innocent possible manner. AU artists like to have their 
 works reviewed by Saint Aubin, but sometimes they feel a 
 little nervous about possible results. 
 
 El Imparcial is a Liberal organ, which was founded by Don 
 Eduardo Gasset y Artime, who was a Minister in the Moret 
 administration. It is a remarkably well-edited paper which 
 publishes serious and thoughtful articles, but unfortunately 
 it is credited by a large number of Spaniards with a desire 
 to make of Spain what Waldeck Rousseau and Combes have 
 made of France. 
 
 It could not truly be said that El Imparcial is an enemy 
 of religion, but it seems to show leanings in that 
 direction ; and the same may be said of El Liberal, which 
 is published daily in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Murcia, 
 and Sevilla. 
 
 The leading Conservative organ is La Epoca, which was 
 founded by Escobar, who was afterwards created Marqu6s de 
 Valdeiglesias in recompense for important services rendered 
 to the cause of the Restoration. The first Marques was a 
 man of notable ability, and under his direction this journal 
 took a leading position in the Press of Madrid, but in recent 
 days it has fallen out of line, and though most of the important 
 householders still subscribe to it, they do so more from habit 
 than from special interest. At the same time, it must be 
 conceded that the social news of La Epoca is excellently chosen. 
 The Diario Universal, a Liberal organ of pronounced views, 
 is the property of a young and very interesting man — the 
 Conde de Romanones. 
 
 There can be no doubt that Spain will have to reckon with
 
 100 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 the Conde de Romanones sooner or later — and probably 
 
 sooner ! He is a Liberal ex-Minister, and it is loudly whispered 
 
 that he will one day be the chief of his 
 
 P^rsonSity. P^^^y- ^^ ^^ ^ "^^" °^ untiring energy 
 and enterprise, and already he has, 
 by successful speculations, greatly augmented the very 
 considerable fortune left him by his father. 
 
 The Carlist Party does not now loom large on the horizon of 
 Spain, but in the northern Provinces it is still possessed of 
 power, and of this party El Correo EspaHol is the leading organ. 
 
 El Siglo Futuro also puts forward Carlist views, but this 
 journal has lost much of its influence owing to the ultra- 
 advanced and unorthodox views of its founder and, afterwards, 
 of his son. 
 
 In the Republican Press there is El Pais and El Motin, the 
 latter paper being edited by Nakins, who was imprisoned for 
 having hidden and protected the wretched man who threw 
 the bomb at the time of the King's marriage. 
 
 A very popular little journal, belonging to the proprietors 
 of Blanco y Negro, is A. B.C. This journal is quite inde- 
 pendent in its tone : it professes no particular politics or 
 sympathies, but deals with all the current events of the day 
 in a sensible and impartial spirit. The " Powers that Be " — 
 of the moment — have no influence on the policy of A. B.C., 
 which strives to represent the real interests of the country 
 and people. A. B.C. is not unlike the Daily Graphic of 
 London, in many respects, but it is not so fully illustrated ; 
 it numbers amongst its contributors many of the best known 
 writers of Spain, such as the Condesa de Pardo Bazan, Salvador 
 Rueda, Manuel Bueno, and others. 
 
 The proprietors of A. B.C. also own a weekly review called 
 
 Actualidades, and a most amusing and satirical illustrated 
 
 weekly called Gedeon — a remarkably cleverly 
 
 'Neero°'^ written journal which systematically attacks 
 
 the Government, no matter what it may 
 
 be. They also own, as I have already said, Blanco y
 
 The Press 101 
 
 Negro, which is a real art journal and beautifully produced. 
 Blanco y Negro is the oldest and best known art journal 
 published in Spain. It is remarkably weU printed and 
 contains, each week, at least two really fine reproductions, in 
 colour, of paintings — in oils, pastels or water-colours ; besides 
 these it has numerous black and white illustrations, stories 
 by the best authors, interesting articles, etc. 
 
 A new feature of Blanco y Negro, and it is one which is 
 finding great favour in the eyes of its subscribers, is the weekly 
 reproduction of some famous picture of the Museo del Prado, 
 this picture coming out in colour and forming a double sheet 
 of the paper. With each of these pictures a biography of the 
 painter is given and further examples of his work are produced 
 in black and white. This is an excellent feature, as it gives 
 foreigners an opportunity of learning something of the lives 
 and most famous works of the great Spanish painters : and 
 this in a specially interesting way. 
 
 Many leading artists — ^writers, painters, and poets — 
 contribute regularly to Blanco y Negro ; amongst others 
 Mariano Benlliure, Jose Moreno Carbonero, Jos6 Garcia Ramos 
 and Emilio Sala, Jose Echegaray, Ruben Dario, the Condesa 
 de Pardo Bazan, etc., etc. 
 
 One of the most interesting and valuable papers published 
 
 in Spain is the illustrated weekly, the Nuevo Mundo. This 
 
 journal, founded and directed by Don Jose 
 
 Mundcf^° ^^^ Perojo, is very serious in tone, in so 
 
 far that it boldly attacks all the problems 
 
 which are closely connected with the welfare of the country. 
 
 For example, in the pressingly important matter of National 
 Education the Nuevo Mundo has done a really great work. 
 Don Jose del Perojo is not only an enthusiast on this subject : 
 he is also an authority. He has published a remarkable work 
 entitled Ensayos sohre Education, and on the days of the 18th 
 and ?.9th of last December he pronounced, in the Chamber of 
 Deputies, important discourses on the subject of National 
 Education in Spain. 
 
 8— (2399)
 
 102 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 More than this, the Director of the Nuevo Mundo conceived 
 the excellent plan of inviting opinions on the subject of 
 education problems from notable persons in all parts of Spain, 
 and many of these opinions and ideas have been published 
 from time to time in his journal. 
 
 And all other matters connected with the welfare of Spain 
 are treated, in the Nuevo Mundo, in the same serious and 
 careful manner : an impartial view is taken and personal 
 ideas are made to give place to suggestions likely to benefit 
 the country. All the important and interesting subjects of 
 the day are well reported in the journal of which I am now 
 speaking. 
 
 The Nuevo Mundo " London Letter " is in the hands of 
 Don Ramiro de Maeztu, and amongst its other regular con- 
 tributors are such able journalists as " Roger," whose Cronicas 
 Catalanas are invaluable to all those interested in Catalufia 
 and its struggles, Alejandro Miquis — the founder of the 
 " Teatro del Arte," " Andrenio," Eduardo Zamacois, and 
 many others. 
 
 Of course there are in Spain a number of newspapers devoted 
 
 to matters connected with the bull-fight. Some of these 
 
 papers are illustrated, and almost all of them 
 
 ^^^ ^resl'.^^^* are well and amusingly written. The bull- 
 fight gives Spanish journalists an excellent 
 opportunity for bringing forward their talent — and it is a 
 remarkable one — for saying satirical things in a seemingly 
 innocent manner ! 
 
 I have heard toreros say that the Fiesta Nacional is, of the 
 illustrated taurine journals, the best, but I should personally 
 give my vote in favour of Sol y Sombra, which is edited by 
 Don Gines Carrion, in Madrid. The various articles in this 
 paper, which appears weekly, are well written and its general 
 tone is one of fairness. Some years ago it possessed amongst 
 its most notable contributors Don Pascual Millan, who was 
 one of the greatest authorities on the bull-fight Spain has 
 ever known. This writer, whose death was universally
 
 The Press 103 
 
 lamented, was a steadfast upholder of the methods of toreros 
 of the old school, and he not infrequently dehvered himself 
 of diatribes on the subject of the Corridas of to-day. 
 
 Newspaper kiosks are not numerous in Madrid — as they are 
 in Paris, — but on glancing casually at the papers shown in 
 those which do exist one is at once struck by the immense 
 difference in tone and general appearance of the smaller 
 journals of Spain and of France. 
 
 It certainly is no exaggeration to say that the illustrated 
 papers openly displayed in the kiosks of Paris are a disgrace 
 to the French nation. There can be no 
 ^l^^""^*.^^ necessity for such a display of blatant inde- 
 cency, and it has long been a matter of surprise 
 to intelligent foreigners, that a nation so intelligent and 
 spirituelle as the French should continue to accept such a 
 state of affairs. 
 
 Happily, in Spain one sees nothing of this kind. The 
 smaller illustrated journals are amusing and often very 
 satirical, but they are neither gross nor indecent. In Madrid — 
 as in London — ordinary persons can walk out with their 
 families without having their eyes offended by the newspapers 
 displayed in the streets. 
 
 Reforms of various kinds have recently been set on foot 
 in connection with certain sections of the Spanish Press. It 
 has been felt that, in some directions, it is inadequate for 
 modem requirements. 
 
 For instance, a notable movement is being made by Seiior 
 
 Romeo, the Director of the Correspondecia de Espana, in the 
 
 matter of Parliamentary reporting. He has 
 
 Reporting. initiated a movement in favour of a better 
 
 system of reproducing the speeches made 
 
 during the Sessions of the Cortes. This reform is most 
 
 urgently needed, as frequent complaints have been made of 
 
 the inefficient and curtailed reports which appear in the daily 
 
 papers. 
 
 According to Sefior Romeo the best way to improve matters
 
 104 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 would be to institute a staff of competent journalists, paid by 
 the Cortes, who would make an exact report of all the speeches, 
 which would then be published in an official journal. 
 
 It is certain that the present reports leave much to be 
 desired ; the majority of the papers publish most imperfect 
 accounts of the discourses of the country's representatives. 
 There have even been cases of boycotting ; certain orators 
 have been completely ignored. Others have been horrified 
 by seeing their speeches utilized for the manufacture of a 
 humorous article by some lively young reporter ! 
 
 Naturally the difficulty of this reporting must be taken into 
 consideration. Each Session lasts several hours : generally 
 four, sometimes six — when a Budget is under discussion. 
 And one or two journalists from each paper have to report 
 the whole Session. 
 
 They are required to make a succinct resume to fill one or 
 two columns of their paper, and as the speech and the making 
 of the resume run parallel, it will be readily seen that the 
 diificulties of condensation are very great. 
 
 To make a good report a journalist would require a special 
 preparation in politics and in parliamentary history, an 
 indefatigable power of concentration, and a specially 
 agile pen. Evidently all these qualities could not be 
 expected from a reporter earning from 25 to 30 dollars 
 a month. 
 
 Besides this, the modern Spanish papers are never large, 
 and they have to contain innumerable short paragraphs on 
 diverse subjects, many of which are of greater general interest 
 than the parliamentary reports, which become more and 
 more abridged. The proposition of Seiior Romeo, to found an 
 official journal for these reports, seems the only satisfactory 
 solution to the difficulty. 
 
 The average Spaniard, though a keen politician, is not 
 invariably interested in the Parliamentary Sessions. He 
 likes to see them fully reported when some question of burning 
 interest is being discussed, but otherwise he prefers that his
 
 The Press 105 
 
 daily newspaper should contain many paragraphs of ordinary 
 news. 
 
 It is a difficult and critical task for an editor to decide 
 just which speech should be reported in full and which should 
 be curtailed ; and " cuts " — however cleverly they may be 
 arranged — are often very unjust to serious speakers, for an 
 inadequate if not false idea of the general intention is 
 conveyed.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 SPORTS AND PASTIMES 
 
 It is customary, when treating of " Sports " in Spain, to rush 
 forward the bull-fight. And this is comprehensible because, 
 
 though it is absurd to take for granted that 
 Sports. it is the only sport dear to the hearts of the 
 
 Spaniards, it is certainly the sport of the 
 people. In Spain the upper classes enjoy very much the 
 same sports as those enjoyed by people in the same position 
 in England and in France. The men — headed by the King — 
 are enthusiastic and skilled polo players. They — again 
 headed by the King — are excellent all-round sportsmen. 
 Horse-racing does not play a very important role in Spain, 
 but men and women alike are really good lawn-tennis players. 
 And then in Spain, though not in the guise of a national 
 sport, as in the Basque provinces, they have that most 
 
 splendid of all games — Pelota. It is difficult 
 Pelota. to understand why pelota has never taken a 
 
 serious place in the affections of Englishmen, 
 for it is as exciting as it is picturesque and difficult. In 
 watching a well-played match of pelota one's attention never 
 for an instant wavers : it is rivetted on the players and on 
 the flying ball from the first second to the last. In the Basque 
 provinces — French as well as Spanish — pelota and dancing 
 form the two amusements of the younger generation, and 
 the Basque pelota players are marvellously dexterous. 
 Chiquito de Cambo is the great champion of the Basque 
 country, but Ayestaran and Munita are Spaniards, and almost 
 equally clever ; and then there are very many other notable 
 players who have made their mark in Madrid, in Barcelona and 
 in various parts of Navarre.
 
 Sports and Pastimes 107 
 
 It has been said that pelota closely resembles the Italian 
 game pallone, but personally I see very little resemblance. 
 Pallone is played across a net, or at any rate across a stretched 
 cord, and the right hand is covered with a heavy wooden 
 glove, studded with wooden teeth and bound with iron. 
 
 Pelota, on the other hand, is played between two high walls, 
 these walls being about 220 feet apart, and the right hand of 
 the player is covered with a most graceful half-moon shaped 
 chistera, made of fine basket work. At one end of the chistera 
 there is a sort of leather glove through which the fingers are 
 passed and straps are then tightly fastened round the wrist. 
 Skilful players can twist these chisteras about in the most 
 extraordinary way : the right hand only is covered, but with 
 a quick movement of the body and a turn of the wrist every 
 corner of the court can be guarded. 
 
 I cannot describe the game in technical terms, but, roughly 
 speaking, a match is played by six players, three on either 
 side. The ball is " served " by striking it against the high 
 wall bounding one end of the court and striking it in such a 
 way that it rebounds back amongst the players, within a 
 certain area. One of the opposite party drives it back and 
 so on. It is easy to understand that everything depends on 
 just how the ball is taken. To the ordinary onlooker all the 
 strokes seem very much the same : the impact of ball — which 
 weighs about four ounces — and chistera always seems terrific, 
 and yet sometimes the ball returns so softly that it barely 
 covers the required line, and sometimes it comes back with 
 such force that it hits the opposite wall ! 
 
 A favourite stroke of Chiquito de Cambo drives the ball 
 with most amazing force against the wall, then lifts it high 
 in the air, and then causes it to fall straight, within an inch 
 or two of the second wall, behind. Another clever stroke is 
 one which seems ferocious but which carries the ball so softly 
 that everyone is taken by surprise. 
 
 In the Basque provinces it is the custom to have someone 
 to sing — in Basque — the score from time to time.
 
 108 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 I am conscious that the manner in which I intend to deal 
 
 with the bull-fight will draw down upon me a good deal of 
 
 criticism, and that probably of an adverse 
 
 The Bull-fight, character, but I do not intend to be dismayed. 
 
 I shall speak the truth — nothing more, but 
 
 nothing less — as I understand it. It is always necessary to 
 
 clear the decks before going into action, and so I start by 
 
 bringing forward a certain grievance connected with foreign 
 
 writers on the buU-fight — and by foreign I mean other than 
 
 Spanish. These writers very frequently not only describe 
 
 that which they do not see, but follow on by making deductions 
 
 from that which they do not understand. 
 
 I have in my mind at this moment a detailed account of a 
 bull-fight written by a well-known author in which the very 
 entry of the cuadrillas — which never, in any circumstances, 
 alters — is inaccurately set forth, from first to last. The 
 picadores are described as entering with their "lances" — this 
 writer's vivid imagination even seeing the sunlight flash on 
 the poUshed steel ! 
 
 The picadores never carry their pikes when entering with the 
 cuadrillas. 
 
 Then the handerilleros were described as entering, bearing 
 in their hands their " darts " — quite in the style of the entry 
 in the last act of Carmen, at Covent Garden ! 
 
 The handerilleros never carry handerillas when taking part 
 in the enirada — except on the stage. 
 
 I have picked out two inaccuracies from very many, and 
 they are not really important ; nevertheless, they help to prove 
 the truth of my assertion that those who cannot accurately 
 describe that at which they are looking, and that which never 
 changes, have no possible right to make deductions from a 
 scene which they do not understand. 
 
 The writer in question found himself very much excited 
 by what he called " the blood lust " of the multitude, and even 
 went so far as to state that the people present at that most 
 wonderful bull-fight were bitterly disappointed to find that
 
 sports and Pastimes 109 
 
 one of their favourite espadas was not actually killed before 
 
 their eyes instead of being merely badly hurt. 
 
 A Spanish bronca — in vulgar parlance, a row — is a difficult 
 
 affair for a foreigner to understand ; especially a bronca in a 
 
 bull ring. And it is a very serious matter 
 
 r?i"*c°^ ^^^T when writers — and there have been many 
 of the Spaniard. , . . 17 
 
 who have done this — mterpret such broncas 
 
 by the light of their own feelings. To write of what 
 one does not understand is foolish, but not necessarily 
 harmful ; but to make deductions from what one does not 
 understand, when such deductions present a great people in 
 a false and abominable light, is quite another matter. In the 
 case to which I have just alluded, the description of the bull- 
 fight formed part of a story, and for that reason it is not 
 necessary to take it too seriously, as a considerable amount of 
 licence is permitted to novelists ; but again and again, seriously 
 and with intention, writers have insisted that because the 
 average Spaniard takes delight in the bull-fight he must there- 
 fore be grossly cruel by nature. And this does not follow. 
 He takes delight in the bull-fight because he understands it, 
 in every detail. Because it is in his blood to know and appre- 
 ciate every point gained or lost. Because he is all the time 
 making comparisons — with regard to the bulls, with regard to 
 the toreros, with regard to the management of the plaza, with 
 regard — and this very especially — to the operations of the 
 President. The cruel incidents — and they are cruel — are to 
 him merely incidents ; they are not pleasant, but they are 
 necessary, and " blood lust " does not prompt him when he 
 applauds a good vara, even though the excellence of this same 
 vara may have tempted the bull to bury his horns in the 
 sides of an unfortunate horse. 
 
 Everything depends on the point of view : of individuals 
 as of nations. The average Englishman goes to the bull-fight 
 expecting to see cruelties, and these he sees — and little else. 
 The average Spaniard goes to the bull-fight to see — if possible 
 — first-rate fighting bulls confronted with first-rate toreros ;
 
 110 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 and if providence be in a kindly mood he ventures to hope 
 that a first-rate President may be thrown in ! 
 
 I know many Spaniards who deplore the cruelty to the 
 horses and who will be truly glad if — as seems more than 
 likely — changes can be made which will do away, to some 
 extent, with this blot on an otherwise magnificent sport. 
 But even with things as they now are, " blood lust " has 
 nothing whatever to do with the call for " mas caballos " — 
 more horses — ^which has so often been quoted in proof of 
 Spanish cruelty. 
 
 It is not unnatural that foreign writers should imagine that 
 this cry means that the people in the tendidos want to see more 
 blood spilt, because these writers — as I have already said — 
 rarely understand even the rudiments of the science of the 
 bull-fight. 
 
 The cry of " mas caballos " really indicates that the bull 
 in the arena is a good fighter, for it is by his attitude towards 
 the vara — or pike — that a buU is judged, and this from his 
 early youth. 
 
 It is necessary for the ganadero — an owner of cattle — to 
 
 test his young bulls while they are still running wild in the 
 
 great fields, so that he may know which 
 
 The Tienta. of them will be sufficiently brave to make 
 a debtit in a first-class plaza. And this test 
 is made with the garrocha, or pike. If the young bull 
 has the required spirit he will return to the charge after 
 having received a vara ; if he shows fear his chances of 
 appearing in public, in a first-class plaza, are at an end. This 
 testing of the young bulls is called a tienta. 
 
 From this little explanation it will be seen that if a bull 
 has received a number of varas in the ring and if he is still 
 inclined to charge the picadores — who are the horsemen — he 
 must be a first-class animal : hence the cries of admiration 
 which accompany the call for " mas caballos." 
 
 This explanation does not make the matter any pleasanter 
 for the horses, but it indicates the true feeling of the Spaniards.
 
 sports and Pastimes 111 
 
 And before leaving this introduction to the often-discussed 
 subject of the suerte de varus, the first of the three suerfes 
 connected with the killing of each bull, I must draw attention 
 to the fact that some of the most beautiful and finished work 
 of the espadas is accomplished at this epoch. And here again, 
 in connection with this work, the English and Spanish view 
 points clash. When the bull has gored an unfortunate 
 horse the eyes and imagination of the former are rivetted on 
 the struggling animal. At the same moment the Spaniard 
 is closely watching every movement of the cloak, manipulated 
 by the espada, which is deftly drawing off the bull and enabling 
 the picador to regain his feet or his saddle. To those who 
 understand the science of the bull-fight there is nothing more 
 interesting than this particular play, which is frequently 
 very elegant and adorned, of the cloak. On the skill and 
 quickness of the espada depends the safety of the picador, for 
 the latter as often as not falls right under the horns of the 
 bull. 
 
 And while speaking of the picadores it may be as well to 
 record some of the qualities which they ought to possess. They 
 ought to be perfect horsemen ; they ought to have a profound 
 knowledge of bulls ; they ought to have quick eyes, amazing 
 courage, and herculean strength. 
 
 I have used a great many "oughts " because the picadores of 
 the present day, unfortunately, are often lacking in many of 
 these qualities. Given a really good picador, mounted on a 
 strong horse, a number of varas might be given without 
 thp bull having a chance of wounding the horse, even 
 once. 
 
 1 have seen Agujetas — the last of the old line of picadores — 
 
 pike all his bulls at a corrida without allowing his horses to 
 
 be seriously injured. He had strength and 
 
 ^PkaTor"^ knowledge which enabled him to push off 
 
 the bull instead of allowing the latter to 
 
 roll over the horse, as is so often seen at the present day. 
 
 And now that I have set forth a grievance which seems to
 
 112 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 me to be sufficiently serious, let us take a general view of 
 a corrida de toros, from its alpha to its omega. 
 
 And because Andalusia is the home of the fighting bulls, of 
 the most famous toreros — past and present — and of enthu- 
 siastic aficionados, let us take the Easter corrida at Sevilla as 
 our example. 
 
 At Sevilla, on the day preceding a corrida, the great fields 
 of Tablada loom large in the minds of aficionados, for there, 
 
 carefully enclosed, may be seen the fighting 
 
 R^^f fi^ht*^^ bulls destined for the morrow's show. It is 
 
 Sevilla. ^ delightful drive to Tablada, through Las 
 
 Delicias — the " Row " of Sevilla — and across 
 a long road which leads right into the fields. 
 
 All sorts and conditions of persons are to be seen on every 
 side, and at Tablada the toreros appear in a costume which 
 
 is at once characteristic and picturesque. 
 "^T?blada' ^* ^°^ example, " Bombita "— who in private 
 
 hfe is Ricardo Torres — might be seen in a 
 tight-fitting suit of navy blue cloth ; the trousers skin 
 tight over the upper part of the legs and rather loose 
 from the knees down. The jacket would be of the " Eton " 
 shape and decorated with braids and frogs in front, and there 
 would be a very neat little frilled shirt, with a low collar 
 and a narrow tie. Large diamond studs would be worn, 
 and probably several handsome diamond rings. The crowning 
 point of a costume such as this is the cordobes, or fiat-brimmed 
 felt hat, which in the street is invariably worn by everyone 
 connected with the bull-fight, and also by many southern 
 Spaniards who are admirers of the national sport. These hats 
 are shaped like an Englishman's straw hat, but the crown is 
 rather higher and the brim considerably wider. The cordobes 
 is always made of felt, and it is to be seen in several different 
 colours : in black, brown, grey, and pearl. A good many of 
 the older toreros in Sevilla wear these hats of a dark shade 
 of grey with the addition of a black cloth band round the crown. 
 This is very taurine but undoubtedly ugly !
 
 Sports and Pastimes 113 
 
 An interesting little spectacle — though it costs the onlooker 
 
 a night's rest — is the encierro. At dead of night, when the 
 
 streets are clear, the bulls, surrounded by 
 
 The Encierro. their cabesfros — oxen with large bells hanging 
 to their necks — are rushed along the road 
 to the plaza. They are conducted by men on horseback 
 and the beasts are made to travel at top speed. 
 
 It is necessary to realise that nothing can be done with the 
 fighting bulls without the aid of their own special cabestros. 
 These great animals they know and are accustomed to, and 
 these they will follow — as a rule. But the cabestros of one 
 ganaderia could not conduct the bulls belonging to another. 
 I remember, two years ago, at Se villa, some awkwardness 
 arising out of this peculiarity. There was a gala corrida, at 
 which six picked bulls, chosen from different ganaderias, made 
 their appearance. And it was necessary to have six separate 
 encierros, at different hours of the night, otherwise bulls and 
 cabestros would have quickly become entangled in most furious 
 warfare. 
 
 And then there is yet another little ceremony before the 
 moment comes for the plaza to open its doors. 
 
 On the morning of the corrida the apartado takes place ; 
 or in other words, the placing of the fighting bulls in their 
 separate toriles, ready for the afternoon. The toreros attend 
 this ceremony and so do many aficionados. 
 
 The Plaza de Toros at Sevilla is one of the most picturesque 
 in Spain. It is very wide and low, and, when full to over- 
 flowing for the Easter corrida, it presents an 
 Toro^^ appearance of brilliant colour not easily for- 
 gotten. The photograph here entitled, " Entry 
 of the Cuadrillas," does not show the plaza at Sevilla ; it is 
 a view of the plaza at Pampeluna, and I specially chose 
 it as in this plaza Pablo Sarasate, year after year, enjoyed a 
 great triumph. Sarasate was a native of Pampeluna and never 
 failed to visit his old home at the time of the fiestas, each year. 
 In this photograph the cuadrillas are saluting the palco of the
 
 114 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 President, and it was in this palco, or box, that the magni- 
 ficent viohnist, who was so dear to all our hearts, used to 
 occupy the place of honour. 
 
 There should be noticed the distinct line dividing the part 
 of the plaza which is in shadow from that which is in full 
 sunlight. From this will be realised the necessity of having 
 places in the sombra side ! And this difference between 
 sunshine and shadow in the plaza de toros has supplied a name 
 for the best known taurine newspaper in Spain — Sol y Sombra. 
 The seats at the sol side belong specially to the people as they 
 are cheaper than those on the sombra side. 
 
 For los toros the Spanish women, especially in Sevilla, wear 
 
 white mantillas over their hair and shoulders and quantities 
 
 of flowers. They also exhibit their gorgeous 
 
 Spanish ^Women mantones de Manila, which I shall fully 
 
 Bull-fight. describe a little later on, when speaking on 
 the subject of dancing. They do not wear these 
 mantones, but bring them for the purpose of spreading them 
 out over the front of their palcos, or boxes. These exquisite 
 shawls are very decorative, and they are richly embroidered 
 in a thousand and one different colours. The effect is rarely 
 lovely when a group of pretty women, in white lace mantillas, 
 with crimson carnations pressing forward curls of dark hair 
 at one side, lean their shapely arms on the mantones de Manila, 
 which have been thrown carelessly over the front rail of the 
 palco. And when, a little later on, some favourite espada 
 sends his superb embroidered satin cloak to this palco or that, 
 to be taken care of, a double effect is obtained, for custom 
 dictates that such a capa must be spread out over the front 
 of the box, so that its gold embroideries may mingle with 
 the silken fringes of the manton underneath. 
 
 The entry of the President, whose palco is next to that of 
 the King, is the signal for the performance to begin, and it 
 is necessary to pause, just for a moment, to consider the duties 
 and power of this personage. 
 
 In taurine circles there are two sets of individuals who are
 
 sports and Pastimes 115 
 
 nearly always said to be in the wrong : the picadores and the 
 presidents ! Of the picadors I have already said enough, 
 but, in all fairness, it must be admitted that the position of 
 president at a corrida of importance is not an altogether agree- 
 able one. In the first place, it is the President who decides 
 the exact moment at which each suerte must come to an 
 end. It is he who decides the number of varas that each bull 
 requires, and the moment when he has had enough of the 
 suerte de banderillas, etc. And from the President's decision 
 there is no escape. 
 
 At first sight his office may seem simple enough, but it is not 
 so in reality, for he has to deal with a variety of different 
 elements. The ganadero, naturally, wishes justice done to 
 his buUs, and he has his own ideas as to the desirable length of 
 each suerte. The toreros have their reputations — not to 
 mention their fives — to consider, and, again naturally, they 
 have their ideas on the same subject. And last — but not by 
 any means least — the ideas of 12,000 or 14,000 aficionados 
 have to be heard, if not considered ; for Spaniards have fine 
 carrying voices, and the most delightful occupation in hfe 
 is to " tor ear from the tendidos ! " 
 
 The entry of the cuadrillas has often been described, and 
 
 a very fair idea of the spectacle can be gained from a close 
 
 inspection of the photo here given. The 
 
 The En^y of alguaciles, who wear velvet cloaks and 
 
 feathered hats, come first, on horseback. 
 
 Then the espadas — followed in line by their handerilleros — 
 
 and then the picadores, on horseback. Each one salutes the 
 
 President : the alguaciles receive the key of the bull's toril, 
 
 which is thrown down to them from the President's box and 
 
 disappear : the toreros exchange their gorgeous satin capas 
 
 for others of more ordinary material, and take up positions 
 
 to await the arrival of the buU. 
 
 And here I think it will be interesting to say a few words 
 about the costumes worn by the toreros, for it is impossible 
 to imagine any more beautiful or becoming dress.
 
 116 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 The costume of the espadas closely resembles that of the 
 banderilleros, but it is, as a rule, very much richer and more 
 expensive. These costumes consist of three garments : the 
 short jacket — or chaquetilla : the waistcoat — or chaleco, and 
 the knickerbockers — or taleguillas. 
 
 On looking at the portrait of Machaquito it will be found 
 easy to follow this description. 
 
 All these three garments are made of rich satin, or silk, 
 in beautiful shades of rose-pink, turquoise, violet, tabac, 
 emerald, pearl-grey, white, etc., and they are exquisitely 
 embroidered in gold or silver. The best traje de luces are made 
 in Madrid at a cost of 1,000 pesetas — £A0 — or more. 
 
 And then there is the superb capote de paseo, a large round 
 
 cape worn on entering and leaving the arena, also made of satin 
 
 and heavily embroidered in gold ; frequently 
 
 T^ft- ^^^""^^^ little jewels are introduced amongst the 
 of the Toreros. ,.■•,. . , i i ■ 
 
 embroideries of these capotes, and their 
 
 average cost is another 1,000 pesetas. The torero's hat — 
 
 or montera — is a picturesque arrangement of black velvet 
 
 and chenil, which costs about £4, and as there is also a wide 
 
 waistband of silk — the faja — which measures at least four 
 
 yards, the entire cost of a costume worn in the arena cannot 
 
 come to much less than £100. I give these figures because 
 
 the word tawdry has sometimes been applied to the torero's 
 
 dress, and it is inapplicable. 
 
 When everyone is in his place and when the President gives 
 the signal, the door of the toril is opened and the first bull 
 rushes into the arena. And from this moment the whole 
 attention of the toreros, especially of the espadas, is directed 
 on the animal. What may be his temper, his character, his 
 peculiarities ? For the difference between buUs is amazing. 
 
 Just to take a few examples of different aptitudes : the bull 
 which has entered the ring may be boyante, which means that 
 he will be brilliant and easy to torear. Or he may be de 
 sentido, which means that he will be cunning, what the toreros 
 call " un hicho de cuidao." Or he may be bravucon, which means
 
 Sports and Pastimes 117 
 
 that he will attack willingly but without resolution, and also 
 that he will attack the man rather than the cloak. 
 
 There are very many other differences of character, but we 
 must pass on to differences of eyesight — a point of enormous 
 importance. Many bulls have defective eyesight, and these 
 animals are called huniciegos : amongst such bulls as these 
 there are many classes. Bulls that see well at a short distance : 
 bulls that see well at a long distance : bulls with uneven sight 
 — one eye good and the other defective, etc., etc. 
 
 An intuitive knowledge of bulls is one of the most valuable 
 gifts the gods can bestow on a torero. Rafael Guerra possessed 
 it to an extraordinary degree. It used to be said that the 
 moment Guerra saw a bull entering the arena he knew pretty 
 well everything there was to be known about it. 
 
 At the risk of delaying too long at the very beginning of the 
 corrida I should like to say a few words on the subject of a 
 very famous breed of bulls, whose peculiarities 
 The Miura Bulls, have recently set the taurine circles of Spain 
 by the ears. And these are the bulls 
 belonging to the ganaderia of Don Eduardo Miura of Sevilla. 
 So peculiar is the temper of the miuras that " trusts " 
 have been brought into existence because of them, and the 
 newspapers have been full of the pros and cons of the case. 
 With these " trusts " we are not here concerned, but the 
 temper of the miuras is worthy of study. They are individual- 
 ists of an exaggerated order ! Each bull seems possessed of a 
 strong personal character. He may be splendidly brave, or 
 cranky beyond words, or sullen or frankly devilish. And it 
 is because of the individuality of these particular bulls that 
 the aficionados always speak of a miura corrida with excitement 
 and delight, even though the miura corridas are rarely specially 
 brilliant. They are interesting to those who understand the 
 game because ordinary tactics are of little use, and even the 
 most experienced torero cannot hope to know what a miura 
 may take it into his head to do at any moment and in any 
 circumstances. 
 
 9— (2399)
 
 118 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 I have already spoken of the suerte de varus, the first of the 
 three suertes necessary for the kilhng of each bull, but I have 
 not described it exactly. This suerte, which is interesting to 
 the Spaniard because of the great demands it makes on the 
 toreros, is invariably offensive to foreign eyes : and it could 
 not be otherwise. 
 
 The picadores — generally three — mounted on wretched 
 
 horses, are placed at regular points round the arena and each 
 
 one in turn comes forward and does all in 
 
 The " Suerte j^-^ pQ^gj- ^q induce the bull to attack him. 
 The man gets his long pike firmly into 
 position under his arm and, leaning forward, taunts the bull. 
 When the animal charges, the picador pikes him in the shoulder 
 and — when he can — pushes the animal off. What really 
 happens, nine times in ten, is that the bull gores the horse 
 and throws it down, the picador frequently getting a most 
 dangerous fall. At this moment the espada skilfully draws 
 off the bull with his cloak, and the picador is lifted to his 
 legs and, if the horse is not too badly injured, into his 
 saddle. 
 
 The cruelty of this suerte is, in some bull rings, greatly 
 diminished by the fact that the horses are instantly killed 
 when they are badly injured. And most emphatically there 
 ought to be a law commanding this to be done — always. 
 With the puntilla, or short dagger, the horse can be put out 
 of pain in a moment, and there is no acceptable reason why a 
 little money should be saved at the expense of a wounded 
 animal. 
 
 As I have already said, a good picador can do much to shield 
 his horse ; but, unhappily, nowadays good picadores are few 
 and far between. 
 
 When the President thinks that enough varas have been 
 given — three is an ordinary number — ^he waves his hand- 
 kerchief and a bugle plays the camhio de suertes. The picadores 
 leave the ring and the moment has come for the suerte de 
 handerillas, the most graceful and attractive part of the whole
 
 Sports and Pastimes 119 
 
 performance. In this suerte the espadas take no part : they 
 stand, or sit, at the barriers and wait for the final scene. 
 
 The handerillas, which are handed in over the barriers when 
 required, are wooden sticks of about 65 centimetres in length, 
 covered with lengths of coloured paper, and having at one 
 end an enlarged fish-hook. 
 
 These wooden sticks have to be placed, perfectly S3mi- 
 metrically, in pairs and as close together as possible on the 
 shoulders of the bull. 
 
 The suerte de banderillas is one of great difficulty and of 
 exceeding grace. The bull is in swift motion, and the man 
 is obliged to approach very close. There 
 de^BanderiUas^ " ^^^ many different methods of planting the 
 handerillas. A I cuarteo is the most usual, 
 although it is only possible when the bull is specially brave, 
 and the quiehro is the most difficult. 
 
 To banderillear al cuarteo the man stands at a certain 
 distance in front of the bull and calls the animal's attention. 
 As soon as the bull has seen him they both start running, 
 the bull in a straight line and the man in a semicircle. At 
 the moment of meeting, the bull lowers his head to toss, and 
 the banderillas are firmly planted. 
 
 In the quiehro — which was invented by the great Gordito — 
 the man stands perfectly still, his feet together, sometimes on 
 a handkerchief : he attracts the attention of the bull by 
 bending forward on one side and when the furious animal 
 rushes in this direction he quickly stands upright and plants 
 the handerillas as the animal passes. Other usual methods 
 of planting the handerillas are la media vuelta, al recorte, and 
 defrente. 
 
 In connection with the suerte de handerillas it is clear to me 
 that one important change ought to be made. Banderillas 
 de fuego ought never to be used. These handerillas have a 
 sort of firework arrangement attached to them, and they are 
 used sometimes when a bull is completely manso, or cowardly. 
 That is to say, when he has refused to charge the picadores.
 
 120 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 These banderillas may fairly be said to be relics of barbarism, 
 but it is not necessary to attack them on the grounds of 
 cruelty, for it is perfectly evident that they are useless and 
 unfair. Unfair to the bull, to the toreros, to the manager of the 
 plaza, and to the audience. 
 
 In going to a bull-fight one pays to see good fighting bulls. 
 Now banderillas de fuego never yet made a good fighting bull 
 of a toro manso. They turn him into an evil-tempered beast, 
 savage or sullen according to his nature. And such an animal 
 is a great source of danger to the toreros, besides being a most 
 unpleasant spectacle for the onlookers. 
 
 In my opinion if a bull turns out to be manso — sufficiently 
 so to call for banderillas de fuego — he should be conducted out 
 of the ring by the cabestros and another bull substituted — 
 at the expense of the ganadero. It would be hard on the latter, 
 certainly, but obviously he is the only person who has any 
 way of knowing the qualities of a bull which he himself has bred. 
 
 When the arena is cleared for the final scene, the suerte de 
 
 matar, the espada stands underneath the palco of the King 
 
 or President, and makes a little speech in 
 
 The Suerte de ^^^^i he dedicates his bull. The final words 
 Matar. 
 
 of this chapter will give an idea of this classic 
 
 dedication ! He then throws his montera over the barriers, 
 
 and slowly advances, muleta and sword in hand, towards the 
 
 animal. The muleta is a large piece of red cloth folded in 
 
 two and draped over a stick ; it is practically a large red flag. 
 
 The muleta is used to concentrate the attention of the bull 
 
 on the espada, and various " passes " are intended to bring 
 
 the animal into proper conditions for the death-stroke. 
 
 To the unaccustomed eye the passes of the muleta all seem 
 
 very much alike. But in reality very much depends on just 
 
 how these " passes " are made. It is for the espada, who 
 
 by this time ought to know his bull, to decide whether little 
 
 or much of the red cloth is to be presented to the bull : whether 
 
 the muleta is to be withdrawn under his head or over his horns ; 
 
 whether it is to be withdrawn quickly or slowly. Each " pass "
 
 Sports and Pastimes 121 
 
 has some particular effect on the animal, and if the right ones 
 be not chosen the estocada, or final stroke of the sword, will 
 not be a brilliant one. 
 
 The first and simplest of these movements of the muleta is 
 the pase natural. The most complicated and dangerous is the 
 pase de pecho. In all the passes of the muleta the torero ought 
 to stand very close to the bull and as motionless as possible. 
 
 If, unfortunately, he should show an inclination to draw back 
 or to move aside, a thousand voices remind him of the fact 
 that " dancing " is out of place in the bull ring ! 
 
 At the moment when the espada considers the bull in a 
 favourable position for the estocada, nothing remains for him 
 except to give the death-blow — and to give it correctly. And 
 here lies the difiiculty ! 
 
 For it is not merely a case of killing the bull ; it is absolutely 
 necessary that it should be killed according to mle. Of all 
 the estocadas — and there are many — the most difficult is the 
 recibiendo. The man stands perfectly motionless, holding the 
 sword on a level with the shoulders of the bull : he attracts 
 the animal with the muleta, with the left hand, and allows 
 it to run on the sword. 
 
 The extreme difficulty of this estocada can easily be under- 
 stood, and it is a curious fact that the torero of the present day 
 who, almost alone, excels in it is a young sevillano named 
 Martin Vasquez. This torero, who has only lately entered the 
 arena, is a native of Alcala, a picturesque village outside Sevilla, 
 and he is considered one of the best of the younger generation. 
 
 Of all the toreros now before the public the two most popular 
 
 are Bombita and Machaquito, both quite young and both 
 
 remarkably clever at their profession. 
 
 Two Toreros. Bombita, who has a small and rather mis- 
 chievous face, has been called " the smiling 
 torero," and very recently, in an interview recorded in a 
 Parisian newspaper, he stated that he himself attributed his 
 popularity to his " camomile and perpetual smile " ! He 
 declares that he drinks a glass of camomile tea before each
 
 122 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 corrida, and that he finds it has a most soothing effect on his 
 nerves ! 
 
 But Bombita's popularity does not depend on his smile, 
 nor even on his camomile ! Not only is he a complete master 
 of his profession, but he is the best of good comrades and a 
 tireless worker. When Bombita is in the bull ring he is always 
 at work and he has aptly been called " Providencia en traje 
 de luces," for again and again the lives of his companions 
 have been saved by his skilled " passes " of the cloak. His 
 elder brother Emilio was a famous torero, and now his younger 
 brother Manolo is rapidly coming to the front. 
 
 Machaquito looks little more than a boy, and yet he is one 
 
 of the two most notable toreros of the present day. He is 
 
 remarkably expert in all the branches of his 
 
 Machaquito. profession, but in the suerte de matar he stands 
 pre-eminent. His estocadas are frequently 
 magisterial. 
 
 Machaquito is married to a rarely lovely girl, one of whose 
 parents is English, and he has a beautiful home at Cordova. 
 
 With the retirement of Antonio Fuentes the bull rings of 
 Spain lost a picturesque figure. Fuentes is a remarkably 
 attractive looking man, with a svelt figure and a classic head. 
 He is an arbiter of elegance in matters of dress, and travels 
 en prince in one of his big automobiles. 
 
 The retirement of a well-known torero is quite an event in 
 taurine circles, and to a man who has long lived in an 
 atmosphere of adulation the moment of cutting off the coleta 
 must be a bitter one. I have alluded to this coleta in another 
 part of the chapter, but it may interest my readers to know 
 that it is a small plait of hair, grown on the back of the head, 
 rather high up. It is a sign by which bull-fighters may always 
 be known, and when once it is cut off their public career is 
 at an end. 
 
 And now, having given some idea of what the bull-fight 
 means to the Spaniards, I should like, for a few moments, 
 to review one or two salient points connected with it.
 
 Pholo hv 
 
 MACHAyUITO
 
 Sports and Pastimes 123 
 
 To begin with, let it be accepted that it is crael. Very 
 
 cruel. This is the bare truth. But is not all sport cruel in 
 
 which animals are harried, and hunted, and 
 
 Cruel P^*^ wounded and killed ? Not necessarily so 
 
 cruel as the bull-fight, you wiU probably say — 
 
 and with reason — but these things ought not to be looked at 
 
 from the point of view of a human creature's feelings, but 
 
 from the actual sufferings of individual animals. 
 
 At this moment, however, I am not considering the matter 
 from a humanitarian point of view at all. I am simply 
 saying to myself and to you : " What would happen in 
 Spain if the bull-fight were done away with ? " And to 
 arrive at anything like an adequate answer to this question 
 we must [ook plain facts straight in the face. 
 
 First of all, we must accept the fact that a vast majority of 
 the Spanish people are dependent on the bull-fight for amuse- 
 ment All through the spring and summer seasons the huge 
 plazis de toros in every town and city of Spain are constantly 
 filled with thousands and thousands of persons who know 
 every turn of the game, who understand and love the bull-fight 
 ^r better than the average American understands base-bah 
 or the average Englishman cricket or football. And these 
 enormous crowds can spend two or three hours in a bull ring, 
 on the hottest day of summer^and summer in Spain — without 
 drinking anything but water. The amount of water drunk 
 in a plaza de toros during a bull-fight has to be seen to be 
 believed. Here and there a man may be seen carrying round 
 a tray which contains glasses of light beer, but " Agua, quien 
 quiere agua," is the cry heard on every side. 
 
 I think if the apostle of temperance of my own 
 country came back to this world and attended a bull- 
 fight he would find more cause for 
 
 Absence of thankfulness than for reproach, for the 
 
 Drunkenness and , . , , r o • i 
 
 Rowdyism. national sport of Spam does not encour- 
 age, or lead to, drunkenness, or rioting, 
 or rowdyism.
 
 124 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 And then there is another fact which must be faced. The 
 bull-fight is one of the very few sports which do not encourage, 
 or lead to, gambling. 
 
 Neither does it encourage, or give birth to, the immoral 
 practices which surround horse-racing. It is brutal, but it is 
 " on the square " ; in connection with the buU-fight " pulling " 
 is unknown ; no one has ever accused anyone of " dosing " 
 either a buU or a torero. 
 
 It is cruel, but it is honest, and — notwithstanding all that 
 has been said to the contrary — it does not harm the people of 
 Spain. It is easy to write of a crowd " inflamed by blood lust," 
 but in real life this crowd is the most orderly, good-natured 
 thing you could possibly imagine ; even the most remarkable 
 corridas do not cause drunkenness or rioting. 
 
 I set forth these facts because I believe them to be irre- 
 futable, and I present them for the consideration of aU those 
 persons who seem inclined — in connection with Spain — to 
 allow a desire for things modern and " civilized " to ac; as 
 an anaesthetic on their better judgment. 
 
 It win never, I think, be possible to do away with the bu\l- 
 fight, but if it were possible what could, adequately, take 
 its place ? 
 
 I have remarked more than once that visitors to Spain 
 
 frequently find it a country of disappointments. And this, 
 
 because what is to be found there is not always 
 
 Dancing in ^yhat has been expected. And it often happens 
 in Spain. . , ,. '^ . , ^ 
 
 that special disappomtment surrounds the 
 
 dances and dancers of Spain, in the opinion of casual onlookers. 
 
 I think very many persons expect, on crossing the Pyrenees, 
 
 to find wonderful women of the Otero and Tortajada type 
 
 on every side. I am not quite sure, on looking back, that 
 
 I did not expect something of this kind myself. I know 
 
 I was a wee bit disappointed with the dancing — at 
 
 first! 
 
 It is difficult for EngUsh, French, and American people to 
 
 realise the width of the gulf which divides the dancing of
 
 Sports and Pastimes 125 
 
 Spain from that of most other countries : nevertheless, this 
 gulf exists and cannot easily be bridged over. 
 
 In the three great countries I have just mentioned, and in 
 others besides, dancing is an Art. It is acquired with 
 more or less difficulty, and it is practised almost 
 exclusively in artificial surroundings : in theatres and in 
 ball-rooms. 
 
 But in Spain dancing is an expression of Nature ! 
 
 It is as natural for the people to dance — and by " people " 
 I mean the masses — as it is for them to talk. And their 
 dancing, when seen in absolutely natural 
 Sp^ish D^lTcing. surroundings, expresses their feelings of the 
 " moment. There is no more Art about it 
 than there is Art in walking or talking. Everyone has 
 to learn how to put one foot before the other, and how 
 to express articulate words, but no one describes ordinary 
 talking or walking as an " art." And so it is an absolutely 
 natural expression of personal impulse and desire. 
 
 Of course there is Art. and of an elaborate kind, connected 
 with Spanish dances, for many of them are marvels of intricacy 
 and difficulty. There are a thousand and one different steps 
 and poses which have to be most carefully studied, and it is 
 almost as difficult to play the castanets well as it is to play the 
 piano : but aU this does not alter the case. 
 
 It is difficult for a child to learn to speak, and at first he 
 can only manage very little words and short sentences, but 
 it is natural to him to make the effort, and he does it 
 unconsciously. And it is as natural to the Spaniard of 
 the people to express himself in dancing as in spoken 
 words. 
 
 And it is because dancing in Spain — generally speaking — 
 is an expression of Nature and not merely of Art that dis- 
 appointment is sometimes experienced by strangers. We, of 
 Great Britain, France, and America, are accustomed to 
 artificial amusements, more especially where dancing is 
 concerned.
 
 126 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 For example, we go to a handsome theatre, where the 
 
 Hghting is arranged with elaborate care, and where the stage 
 
 is " set " with a florid scene representing 
 
 ^Q^"^?f"'^^ "life in Andalusia." Toreros in wonderful 
 
 other Countries, attire are lounging about. Majas, d la Goya, 
 
 are displaying superb mantones de Manila. 
 
 The scene is pulsing with vivid colour and bewildering life. 
 
 And then some gorgeous butterfly pushes her way arrogantly 
 
 to the front, her breasts and arms covered with diamonds 
 
 worth a King's ransom ! 
 
 And this superb creature dances a Tango or the Soleares 
 or some other well-known Spanish dance. She is Spanish, 
 and the dance is entirely Spanish, but I do not know where 
 in Spain itself you could find a similar ensemble, for the 
 Spaniards are so accustomed to dancing that, unless for the 
 benefit of strangers, they do not encourage elaborate exhibi- 
 tions of it in their theatres. And so it not infrequently 
 happens that visitors to Andalusia express their feelings in 
 some such words as : " But this is not half ' so Spanish ' 
 as dances I have seen in London, or Paris, or New 
 York ! " 
 
 f~v For the type " very Spanish " — outside Spain — is repre- 
 sented by some lovely exotic feminine thing, with fierce dark 
 eyes and heavy hair, which refuses to remain confined — a 
 wonderful creature who habitually goes through life with 
 hands on hips, a cigarette between her red lips, and a swagger 
 which would put to shame the proverbial gait of the toreros. 
 And the " very Spanish " type, as understood of foreigners, 
 has in real life many attractive representatives, only these are 
 rarely to be encountered in Spain ! 
 
 In Paris this type blossoms and fruits to perfection, for 
 when Parisian Art is wedded to exotic Nature a sufficiently 
 alluring result is assured. 
 
 I often think of Ibsen's plays in connection with genuine 
 Spanish dancing. Plays and dances alike represent phases 
 of Nature, pure and simple, and it remains to be seen if
 
 Sports and Pastimes 127 
 
 the onlooker will, or can, appreciate them. To a 
 
 mind which has been fed on artifices. Nature — at first — 
 
 often seems unnatural. The aftermath 
 
 Extreme depends on individual tendencies. There 
 
 Naturalness ^^^ those who, once having learned to 
 
 Dancing. appreciate Ibsen, can never again tolerate 
 
 ordinary dramatic methods, and in the same 
 
 way there are those who find that, when once the dances of 
 
 Spain have taken possession of the imagination, all others 
 
 seem more or less artificial and of secondary importance. 
 
 In some respects the dances of Spain are akin to the Greek 
 dances of long-ago days. The Spaniards of to-day, hke the 
 Greeks of yesterday, express their most intimate feelings in 
 the dance. Nothing is sufficiently sacred to be avoided. 
 
 And always it must be remembered that the dances and 
 dancers of southern Spain have been famous for centuries 
 and centuries' past. Two thousand years ago the wealthy 
 Romans used to send to Gades — Cadiz of to-day — for their 
 best dancing-girls, and Mr. Ellis mentions, in this connection, 
 that " the famous statue of the so-called Venus Callipyge, 
 representing a woman who turns her head round as she bends 
 backward, is not, as the name and pose might suggest, a 
 representation of self-admiration, but undoubtedly the image 
 of a Cadiz dancer in a characteristic movement of a Spanish 
 dance." 
 
 Roughly speaking, I should feel inclined to divide the 
 
 dancing of Andalusia into four sections : the dances of the 
 
 Sefioritas, for — as I shall explain a little later 
 
 Varieties of ^^ — ^j^^ society girls of Sevilla dance the 
 Sevillanas, etc., as a matter of course ; 
 the dances of the people ; the dances of the Cafe Chantant ; 
 and the dances of the gipsies. And in considering, in con- 
 nection with these four sections, the dance always associated 
 with Sevilla — Las Sevillanas — we unconsciously arrive at 
 something like a solution of the secret of Spanish dancing. 
 
 Everyone dances Las Sevillanas ! In Sevilla, in a ball-room.
 
 128 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 it occupies a place on the programme similar to that of the 
 valse or two-step in London or Paris. And very beautifully 
 some of the pretty senoritas dance : with dainty, if slightly 
 rigid, gestures and with ultra correct steps. And they express 
 themselves absolutely in the dance. They are jeunes filles : 
 happy, light-hearted, innocently coquettish, and discreet. 
 They have not, except in rare circumstances, been taught 
 dancing by a professional, for to the Spanish mother this 
 idea savours of the theatre. The mothers teach the daughters 
 and the elder sisters teach the younger. And in these 
 circumstances Las Sevillanas seems an ideal dance for the 
 young girl. 
 
 But the same dance interpreted by the people, in some 
 fragrant garden, under the light of a southern moon, is a 
 vastly different thing. Unconsciously its virile fascination 
 mounts to the brain, and the pulses throb in rhythm with the 
 clashing castanets and twanging guitars. In every movement 
 of these supple bodies there is subtle temptation, and the 
 imperious stamp of the foot, in certain figures, accentuates 
 the call of passion. One feels, for a moment, as if one were a 
 little too near Nature ! 
 
 And then in the Caf6 Chantant the same dance, or one of 
 like description, takes still another aspect. Here again you 
 find virile life and insistent suggestion, but it all seems very 
 sordid after the scene in the moonlit garden. The question 
 of pounds, shillings, and pence seems to have entered in and 
 brushed off the bloom of Nature. 
 
 As to the gipsy dances — ^here we pass into another world. 
 
 For the gipsies of Spain, as of Russia and of Hungary, are 
 
 creatures apart from the rest of the world. 
 
 Gipsy Dancers. They are an extraordinary people, these 
 
 wanderers and outlaws. One part of Sevilla 
 
 — the Triana quarter — is filled with them, and, with a few 
 
 exceptions, they possess no attractions for the eyes. And 
 
 yet, when I think of the delightful experiences I have enjoyed 
 
 in Andalusia, I find my thoughts entangled in the fascinations
 
 Sports and Pastimes 129 
 
 of a green-eyed gipsy woman, whose dark skin was covered 
 with small-pox pits, and whose smile was mysterious as that 
 of a sphinx. 
 
 The evening I saw her dance she wore a slightly trained 
 skirt of pale green batiste and a manton de Manila of ivory 
 silk gorgeously embroidered in crimson and dull green. Her 
 dead black hair was drawn away from her forehead and dressed 
 high on the top of her head, and just behind the left ear she 
 wore a dark red rose. 
 
 So far as features were concerned, she was almost an ugly 
 woman, but her green eyes gleamed under a fringe of black 
 lashes and her figure was absolutely perfect. Tall and full, 
 with tapering limbs and tiny feet. 
 
 It was the first gipsy dance I had ever seen, and the prepara- 
 tions seemed very interesting. Two men — both gipsies — 
 seated themselves on chairs and one of them commenced to 
 twang a guitar : fiercely and with amazing spirit. 
 
 Then the other began to sing, or rather to chant, with a 
 strong nasal accent, and the girl of the green eyes slowly 
 moved forward and began to dance. And while she danced 
 all those present kept up a constant and rythmic clapping 
 of the hands. 
 
 The Tango may be danced in many different ways, but 
 always it is a dance of the whole body. Every limb, almost 
 it seems every muscle, takes active part. I have seen the 
 Tango danced wildly, with furious abandon and with grotesque 
 actions which faintly recall the cake-walk, but I have never 
 since seen anything Uke that Tango of the green-eyed gipsy 
 of Triana ! 
 
 It was a marvel of subtle and baffling fascination. She 
 
 danced so slowly that almost it seemed as though she felt 
 
 too bored to make an effort, but each move- 
 
 A Beautiful nient of the hips and waist and shapely 
 Rendering of the.. , ^ -i. ^t k a Ju 
 
 "Tango." lunbs was eloquence itself. And as these 
 
 subtle movements followed each other in 
 
 quick succession the green eyes flickered as though to say :
 
 130 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 " I am only at play, but if it happened that I were in 
 earnest . . . ! " And when at last she sat down there 
 was very little applause : none, except from the strangers 
 present. It had not been a " performance," only a little 
 indication of what a woman can say, without speaking ! 
 
 Liszt has left us some wonderful descriptions of gipsy dances 
 in Hungary, but a curiously emotional word-picture, in the 
 same genre, has been recorded by Dumas. I have not space 
 to give more than a few sentences of this description, but 
 they will indicate the general idea : "All this while her limbs, 
 which I had imagined to be in a state of collapse, had assumed 
 the suppleness and strength of a gazelle. Her eyes, which had 
 seemed so heavy with sleep, were now fully awake and 
 flashing fire ; her lips, which at first she appeared scarce able 
 to open, were now raised at the comers, exposing to view, 
 like rims of pearls, two magnificent rows of teeth. The 
 butterfly was transformed into a woman, and the woman into 
 a raving Bacchante. Then, as if he himself were carried 
 away by the strains of the guitar, the man jumped up and 
 touched her on the shoulder with his lips . Then com- 
 menced a dance which represented a combination of the 
 Pyrrhic of Greece, the Jaleo of Spain, and the Chica of America. 
 It was both a flight and a provocation — a struggle in which 
 the woman kept escaping like a snake and the man ever 
 pursuing like a tiger. All the time the music was increasing 
 in volume while the other two women beat the ground with 
 their feet and clapped their hands like C3mibals." 
 
 A very interesting and remarkable feature of Spanish 
 
 dancing is the marked difference in the movements of the 
 
 body practised in various provinces. In 
 
 Dances of Andalusia all the limbs and all the muscles 
 
 Provinces. seem to take part in the dance, but as you 
 
 travel towards the north a change takes place. 
 
 In Aragon, for example, where the jota is universally danced, 
 
 the legs and arms take the giant's share of the work, and the 
 
 trunk of the bod}' is, practically, motionless. And further
 
 sports and Pastimes 131 
 
 north still you find, in the Basque provinces, the whole stress 
 of work thrown on the legs : the arms and body remaining 
 absolutely motionless. The Basque dances — many of them — 
 recall the dances of my own country, Ireland. There is the 
 same tireless activity of the legs ; the same dainty action of 
 the feet, and exactly the same position of the arms, hanging 
 straight and loose at either side of the body. 
 
 After the delicious dances of Andalusia, the jota is the 
 most notable dance of Spain. It is, perhaps, more curious 
 than attractive, but the music is exquisite, and when, at given 
 moments, a singer joins in for a few bars, the effect is magical. 
 The jota is a peculiarly aggressive dance ; the man and 
 woman, who face each other, seem determined to outdo each 
 other in the matter of elaborate and difficult steps, but not 
 even the faintest suggestion of amour enters in. Someone 
 has, wnpoeticaUy, likened the Basque dancers to " fleas on 
 hot bricks," and in watching the jota this description forces 
 its way to the front. The little side kicks are very suggestive 
 of a desire of keeping the feet from the ground ! 
 
 Of the many Spanish dancers who have made for themselves 
 
 European reputations my personal taste leads me to single 
 
 out Tortajada. For she is not only one of 
 
 La Tortajada. the most beautiful of women, but also she is 
 
 a delightful dancer and an admirable 
 
 personality. La Tortajada is a native of Granada, and is 
 
 devoted to her birthplace and to her country. A true daughter 
 
 of the Sun, she looks forward with delight to her yearly visit 
 
 to the ancient stronghold of the Moors, and it is her fixed 
 
 intention to spend her days there, when the triumphs of the 
 
 stage have become wearisome, and when her inclinations 
 
 indicate that the moment has come for " cutting off the coleta," 
 
 or, in other words, retiring into private life. 
 
 At Granada, Tortajada has built for herself an ideally 
 beautiful nest, in an old palace which was at one time occupied 
 by Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella, and it is in this 
 nest that she spends her holidays each year, She and her
 
 132 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 husband are happy as love-bu-ds, and the hfe of this really 
 lovely woman is, in private as in public, one long triumph. 
 I have seen Tortajada in many circumstances, and in many 
 gorgeous costumes, but I have never seen her look more 
 beautiful than one morning at the Alhambra — in London, 
 not Granada — when she came on the stage to rehearse. She 
 was wearing a severely plain tailor-made costume of brown 
 cloth and a simple brown straw hat which harmonised deli- 
 ciously with the rich gold-brown tints of her hair. As she 
 walked down the great stage the orchestra rose, to a man, 
 as though to greet Royalty, and I shall never forget the peal 
 of delighted laughter which broke from her lips as she greeted 
 each one, individually. Behind the scenes at the Alhambra, 
 Tortajada was an idol, and everyone, down to the scene 
 shifters, had some story to tell of her kindness. 
 
 This dancer has carried the fascinations of southern Spain 
 all over the world. She has danced before a company of 
 3,000 Zulus. She has danced before the chiefs of the Sioux 
 Indians ! She has danced before all the crowned heads of 
 Europe, and has had ovations in all the big cities of America. 
 She has even been presented to His Holiness the Pope, and 
 has received compliments on her career from her compatriot, 
 Cardinal Merry del Val. 
 
 In the person of La Tortajada the traditions of Spain are 
 safe. She is a daughter of Andalusia, from the tip of her 
 stately head to the point of her dainty little feet. Full of 
 sparkling life and of subtle charm : natural and yet exotic 
 as a gorgeous bird of paradise ! 
 
 Nothing could be more graceful than the mantones de Manila 
 
 which are so much worn by the Spanish dancers. And these 
 
 mantones are also worn by Spanish women 
 
 'dTlSta" ^" varied positions of life, but in certain 
 
 circumstances only. The manton de Manila 
 
 is an immense shawl, made of China silk or of silk crepe. It 
 
 is heavily fringed and richly embroidered ; sometimes the 
 
 embroideries — carried out in varied coloured silks — are in an
 
 Sports and Pastimes 133 
 
 all-over floral design, and sometimes Chinese figures are 
 introduced. This garment is carefully folded across, from 
 corner to corner, and placed over the bust, the double point 
 coming directly in front. The ends are crossed at the back, 
 discreetly tightened, so that the bust and hips may be outlined, 
 and then thrown over the shoulders and fastened with a 
 single pin at either side. Arranged in this manner the shawl 
 gives the most exquisite effects, for in dancing its wearer makes 
 the long fringes sway graciously, and the figure, which is 
 displayed as much as concealed, seems alive with poetic and 
 subtle charm. 
 
 All Spanish women possess a manton de Manila ; some 
 possess very many of them, in varied designs, sizes and colours. 
 A young dancer whose acquaintance I made in Sevilla was the 
 happy owner of ten of these shawls, and each one was worth 
 from 800 to 1,000 pesetas! 
 
 In other circumstances than for dancing these shawls are 
 used in different ways. I have already spoken of them in 
 connection with the bull-fight, and they are also to be seen, 
 and in generous quantities, at the F6rias which are held in 
 various parts of Spain in the spring and summer seasons. Of 
 the manton at the F^ria I shall have occasion to speak in my 
 chapter on " Fiestas," but here, while I remember it, I must 
 mention that, two years ago. Queen Amelie of Portugal wore 
 a gorgeous manton de Manila wrapped round her shoulders 
 as she drove in Las Delicias after the Easter bull-fight. 
 
 Another picturesque dress worn by Spanish dancers is the 
 
 madrofiera, which is a sort of tunic made of chenil, in silk or 
 
 in a mixture of wool and cotton. The 
 
 Madronera 'ynadroflera is generally seen in black, and it 
 is worn over a satin skirt short enough to 
 display the ankles. It is accompanied by a small bolero, also 
 made of chenil balls, and, as a rule, with this costume, the 
 hair is dressed low, with a quantity of flowers at the back, 
 behind the ear, and a big tortoise-shell comb jutting out at an 
 extraordinary angle. Yet another variation of this dress may 
 
 10— <2399)
 
 134 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 be seen in the photo facing page 136, in which Jose Otero 
 is represented dancing with one of his pupils. Here you see 
 the bolero jacket of plush and the neat frilled shirt front, which 
 recalls those worn by the toreros. The jacket is cut in " Eton " 
 shape, and there is a smart little waistcoat. In this particular 
 photograph you can judge of how decorative the Spanish 
 castanets can be. The bunch of ribbons is very important- 
 looking, and in this case chenil tassels are mingling with the 
 lengths of brilliant silk. 
 
 One of the finest dancers of Andalusia — and incomparably 
 the best teacher — is Jose Otero y Aranda of Sevilla. In 
 these ultra-modern days even Andalusia 
 cff^SeviUa" seems in danger of losing — though happily 
 the process will be slow — some of its 
 fascinating personality, but Otero is a true son of the soil : a 
 sevillano of the old school, and one whom everyone admires 
 and loves. Last year, when Queen Victoria of Spain visited 
 Sevilla for, I think, the first time, a series of fetes were arranged 
 in her honour and for her pleasure, and in the arrangement 
 of these fetes Jose Otero played a prominent part. The Queen 
 had expressed a desire to witness Andalusian dancing in 
 natural surroundings, and these dances were arranged by 
 " Maestro," for so we always call Don Jose, and were executed 
 by him and by his pupils. It was an entertainment in honour 
 of the Queen, and it was given in the famous Casa de Pilatos 
 by the Duque de Medinaceli. 
 
 The Casa de Pilatos is one of the show places of Sevilla. 
 It is supposed to have been built in imitation of the House 
 of Pilate in Jerusalem, and it dates back to the sixteenth 
 century. The patio, or court, of this house, is exceptionally 
 fine, and it is in one corner of this patio that the gaily capari- 
 soned horses shown in the picture are standing. The girl 
 seated behind the man on the foremost horse is Brigida, one 
 of Otero's pupils and an accomplished dancer. 
 
 In Andalusia all the lower windows of the houses are barred^ 
 right up to the top ; and many of the upper windows also.
 
 A " M ANTON DE MANILA
 
 Sports and Pastimes 135 
 
 And it is through these bars that a courtship is conducted. 
 In the picture, " Pelando la Pava," an old sixteenth-century 
 window is shown, but the bars of windows in ordinary houses 
 are not arranged on such generous lines. They are quite 
 close together and none but a tiny Spanish hand could squeeze 
 through to receive a lover's kiss. This romantic, if inconve- 
 nient, method of courtship holds good in Andalusia of to-day, 
 and such scenes as that in the picture may be seen in Sevilla 
 every evening, and in almost every street. 
 
 In the spring season Jose Otero arranges exhibitions of 
 Spanish dancing in the Salon Oriente, and here can be seen, 
 in perfection, the Bolero de Madrid and the classic La Mala- 
 guefia y el Torero ; the Jaleo de Jerez, the Soleares, Las 
 Sevillanas, and many other dances. 
 
 Visitors to Sevilla find these exhibitions a great boon, 
 because it is no easy thing for strangers to see really good 
 dancing, in perfectly pleasant surroundings. 
 
 Almost everyone who has written about Spain has described 
 
 some special circumstances in which he, or she, has seen 
 
 superlatively good Spanish dancing. Mr. 
 
 ^ EySiin^^^^ Havelock Ellis speaks with enthusiasm of the 
 
 Chinitas at Malaga, where, " One went 
 
 upstairs to a charming old-world haunt, a scene as from a 
 
 seventeenth-century Dutch picture, in which on the tiniest 
 
 of stages and in the presence of an intensely serious and 
 
 entirely national audience — while guardian mothers and aunts 
 
 of the performers sat solemnly around — some of the most 
 
 accomplished dancers of Spain danced, in their beautiful 
 
 Manila shawls, never-ending cycles of characteristically 
 
 Spanish dances." 
 
 Quite recently Monsieur Rene Maizeroy — a Parisian of 
 Parisians and an enthusiast on the subject of Spain — described 
 his ideal Spanish dance which he witnessed, " Sous une treille 
 de roses, dans un jardin, au temps des Croix-de-Mai, avec 
 comme luminaire quatre lanternes de papier jaune, les astres 
 du del et la clair de lune," etc., etc.
 
 136 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 And I, also, on looking back to the glorious days of my 
 first spring in Sevilla, can pick out one special and 
 unforgettable evening, in which I witnessed perfect dancing 
 in absolutely natural surroundings. 
 
 It was on the evening of the feast of San Jos6, at a little 
 
 saint's-day party given by Don Jose Otero, at his house in 
 
 the Calle San Vicente. It was an informal 
 
 San ^os6^'^^ ^^^^^^^""^^ • ^ ^^^ favourite pupils and one 
 or two intimate friends. And as we sat 
 together in the big salon where " Maestro " gives his lessons 
 we seemed like a family party, watching Otero's little boys 
 playing " Toro," and encouraging with an animated " Ole " — 
 " Ole," the little golden-haired Pepito, when he gravely 
 and dexterously executed some well-known pass of the 
 cloak ! 
 
 And, in thinking of that evening, I remember my feelings of 
 consternation when a tray containing brimming glasses of 
 some particularly insidious Spanish wine — golden in hue and 
 rich to the taste — was handed round. Being by habit a 
 teetotaler, I took the little wine-glass with considerable 
 misgivings : misgivings which grew and flourished when, later 
 on, I realised that the hospitable tray was destined to approach 
 me very frequently. Happily, custom does not demand that, 
 on such occasions, more than a sip be taken each time, and 
 so, with the aid of delicious cakes and many sweetmeats, I 
 managed to retain control of my lower hmbs, even if — and 
 this is possible — my tongue borrowed courage and attacked 
 the Spanish language with needless energy ! 
 
 And later on, when our delightful hostess, Doiia Cecilia, 
 had taken little Pepito on her knee and soothed him to sleep, 
 someone began to play Las Sevillanas, and Lolita — loveliest 
 of girls and most perfect of dancers — invited " Maestro " to 
 dance with her. And then began a series of dances which I 
 shall never forget — the girls trying, each one in turn, to 
 outshine the other, and to compose new adornments in honour 
 of the feast of San Jose ; and " Maestro," in a desire to repay
 
 Beauchy 
 
 JOSE OTERO AND A PI PIL
 
 Sports and Pastimes 137 
 
 all these delicious compliments, dancing as he never danced 
 before, or — I believe — since. 
 
 Brigida was there, and she danced a wonderful Bolero with 
 Otero's nephew. Gloria — one of the most beautiful women 
 in Andalusia — was there, and so was a handsome dancer who 
 has since made for herself a name in Paris. Everyone was 
 in the best of spirits, and when my travelling companion was 
 induced to stand up and take part in a copla of the Sevillanas, 
 the encouraging clap of hands and clash of castanets grew wilder 
 than ever, for all present wanted the little Irlandesa to make 
 a success ! 
 
 It was a memorable evening, and on looking back on it, 
 and in thinking of all the kindness and affection I experienced 
 in Sevilla, I dedicate this chapter to " Maestro," and, in 
 approved style, express my feelings — 
 
 Brindo por Andalusia, la Tierra de Maria Santisima : 
 por " Maestro " y por su simpatica familia.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS 
 
 In thinking over the Spanish musicians who have occupied 
 an important place in the world in modern days the name 
 
 of Manuel Garcia at once suggests itself : 
 Garcia "^ for though he was an international celebrity, 
 
 he was very Spanish — in character as in 
 appearance. 
 
 Manuel Patricio Rodriguez Garcia was born in the year 
 1805, and opinions are divided as to the exact birthplace. 
 Some say that it was Madrid, but I think those who name 
 Zafra are more correct. In his admirable book, " Garcia the 
 Centenarian and his Times," Mr. Sterling Mackinlay recalls 
 some interesting facts in connection with the year of Don 
 Manuel's birth. He says : " What of the musical world in 
 1805 ? Beethoven had not yet completed his thirty-seventh 
 year, Schubert was a boy of eight, Auber, Bishop, Charles 
 
 Burney — who had been born in 1726 — 
 ^GScia°^ Callcott, Cherubini, Dibdin, Hal^vy, 'Papa' 
 
 Haydn, Meyerbeer, Paganini, Rossini, Spohr, 
 Weber, these were all living, and many of them had yet to 
 become famous. As for Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and 
 Brahms, they were not even born : while Gounod, Wagner, 
 and Verdi were mere schoolboys when Garcia was a full-blown 
 operatic baritone." 
 
 It is impossible to imagine any more stirring " times " than 
 those of Don Manuel Garcia. He was the intimate friend and 
 comrade of all the great musicians whose names are held as 
 sacred in our homes of to-day. He was the son of one of 
 the finest tenors Spain has ever possessed, and the brother of 
 the glorious Malibran and of Pauline Viardot-Garcia. Georges 
 Sand he knew well, and he used to take pleasure in describing
 
 Music and Musicians 139 
 
 an episode of the French Revolution of 1848, when Georges 
 Sand was seen standing on the top of a barricade, surrounded 
 by excited students, and when she called down to her musician 
 friend : " N'est-ce pas que c'est magnifique ? N'est-ce pas 
 que c'est beau ? " 
 
 And in this revolution Garcia took his place on the barricades 
 side by side with Jean Frangois Millet, and was — about the 
 same period — the friend of Corot, Rousseau, Delaroche, Rosa 
 Bonheur, and very many other " immortals." 
 
 As a professor of singing, Manuel Garcia held, from first to 
 last, an absolutely unique position. No other man has ever 
 had such successes, and most surely no other man has ever 
 had such a brilliant band of pupils. Jenny Lind, Mahbran, 
 Mathilde Marchesi, Santley, Antoinette Sterling, Johanna 
 Wagner — this latter a niece of Richard Wagner and an 
 accomplished artist. -^ 
 
 In connection with Don Manuel's friendship with the 
 
 Wagner family, it is important to remember that, when 
 
 arrangements were being made for the first 
 
 Wagner's Bayreuth Festival, Richard Wagner wrote 
 
 Manuel Garcia. ^"^ asked the Spanish musician to undertake 
 
 the training of the singers. Garcia was 
 
 unable to accept this offer, but the fact that it was made throws 
 
 a light on Wagner's supposed ideas as to the Italian method ! 
 
 It is also interesting and instructive to realise that this 
 
 eminent Spaniard practically commanded the musical world 
 
 of the past fifty years — so far as singers were concerned — for 
 
 not only did he instruct a large number of notable artists 
 
 himself, but his pupils carried on his work in various countries : 
 
 in Paris Mathilde Marchesi gathered in pupils 
 
 Midieti. ^^°"^ ^^^ comers of the globe, and, in Berlin 
 
 and Frankfort, Julius Stockhausen — one of 
 
 Garcia's favourite pupils — was considered the most eminent 
 
 professor of his day ; Stockhausen was the master of Van 
 
 Rooy and of George Henschel. 
 
 There have been, of recent years, many discussions on the
 
 140 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 vexed question of " voice production " — a phrase which was 
 Don Manuel's pet aversion : many theories have been set 
 forth, but when weighing the pros and cons of these, it is well 
 to remember that the greatest professor of singing of the 
 nineteenth century believed in, and always adhered to, the 
 " Bel Canto " method which has been handed down from 
 the famous maestro Porpora. 
 
 I have said that Don Manuel detested the phrase " voice 
 production," and for this dislike he was always ready to give 
 his reasons. Mr. Mackinlay describes the following little 
 speech, deUvered to a pupil who had unwittingly used the 
 forbidden words : " MonDieu! }iiovf cznyow produce a voice ? 
 Can you show it to me and say, ' Here it is. Examine it ' ? Can 
 you pour it out like molten lead into the sand ? Non ! There 
 is no such thing as ' voice production.' Perhaps you mean 
 voice emission. You do ? Eh bien ! Then say so, please." 
 
 Of Sefior Garcia's untiring work for the advancement of 
 music it would be superfluous to speak further, since his life 
 belonged to the public, and its every movement was watched 
 and chronicled, but we must pause for a moment to consider 
 his invention of the laryngoscope. 
 
 I have said that all through his long life Manuel Garcia was 
 a true Spaniard, in nature as well as by birth, and the manner 
 in which he made his great discovery was — to those who 
 understand the Spanish character — very characteristic. He 
 had a great wish to attain a certain end, and he set about 
 obtaining it in a simple and practical way. And this " end " 
 was not to make a scientific discovery : it was to see his 
 glottis ! In attaining the desired " end," he made a scientific 
 discovery which has benefited the whole world, but the motive 
 power, which I hold to be essentially Spanish, was something 
 quite simple and practical, 
 
 I do not think the average Spaniard is possessed of a 
 scientific mind, but he is very ready to make use of such 
 science as may help him to attain a desired end : and this end 
 is almost invariably a practical one.
 
 Music and Musicians 141 
 
 With regard to the discovery which led to the invention 
 of the laryngoscope I cannot do better than quote again from 
 Mr. Sterling Mackinlay's book. After having spoken of the 
 great musician's overpowering desire to see a healthy glottis 
 in the very act of singing, for he felt that in this way he could 
 discover many things closely connected with the art of voice 
 emission, Mr. Mackinlay continues : " Suddenly the idea 
 came to him — ' WTiy should I not try to see it ? ' How must 
 this be done ? Why obviously by some means of reflection. 
 Then, like a flash, he seemed to see the two mirrors of the 
 laryngoscope in their respective positions as though actually 
 before his eyes." Further on we learn that the musician 
 placed a long-handled dentist's glass in 
 
 Birth of the position against his uvula, and then examined 
 
 Laryngoscope, f! , ,, ^ . , . x. a • " t3 a 
 
 it by the aid of a hand-mirror. By good 
 
 fortune he hit upon the proper angle at the very first attempt. 
 
 There before his eyes appeared the glottis, wide open, and so 
 
 fully exposed that he could see a portion of the trachea. So 
 
 dumbfounded was he that he sat down aghast for several 
 
 minutes." Six months after this primitive discovery Don 
 
 Manuel submitted his paper on " Physiological Observations 
 
 on the Human Voice " to the Royal Society of London. In 
 
 this paper he set down the scientific thesis of his discovery 
 
 in language which would have done credit to expert anatomists 
 
 and physiologists. 
 
 It is rather a curious fact that I am writing these words on 
 
 the 104th anniversary of the day on which Manuel Garcia 
 
 was born — on the 17th of March ! For the birthday of this 
 
 eminent Spaniard is the special " Day " of St. Patrick, the 
 
 Patron Saint of my country ! 
 
 And on the famous birthday in the year 1905 — when the 
 
 wonderful old man entered what Professor Frankel described 
 
 as " the second century of his immortality " — 
 The Centenary, he looked every inch a Spaniard when the 
 
 Marquis de Villalobar visited him for the 
 purpose of delivering a special message of congratulation from
 
 142 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 King Alfonso XIII. In the course of this visit the Marquis 
 said : "I have been honoured by his Majesty the King, 
 Don Alfonso XIII, with his august representation to con- 
 gratulate you on the day of your centenary, and in the 
 presence of the learned men who have assembled in this great 
 metropolis for its celebration. In obeying the King's 
 command, in which the Government and the Spanish people 
 join, I honour myself, investing you, in the name of his 
 Majesty and your motherland, with the Royal Order of 
 Alfonso XII, as a high reward to your merits and the services 
 rendered to mankind through your science and your labour," 
 etc., etc. 
 
 In the chapter on Literature, and elsewhere in this book, I 
 
 have alluded to what has been called " the Valera woman " : 
 
 that peculiarly attractive type which modern 
 
 The Valera Spaniards have, more or less, condemned as 
 
 Type. ^ 
 
 un-Spanish. And I have called this type the 
 
 " eternal woman," and pointed out that in many respects 
 
 she was, in my opinion, quite Spanish ! In this connection 
 
 it is interesting to recall some of the leading characteristics 
 
 of one of the most notable singers Spain has ever possessed — 
 
 Maria Garcia, who became world-famous under the title of 
 
 Malibran ! 
 
 This extraordinary woman's charm and versatility were 
 very remarkable : she was not alone a great singer, but she 
 was also a great linguist, an accomplished artist, and an 
 inimitable mimic. She was full of vivid life, and a description 
 of her, given by one who knew her well, strongly suggests 
 the " Valera type." 
 
 " Maria Malibran " — this writer says — " would dress like 
 a man and drive the coach from place to place ; and when 
 she arrived, brown with the sun and dust of Italy, would 
 sometimes jump into the sea. Then she would go straight 
 to the Opera, and, having sung ' Amina,' ' Norma,' or ' The 
 Maid of Artois,' as we shall perhaps never hear them sung 
 again, return home to write or sing comic songs. At cock-crow
 
 Music and Musicians 143 
 
 she was out galloping her horse off its legs before a rehearsal in 
 the morning, a concert in the afternoon, and the Opera at night ! " 
 
 Such was the untiring energy of this notable Spanish woman, 
 who, unhappily, died at the early age of twenty-eight. 
 
 In a chapter devoted to the music and musicians of Spain 
 
 it is necessary to give a place of prominence to a violinist who 
 
 is now, alas ! no longer with us. Pablo 
 
 Sarasate. Martin Meliton de Sarasate was the greatest 
 
 of artists and the most charming of men. He 
 
 spent much of his life in wandering up and down Europe, and 
 
 everywhere he went he was feted and adored, but to the last 
 
 he remained a Spaniard of the Spaniards : in temperament, 
 
 in taste, in thought and in action. 
 
 The yearly visits of Sarasate to his native town, Pampeluna, 
 were occasions of general rejoicing. He was received with 
 Royal honours, and, as I hinted in another chapter, his appear- 
 ance in a palco at the Plaza de Toros was the signal of a 
 triumphant welcome from thousands of eager voices, which 
 gave the violin king more real pleasure than did the European 
 ovations to which he was so well accustomed. 
 
 At a very early age Pablo de Sarasate showed extraordinary 
 talent for music : when a little boy of six years he played, 
 and with much success, at a concert at Coruiia, in Galicia, and 
 at the age of twelve he entered the Paris Conservatoire and 
 became the favourite pupil of Delphin Alard. 
 
 When he was a romantic-looking youth of about eighteen 
 Sarasate paid his first visit to England and played at the old 
 St. James's Hall. After that quite a long time elapsed before 
 he was again heard in London, but when, I think in 1874, he 
 played at one of the Philharmonic Society's Concerts he made 
 a veritable sensation. 
 
 I have heard persons who were present at that concert 
 describe the extraordinary appearance of the Spanish musician : 
 his great mass of dark hair framing his pale face and his wild 
 dark eyes exercising a subtle fascination over the delighted 
 audience.
 
 144 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 It was at this period that the name of Sarasate became 
 
 closely associated with the Finale of the Mendelssohn Concerto, 
 
 and the war which raged round his rendering 
 
 ^^^ Co^nctrto°^" °^ *^^^ ^^^"^^ P^^^^ °^ ^^^^^ "^^^^ ^^^^^y 
 abated. To the last, strict musicians declared 
 
 that the violinist sacrificed art to effect, and that he made 
 
 it impossible for the wood-wind instruments to give the difficult 
 
 passages of the Finale proper execution ; in fact, that the 
 
 impulsive Spaniard took the Finale at such lightning speed 
 
 that he, and he alone, was "in at the death ! " 
 
 For many years Pablo de Sarasate was always accompanied, 
 at his concerts, by that admirable pianist, Madame Berthe 
 Marx, but in the year 1906 he appeared at the Bechstein Hall 
 in conjunction with his compatriot Carlos Sobrino, and many 
 critics were of opinion that the accompaniments of Sefior 
 Sobrino were beyond praise. 
 
 Of this fascinating musician's rendering of the jota 
 Aragonesa no one could speak without seeming exaggeration: 
 it was an extraordinary performance, and it stirred the emo- 
 tions of French and English audiences quite as much as those 
 of Spam. The last time I heard Sarasate play the jota was 
 at an afternoon concert in Paris, and it was seven o'clock 
 before we left the building ! Again and again the musician 
 was recalled, and the enthusiasts were only induced to cease 
 applauding by the announcement that he had driven back 
 to his hotel ! 
 
 Amongst the many distinctions showered upon Sarasate by 
 the rulers of Europe were the " Grand Cross of the Order of 
 Isabella the Cathohc " ; the Legion of Honour ; the Red 
 Eagle of Russia, etc. 
 
 The most important composer in Spain at the present day 
 is Tomas Breton, and it is interesting to realise that he, like 
 Pietro Mascagni, was the son of a baker. 
 Tomas Breton. From his infancy Breton showed an extra- 
 ordinary love and talent for music, and at 
 eight years of age he began to study music seriously ; he
 
 Music and Musicians 145 
 
 quickly mastered the rudiments of the violin, and when only 
 ten years of age he was a member of an orchestra in Salamanca, 
 in which city he was born. 
 
 At this early age Breton had no knowledge of harmony, 
 but this did not keep him from beginning to compose music, 
 and his exceeding precocity attracted the attention of leading 
 artists, who urged his mother to send him to Madrid to pursue 
 his studies. For some time the want of money kept Tomas 
 Breton's parents from doing all they wished for their wonderful 
 son, but, finally, they managed to make their way to Madrid, 
 and there, at the age of fifteen, the boy obtained the position 
 of first violin in an important theatre. 
 
 At this stage of his career numerous persons insisted that 
 it was absolutely necessary for the young musician to go 
 through a course of serious studies for the purpose of passing 
 into the Conservatorio. 
 
 This idea of spending several years in preliminary study 
 did not commend itself to Breton. Instead, he procured a 
 copy of Eslava's " Escuela de Composicion," studied it for 
 five months — alone — and then presented himself for admission, 
 and was at once received into the Conservatorio ! 
 
 In 1872 he and Chapi carried off the honours, and Breton's 
 reputation, as a serious musician, was firmly established. 
 
 The name of Tomas Breton is known all through the length 
 
 and breadth of Spain in connection with the Opera — " Los 
 
 Amantes de Teruel," — which is so universally 
 
 de*Terud"*'^^ popular that it is always brought forward as 
 a stop-gap when any other opera fails to gain 
 favour with the public. A curious fact connected with this 
 opera is, that when it was first producer! it was an absolute 
 failure ; no one had a good word to say for it, and it would 
 have completely disappeared from view had not the Queen 
 Regent — who admired the music — taken the matter firmly 
 in hand. The Queen — who has always been a most sympa- 
 thetic patron of music of the best order — had some of the 
 leading numbers from " Los Amantes de Teruel " given in
 
 146 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 the Palace, and gradually the tide turned in favour of Breton. 
 In the year 1889 the opera was produced, with triumphant 
 results, at the Teatro Real, and ever since then it has held the 
 Spanish stage continuously. 
 
 The Catalans were, from the first, enthusiastic admirers of 
 Breton's great gifts, and he received so much encouragement 
 from friends in Barcelona that he became filled with the idea 
 of writing a Catalan opera. This he eventually did — taking 
 as a theme the legend of " Juan Garin," which title he gave 
 to the opera. This work was produced in Barcelona with a 
 success which has never been equalled in that city. 
 
 Amongst the many remarkable musical works of this artist 
 may be cited " La Verbena de la Paloma " and " La Dolores." 
 Breton has composed several popular zarzuelas, and many 
 orchestral pieces. 
 
 Of recent years no one has done more for orchestral music 
 
 in Spain than Seiior Arbos. This clever musician is a native 
 
 of Galicia, and his father and grandfather 
 
 /tfbcT" ^^ were military bandmasters ; from his earliest 
 
 childhood he showed a marked talent for 
 
 music and while still only a little boy gained various prizes 
 
 at the Conservatoire of Madrid. 
 
 Through the influence of his master, Monasterio, the 
 eminent violinist, Fernandez Arbos was brought under the 
 direct notice of the Spanish Royal Family, and was also able 
 to pursue his studies abroad. 
 
 At the Brussels Conservatoire he studied under Vieuxtemps, 
 but on hearing Joachim play he became so infatuated by the 
 style of that great artist that he went straight to Berlin 
 and placed himself under his direction. While still continuing 
 his studies Seiior Arbos filled the post of leader of the Berlin 
 Philharmonic Society, and a little later on he made a concert 
 tour in France, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, and Poland. 
 
 He was then invited to fill the post of Professor of the 
 Violin at the Hamburg Conservatoire, but shortly after 
 settling in Hamburg he was asked by the Queen of Spain to
 
 Music and Musicians 147 
 
 return to Madrid and to take up the position of principal 
 professor of the vioHn in the Conservatoire of that 
 capital. 
 
 It may fairly be said that it was Sefior Arbos who made 
 
 really fine chamber music popular in Spain. He threw himself 
 
 heart and soul into the work, and founded a 
 
 Chamber Music society for the practice of the compositions 
 
 of classical writers. At that period orchestral 
 
 music, of a first-rate quality, was little known in Spain, and 
 
 the work done by the musician of whom I am now speaking 
 
 has had a very wide influence : in the provinces as well as 
 
 in Madrid. 
 
 Somewhere about the year 1891 Sefior Arbos had a great 
 success in London, playing at some concerts given by Albeniz — 
 the eminent Spanish pianist and composer, whose death has 
 been recently announced — and afterwards at one of the 
 popular concerts, at which he played Bach's double concerto 
 with Joachim. 
 
 Fernandez Arbos is a man of many talents : a really fine 
 violinist, he is also a first-rate orchestral leader and — perhaps 
 best of all — an incomparable teacher. 
 
 His wide experience at five different Conservatoires has been 
 invaluable to his pupils, and he has succeeded in imbuing 
 many of them with his own enthusiasm for classical music. 
 Of his compositions — and they are many — ^his trios for the 
 piano and strings are the best known, but he has also written 
 an interesting and amusing comic opera, " El Centro de la 
 Tierra," which was produced in 1895. 
 
 Arbos was for a short time leader and soloist to the Boston 
 Symphony Orchestra, but finally decided to accept the post 
 of permanent conductor of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra. 
 This Orchestra has been brought, under his guidance, to 
 a high state of efficiency, and during the season important 
 works by Bach, Tschaikowsky, and Brahms are given. 
 
 Under the direction of this musician, the compositions of 
 Debussy, Cesar Franck, Sibelius, Rimsky-Korsakoff, etc..
 
 148 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 have been introduced to the Spanish pubHc : it is interesting 
 to reahse that, in connection with the concerts given by the 
 Madrid Symphony Orchestra, the popular vote was given in 
 favour of Bach. The works of this grand old master found 
 far more favour with the Spaniards than those of any modern 
 composer. 
 
 It has been rather the fashion, of late years, to say that the 
 Spaniards are no longer a really musical nation, and — on the 
 surface — this seems true, but Wagner is regarded in Spain 
 almost as a household god, and I remember an occasion, in 
 Madrid, when a large audience found sufficient enthusiasm 
 to encore the Tannhaiiser Overture at the very end of a concert 
 which had lasted four hours ! 
 
 I have already mentioned, in another chapter, that in the 
 summer Senor Arbos conducts the classic concerts at the 
 Casino of San Sebastian ; he also finds time to pay frequent 
 visits to London, and to conduct, from time to time, the 
 London Symphony Orchestra. 
 
 This musician, who is very well known in Madrid society, is 
 
 a young naval officer of exceptional talent. He is devoted to 
 
 his profession, and in pursuing it with 
 
 Mannque enthusiasm he finds but little tune, com- 
 ae Lara. 
 
 paratively, for the study of music ; never- 
 theless, he has already published some remarkable compositions 
 for stringed instruments, at least two fine symphonies and 
 several operas. 
 
 He is at present occupied in finishing an important opera 
 entitled " Rodrigo de Vivar," and this work he himself regards 
 as his best. 
 
 Don Manrique is a vehement enthusiast of the Wagnerian 
 principles, which he considers to be ideal, since they afford 
 unrivalled methods for the expression of modern art. 
 
 In an interesting letter which I received recently from him, 
 Don Manrique expressed unbounded admiration for the 
 genius of the Maestro Chapi — of whom he was the only pupil. 
 Since the receipt of that letter the news of Chapi's death has
 
 Music and Musicians 149 
 
 filled the musical world with grief, for he was a universal 
 favourite ; but a few days before his death, he had been 
 receiving congratulations from his numerous friends and 
 acquaintances on the success of his opera, " Margarita la 
 Tornera," which had just set all Madrid talking. 
 
 In speaking of his beloved maestro, Don Manrique said : 
 "He is undoubtedly the great artistic figure of the present 
 day in Spain. The enormous quantity of his works has not 
 in any way interfered with the quality, which is always 
 excellent." 
 
 Besides being a skilled musician, Manrique de Lara is well 
 known in the literary world. He contributes art criticisms 
 to El Imparcial, La Epoca, El Heraldo, and 
 A^t"'^?""'^ other papers. He is also musical critic for 
 El Mundo. In the American war he volun- 
 teered and had the good fortune to command the quick-firing 
 battery on the Pelayo. 
 
 There are at the present day quite a number of notable 
 
 pianists in Spain ; indeed, I think that, taking the Spanish 
 
 executants as a whole, the pianists easily 
 
 A Notable take first place in the race for fame. Some 
 
 Pianist 
 
 Jose Cuervos. ^^ these masters of the piano have elected to 
 
 live, almost entirely, out of their own country, 
 but Jose Guervos is a notable exception to this rule. 
 
 He is a son of Andalusia, having been born in Granada in 
 the year 1870, and his career has been an extraordinarily 
 successful one. This is not to be wondered at when we realise 
 that he comes of musical people, on both sides : his father and 
 mother were skilled musicians, and so were his grandparents, 
 and so on. 
 
 After having commenced his serious studies with his father, 
 Guervos entered the Conservatorio of Madrid in 1886, and 
 in 1888 obtained first prize for the piano. In 1892 he began 
 to teach and was made professor of the piano at the Conserva- 
 torio, a post which he stiU fills. In 1895 he founded a society 
 of Chamber Music, with the famous 'ceUist Pablo Casals, and 
 II— (2399)
 
 150 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 in the same year he made a prolonged tour with Sarasate, 
 through Spain, Portugal, and France. 
 
 This musician has composed a great number of works : for the 
 
 piano, for the organ, and for orchestra. He has also composed 
 
 many rarely lovely songs. Some of the most 
 
 Compositions successful compositions of this artist are some 
 short pieces for the piano called " Pensa- 
 mientos " and his famous " Rimas de Becquer," for a single 
 voice with orchestral accompaniment. Becquer was an 
 extraordinary poet of the past century whose rimas were very 
 celebrated, and Seiior Cuervos has surrounded them with 
 music which is as effective as it is original. 
 
 In the year 1900 Seiior Guervos was invited by the Queen 
 Regent to give lessons to the late Princess of the Asturias 
 and to the Infanta Maria Teresa — sisters of the King. Since 
 then he has been made Court Pianist of Spain, and in this 
 capacity he arranges all the musical entertainments — and 
 they are many — which take place in the Palace. 
 
 The compositions of Jose Cuervos are distinctly Spanish 
 in flavour : they seem to reflect the love which the musician 
 cherishes for the golden south — for Andalusia, his native 
 province. 
 
 I do not think that it is generally known that reaUy splendid 
 
 work is being carried on at the Conservatorio of Madrid ; each 
 
 year the successful pupils grow more and more 
 
 The numerous, and the course of teaching leaves 
 
 of Madrid. nothing to be desired. At the Conservatorio 
 
 there are fifty-eight professors, and these 
 
 are divided under two headings : numerarios for superior 
 
 instruction, and super mimerarios for elementary instruction. 
 
 The pupils number between 4,000 and 5,000, and the course 
 
 includes all the branches taken up b)' the Conservatoire of 
 
 Paris. Very special attention is paid to instruction in 
 
 harmony, counter-bass, declamation, solfeggio, etc., etc. 
 
 The greatest 'cellist of the present day, in Spain, is Pablo 
 Casals. He is still quite a young man, but his tone and
 
 Music and Musicians 151 
 
 execution are superb, and many critics place him on a line 
 with the foremost European masters of the 'cello of our 
 
 day. Unfortunately, Casals is naturally of a 
 Pablo Casals, nervous temperament, and for this reason his 
 
 execution is, at times, uneven ; but, on the 
 other hand, this very nervousness adds great charm to his 
 playing, for it keeps him strung up and his hearers benefit by 
 what must be to him real suffering. Casals is a Catalan, and 
 is one of the many Spanish artists who pass the greater part 
 of their time in Paris. 
 
 Miguel Llobet is a notable guitarist. He was a favourite 
 pupil of Tarrega — the greatest master of the guitar Spain 
 
 has known during the past fifty years — and, 
 Miguel Llobet, like his illustrious maestro, he is able to make 
 
 the guitar speak. It was in Paris that I first 
 had the pleasure of making this musician's acquaintance, 
 and I confess to a feeling of intense surprise when I heard 
 him softly playing the opening notes of one of Chopin's most 
 exquisite Nocturnes. I had never thought of associating the 
 guitar with serious music, but in the hands of Miguel Llobet 
 it gave us Bach and Mendelssohn, Chopin and Beethoven. 
 This sounds incredible, but then the guitar is an instrument 
 capable of wonderful things — in thoroughly skilled hands. 
 Towards the end of the evening we pressed the artist to give 
 us something " really Spanish," and he played — in memorable 
 style — a jota composed by Tarrega himself. A glorious piece 
 of music, full of brilliant life : music which expressed in 
 delicious sounds what the pictures of Zuloaga express in colour. 
 I spoke, at the commencement of my chapter on Plays and 
 Players, of the great popularity, in Spain, of the zarzuela. 
 
 I felt bound to include it in that chapter 
 Vl^^T because it occupies the stage of the majority 
 
 of Spanish theatres, especially in the provinces, 
 but the king of zarzuela writers is entirely a musician. Joaquin 
 Valverde was born in Badajoz in the year 1846. While still 
 a little boy he played the flute in a regimental band at
 
 152 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Valencia, and at this period he was put to teach the solfeggio 
 to the recruits ! Later on he made his way to Madrid, and 
 at once obtained a position in a theatre orchestra ; not very 
 long afterwards he became conductor of the orchestra of the 
 Teatro Espanol. 
 
 Sometime in the year 1894 Valverde gave his attention to 
 composition, and since that time he has produced — with unfail- 
 ing success — more than 200 instrumental works, a number of 
 pieces for the piano and for military bands, and innumerable 
 zarzuelas, these latter being the compositions with which his 
 name is always associated. Some of his most popular zarzuelas 
 were written in collaboration with Don Federico Chueca, the 
 inimitable musician whose death was announced a few months 
 ago. 
 
 Perhaps the best known of Valverde's works may be said 
 to be " La Gran Via," a zarzuela which has been played in 
 almost every capital of Europe, and which has had great 
 success in America. " Cadiz " and " Caramelo " are also 
 fine specimens of Valverde's work, and these were also written 
 in collaboration with Chueca. 
 
 Valverde fils, who resides in Paris, is an extraordinary 
 
 musician. Composition seems as easy to him as ordinary 
 
 letter-writing to the average individual. He 
 
 Valverde Fils. sits down to the piano and plays a few notes ; 
 if the idea he has in his mind pleases him he 
 adds other notes, and then others and others ; finally, he goes 
 to a table and writes the whole thing down from memory : 
 a piece or a song — which will surely prove a popular success 
 — having been composed in twenty or thirty minutes. 
 
 The younger Valverde has a wonderful memory : he never 
 forgets anything he has composed and can, at any time, run 
 right through his zarzuelas from beginning to end, without 
 notes. I always remember, with pleasure, having heard this 
 musician sing — some of his own compositions. He has so 
 little voice that he assured us that we could not hear him at 
 all unless we stood close to the piano ! But voice was not
 
 Music and Musicians 153 
 
 required when such an admirable artist was giving expression 
 to the children of his brain ; his method of singing — or rather 
 of speaking to a piano accompaniment — was quite fascinating, 
 and all those present on that occasion felt themselves fortunate. 
 Few men have done more for music in Spain than has Don 
 Luis Dotesio, who is not only the greatest publisher of music 
 in Spain, but almost the only one. If such a 
 
 Music PubUsher. *^^"^ ^^ " chance " exists, it may be said that 
 it was a matter of pure chance that Don Luis 
 took up the business of publishing music ! All his tastes ran 
 in the direction of chemistry, and he was devoting his attention 
 to the analysis of minerals when " chance " threw him into 
 the company of Don Luis Piazza of Sevilla — a noted maker 
 of pianos. Piazza — in the course of an ordinary conversation 
 — suggested that his friend should try and sell a piano for him, 
 in Bilbao. Seilor Dotesio consented, and succeeded so well 
 with his self-imposed task that many other pianos passed 
 through his hands, and to-day he holds the unique position 
 of sole representative — in Spain — of all the great piano 
 manufacturers in the world, including the famous Maison 
 Erard of Paris. 
 
 It was also by " chance " that Don Luis Dotesio went into 
 the music-publishing business ; he first published a piece at 
 the request of a friend, and going from one step to another 
 he is to-day the only really important music-publisher in 
 Spain. By degrees he has acquired the sole rights of pubUca- 
 tion of the works of nearly all the best Spanish composers, 
 and he has establishments in Madrid, Santander, Bilbao, and in 
 Paris — as well as various branch establishments in the provinces. 
 
 Sefior Dotesio possesses many qualities which explain his 
 
 continued successes : he is an absolutely tireless worker and 
 
 a keen man of business, while presenting the 
 
 W Is'V"^ appearance of a man who dearly loves to 
 
 take things quietly. His manner is admirable, 
 
 in friendship as in business, and his word is better than 
 
 another man's oath.
 
 154 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 I have many delightful memories of the friendship which 
 I have enjoyed with Seiior Dotesio and with his family. He 
 has a quaint way of saying unexpected things, in a very quiet 
 manner, and his sense of humour is sleepless ! 
 
 It is quite possible that it is to this sense of himiour that 
 Seiior Dot6sio owes something of his success, for it is an open 
 secret that musicians are not the easiest persons in the world 
 to manage, and it is certain that he has managed to keep on 
 the best of terms with them all !
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 SPAIN OF TO-MORROW 
 
 This chapter, which I have called Spain of To-morrow, is 
 dedicated to the memory of one of the finest personaUties 
 possessed by Spain in the nineteenth century. 
 Angel Ganivet. Angel Ganivet was still a young man when 
 he died in the year 1899 ; nevertheless, he had, 
 in his short life, done much for his country, for his poetic, and 
 yet practical ideals awakened enthusiasm in the souls of many 
 of his compatriots and he quickly came to be proclaimed " the 
 prophet of a movement of spiritual renaissance in Spain." 
 Ganivet, who was a distinguished scholar, belonged to the 
 Spanish Consular Service, and it was at Helsingfors that the 
 wonderful little book which affords subject matter for this 
 chapter was written. I do not think that " Idearium 
 Espanol " is well known, if known at all, outside Spain, but 
 it contains very many splendid thoughts, and it gives a student 
 of Spain and her people food for serious reflection. 
 
 In giving quotations from Ganivet's " Idearium " I have 
 been assisted by the general arrangement of the book itself, 
 which is written in paragraphs. I have not attempted to do 
 more than give a free translation of the words, keeping as 
 close to the sense as possible, because it would be quite out of 
 my power to convey any adequate idea of the beauty of the 
 language or of the style. Ganivet — like all well-educated 
 Spaniards — was a master of words and expressed himself in 
 the purest of pure Castilian. 
 
 Within the past eight or ten years a number of Spanish 
 writers have published books in which the debacle of Spain 
 has been freely discussed. Some of these writers have taken 
 an exceedingly pessimistic view of the situation while others
 
 156 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 have been too frankly optimistic. Ganivet was neither an 
 optimist nor a pessimist : he was a poet and an ideahst, who 
 was capable of being very practical. He was a true 
 patriot, and he was not afraid to look the situation full in 
 the face. 
 
 Here are some quotations from " Idearium Espafiol " — 
 " WTien one examines the ideal constitution of Spain the 
 most profound moral, and in a way, religious element which 
 one finds in it, serving as a cement, is stoicism : 
 
 ^of Snecl"^ "°^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^°^^ stoicism of Cato, 
 nor the serene and majestic stoicism of Marcus 
 Aurelius, nor the rigid and extreme stoicism of Epictetus, but 
 the natural and human stoicism of Seneca. 
 
 " Seneca is not a son of Spain by chance : he is a Spaniard 
 in essence. He is not an Andaluz, because when he was bom 
 the Vandals had not come to Spain, and if he had been born 
 later — perhaps in the Middle Ages — he would have belonged 
 to Castile, not Andalusia. All the doctrine of Seneca is 
 condensed into this teaching : Do not let yourself be conquered 
 by anything foreign to your spirit : think, in the midst of the 
 accidents of life, that you have within you a mother-force : 
 something strong and indestructible, like a fine diamond, 
 around which gyrate the mean actions of our everyday life. 
 And, whatever may be the events which befall you — those 
 which we call prosperous or those which we call adverse, or 
 even those which seem to injure us by their contact, — maintain 
 yourself so firmly and proudly that at least you may always 
 say of yourself that you are a man. 
 
 " This is Spanish : and it is so Spanish that Seneca had 
 not to invent it because he found it invented already : he 
 had only to take it and to give it a perennial form, working 
 as true men of genius work." 
 
 " A people cannot — and if it could it ought not to — live 
 without glory, but glory may be conquered by many different
 
 Spain of To-morrow 157 
 
 means. Glory demonstrates itself in various forms. There 
 
 is the ideal glory : the most noble form, to which one arrives 
 
 by the force of intelligence. There is the 
 
 Necessity for an glory of the struggle for the triumph of the 
 
 Renaissance, ideals of one people against those of another 
 people. There is the glory of fierce combat 
 for material domination. There is the sadder glory of mutual 
 annihilation in interior struggles. Spain has known all these 
 forms of glory and for a long time has tasted abundantly of 
 the sad glory : we live in perpetual Civil War. 
 
 " Our temperament, excited and enfeebled by endless periods 
 of strife, cannot easily succeed in transforming itself, in finding 
 a pacific means of expression, or in manifesting itself by signs 
 more human than those of arms. 
 
 " It is indispensable that our nation should be forced to 
 recover itself rationally, and to do this a new spiritual life 
 must be infused into individuals, and by them transmitted 
 into the city and into the State. 
 
 " We have seen that our pohtical organization does not 
 depend on exterior forces : there is no outside influence which 
 induces us to adopt this or that form of government. The 
 only useful indication which we can deduct from the examina- 
 tion of our interior interests is that we ought to fortify the 
 organization which we have to-day and acquire a very intense 
 intellectual force, because our historic role obliges us to trans- 
 form our field of action from the material to the spiritual. 
 
 " Spain was the first European nation made great by the 
 policy of expansion and of conquest : she has been the first 
 to fall from such greatness, and it is necessary for her now to 
 work for a pohtical and social restoration of a completely 
 new order : her position is distmct from that of any other 
 European nation, and she ought not to imitate any of them : 
 on the contrary, she ought herself to initiate a new course 
 of procedure, accommodated to events also new in history. 
 
 " Neither French ideas, nor English nor German can be of 
 use to us, because we — although inferior with regard to
 
 158 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 political influence — are superior and more advanced as regards 
 the state in which our natural evolution finds itself. By the 
 fact of losing her dominating force — and all nations have to 
 lose this — Spain has entered into a new phase of her historic 
 life, and she has to see what direction is marked out for her 
 by her present interests and by her traditions." 
 
 " The political problem which Spain has to resolve has no 
 
 exact precedent in history. A nation which has founded 
 
 numerous nationalities is obliged, after a long 
 
 P bf period of decadence, to reconstitute herself as 
 
 a political force, animated by new sentiments 
 
 of expansion. What form must this second evolution take 
 
 in order to unite itself with the first and not to break the 
 
 historic unity to which both ought to be subordinate ? Because 
 
 here the unity is not an artifice but a fact : the artifice would 
 
 be to cut short the tradition and to pretend to begin a new 
 
 hfe, as if we were a new people, freshly created. 
 
 " There are many means open to Spain by which she might 
 take a different course of action than tliat indicated by her 
 history : but a breaking with the past would be a violation 
 of natural laws : a cowardly abandonment of our duties : a 
 sacrifice of the real to the imaginary. 
 
 " No new exterior action could lead us to restore the 
 material greatness of Spain : to re-conquer the high rank 
 which she had. Our new undertakings would be like the 
 pretentions of some old roue who, instead of resignedly 
 consecrating himself to the memory of his noble youth and 
 romances, started in search of new artificial affections which 
 would be parodies, ridiculous when not repugnant, of the 
 beautiful scenes of sentimental life. 
 
 " On the other hand, if, by force of our intelligence, we should 
 arrive at reconstituting a family union of all the Hispanic 
 peoples, and at infusing into them the cult of our ideals, we 
 should be fulfilling a great historic mission, and we should give
 
 Spain of To-morrow 159 
 
 life to a creation great, original, and new in history. And in 
 fulfilling this mission we should not be working for the benefit 
 of an idea, generous, but without practical utility, but we 
 should be working for our own interests : for interests more 
 transcendental than the conquest of some leagues of territory. 
 " Given the fact that we have exhausted our forces of 
 material expansion, to-day we must change our tactics and 
 bring to light forces which can never be exhausted — the forces 
 of the intelligence which exist latent in Spain and which can, 
 v/hen developed, raise us to great creations which, satisfying 
 our aspirations for a noble and glorious life, shall serve us 
 materially." 
 
 " If I were consulted as a spiritual doctor, to formulate 
 
 the diagnosis of the malady from which the Spaniards suffer — 
 
 because there exists a malady, and it is one 
 
 Di^'lSs^' difiicult to cure— I should say that the 
 
 malady might be designated by the name of 
 
 no-querer " (lack of will-power), " or, in more scientific terms, 
 
 by the Greek word ' aboulia,' which signifies the same thing — 
 
 ' extinction, or serious weakness, of the wiU.' And I would 
 
 sustain my opinion, if it were necessary, by references to 
 
 famous authorities since, from Esquirol and Maudsley to 
 
 Ribot and Pierre Janet, a long series of psychologists have 
 
 studied this disease, in which is revealed, perhaps more clearly 
 
 than in any other, the influence of mental perturbation upon 
 
 the organic functions. 
 
 " There is an ordinary form of ' aboulia ' which we all 
 know and at times suffer from. Who has not from time to 
 time been invaded by a perplexity of spirit born of weakness, 
 or of the inertia consequent on prolonged inaction, in which 
 the will, for want of a dominating idea to move it, vacillates 
 between opposing ideas which counterbalance each other, 
 or dominated by an abstract idea incapable of realisation, 
 remains irresolute, without knowing what to do and without
 
 160 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 the power to determine to do anything ? When such a tran- 
 sient situation becomes chronic it constitutes ' abouHa,' the 
 outward sign of which is the repugnance of the will to dictate 
 free act on. 
 
 " In the sufferer from ' abouha ' there is a beginning of 
 movement which shows that the will is not absolutely extinct, 
 but this movement is feeble and rarely arrives at accomplishing 
 anything." 
 
 ilfi ilf iti ^f * * 
 
 " The intellectual S5miptoms of ' aboulia ' are various. The 
 
 attention is enfeebled, more especially when the object which 
 
 attracts it is new or strange : the understand- 
 
 ' ' Aboulia. ' ' ing appears to be petrified, and it is incapable 
 
 of assimilating new ideas : it is only active in 
 
 reviving the memory of past events. But if it arrives at 
 
 acquiring a new idea it falls, for the want of other ideas to 
 
 counterbalance it, from debihty into exaltation : it falls into 
 
 the ' fixed idea,' to which it is dragged by a violent impulse." 
 
 9|c :|c 3|c :|e )|c 4« 
 
 " Our ancient and melancholy continental policy is abso- 
 lutely exhausted, dead and buried. Apart from commercial 
 and neighbourly relations nothing exists which 
 Spain and obliges Spain to mix herself up with European 
 Poufics" matters. We have a natural frontier, very 
 clearly defined, and our territorial policy is one 
 of voluntary retirement which, if it were not in itself as logical 
 as it is, would have to be accepted for reasons of decorum. 
 
 " When an eminent actor observes that his faculties are 
 beginning to weaken and decay, by the inevitable action of 
 Time, there is no noble and decent solution for him except 
 that of retirement : he should not permit himself to be 
 degraded by the acceptance of secondary roles which will lead 
 to the final and humiliating part of first or second servant, 
 whose intervention is reduced to the announcement of the 
 sacramental words — ' Madame is served ! '
 
 Spain of To-morrow 161 
 
 " Spain has been in Europe a great tragic actor, and she 
 cannot accept as a gracious concession the role of ' Great 
 Power,' which some politicians, as restless as they are ignorant, 
 think should suffice to endow us with a strength which we do 
 not as yet possess. 
 
 " In this matter I think our standard of conduct ought to 
 be so rigid that it would refuse to complicate itself with con- 
 tinental affairs, even though such action might appear 
 necessary for the support of home policy : because, however 
 great might be the benefits obtained, they would never com- 
 pensate us for the pernicious consequences which would 
 necessarily have to be derived from political action contrary 
 to the essence of our territory." 
 
 " A restoration of the entire life of Spain cannot have any 
 
 other starting point than the concentration of all our energies 
 
 within our own territory. We must close, 
 
 ' which the Spanish spirit could escape from 
 Spain to spread itself over the four points of the horizon — 
 points from which Spaniards seem to imagine that salvation 
 has to come. And on each of our gates we should not put the 
 Dantesque legend which reads : ' Lasciate ogni speranza,' but 
 rather this other inscription, more consoling, more profoundly 
 human, imitated from Saint Augustine : ' Noli foras ire : in 
 interiore Hispania habitat Veritas.' " 
 
 " From all that I have previously said it may be inferred 
 
 that it is absurd to claim that our nation can recover its lost 
 
 health by means of exterior action : if in the 
 
 Origin of little that we do to-day our feebleness is 
 
 Decadence. revealed, what would occur if we tried to 
 
 move more rapidly ? The restoration of our 
 
 forces demands a prudent management, a slow and gradual
 
 162 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 advance, and an absolute subordination of action to 
 intelligence. 
 
 " In order that our action should be useful and productive 
 calm thought must precede action, and in order to think it is 
 necessary in the first place to have a head. This important 
 organ has been wanting to us for a long time, and we must 
 create it, at whatever cost. 
 
 " I am not of those who ask for a genius, invested with the 
 powers of Dictator. A genius would be an artificial head 
 which would presently leave us in a worse state than we are 
 in at present. The origin of our decadence and present 
 prostration may be found in our excessive action : in the fact 
 that we have achieved enormous undertakings which were 
 out of proportion to our strength. A new Dictator at the 
 head of affairs would use us like blind forces, and when he 
 disappeared the intelhgent force would vanish with him and 
 we should be again submerged without having advanced a 
 step in the work of re-establishing our power, which ought 
 to reside in all the individuals of the nation and to be founded 
 upon the combined action of individual forces." 
 
 " The terms ' warlike spirit ' and ' military spirit * are often 
 
 made interchangeable, nevertheless there are few terms more 
 
 distinctly opposed to each other than these. 
 
 Warlike Spirit ^t the first glance it will be seen that the 
 
 versus .... 
 
 Military Spirit, warlike spirit is spontaneous and the miUtary 
 
 spirit cultivated : that one resides in the man 
 
 and the other in the society : that one is a force against 
 
 organization and the other a force of organization. A man 
 
 armed to the teeth proclaims his weakness ; when not, his 
 
 cowardice ; a man who fights without arms gives one to 
 
 understand that he has absolute confidence in his valour. A 
 
 country which has perfect confidence in its own strength 
 
 disdains militarism, while a nation which does not feel itself 
 
 secure puts all its faith in the barracks.
 
 Spain of To-morrow 163 
 
 " Spain is essentially, because such is demanded by the spirit 
 of its territory, a warlike, but not a military, nation. Open the 
 history of Spain, at whatever point you will, you will see con- 
 stantly the same thing : a people struggling without organization. 
 
 " In the Roman period we know that Numancia preferred 
 to perish rather than yield ; but we do not know who acted 
 as a head, and we are almost sure that there was no head ; 
 we look for armies and we only find irregular troops, and the 
 figure which stands out in prominence is not that of a regular 
 chief, or king, but that of Viriato — a guernllero. In the 
 re-conquest, among kings, wise men and saints, the national 
 figure is the Cid, a wandering king, a guerrillero who worked 
 on his own account. 
 
 " Later on, when those who fought sought the assistance 
 of rehgion, they were not content with invoking Divine aid, 
 but they transformed Santiago into a warrior : not into a 
 general, but into a simple cavalry soldier. 
 
 " And this is not the exclusive work of religion, of hatred 
 for the infidels, since in our century, against the French 
 Christians, Aragon transformed the Virgen del Pilar into a 
 captain of the Aragonese troops." 
 
 " The Golden Age of Spanish Art, admirable as it was, only 
 
 dictates what it might have been, if, on the termination of the 
 
 re-conquest we had concentrated our forces 
 
 Retrospection, and had applied them to giving form to our 
 own ideals. The energy accumulated in our 
 struggle against the Arabs was not only a warlike energy, as 
 man}^ believe ; it was also a spiritual energy. If historic 
 fatality had not put us on the dovvTiward slope we should, 
 in proportion to the transformation into action of our national 
 force, have been able to maintain ourselves enclosed in our 
 territory, in a more intense and a more intimate life, and we 
 shoidd have made of our nation a Christian Greece."
 
 164 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 " I have faith in the spiritual future of Spain, and in this 
 I am, perhaps, exaggeratedly optimistic. Our material 
 
 aggrandisement will never lead us to obscure 
 A Final Word, the past. Our intellectual renaissance will 
 
 convert the Golden Age of our arts into a 
 herald of that future Golden Age which I believe lies before us. 
 Because in our works we shall have a force to-day unknown : 
 a noble and pure force which lives latent in our nation. 
 This mysterious force has always been within us, and although 
 up to the present it has not shown itself, it accompanies us 
 and watches over us. To-day it is disconnected and feeble : 
 to-morrow it will blossom forth and produce light and heat — 
 even electricity and magnetism." 
 
 " As firmly as I believe that in the matter of material 
 domination many European peoples are superior to us, so 
 firmly do I believe that for ideal creation no nation has such 
 natural aptitudes as ours. 
 
 " Our spirit appears coarse because it has been roughened 
 by brutal struggles ; it appears weak because it has been 
 nourished on ridiculous ideas, copied without discernment. 
 It appears wanting in originality because it has lost its 
 audacity and its faith in its own ideas : because it has looked 
 from without for that which it already possessed — within. 
 
 " We must make a collective Act of Contrition. 
 
 " We must cultivate and feed upon our own resources, 
 although the effort may cost us much, for in this way we shall 
 have spiritual bread for ourselves and for our family, which 
 at present goes begging about the world, and our material 
 conquests may even be fruitful because in our second-birth 
 we shall find a number of kindred peoples whom we can mark 
 with the stamp of our spirit." 
 
 I have only been able to give a few disconnected paragraphs 
 from the wonderful little " Idearium Espanol " of Angel
 
 Spain of To-morrow 165 
 
 Ganivet, but I hope that these may serve as landmarks for 
 those who care to study the Spanish Problem seriously. 
 
 I do not claim that everything written by Ganivet deserves 
 to be accepted as inspired work, but it seems to me certain 
 that he has probed deeply into a wound, the existence of 
 which no one is prepared to deny. 
 
 In the paragraph which I have headed " Origin of Spanish 
 Decadence," the heart of the matter is disclosed. Spain has 
 suffered from the faults of her qualities. She has always been 
 the land of great individuals ; she has always produced 
 powerful leaders who dominated peoples and circumstances 
 by sheer strength of individual will. 
 
 There is that in the Spanish nature which, when aroused, 
 is capable of carrying all before it : an indomitable, if often 
 blind, force which cannot be denied. Again and again this 
 has shown itself, and Angel Ganivet spoke but the simple 
 truth when he said that few things were more fatal than 
 " enormous achievements, out of proportion to the national 
 strength." 
 
 " Idearium Espanol " was published just before the Cuban 
 War, two years before the sad death of its gifted author. 
 
 li— (2399)
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 CHURCHES AND MONUMENTS 
 
 It has been said that all lovers of Spain find themselves the 
 
 prey of mixed emotions on visiting Granada ! This is a 
 
 sweeping assertion and not a little misleading, 
 
 The Alhambra. but it is probable that its roots have been 
 
 cherished by the waters of truth, for Granada, 
 
 at first sight, seems to fall very short of the wonderful Moorish 
 
 capital of our imagination : that romantic city which remained 
 
 the stronghold of the Caliphs for two centuries and a half 
 
 after the triumph of the Christians in Cordova, in Sevilla, 
 
 and in Toledo. 
 
 Let those who wiU testify to the contrary, Granada of the 
 present day is a City of the Dead. The Alhambra is the 
 vast and unrivalled Valhalla of the Moorish kings ! 
 
 Modem life in the ancient capital is a parasitic growth : 
 but with this modern life we are not concerned. 
 
 In the Hall of the Ambassadors, in the exquisite Court of 
 Lions, in the fragrant gardens of the Generalife, we find — 
 if we but look for them — the spirits of Mohammed V, who, 
 in the Court of Myrtles, is eulogised in such glowing words as 
 these : " Thou givest safety from the breeze to the blades of 
 grass, and inspirest terror in the very stars of Heaven. When 
 the shining stars quiver, it is through dread of thee, and when 
 the grass of the field bends down it is to give thee thanks " ; of 
 Aisha, the wife of Abu'1-Has-an, whose happiness was wrecked 
 by the charms of the beautiful Spanish slave Zorayah — the 
 " Morning Star " ; of Boabdil, the luckless son of Aisha, 
 who, in the year 1491, was forced to deliver up the keys of the 
 Alhambra to Ferdinand of Aragon, and of whose life -story an 
 Arab historian has written —
 
 Photo b\ 
 
 FERXAXDEZ ARBOS
 
 Churches and Monuments 167 
 
 " Blessed be Allah, who exalteth and abaseth the kings of 
 the earth according to his divine will, in the fulfilment of 
 which consists that eternal justice which regulates all human 
 affairs." 
 
 Countless other restless spirits, who in past days bore great 
 names, people the Alhambra and take their pleasure on the 
 matchless Vega, and it is into this society of invisible kings 
 and nobles that we must enter if we are to appreciate and 
 understand Granada. 
 
 I have often wished to offer my services as guide to persons 
 visiting Granada for the first time : so much, so very much, 
 depends on first impressions, and in so many cases these are 
 absolutely and hopelessly wrong ! 
 
 To obtain the best from the best it should be so arranged 
 that this pilgrimage to the " Glory of the Kings " should 
 begin in the afternoon of a hot day in late spring. And the 
 first hours in Granada ought, if possible, to be spent in the 
 Generalife — the magnificent summer palace of the Moorish 
 kings. 
 
 Here, more markedly than in any other part of Andalusia, 
 we find an atmosphere purely Moorish : palace, courts, 
 gardens, and architecture alike recall the glories of the past, 
 and it does not require a very vivid imagination to people 
 with stately forms the great avenue of sombre cypress trees 
 through which we approach the palace. The wealth of 
 glorious flowers and foliage in the garden court comes as a 
 revelation : jessamines, myrtles, orange blossoms, and a 
 hundred other sweet-smelling flowers grow on all sides in 
 luxuriant abundance, and the walls are literally covered with 
 pale yellow roses. 
 
 I once heard a writer, an inveterate traveller, say that in 
 all the world only three things had failed to disappoint him : 
 the Taj Mahal, the Mosque at Cordova, and the Generalife ! 
 
 And then, just before sunset, make a visit to San Miguel el 
 Alto, from which a splendid view is obtained. The Alhambra, 
 with its red walls and tiled roofs, and its base of vivid green :
 
 168 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 the wonderful, silent, Vega, which spreads itself out like 
 a great carpet of young green under the shadow of the 
 " Mountains of the Moon." 
 
 And then, later on, the nightingales will serenade you from 
 their home in the forest of elms which, so it is said, were 
 planted by the Duke of Wellington. And with the moonlight 
 and the nightingales the glamour of Granada will enter into 
 possession of its kingdom ! 
 
 Of the Alhambra much has been written and said, but its 
 subtle charms have not yet been exhausted. Individual 
 minds find individual points of special interest, but I think 
 that if it were put to the vote it would be found that to true 
 lovers of Andalusia the Court of Lions in the " Red Palace " 
 heads the list of favourites. And yet it is quite small, this 
 world-famous court : smaller than the Court of M3a-tles close 
 by. In the centre is the Lion Fountain, with its twelve 
 Byzantine beasts crouching in stiff poses : lions with round 
 and flattened heads and semicircular ears, with looped up 
 manes and solid, square legs. And from the mouth of each 
 beast there comes a great spout of clear water ! 
 
 And surrounding the Lion Fountain there is a delicious 
 arcade supported by delicate columns, and these columns are 
 covered with a network of fine lace, cut into the stone. 
 
 When you stand under the arcades of the Court of Lions 
 and feast your eyes on the gleaming tiles and mosaics — a 
 bewildering scheme of azure and ivory, your thoughts uncon- 
 sciously go back to Boabdil the luckless, and you understand 
 that he was justified in saying, " Woe is me. When was 
 sorrow ever equal to mine ? " as he turned and looked upon 
 his lost Alhambra — for the last time. 
 
 The best known feature of the Alhambra is the Hall of the 
 Ambassadors, at the base of the Tower of Comares. Here 
 the Moorish love of splendour of colour and elaborate design 
 is most perfectly realised. 
 
 It is a lofty room with alcoves on three sides and the walls 
 are covered with the richest ornamentations it is possible to
 
 Churches and Monuments 169 
 
 imagine. Each of the nine alcoves shows a different scheme 
 of decoration, the designs being of exceeding intricacy 
 and dehcate as the finest embroidery. It is asserted that 
 150 different designs may be found on the walls of this 
 unique Hall of Ambassadors. The roof is made of larch 
 wood, and is intricately carved and inset with ivory and 
 mother-of-pearl. 
 
 So gorgeous is the colouring in this room that it is a relief to 
 pass out into the Court of Myrtles, where the pavement is of 
 marble and where a long pool of clear water gleams silver 
 against its frame of myrtle hedges. Between the Hall of the 
 Ambassadors and the Patio de la Alberca, or Court of Myrtles, 
 lies the Sala de la Barca, the atrium of the Tower of Comares. 
 Everywhere in the Alhambra inscriptions are to be found, 
 but of those over the arches of the recesses in the Sala de la 
 Barca one is specially worthy of mention, for it is delightfully 
 poetic. 
 
 " He who comes to me, tortured by thirst, will find water, 
 pure and fresh, sweet and unmixed. I am like the rainbow, 
 when it shines, and the sun is my lord." 
 
 The Mosque of Cordova is caUed " The Wonder of Spain," 
 
 and with reason. It is so wonderful that mere words are 
 
 unequal to the task of describing it : it must 
 
 The Mosque of ^^ f^j^ ^^ 1^^ reahsed. It is an immense 
 
 Cordova. , ., ,. . , o 
 
 buildmg, covenng as much ground as St. 
 
 Peter's at Rome, and it was built — so we are told by learned 
 men — without a plan. More than this, its architects were 
 Arabs who — again I bow before the knowledge of the learned 
 — understood nothing of architectural laws. By men who 
 were " utterly deficient in constructive ingenuity " ! 
 
 It frequently happens in Spain, especially in the south, that 
 the doings of the ancients attract attention to the doings of 
 the moderns, and in Cordova — on passing from the Court of 
 Oranges into the Mosque, with its 860 columns and its nineteen 
 exquisite aisles — the temptation comes to invoke the spirit 
 of Allah and to murmur, " I wonder ? "
 
 170 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 In the interior of the Mosque the original roof was of deU- 
 cately-carved larch wood, enriched with gorgeous incrustations 
 in Vermillion and gold : from this roof 300 chandeliers — 
 showing about 8,000 lamps — were suspended. The Koran 
 was kept in a pulpit of ivory and rare woods, incrusted with 
 precious stones. In the year 1713 the superb roof of the 
 Mosque had to be repaired throughout, and at that period 
 the cross- vaulting, at present seen, was introduced. In all 
 Mosques the chief point of interest and of supreme beauty 
 is the Mihrab, or prayer-niche, which is always placed in the 
 direction of Mecca. 
 
 In the Mosque of Cordova there were originally three 
 Mihrabs, but of these the first has entirely disappeared. The 
 second Mihrab, which was constructed by Abderrahman II 
 about the year 835, has a glorious roof of shell, cut from a single 
 block, which contrasts most effectively with the roof of the 
 vestibule just outside, which is enriched with mosaics in vivid 
 shades of vermillion and emerald and sapphire and gold. 
 
 The third Mihrab is regarded as the gem of the whole 
 building. It was erected by Al-Hakim about the year 965, 
 and for the decoration of this Holy of Holies the then Greek 
 Emperor of Constantinople sent a vast number of skilled 
 workmen to Cordova, with 400 cwts. of mosaic tesserae. 
 Al-Hakim at the same time erected a new Maksura, which 
 was the railed platform reserved for the Caliph and his court. 
 
 In wandering through the Mosque — and it does not reveal 
 its most precious charms to those who only devote a few hours 
 to its contemplation — special points are frequently reached 
 from which new and rare beauties are discovered. For 
 example, in the extreme south of the building in the Segunda 
 Ampliacion of Al-Hakim II, there is a wonderful view of the 
 mosaics : the soft but brilliant light glints on the pavement 
 of purest marble and touches gently the gold lettering of the 
 Arab inscriptions on their background of deepest, most 
 Heavenly blue. 
 
 I drew attention a little time ago to the fact that the Mosque
 
 -1 ndcrson, Rome 
 
 THE ALHAMBRA
 
 Churches and Monuments 171 
 
 at Cordova was built " without plan " and by persons " defi- 
 cient in constructive ingenuity," and it is impossible to avoid 
 reflecting on these facts when contemplating the great 
 Renaissance Choir which was erected by the Christians in the 
 very midst of this enchanting building. 
 
 It was in the reign of the Emperor Charles V, just about 
 the time of the Reformation, that this choir was built, and so 
 great a wave of indignation did it create in Cordova that it 
 is on record that the Town Council threatened with death all 
 those who took part in the work. However, these threats were 
 of no avail, and in the very heart of the Mosque, which was one 
 of the wonders of the world, the Renaissance Choir was built. 
 
 In later days even the Emperor himself repented of what 
 he had permitted to be done, and visiting the Mosque he 
 exclaimed : " Why was I not told of the wonder of this 
 building ? You have built what you or any others could 
 have erected anywhere, but you have destroyed something 
 that was unique in the whole world." 
 
 Of the many points of interest connected with the ancient 
 Mezquita — or Mosque — of the Arabs, none is more enthralling 
 than the study of how and why this " Wonder of the World " 
 arrived at its fulness of beauty and grace. It represents a 
 great work of love, and of fervent reverence, for, as Khalif 
 succeeded Khalif, each one added some new and rare beauty 
 to the holy place. One overlaid the myriads of columns 
 with purest gold : another sent for the best Byzantine artists 
 to enrich the walls with mosaics : yet another decorated the 
 walls and entrance gates. One of the most famous of the 
 Khalifs added a large and specially beautiful minaret which 
 was crowned with apples of gold and silver. Each ruler gave 
 of the best he could procure to add to the glory of AUah and 
 of the sanctuary of the Koran. 
 
 Cordova itself is one of the most interesting cities of Spain. 
 In the long ago days it was called " The Bride of Andalusia," 
 and even to the present day it retains much of its fresh and 
 gentle charm ; it is a curiously silent city.
 
 172 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Beautifully situated — far more beautifully than Sevilla — 
 on a gentle incline, the city at first sight suggests an amphi- 
 theatre : it is spread out on a semicircular hill and below 
 is the silver streak of the Guadalquiver. 
 
 Cordova is still essentially a Moorish city. Viewed from 
 the tower of the Cathedral, the tiled roofs of the lime-washed 
 houses show burnt amber against the sapphire sky. A 
 burning southern sun showers melted gold on the Bridge of 
 Calahorra, and on the masses of thick-spreading olives ; here 
 and there great palm trees are silhouetted against the sky. 
 A City of Sleep — a City of Memories. A city in which it is 
 worth while to pause and think of the past. Of the days 
 when the Visigothic King Leovigild took the towTi from the 
 Byzantines and in 571 made it an episcopal see. Of the days 
 when Cordova, as capital of the Caliphate, became one of the 
 wealthiest cities of Europe and a centre of learning. Of the 
 gorgeous days of its greatest grandeur and prosperity in the 
 reigns of Abderrahman II and Abderrahman III, from the 
 year 822 to 961. And then, as a contrast, to contemplate, 
 for a moment, Cordova in later days, under the sway of the 
 Christians, when — to quote a well-known writer — " The 
 magnificent buildings, the marvels of which are celebrated 
 by Arabic writers with Oriental hyperbole, feU into ruin : the 
 irrigation-works were neglected, and the once exuberantly 
 fertile campifia became a barren steppe." 
 
 It is not far from Cordova to Sevilla : only about three 
 hours and a half in the train. And it is certain that all those 
 
 who read these pages must see Sevilla — for the 
 Sevilla. first time — in the spring season. I claim this 
 
 as a reward for any moment of pleasure or 
 of profit I may have been able to give them ! For in the 
 spring season Sevilla is in full beauty. Fresh, fragrant, and 
 brilhantly gay as a young beauty in the first glories of a 
 successful debut. 
 
 I am aware that many writers on Spain are of opinion that 
 southern cities are only at their best in the full blaze of
 
 
 l)i,(V;s,.», A'oni,' 
 
 MOSOUE AT CORDOVA
 
 Churches and Monuments 173 
 
 midsummer, but with this idea I am not in accord. January, 
 February, March, April, May, and then again October, 
 November, and December, are all good months in which to 
 travel in Andalusia, but of these months April must most 
 surely be awarded first place. 
 
 Sevilla is, amongst Andalusian cities, a thing apart. If it 
 were entirely a woman instead of being merely emblematic 
 of the feminine sex every Spaniard would describe it as — 
 " Muy simpdtica ! Muy espanola ! " 
 
 And higher words of praise than these no Spaniard can speak. 
 With infinite delight I could fill many pages with descriptions 
 of a spot which, to me, is full of enchantment, but this chapter 
 is devoted to " Churches and Monuments," and of these 
 alone I must treat : happily Sevilla is specially rich in both 
 one and the other. 
 
 The Cathedral of Sevilla is almost the largest Gothic church 
 
 in Christendom. Its total area is 124,000 sq. ft., as compared 
 
 with St. Paul's in London, 84,000; Milan 
 
 ^'Ssevmf^^ Cathedral, 90,000, and St. Peter's at Rome, 
 162,000. It was in the year 1401 that the 
 Cathedral of Sevilla was first planned, and it was designed 
 by foreign architects — German, it is supposed. In general 
 arrangement it differs considerably from the large churches 
 of England and France, for the choir is almost in the centre of 
 the church and the capilla mayor, in which is the High Altar, 
 is slightly to the east. And then the choir and capilla mayor 
 are enclosed in a massive construction, so that we find a 
 church within a church. 
 
 In its decoration the Cathedral is very Spanish ; that is 
 to say, it is rich in the beautiful carved woodwork and magni- 
 ficent iron screens for which Spain has always been famous. 
 The leading note of the cathedral is noble simplicity and quiet 
 magnificence, and the light which enters through the seventy- 
 five stained-glass windows is delightfully subdued : too 
 subdued to permit of a good view of the art treasures of 
 the side chapels. It is, however, quite possible to see and
 
 174 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 appreciate the beauty of the sculptured " Christ on the Cross," 
 by Montafies, in the Sacristia de los Cahces, and, on a clear 
 day, the wonderful " St. Anthony's Vision of the Holy Child," 
 which is one of Murillo's masterpieces : this picture hangs 
 on the wall of the Capilla del Bautisterio. 
 
 The magnificence of the treasure carefully guarded in the 
 Sacristia Mayor of the Cathedral must be seen to be realised : 
 it does not fall very short, in value, of the treasure of St. 
 Peter's ! The vestments alone are a marvellous sight : 200 
 copes laden with priceless embroideries ; chasubles dating 
 from the fourteenth century to the present day, each one a 
 notable specimen of the embroideress's art : golden caskets, 
 monstrances studded with precious stones, the silver Custodia 
 of Juan de Arphe which is ten feet high, and the great silver 
 altar, etc., etc. 
 
 One of the most interesting parts of the Cathedral is the 
 Capilla de los Reyes which is enclosed by a remarkably fine 
 screen. In this chapel there is the silver coffin containing 
 the body of San Fernando — Ferdinand III who finally drove 
 the Moors out of Sevilla. The body is in an extraordinary 
 state of preservation, and each year on May 14th and 31st, 
 August 22nd and November 23rd, this body is exhibited to 
 the public while the troops march past and salute it. 
 
 I have witnessed many ceremonies in Sevilla Cathedral, but 
 none more impressive than this homage to the long dead hero. 
 The blast of trumpets as the troops line up in front of the 
 coffin seems like the final call for the dead to arise ! 
 
 Also in this Capilla we find, at the back of the High Altar, 
 the famous figure of the Virgen de los Reyes, to whom the 
 ladies of Sevilla, in 1905, presented crowns valued at ;{30,000. 
 
 There is a romantic and mysterious story connected with 
 this figure ; it was said that on the day that the keys of 
 Sevilla were delivered up into the hands of King Fernando 
 he had a dream, and in this dream he saw a figure of the 
 Blessed Virgin, of great beauty and unlike anything he had 
 ever before seen. To this figure he attributed his victory over
 
 ■^■3i^
 
 Churches and Monuments 175 
 
 the Moors. So deeply impressed was the King that he deter- 
 mined to have an image made in the exact hkeness of the 
 virgin of his dream. He gave the order, with minute explana- 
 tions, to the foremost sculptor of the day, but was completely 
 dissatisfied with the result. The disappointment and dismay 
 of the sculptor over his failure was very great, and he decided 
 that he was unworthy such a task. Just then a wonderful 
 statue was one morning discovered in his studio, and so great 
 was its mysterious beauty that he hastened to show it to the 
 King. On seeing it San Fernando was overcome with joy : 
 " This," he declared, " is the Virgin of the Kings of Sevilla " ! 
 
 Ever afterwards this statue was considered miraculous, but 
 the heads of the Church at the present day cast considerable 
 doubts on the story and attribute the statue to Montafies, the 
 seventeenth-century Sevillan sculptor, who was the greatest 
 master of polychrome carving Spain has ever known. 
 
 The Giralda is the oldest and most beautiful building in 
 
 Sevilla ; it is also one of the most unspoilt gems of Moorish 
 
 work left in Spain. It takes its name from 
 
 The Giralda. the bronze figure representing Faith with 
 which it is capped ; this figure is thirteen feet 
 high and immensely heavy, nevertheless it turns this way 
 or that with the lightest gust of wind ; in Spanish " girar " 
 means " to turn," hence the name which has so frequently 
 afforded subject matter for the light-hearted guasones of 
 Andalusia. 
 
 Originally the Giralda was the prayer-tower of the principal 
 Moorish mosque, and it was erected as long back as 1184. 
 It is 305 feet high, but so slender and graceful is its outline 
 that its height is not realised, even when the ascent to the 
 belfry is made. And how strangely fascinating are those 
 great bells—" el Cantor," " la Gorda," " San Miguel," and 
 the rest. They have all been christened with holy oil, and it 
 is as good Christians that they speak forth, with no uncertain 
 sound, through the still air which hovers over the flat roofs 
 and green squares and giant palm trees of the White City.
 
 176 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 They are not like sweet English bells — these brazen guardians 
 of " Faith " ; their clang and clcimour is terrific, and 
 their dissonances charm or horrify the ears, according to 
 individual temperament, but they make you feel that 
 you are most surely in Andalusia. In the pulsing heart 
 of Spain ! 
 
 The view from the first gallery is superb. All SevUla 
 stretches itself out on the plain beneath. Immediately below 
 is the great Cathedral, with its Court of Oranges, and close by 
 the gardens of the Alcazar and the Palacio Arzobispal. On 
 the other side, close by the banks of the Guadalquiver, is the 
 Plaza de Toros : low and wide, and one of the most picturesque 
 buU rings in Spain. And, again, turning round and looking 
 past the Alcazar, the Parque and Las Delicias — the fashionable 
 drive of the sevillanas — and the Prado de San Sebastian. 
 
 Standing there in the bell gaUery of the Giralda one realises 
 at once how very Moorish Sevilla has remained, even to the 
 present day. The masses of white houses, which in reality are 
 not pure white but are washed with palest shades of pink 
 and blue and grey and saffron, seem thrown together in careless 
 confusion, and the winding, narrow streets look like single 
 dark threads outlining an Oriental design. 
 
 On the flat roofs women are watering their carnations, for 
 on these fiat roofs, which are so remarkable a feature of 
 Andalusian cities, are grown most of the brilliant carnations 
 which are so much worn by the women. 
 
 The scent of orange blossoms steals upwards on the cool 
 evening air and for a moment there is peace. But suddenly 
 the bells again begin to speak, and so terrific is the clamour 
 and vibration that one unconsciously moves swiftly towards 
 the stone steps which lead downwards. And in the easy 
 descent one gladly succumbs to the temptation to linger on 
 each little landing, or section — of which there are thirty-five. 
 Each view is more beautiful than that which goes before, 
 and by the time the ground is reached Sevilla will have 
 revealed many of her most potent charms.
 
 Churches and Monuments 177 
 
 Before describing the Church of the Caridad — which contains 
 
 an extraordinary collection of pictures — I wish to say a few 
 
 words, which may be accepted as authentic, 
 
 The Caridad. about the often-discussed knight who, in 1661, 
 
 built the Hospital of the Caridad at his own 
 
 expense. Of Don Miguel de Mafiara much has been said and 
 
 much written. And of these sayings and writings the greater 
 
 part are incorrect, while others are grossly libellous. 
 
 It has been asserted again and again that the original of 
 the famous, and infamous, " Don Juan Tenorio " was the 
 founder of the Caridad. French writers especially have 
 enlarged on this idea, and not very long ago a leading article 
 appeared in one of the most important of the Parisian papers 
 in which the libel was repeated in detail ; the personal char- 
 acter of Don Miguel Manara being represented in a decidedly 
 unpleasant light. 
 
 Now the bare facts of the case are these. Don Miguel 
 Maiiara was a mere child, little more than a baby, when 
 Tirso de Molino wrote his Burlador de Sevilla, upon which 
 the legends of Don Juan are founded. He had not, and could 
 not have had, anything whatever to do with the play or with 
 the legend. More than this, the founder of the Caridad, 
 though not a canonized saint, was never, at any time of his 
 life, a sinner — in the ordinary acceptation of the word. It 
 is on record that he was rather vain and fond of gaiety in 
 his early youth, but nothing more than this. If space per- 
 mitted I could give many authentic facts connected with the 
 life of Don Miguel, for I have heard much about him from 
 one of my most valued friends — Dr. Jose Aviles, who is 
 himself a brother of the Caridad and a well-known litterateur. 
 Dr. Aviles has taken infinite trouble to get together an 
 absolutely authentic account of the life of Don Miguel Maiiara, 
 and has published a very interesting book on the subject. 
 
 In the Church of the Caridad six of Murillo's best pictures 
 are to be found. The great Sevillan painter was an intimate 
 friend of Don Miguel Maiiara, and he was also a member of
 
 178 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 the Caridad ; it is, therefore, easy to understand that he gave 
 of his best to this special church. Of these six pictures, " La 
 Sed " ("The Thirst"), is perhaps the finest; it represents 
 Moses standing beside a rock from which limpid waters are 
 gushing while the parched crowd presses forward to drink, and 
 it is a masterly composition. 
 
 On the right and left of the west entrance to the church 
 two extraordinary and terrible paintings by Juan Vald^s 
 Leal — the Cordobes painter — are hung. The realism of these 
 pictures can only be described as ghastly, but of their power 
 there can be no doubt. In " The Triumph of Death," which 
 represents the dead bodies of a Bishop and of a Knight of 
 Calatrava — the order to which Don Miguel Mafiara originally 
 belonged — death and decay are depicted in such a gruesome 
 manner that Murillo's often-quoted remark, " Leal, you make 
 me hold my nose," is easily understood. 
 
 It is a far cry from Sevilla to Toledo, but as we have now 
 
 finished with Andalusia — so far as this chapter is concerned — 
 
 we must take some of the most notable 
 
 ^*T ^I'^d^' °^ churches and monuments of Spain at random. 
 
 The history of Toledo Cathedral, or rather of 
 
 the ground upon which it stands, is a strangely romantic one. 
 
 So long ago as the year 587 it was occupied by a Christian 
 
 temple which was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin by King 
 
 Reccared, who had renounced Arianism, and who was the first 
 
 Catholic king of Spain. Then in 711 and 712, when the last 
 
 of the Visigothic kings had been defeated and slain by the 
 
 Moors, the temple was converted into a mosque. This 
 
 mosque the Moors were permitted to retain when Alfonso VI 
 
 captured Toledo in 1085, but a httle later the Christians, 
 
 under the guidance of Queen Constance, took possession of 
 
 the building. Still later, San Fernando had the old church 
 
 rased to the ground, and in the year 1227 the foundation stone 
 
 of the present cathedral was laid. 
 
 In general style the Cathedral of Toledo is early-Gothic, 
 but there are many features which recall the Renaissance and
 
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 THE GIRALDA, SKMLL.
 
 Churches and Monuments 179 
 
 baroque periods. It is very vast and grand — ^giving an 
 impression of extraordinary size and of sumptuous beauty. 
 The stained-glass windows — of which there are a great number 
 — are of rare beauty, and this is specially true of the gorgeous 
 rose-windows in the transepts. 
 
 The choir, which occupies, as in so many Spanish cathedrals, 
 the centre of the church, is perhaps the most beautiful part 
 of the building. Here is to be found the archiepiscopal throne 
 which has columns of jasper, each column being crowned 
 with a capital of purest white marble. And here, too, are the 
 choir-stalls of Alonso Berruguete, who was the pupil of 
 Michael Angelo. Berruguete 's work is to be found in many of 
 the churches of Spain, and from the specimens of his art, 
 which are still in perfect preservation, it is interesting to 
 follow his wanderings in foreign lands and to guess at the 
 various influences which possessed him from time to time. 
 He was a painter, a sculptor and a gifted wood-carver, and 
 his alabaster statuettes in the choir of the Cathedral at 
 Toledo are exquisite specimens of old-world art. 
 
 This Cathedral is said to be one of the richest in Christen- 
 dom ; the treasure, which is to be found in the Capilla de 
 San Juan, is almost priceless. One of the most remarkable 
 items of the " treasure " is the wardrobe of the Virgen del 
 Sagrario, whose image, covered with jewels, stands in the 
 Capilla de la Virgen del Sagrario, within the Cathedral. 
 
 Of the splendour of this wardrobe it is difficult to speak 
 without seeming exaggeration. There is a different robe for 
 every day of the year, and many of these are weighed down 
 with jewels and gold and silver embroideries. Another world- 
 famous treasure of Toledo is the silver Custodia of Enrique 
 de Arphe, which measures ten feet in height and weighs 378 
 pounds. The Custodia is enriched with 260 silver-gilt statu- 
 ettes, and it enshrines a monstrance which was made from 
 the first gold brought by Christopher Columbus from America. 
 Enrique de Arphe was the head of a Spanish family of artists 
 who were famous in the sixteenth century for their silver work.
 
 180 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Custodias by one or the other of the Arphe family are to be 
 found in Sevilla, Cordova, Santiago, Valladohd, and many 
 other places : a valuable work on the principles of the cinque- 
 cento style was written in 1585, by a grandson of the great 
 Enrique. 
 
 Toledo itself is a distinctly Moorish city : the narrow, 
 tortuous streets have remained very much as they were when 
 the Moors left them ; all the houses seem planned on the 
 same design, built round an inner court, or patio, but in 
 Toledo these patios are not, more or less, open to public gaze 
 as in Sevilla, All the houses seem terribly sombre, almost 
 as though their inhabitants were daily prepared for a siege. 
 An austere city and full of savage splendour : not a city in 
 which one would choose to pass a careless holiday ! 
 
 Although Segovia is within easy distance of Madrid — two 
 hours and three quarters by train — ordinary travellers rarely 
 visit it. It is the happy hunting-ground of the few who are 
 interested in the genuine Roman remains which are to be 
 found here and there in Spain. And yet Segovia is very full 
 of interest, quite outside its splendid Roman Aqueduct, for 
 it is almost as rich in antiquities as Toledo, which city it 
 somewhat resembles. 
 
 Segovia, like Toledo, is situated on a rocky incline, but 
 the two modest streams which border it, on either side, can 
 bear no comparison with the majestic Tagus ; and then 
 Segovia is as Romanesque and mediaeval as Toledo is Moorish. 
 To appreciate the Romanesque architecture of Segovia it is 
 very necessary to study something of the city's history ; to 
 understand that for a very long period it was a sort of punch- 
 ing-ball for Moors and Christians alike. The Christians had 
 their strongholds in the Asturias and in Burgos on the northern 
 side, while the Moors were in possession of Toledo ; between 
 the contending armies lay Segovia, and sometimes the city 
 was in the hands of one party, and sometimes of the other. 
 It was natural that in such circumstances the progress of 
 Segovia was slow and uncertain ; in fact, she did not burst
 
 Churches and Monuments 181 
 
 into rich blossom until the reign of Alfonso the Wise, in the 
 thirteenth century. 
 
 The Roman Aqueduct, attributed to Trajan, is a wonder- 
 fully picturesque structure, and this and the Walls of Tarra- 
 gona form the most interesting Roman remains to be found 
 in Spain. The aqueduct was built without cement or mortar, 
 and the granite blocks remain firm in the places even to this 
 day. The portion of the aqueduct which spans the Valley 
 of the Eresma is 2,700 feet in length, and, in parts, very high ; 
 it has 119 arches, and it is fed by a stream from the Sierra de 
 Fuenfria. 
 
 The Cathedral at Segovia was opened in the year 1558, but 
 
 it was not really finished for a long time after that ; in fact, 
 
 it was not until the middle of the eighteenth 
 
 The Cathedral century that it was consecrated as a whole. 
 of begovia. -^ 
 
 It was designed by the architect Juan Gil de 
 
 Ontafion, who is also responsible for the New Cathedral at 
 
 Salamanca, and in style it has been aptly described as 
 
 " decadent Gothic." 
 
 The Cathedral of Salamanca, designed at very much the 
 same time as that of Segovia, is rather in the Renaissance 
 style, but in many respects Segovia is Gothic ; the cloisters, 
 for example, are purely Gothic, and so are the truly magnificent 
 stained-glass windows. 
 
 A very interesting church in Segovia is that of Vera Cruz, 
 which was erected by the Templars in the year 1208 in imita- 
 tion of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. This church, which 
 is twelve sided, has a square tower of curious design, and 
 close by it is the monastery which was founded by San Juan 
 de la Cruz, the disciple of Santa Teresa. Within the church, 
 upon the altar, stands the marble receptacle which holds the 
 body of the dead saint. It seems strange, but it is nevertheless 
 true, that the influence of San Juan de la Cruz as a writer 
 grows stronger and stronger as time passes. He, more surely 
 than any other man, was entranced with the beauties of the 
 Songs of Solomon, and many of his writings recall the rich 
 
 13— (2399)
 
 182 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 imageries of those mystic poems. It has been said, with 
 
 what truth I know not, that Coventry Patmore has, in his 
 
 " Unknown Eros," attempted to transfer the methods of San 
 
 Juan de la Cruz to EngUsh poetry. 
 
 It would be almost impossible to imagine a greater contrast 
 
 than that between Segovia and Tarragona. The former 
 
 silent, mysterious, and sleeping ; the latter 
 
 Roman Walls ^^^ ^f ^iie and of commercial activity ! 
 of Tarragona. -^ 
 
 Beautifully situated on the borders of the 
 
 Mediterranean, Tarragona is, and always has been, a 
 
 flourishing centre of the wine trade : in the long ago days of 
 
 Martial and Pliny its wines were said to rival in flavour the 
 
 famous Falernian vintage. 
 
 For ordinary travellers the Roman walls form the chief 
 object of interest in this town, and since they enclose the 
 highest part of Tarragona, they are exceedingly imposing. 
 On three sides they are preserved almost without a break, 
 for a distance of about two miles, but it is unfortunate that their 
 height varies considerably. In some places the walls are thirty- 
 three feet high, and in others not more than ten or twelve : this 
 great variation detracts not a little from the general effect. 
 
 These curious old walls were built before the Second Punic 
 War, 218 b.c, at which period the town was captured by 
 Scipio, who selected it as the Roman headquarters in Spain, 
 in opposition to New Carthage. In 26 B.C. Augustus made 
 Tarragona — or Tarraco, as it was then called — the capital of 
 the whole province, and he erected many magnificent buildings. 
 In later days, in the Christian period, Tarragona became the 
 See of an Archbishop, and at the present day the Archbishop of 
 this city shares with that of Toledo the title of Primate of Spain. 
 
 The Cathedral at Tarragona is situated on the site of the 
 
 old Roman temple which was erected about the year 26 B.C., 
 
 in honour of " Divus Augustus " — the Emperor 
 
 of^^Tan-a^ mia' Augustus having greatly enriched and beauti- 
 fied the town : this temple afterwards became 
 the head-quarters of the cult of the Goddess Roma, and later
 
 THI-: RKTABLO (OVIEDO)
 
 Churches and Monuments 183 
 
 on it was restored by Hadrian. The Cathedral as it now stands 
 dates back to the twelfth century, and it is a brilliant example 
 of the late Romanesque style. 
 
 In speaking of this Cathedral Mr. Havelock Ellis, whose 
 works on Spain are precious above rubies, says : " From its 
 earhest to its latest period, Tarragona Cathedral, inside and 
 outside, and especially in the wonderful cloisters — by far the 
 most interesting cloisters in existence belonging to so early 
 a date — is a revel of Catalan sculpture, Romanesque and 
 Gothic ; sculpture that is solemn or beautiful or fanciful or 
 trivial, always vigorous, always the native outcome of the 
 boldly fertile and realistic Catalan mind. There has always 
 been an aptitude for sculpture here : in the Museo Arqueo- 
 logico near the Cathedral there are delightful fragments of 
 Roman and later date, while some of the latest pieces in the 
 Roman manner, though florid, are in a bold and happily 
 decorative style. Here, in the Cathedral, the sculptor's work, 
 though not always happy, always shows a fine sculptural 
 feeling ; sometimes it is exquisite, sometimes merely trivial, 
 as in the marble butterflies and spiders of the retablo ; some- 
 times it is broadly humorous, as in the scene in the cloisters, 
 where we see a solemn procession of rats joyfully bearing on 
 a bier a demurely supine cat who, a little farther, is again seen 
 vigorously alive and seizing one of the unfortunate bearers 
 while the rest are put to flight — ' the most insignificant 
 sculpture in the Cathedral, but perhaps the most interesting,' 
 the sacristan observes smilingly." 
 
 From Tarragona to Santiago Compostela is a very long 
 
 journey, right across northern Spain, from the shores of 
 
 the Mediterranean to the shores of the Atlantic 
 
 Santiago. Ocean — or very nearly, for Santiago is not 
 
 quite near the coast. Formerly Santiago was 
 
 the capital of Galicia, that wild and most interesting province 
 
 of which I have occasion to speak at some length in my 
 
 chapter on Literature. 
 
 Although Santiago is no longer the capital city of its
 
 184 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 province, it remains, and must ever remain, profoundly 
 interesting, for each year it attracts such a vast number of 
 pilgrims that the Spaniards always speak of the " Milky Way " 
 as "El Camino de Santiago " (the road to Santiago). And 
 the object of these numberless pilgrimages is the resting-place 
 of the remains of " James — the son of Zebedee," the friend 
 and disciple of our Lord. 
 
 Tradition says that St. James himself preached the Gospel 
 in Spain : this was accepted as a fact in the third and fourth 
 centuries, and further it is recorded that the remains of the 
 Apostle, after he had been beheaded in Judea, were brought 
 to Spain. In a vision the place in which these remains had 
 been laid was revealed to Bishop Theodomir of Iria, in the 
 ninth century, and it is to this shrine that pilgrims, numerous 
 as the stars of the Milky Way, journey year by year. The 
 Pilgrimage to Santiago ranks in importance with those to 
 St. Peter's and to the Holy Land. 
 
 The Cathedral at Santiago is a very handsome monument 
 which dates from the year 1100. The ground plan is in the 
 exact shape of a cross, and almost in the centre is the choir. 
 One of the curiosities of the church is a huge censer — over six 
 feet high — which is swung from side to side by an iron chain. 
 The Capilla Mayor, at the head of the cross, stands immediately 
 over the grave of St. James, and in a niche above the altar, 
 which is made of silver, there is a seated figure of the saint : 
 this figure is richly adorned with gold, silver, and precious stones. 
 
 Some idea of the importance of Santiago, from the pilgrim's 
 point of view, may be gained by realising that it contains 
 thirty-six religious fraternities, forty-six ecclesiastical edifices, 
 288 altars, and 114 bells. 
 
 There are certain names which never fail to surround 
 
 themselves with an atmosphere of romance, and foremost 
 
 amongst these is that of Rodrigo Diaz de 
 
 Burgos—The yivAT ; the Spanish Campeador (champion), 
 ' The Cid ! The title Cid comes from the Arabic 
 Sidi or Said, meaning lord.
 
 Churches and Monuments 185 
 
 At Burgos the site of the house in which this redoubtable 
 champion was bom is still to be seen ; three stone monuments, 
 erected on the road to the cemetery and bearing the arms of 
 CastUe, indicate the exact spot, and in the chapel of the Casa 
 Consistorial, the bones of The Cid, with those of his wife 
 Ximena, are preserved. 
 
 It is supposed that the famous Poema del Cid belongs to 
 the twelfth century, since, roughly speaking, Castilian litera- 
 ture dates back to that period, but it is believed that the 
 earlier cantares in honour of the Campeador were lost. The 
 " Poema " has a double theme : in the first place, it exploits the 
 brave and wonderful deeds of the Campeador, and in the second 
 it treats of the marriage of his daughters. Many of the deeds 
 ascribed to The Cid have been strenuously denied him, but it is 
 very certain that he was a dashing freebooter, who possessed 
 the admiration, if not the love, of the people of his time. How 
 soul-stirring is the poema may be gathered from the following 
 extract, which describes the charge of the Cid at Alcocer — 
 
 With bucklers braced before their breasts, with lances pointed low, 
 With stooping crests and heads bent down above the saddle-bow. 
 All firm of hand and high of heart they roll upon the foe. 
 And he that in a good hour was born, his clarion voice rings out, 
 And clear above the clang of arras is heard his battle-shout — 
 " Among them, gentlemen ! Strike home for the love of charity ! 
 The Champion of Vivar is here — Ruy Diaz — I am he ! " 
 Then bearing where Bermuez still maintains unequal fight, 
 Three hundred lances down they came, their pennons flickering white : 
 Down go three hundred Moors to earth, a man to every blow : 
 And, when they wheel, three hundred more, as charging back they go. 
 It was a sight to see the lances rise and fall that day : 
 The shivering shields and riven mail, to see how thick they lay : 
 The pennons that went in snow-white came out a gory red : 
 The horses running riderless, the riders lying dead : 
 While Moors call on Muhammad, and " St. James ! " the Christians cry. 
 
 In the Capilla del Corpus Christi of the Cathedral of Burgos 
 
 the " Coffer of the Cid " is preserved. This " Coffer " the 
 
 Campeador, on a certain occasion, filled with sand and pledged 
 
 for 600 marks to some Burgos Jews, the latter supposing 
 
 that it contained gold ! It is, however, recorded that the Cid 
 
 afterwards, most honestly, redeemed the pledge.
 
 186 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Barcelona — ^which has been described as " the brain and 
 the arm of Spain " — ^will loom large in the last chapter of this 
 
 book : the chapter entirely devoted to the 
 of ^Barcelona Catalans and their province. But it seems 
 
 most suitable that the Cathedral should join 
 hands with its fellows. This Cathedral, like so many others 
 in Spain, is built on a site which was occupied by a Roman 
 temple and later by a Moorish mosque. The present structure 
 was commenced in the year 1298, but it was not completed 
 for more than a century after that. It is a rarely beautiful 
 specimen of Spanish-Gothic art, and the dimness of its lighting 
 conveys an impression of vastness which it does not in reality 
 possess : for Barcelona Cathedral is not one of the notably 
 large churches of Spain. 
 
 On entering by the Puerto Mayor the first impression given 
 is of exceeding width, for the nave is of noble proportions. 
 The stained windows are comparatively small, but very beau- 
 tiful, and fine effects of light and shade are to be seen in the 
 late afternoon, just before sunset. A remarkable feature of 
 the church is the Capilla Mayor, which contains a late-Gothic 
 retablo of the fifteenth century. Directly in front of the 
 High Altar there is a flight of twenty-five steps which lead 
 down to the crypt in which is the tomb of Santa Eulalia, the 
 patron saint of the city. The alabaster shrine is decorated 
 with reliefs illustrating scenes in the life of the saint. 
 
 The cloisters of Barcelona Cathedral are splendid specimens 
 of Gothic work : they were planned and commenced in 1388 
 by Roque, but they were not finished until late in the year 1448. 
 The inner court of these cloisters is beautifully planted with 
 palms and medlar trees. 
 
 I have kept to the last that which is, I think, best, though 
 it may not be correct to apply the word " best " to a subject 
 
 which is unique. You cannot say that 
 The Montserrat. Montserrat is better than any other place, 
 
 because there is nothing in the least like it. 
 Nevertheless, I repeat — Ihave kept to the last that which is best !
 
 Churches and Monuments 187 
 
 The Montserrat — the sacred mountain of the Catalans — is 
 a rugged, majestic, enormous mass of rock. It is 4,070 feet 
 high, and its formation resembles a huge castle, surrounded 
 by fortifications. The sombre slopes are terraced by alternate 
 bands of slate sandstone, and by calcareous conglomerate, 
 and a great fissure intersects the ridge on the south-west side. 
 
 It is absolutely awe-inspiring — this stupendous mass of 
 rugged rock ; on the south-east it is inaccessible, but on the 
 north-east there is a narrow railroad, made by utilizing the 
 projecting terraces. And it is by means of this curious little 
 mountain railway that one reaches the world-famous 
 monastery which is the shrine of "La Santa Imagen " — the 
 wooden image of the Blessed Virgin, which is said to have 
 been carved by St. Luke and brought to Spain by St. 
 Peter. 
 
 Year in and year out a mighty army of pilgrims toil up the 
 steeps of the Montserrat to present their offerings at the 
 shrine of " La Santa Imagen," In the fifteenth and sixteenth 
 centuries it is stated that the number of these pilgrims never 
 feU short yearly of half a-million. In the present day they 
 are not so numerous as that, but 60,000 or 70,000 persons visit 
 the monastery each year. 
 
 In the old days the Monastery of The Montserrat was a 
 centre of enlightenment and learning ; the monks were great 
 musicians, and many of them were skilled in the painter's and 
 sculptor's arts. Even at the present day the fine arts are 
 carefully studied in the mountain home of "La Santa 
 Imagen " : the monks have there a school of ecclesiastical 
 music, the members of which sing, and very beautifully, the 
 Salve at the hour of Oracion. 
 
 And it is impossible to leave the subject of the " Serrated 
 Mountain " without recalling the vigil of one notable pilgrim 
 who, early in the sixteenth century, felt suddenly inspired to 
 dedicate his life to the service of Christ. 
 
 Ignatius of Loyola had been a brave soldier, and it was 
 in the defence of Pampeluna, against the allied armies of the
 
 188 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 French and Navarese, that he sustained such serious injuries 
 that his hfe was despaired of. During his convalescence he 
 had an opportunity of reading a translation of Ludolf of 
 Saxony's " Life of Christ," and so greatly was he impressed 
 with what he read that he determined to renounce the things 
 of the world. 
 
 When he was able to walk, though still lame, he started on 
 a lonely pilgrimage to the Monastery on The Montserrat, and 
 after three days of deep contrition and submission, he stripped 
 himself of his handsome garments — for he was the son of a 
 nobleman and rich — and clothed himself in a rough dress of 
 sackcloth. 
 
 In this attire he commenced his Vigil at the shrine of " La 
 Santa Imagen," and after a long night of humble self-abase- 
 ment he, in the early dawn, hung up his rapier and dagger, 
 which were the badges of a gentleman in those days. 
 
 In the years that followed Ignatius of Loyola served his 
 Lord and Master with his whole heart and strength, but always 
 in the deepest humility. 
 
 So unworthy did he think himself to fill any important post 
 that it was not until fifteen years after his Vigil that he con- 
 sented to become — once more I quote from Mr. Ellis — " The 
 first general of the best-organised and most famous army 
 that has ever fought in the service of the Church."
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES 
 
 A STUDY of the sub-soil of Spain reveals wonders. In minerals 
 
 the Peninsula is richer than any other country of Europe. 
 
 And these minerals are scattered about in a 
 
 Minerals. curious way. Huelva, in the extreme south, 
 
 is the richest spot, producing yearly 
 
 minerals to the value of 1 19 millions of pesetas. And next in 
 
 importance comes Vizcaya, in the extreme north, with its 
 
 yearly output of minerals to the value of 75 millions. And 
 
 after these two fabulously rich points the figures jump up and 
 
 down the map ; Oviedo, in the north, produces 62 millions ; 
 
 Murcia, in the south, 59 milhons ; Cordova 56, and Jaen 47. 
 
 And it remains that the indolent, pleasure-loving south 
 
 possesses a far richer sub-soil than the more industrious north. 
 
 More than twenty different minerals are to be found in the 
 mines of Spain. Amongst others, gold, silver, copper, tin, 
 zinc, quicksilver, salt, coal, etc., etc. 
 
 I shall speak a little later on of the more important of these 
 mines, but before going into particulars it will, I think, be 
 interesting to take a general view of the country, from the 
 commercial point of view. 
 
 Spain has an unrivalled sea-board and is possessed of 
 immense tracts of land, on which almost anything and 
 everything could be grown and in abundance, if the Spaniards 
 of to-day understood the secrets of agriculture as did the 
 Moors of yesterday. 
 
 The question of irrigation is a vital one in many parts of 
 
 Spain, and it ought not to present insuper- 
 
 Irrigation. able difficulties, since it is certain that what 
 
 was accomplished in the past might, in certain 
 
 circumstances, be accomplished in the present and in the
 
 190 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 future. The Moors made fertile the great plains of Estre- 
 madura and Castile through their perfect knowledge of the 
 mysteries of irrigation, and though Spain is not rich in 
 navigable rivers, very much could be done in the present 
 day under intelligent direction, and given sufficient 
 capital. 
 
 On this vexed subject of irrigation the author of " Spanish 
 Life in Town and Country " — published a few years ago — 
 has spoken to the point : " One would expect a country with 
 such a climate, or rather so many climates, as Spain, to make 
 a great feature of agriculture. It can at once produce wheat 
 of the very finest quality, wine, oil, rice, sugar, and every kind 
 of fruit and vegetable that is knoNvn : and it ought to be able 
 to support a large agricultural population in comfort, and 
 export largely. Taking into account, also, the rich mineral 
 wealth, which should make her independent of imports of this 
 nature, it is sad to see that in past years, even so late as 1882, 
 wheat and flour, coal and coke, iron and tools figure amongst 
 her imports — the two first in very large proportions. Although 
 the vast plains of Estremadura produce the finest wheat 
 known to commerce, the quantity, owing to the want of 
 water, is so small in relation to the acreage under cultivation, 
 that it does not suffice for home consumption, except in very 
 favourable years ; while the utilization of the magnificent 
 rivers, which now roll their waters uselessly to the sea, would 
 make the land what it once was when the thrifty Moors held 
 it — a thickly populated and flourishing grain-producing 
 district." 
 
 And in another part of the same book this author says : 
 " As an example of what irrigation means in the sunlit fields 
 of Spain, an acre of irrigable land in Valencia or Murcia sells 
 for prices varying from £150 to £400, according to its quality 
 or its situation, while land not irrigable only fetches sums 
 varying from £1 to £20. In Castile, land would not in any 
 case fetch so high a price as that which has been under irrigated 
 cultivation for centuries past ; but in any district the value
 
 Commerce and Industries 191 
 
 of dry land is never more than a twelfth of what it is when 
 irrigable." 
 
 As an example of what can be done in this connection, and 
 in unfavourable circumstances, we have only to look at many 
 parts of Cataluiia. 
 
 The Catalans have overcome, in an extraordinary way, the 
 difficulties presented by the want of irrigation and by artificial 
 watering — on a gigantic scale — they are able to produce rich 
 crops from most unpromising soil. 
 
 There is a Spanish proverb, which contains more than a 
 grain of truth, to this effect : " Los Catalanes de las piedras 
 sacan panes " (" The Catalans produce bread from stones ! "). 
 
 With regard to commercial prosperity it seems as though 
 Spain were just now entering upon a golden era. Those who 
 know and love the country feel that from the ashes of a great 
 seeming disaster much good may arise. 
 
 Spain has lost her colonies. But then the Spaniards have 
 never been successful as a colonizing people. In times past 
 they grossly mismanaged their home affairs, but this mis- 
 management paled before the futility and injustice of the 
 policy which they brought to bear on their dependencies 
 outside the mother-country. Now all that is at an end, 
 and the opportunity has come to " look within." 
 
 Within the bounds of their own beautiful country the 
 Spaniards possess unlimited possibilities, and it only remains 
 for them to realise these — in the best possible way. It will 
 take time — that is certain ; but things are beginning to shape 
 weU, and everything points to the certainty that the present 
 King is deserving of the title, " Alfonso the Wise." He is in 
 many respects imbued with English ideas — while remaining 
 at heart a Spaniard of the Spaniards —and it is with England 
 that Spain of the immediate future will enter into close 
 commercial relationship. 
 
 In considering Spain from the point of view of Commerce 
 and Industries the sub-soil claims first attention. 
 
 The quicksilver mines of Almaden are the most important
 
 192 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 in the world. The richness of the mineral deposit may be 
 gathered from the fact that these mines have been worked 
 for about 2,500 years, and the income 
 "^^^ivr^'^^^f^^" ^^'"^^^^ from them has always been an im- 
 Almaden. portant factor in the revenues of the Spanish 
 Crown. Cinnabar — or red sulphuret of mercury 
 — was greatly valued by the ancient Greeks, and that the 
 mines of Almaden were of great importance so long back 
 as 300 B.C. is assured by contemporary Greek writers, who 
 frequently mention the cinnabar mines of Sisapo, after- 
 wards called by the Arabs Hins-Almudhin, from whence is 
 derived the modern name Almaden. 
 
 According to Pliny, the vermiUion used by the Roman ladies 
 was brought from Almaden, and it was probably the Romans 
 who discovered the means of extracting mercury from 
 cinnabar. The terribly poisonous attributes of mercury were 
 at once noticed, and the workmen employed in the mines were 
 obliged to cover their faces with a sort of mask. 
 
 Unhappily, with all our modem inventions, nothing has 
 yet been discovered which can protect the workers in quick- 
 silver mines from the disastrous effects of the poisoned gases, 
 which sooner or later invade the whole system. 
 
 A visit to Almaden is on this account necessarily of a depress- 
 ing nature, as one cannot help seeing that the miners lead a 
 wretched existence, frequently terminating in an incurable 
 disease. 
 
 The contrast between these mines and those in other parts 
 of Spain, notably in Rio Tinto, is very striking. As I have said 
 elsewhere in this chapter, the miners of Rio Tinto work under 
 most favourable conditions ; they are well paid, well housed, 
 and well looked after ; whereas in Almaden, where the men 
 work in an atmosphere permeated with poisonous gases, they 
 receive wages which are totally inadequate to the difficulty 
 of their task and the danger incurred. 
 
 Numerous proposals have been made for the amelioration 
 of the existing state of affairs, but the greatest difficulty hes
 
 Commerce and Industries 193 
 
 in the fact that for the past sixty or seventy years the Govern- 
 ment has found it necessary to raise large loans on the mines 
 in order to meet pressing financial difficulties. 
 
 In 1840 a loan was obtained from the house of Rothschild, 
 which was renewed in 1870 and again in 1900. By these 
 contracts the Rothschilds have entire control of the mercury 
 produced by the mines, with the exception of a very small 
 quantity left at the disposition of the Government. 
 
 In 1870 the loan obtained amounted to £1,696,761 sterling, 
 at 8% interest : the Government undertaking to repay the 
 loan in thirty yearly sums of ;f 150,000, capital and interest : 
 ;^4,500,000 in all, the mines and their productions being 
 mortgaged for the thirty years. 
 
 Sefior Moret, who was at that time Deputy for the District, 
 raised a determined protest in the Cortes against the contract : 
 representing that it was extremely prejudicial, both to the 
 mines and to Spanish commerce, to put the entire output of 
 the mineral into the hands of a foreign house, which was 
 to control it exclusively. His protest, however, passed 
 unheeded, and in 1900 the contract was renewed for ten 
 years. 
 
 The exact amount of mercury obtained yearly is a little 
 difficult to determine, since the quantity varies considerably ; 
 its value is also subject to fluctuations. The mineral after 
 distillation is put into flasks, each containing over 34 kilo- 
 grams of mercury. The value of each flask is about 250 
 pesetas, and, roughly speaking, about 36,000 flasks are 
 obtained yearly. In 1900, seven and a half million pesetas' 
 worth of mercury was produced by the mines ; in some 
 years the quantity rises to nine millions. 
 
 The mines of Almaden consist of twelve stages, or galleries. 
 The lowest stage is 1,150 feet below the surface. 
 
 The mercury is found embedded in slate and quartz, either 
 as red cinnabar or as virgin ore : the work of the miners, 
 therefore, consists of boring : each man being furnished with 
 a bore and a hammer.
 
 194 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 The working day at Almaden is divided into four quarters 
 
 of six liours each, beginning at six o'clock in the morning. 
 
 For eighteen hours the men work, in relays : 
 
 ^ M'n" ^^^y ^^"^ relieved every six hours. From 
 
 twelve o'clock at night until six o'clock in 
 
 the morning the mines are left clear for ventilation. The 
 
 greatest evil of the present system of management is that 
 
 the miners have no fixed salary : their wages being determined 
 
 by the amount of mineral they produce. For the ordinary 
 
 miner the average amount earned scarcely ever exceeds one 
 
 peseta fifty centimes — 1.50 — a day, and frequently it does 
 
 not come to even as much as this ! This is a lamentably 
 
 insufficient recompense for a day's work in the terrible 
 
 atmosphere of a quicksilver mine. 
 
 The average miner, after ten or fifteen years' work, is a 
 physical wreck and hopelessly diseased. The mercury 
 completely calcines all the bones in the system : the teeth 
 decay : the eyes become bloodshot. In fact, the miner 
 develops into a living flask of mercury, and when he finally 
 receives from the Direction a pension of 75 centimes a day, 
 he is not infrequently reduced to begging in the streets, should 
 this sum not suffice for the support of an entire family ! 
 
 The mining territory of Almaden is enclosed in a circle of 
 about 25 kilometres radius, in the centre of which is the 
 principal shaft, San Teodoro. There are two other shafts, 
 called San Miguel and San Aquilino. 
 
 When the mineral is brought up from the mine it is conveyed 
 in waggons running on rails to the distilling furnaces, where 
 the blocks of quartz are classified, according to size, and are 
 subjected to the various operations necessary for obtaining 
 the mercury. 
 
 The metallurgic treatment consists in burning the mineral 
 in order to extract the cinnabar, or sulphuret of mercury. 
 There are at present three different types of furnaces in use : 
 the first was installed in 1646, the second in 1887, and the 
 third, which works continuously, was erected quite recently.
 
 Commerce and Industries 195 
 
 In the opinion of many engineers the later furnaces offer 
 no marked improvement on the older system. 
 
 When the mineral has been calcined and subjected to 
 various processes it emerges in a perfectly liquid state — a 
 river of mercury which is then encased in flasks and 
 sent to London. The work of the stokers is the hardest 
 of aU. 
 
 Some ameUoration has recently been made in the conditions 
 under which these men work as well as in their pay, for it 
 was found that no one could be induced to work for hours in 
 the fearful atmosphere of heated mercury for the purely 
 nominal remuneration which was previously offered to the 
 young men and boys in charge of the furnaces. 
 
 The copper mines of Rio Tinto present a very great contrast 
 to the quicksilver mines of Almaden. At Rio Tinto everything 
 is arranged and managed in the best possible 
 "^M" ^°^^f^ way, especially with regard to the health 
 Rio Tinto. ^^'^ welfare of the workmen, who are, as a 
 rule, well paid and carefully looked after. 
 The mines of Rio Tinto are, perhaps, the most important 
 copper mines in the world. They cover an enormous space 
 — something like eight or nine square miles — and there 
 are four separate villages for the miners, one of which 
 is inhabited exclusively by Englishmen. Of the popula- 
 tion of about 12,000 persons 10,000 are engaged in the 
 mines, in one capacity or another, and there are sixty 
 miles of railways connected with the mines alone : above 
 ground and below. In days of old the mines of Rio Tinto 
 were worked by the Iberians, Phoenicians and Carthaginians, 
 and later on by the Romans, but the supply of copper 
 seems to be absolutely inexhaustible. 
 
 Some idea of the vast extent of ground occupied by these 
 mines may be gathered from the fact that from one end of 
 the workings to the other is a distance of nearly eight miles — 
 by rail ! 
 
 In the eighteenth century, when these mines were leased
 
 196 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 to a Swedish Company they were very Uttle exploited, but 
 they were acquired by a syndicate of London and Bremen 
 capitaUsts in 1872, and ever since then they have occupied 
 a position of very great importance. They were acquired 
 from the Spanish Government at a cost of something like 
 ;f4,000,000. 
 
 Since the Rio Tinto Mines are in the hands of foreign 
 capitalists they cannot be described as a Spanish industry, 
 but then they give employment to very many Spaniards, 
 and for this reason I wish to speak of the really excellent way 
 in which the miners are treated and the fair manner in which 
 they — as a rule — are paid. In comparison with Almaden, 
 Rio Tinto seems quite a little paradise. 
 
 It would be difficult to find a more perfect understanding 
 between employers and employees than at the mines of 
 Rio Tinto. The amount of actual work got through in each 
 twenty-four hours is astonishing, for in these mines the work 
 is carried on without interval day and night. The labour is 
 so well organised that no man has more than an eight hours' 
 day : to gain this most desirable end it has been necessary to 
 employ an immense number of workmen. 
 
 The wages paid are in proportion to the work done, and 
 they are, comparatively, far higher than those paid at other 
 mining centres. From five to six pesetas a day is the average 
 wage of the miners, and in case of illness the men are thoroughly 
 well looked after in hospital, and while there they receive the 
 half of their ordinary day's wages. 
 
 In case of serious accidents the company pays a suitable 
 indemnity, and the widows of men killed in the service 
 are cared for and placed in a position to earn their living 
 comfortably. The children of the miners are given facilities 
 for an excellent education : there are at Rio Tinto eight 
 schools, for boys, girls and infants, and at these schools the 
 education given is in every respect admirable. After thirty 
 years' service the workmen have a right to demand a 
 pension.
 
 Commerce and Industries 197 
 
 With regard to the ordinary economic Hfe of the miners, 
 the problem has been solved in a manner which has proved 
 very advantageous to the population in general. Large 
 stores are maintained by the mine owners and at these stores 
 the prices are fixed, monthly, by a committee composed of 
 ten or twelve workmen, elected by their companions. 
 
 There are, in the immediate vicinity of the mines, no private 
 shops, or practically none, and thus the whole business of 
 providing for the employees of the mines is in the hands of 
 persons whose only object is to give the best value at the 
 most reasonable prices. In these stores everything necessary 
 for a comfortable life is sold at cost price : not only food, 
 but also articles of clothing, etc. It is a notable fact that no 
 alcoholic beverages are sold in the Rio Tinto Stores ! 
 
 Prominent Spaniards, who are interested in the welfare and 
 progress of their country, have again and again pointed out 
 that the general management of the Rio Tinto mines is a 
 great object lesson for Spain, for it proves that vast wealth 
 can be accumulated without injury to the more humble 
 workers : that, on the contrary, they can be sustained and 
 cared for, and that their lives may be made happy and pros- 
 perous. The Rio Tinto Mining Company is not a Spanish 
 one, but then a vast majority of the workers in the mines 
 are Spanish ! 
 
 At Bilbao there are extensive deposits of iron ore, and the 
 
 town is one of the most prosperous and progressive in Spain. 
 
 So far back as the Middle Ages Bilbao was 
 
 Other Mimng j^Q^-g^^ ^qj- j^g ^.qj^ q^^^ steel manufactures, 
 Industries. . i • n r i 
 
 but the u"onworks — chiefly for the manu- 
 facture of rails — were not systematically exploited until the 
 middle of the nineteenth century. 
 
 At Linares, near the foot of the Sierra de Jaen, there are 
 very important mines which furnish one-fourth of the lead 
 needful for the world at large. Linares is situated in the 
 midst of a wild and picturesque country and well repays a visit. 
 
 Spain has always been remarkable for its ceramic arts. 
 
 14— (2399
 
 198 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 The azuelejos — or tiles — in the Alcazar at Sevilla and in the 
 
 Alhambra and in so many other world-famous places, are too 
 
 well known to require any introduction. It 
 
 The Ceramic ^^^ ^^^ Moors who introduced the art of 
 
 Art 01 bpain. o • 
 
 ceramics mto Spam. In the eleventh 
 
 century the Spanish Arabs fabricated enamelled pottery which 
 displayed extraordinary metallic reflections. The range of 
 colours at that period was rather limited, for almost all the 
 pottery was made in shades of blue, gold, and red on a surface 
 of pearl, yellow, or dull red. 
 
 The origin of metallic reflection applied to ceramics has 
 been the subject of much discussion. Malaga and SevQla 
 have both laid claim to have been the home of this important 
 invention, but experts have decided that the honour rightly 
 belongs to Triana, which has been from time immemorial the 
 potters' suburb of Sevilla. 
 
 In the Alcazar at Sevilla this metallic reflection can be 
 studied closely, for the tiles in this most exquisite building 
 are very perfect specimens of the potter's art. Looked at 
 in certain hghts delicate iris tints are to be seen, while from 
 another point of view the same tiles reflect gleams of peacock 
 green and pale gold. 
 
 As far back as the twelfth century we find fine examples 
 of glazed earthenware applied to architectural decorations. 
 In the sixteenth century the ceramic art reached its highest 
 development, and the decorations of the Casa de Pilatos at 
 Sevilla belong to this period. 
 
 In the eighteenth century began the decadence of this 
 branch of industrial art. The craftsmen seemed then to have 
 lost touch with the discoveries and achievements of their 
 predecessors, and at this period the secret of the production 
 of the wonderful metallic reflections completely disappeared. 
 Since that day ceaseless efforts have been made by master- 
 potters to re-discover the lost secret, but these efforts were 
 not crowned with success until Don Jos6 Mensaque of Sevilla 
 took the matter seriously in hand.
 
 Commerce and Industries 199 
 
 After continued experiments in his laboratories and work- 
 shops Don Jose actually revived the lost art : not alone did 
 he re-discover the art of producing metallic reflections, but 
 he also discovered how to produce the wonderful tones of 
 green and blue which had made the Arab enamels so precious. 
 It is hardly necessary for me to say that, for hot climates, 
 tiled walls are ideal. The Moors — who were always practical, 
 even in their arts — fuUy realised this fact, and in aU the most 
 notable Moorish monuments of Andalusia the azulejo plays 
 a very important role. 
 
 In the ceramic workshops of Triana some rarely lovely 
 work is done on a smooth surface of ordinary clay. This 
 process is also one of Don Jose Mensaque's discoveries, and 
 he is exploiting it in a very important direction. Under his 
 direction large and beautiful paintings can be copied in tiles, 
 as, for example, the Congreso de los Dioses, a picture composed 
 of twenty-one large tiles, which was executed in Triana for 
 Don Eduardo Ibarra. 
 
 The excellence of Spanish wines — especially of Spanish 
 
 sherry — has been admitted ever since the days of the Caesars. 
 
 It is not actually known at what date the 
 
 T d fS ^'n ^^^^ ^^ Jerez first became known in England, 
 
 but it was probably in the thirteenth century, 
 
 for there are records of trade in white wines between England 
 
 and Spain in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It was, 
 
 however, in the reign of Elizabeth that sherry became really 
 
 popular with the English. 
 
 Jerez was originally a Roman colony, and it afterwards 
 became a fortified city, which was held for centuries by the 
 Moors. It was under the waUs of Jerez that one of the longest 
 battles in history was fought — the battle between the Moors, 
 under " Tarik," and the Goths under " Don Rodrigo," which 
 ended in the defeat of the last Visigothie king and in the 
 occupation of Spain by the Moors : this was in the year 711. 
 In defining sherry it is quite fair to describe it as a wine 
 which is peculiar to Spain and essentially Spanish : there is
 
 200 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 no genuine wine like it produced in other countries, and this 
 because there is no soil or similarly favoured environment, 
 other than that in the province of Andalusia, which can 
 produce wine of the peculiar character of sherry. 
 
 Were the vines of Jerez transplanted to other countries 
 they would produce grapes which would fail to yield the 
 same character of wine. And then it must be realised that 
 the great process of fermentation is profoundly modified by 
 external conditions. Soil, sun, and air of Jerez produce 
 sherry and sherry alone. 
 
 Jerez — the land of the grape and the home of sherry — 
 
 reminds one of a magnificent white cat : a prize animal with 
 
 long and silky fur which ever basks and purrs 
 
 Jerez. in a glory of sunshine ! For Jerez-de-la- 
 
 Frontera is the whitest of white cities, and 
 
 its opulence and contentment cannot be mistaken : it is 
 
 obviously peopled by those who are successful and wealthy. 
 
 Unhke many other of the southern cities of Spain, Jerez — 
 or Xeres — has almost always enjoyed a successful career. 
 It has had its periods of battle and bloodshed, but these 
 have never been very prolonged, and since the days of the 
 " Catholic Kings " all has gone well with it. 
 
 In point of wealth Jerez is the third city in Spain, and it 
 has a population of 52,000 inhabitants. When staying at 
 Sevilla it is an easy matter to visit Sherry-land, for it is only 
 about three hours by train. There are several points of 
 interest in the town, notably the Church of San Miguel, a 
 Gothic building which dates from the fifteenth century, but 
 visitors find their attention chiefly centred on the bodegas in 
 which the famous sherry is stored. And to these bodegas 
 there seems no end : the town is filled with them and with 
 various buildings connected with them. 
 
 The bodega has been fitly described as a " sherr}' nursery." 
 It is a very large overground cellar in which hundreds, and 
 often thousands, of butts of wine are going through various 
 stages of development. Sherry of all ages and values. For
 
 Commerce and Industries 201 
 
 example, in the bodegas of Don Pedro Domecq — the present 
 head of the oldest established firm in Jerez — there are wines 
 forty, sixty, one hundred, and one hundred and fifty years 
 old. Amongst these is the sherry which has been named 
 " Napoleon," because it was offered to the Emperor in the 
 year 1809, and was then said to be " very old." And not 
 far from the " Napoleon " we find the " George IV," which 
 was the favourite sherry of that king ! 
 
 The interior of a bodega is kept as cool as possible, and by 
 reason of the great thickness of the walls an even temperature 
 is obtained all the year round. It is in the bodegas that the 
 various wines are tasted and judged, and it will be well for 
 chance visitors to remember that there is something very subtle 
 and dangerous about the atmosphere of these overground 
 cellars. 
 
 One is enveloped in a luscious atmosphere of vinous 
 perfume, and in such circumstances even a strong head may 
 easily find itself strangely excited. 
 
 As the guide pauses before a great cask, his long filler and 
 a glass in his hand, certain words of an Immortal reverberate 
 in one's ears — 
 
 And lately, by the Tavern door agape, 
 
 Came stealing through the Dusk an Angel Shape 
 
 Bearing a Vessel on his shoulder : and 
 
 He bid me taste of it : and 'twas — the Grape ! 
 
 The Grape that can with Logic absolute 
 
 The Two-and-Seventy jarring Sects confute : 
 
 The subtle Alchemists that in a trice 
 
 Life's leaden Metal into Gold transmute. 
 
 To the visitor the tasting of these delicious wines — these 
 Amontillados and Olorosos and Manzanillas, in their varied 
 shades of brown and amber and gold — is but a pleasant 
 experience, but to the expert it is a very serious matter indeed. 
 It is in connection with tasting that the skill of the grower is 
 chiefly centred, for it is necessary that his delicate sense of 
 smell and taste should be constantly employed in noting the 
 qualities his wines may be developing. But the juice of the
 
 202 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 grape has to go through various stages before the moment 
 for tasting arrives. 
 
 A few hours after the " must " — the unfermented grape 
 juice — has been put into casks the phenomenon of fermenta- 
 tion commences to be noticed. The noise of the effervescence 
 may be heard : the temperature rises, the colour changes, 
 and a vinous flavour takes the place of the sugary taste of 
 the "must." 
 
 These changes are more observable when once the tumul- 
 tuous fermentation is over, and this, in the system employed 
 at Jerez, is allowed to take place spontaneously. That is 
 to say, without being hastened by the addition of any foreign 
 matter.- A slow fermentation is then permitted for two or 
 three months — the time varying according to the nature and 
 quahties of the " must," the ripeness of the fruit, and the 
 quantity of natural sugar contained in the grapes. 
 
 The liquid becomes clear at last. Everything insoluble is 
 precipitated and the matter which was kept floating by the 
 fermentation forms a sediment. And at this stage the 
 functions of the vintager end and those of the storer begin. 
 It is not quite an easy matter for an amateur to under- 
 stand the various processes : in fact, it is impossible unless 
 explanations are — as in my case — very clearly given. 
 
 WTien the liquid has become clear — as above described — 
 the first thing the storer has to do is to decant it with the 
 utmost care. Casks suitable for this purpose are selected and 
 filled with clear liquid. And then a new series of operations 
 is commenced, in which the different qualities of the wine are 
 determined. 
 
 " Must " should not remain less than five years in the cellar, 
 for before this time has expired the wine is not considered 
 " made." When the wine is in good condition a slow fermen- 
 tation takes place, which is unperceived in action, but not 
 in result : it is during this process that the wines themselves 
 indicate their class by the alcoholic strength and aroma which 
 they develop : by the discoloration which some undergo,
 
 Commerce and Industries 203 
 
 and by the colour which is observed in others : also by the 
 distinct taste which each one acquires. 
 
 To watch and guide these manifestations of the wines, for 
 a period of many years, is a task which demands great intelli- 
 gence and perseverance. In some cases wines remain in the 
 " nursery " for thirty, forty, or fifty years ! 
 
 I mentioned a httle time ago that the fine qualities of sherry 
 depend very largely upon the soil in which the vines are 
 grown : upon the sun and upon climatic 
 The Vineyards, environments generally. In the Jerez district 
 there are four distinct soils, and each one is 
 eminently suitable for the culture of vines. On the river 
 banks there is loamy sand-soil which produces an abundance 
 of grapes : in the immediate vicinity of Jerez the soil is also 
 mixed largely with sand, and here quantities of grapes are 
 produced which are converted into wines for home consump- 
 tion. Then there is the soil called barras, which consists chiefly 
 of sandy quartz mixed with lime and oxide of iron, and the 
 fourth soil, chiefly found on the slopes of the low hills which 
 surround the town, which consists of carbonate of lime and 
 silex. It is on these slopes that the vines are grown which 
 produce grapes suitable for the manufacture of the finest 
 sherry. These latter precious vines are treated with extreme 
 care, and are unceasingly watched and cherished. 
 
 Immediately after a crop of grapes has been gathered a little 
 pit is hollowed out round the stem of each plant, so that the 
 roots may have full benefit of the autumn rains : the vines are 
 carefully pruned, and after the rainy season the hollows round 
 the stems are filled up, and the soil is carefully turned over. Not 
 a single weed is to be found in a properly cared for vineyard. 
 
 At vintage time the bunches of grapes are gathered chiefly 
 
 by women and a thousand persons are frequently employed 
 
 at the same time at the work. The luscious 
 
 The Vintage, bunches are then spread out on round mats 
 
 to dry in the sun, and unripe — or over-ripe — 
 
 grapes are carefully picked out. The " treading " of the
 
 204 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 grapes comes next, and this is done by men who wear a peculiar 
 make of sabot. The " press " is a primitive construction, 
 and those of to-day are almost identical, in every respect, 
 with the " lagars " or presses used by the ancients. They 
 are great wooden troughs, about ten feet square, and in the 
 centre of each trough there is a screw-press which is used when 
 the " treading " process is finished. 
 
 About one ton of grapes serve for one pressing. The men 
 in sabots tread the grapes in a methodical manner, row by row, 
 and it is said that the average weight of a man is just sufficient 
 to press out the juice without injuring the skins or branches of 
 the grapes. After the " treading " process the juice is allowed 
 to begin the process of fermentation as above described. 
 
 The quantity of " must " produced, as in all agricultural 
 products, varies very much from year to year. The vines 
 
 are influenced by the state of the climate 
 ^'tht'^Graper^ during the months of July and August, when 
 
 the berries are swelling. If the weather be 
 moderately hot, and damp winds prevail, the grapes develop 
 slowly and the maximum number of bunches are obtained. 
 On the other hand, if the winds be easterly in the month of 
 August the fruit suffers considerable damage : it shrinks and 
 hardens and a large quantity of " must " is lost. In a 
 good season 2,000 casks of " must " — each cask containing 
 about 470 litres — may be obtained, and in less favourable 
 circumstances not more than 500 casks ! 
 
 Sherry — for some unknown reason — has been more or less 
 out of fashion in England of recent years. And this seems 
 
 a pity, since really fine sherry is, of all 
 
 ^^wines '" ^^"^^' °"^ °^ ^^^ healthiest. It is an 
 excellent tonic, and the Spanish doctors 
 frequently give it as a restorative instead of brandy. 
 
 The present King of Spain is determined to do all he can 
 to bring back into general favour the famous wines of his 
 country, and on the royal yacht, the Giralda, wines and 
 cognacs from Jerez are always served in preference to others.
 
 Commerce and Industries 
 
 205 
 
 Spanish light wines — red and white — are inexpensive and 
 agreeable, and a little time ago a scheme was suggested for 
 starting, in London, a number of establishments in which 
 these wines might be sold at moderate prices. 
 
 Undoctored Spanish wines can make long journeys with- 
 out the least injury, and twelve-gallon casks are largely 
 shipped to England from Tarragona and from other 
 ports. 
 
 In the year 1907 the following Spanish wines were exported 
 to England — 
 
 Red wine 
 
 . 4,941 litres 
 
 White wine . . 
 
 . 3,148 „ 
 
 Fragrant wine (Jerez) 
 
 449 „ 
 
 Other Jerez wines . . 
 
 . 5,171 „ 
 
 Malaga wines . . 
 
 . 4,606 „ 
 
 Generous wines 
 
 227 „ 
 
 Mixed wine . . 
 
 128 „ 
 
 The Orange 
 Trade. 
 
 Valencia is always associated in our minds with oranges 
 and with olives. Both these fruits are grown, and in quanti- 
 ties, in other parts of Spain, but the Valencian 
 orange, as the Valencian oUve, is world 
 famous. Valencia itself is a very interesting 
 town. Its history, since the days when Decimus Junius 
 Brutus — 138 B.C. — settled the captive Lusitanians there, has 
 been very romantic and stormy. 
 
 In the year 1094, on the disruption of the Cahphats of 
 Cordova, Valencia was made the capital of an independent 
 kingdom which extended along the coast from Almeria to 
 the Ebro. Under the Cathohc Kings Valencia was annexed 
 to Castile and later its espousal of the cause of the Hapsburgs, 
 in the War of the Spanish Succession, led to the abolition of 
 its ancient fueros. 
 
 At one time Valencia was one of the great centres of trade 
 and commerce in Spain, and of late years its silk industries 
 are again taking a place of importance and it ranks first as 
 the land of oranges, ohves, raisins, and such good things. 
 
 I am indebted to Mr, Enrique Behn, who is the owner of
 
 206 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 extensive orange groves, for some interesting notes on the 
 orange trade of this beautiful Province. 
 
 The crop begins about the end of October or beginning of 
 November of each year, and finishes at the end of May or 
 beginning of June. Each crop is divided into two seasons : 
 the first extending from November to January, when the 
 oranges of the south of Valencia down to Gandia are packed 
 and shipped ; the second extending from February to the 
 end of May or beginning of June, when the oranges of the 
 north are packed and shipped. 
 
 The cultivation of orange groves requires very special care, 
 and of recent years the use of artificial manure has worked 
 wonders for the soil, which has also the benefit of a singularly 
 perfect system of irrigation. 
 
 The method of packing the Valencian oranges is somewhat 
 different to that applied to those of Italy. In Valencia the 
 golden fruit is simply packed in small pieces of tissue paper, 
 in cases of 420, 714, or 1,064 oranges, according to the size 
 of the fruit. After the oranges have been gathered from 
 the trees they are carried direct to the warehouses and there 
 left for several days, so that all humidity may evaporate 
 before they are packed. It is absolutely essential that these 
 warehouses be very large and well ventilated, otherwise the 
 fruit would not be in good condition for packing. 
 
 For the actual packing of the fruit women are largely 
 employed, and their first business is to assort the oranges 
 according to size and quality. They then carefully wrap up 
 each orange in a small piece of tissue paper, on which is 
 stamped the name of the exporter, and after this the fruit 
 is placed in the cases above mentioned. 
 
 The production and exportation of Spanish oranges has 
 fluctuated a little during the past few years. The statistics 
 are as follows — 
 
 1902/3 .. 
 
 . . 4 400,000 cases 
 
 1903/4 . . 
 
 . . 4,200,000 „ 
 
 1904/5 .. 
 
 . . 3,300,000 „ 
 
 1907/8 . . 
 
 . . 4 800,000 .,
 
 Commerce and Industries 207 
 
 Of the above mentioned quantities about 70% goes to 
 England and 30% to the Continent. Besides the figures given 
 there are about 1 ,000,000 cases consumed in Spain each year. 
 
 The Valencian port is the most important, so far as the 
 orange trade is concerned, but this fruit is also shipped at 
 Gandia, Burriana, and Castellon. 
 
 The olive is greatly valued in Spain, and is put to all sorts 
 
 of uses. Besides the immense quantity of olive oil extracted 
 
 from the fruit, for home use and for expor- 
 
 ^Inr^^^fvi T^ tation, the preserved olive appears on every 
 
 Spain. Spanish table as an hors d'ceuvre, and it is eaten 
 
 not only at the beginning of the meal, but 
 
 between the courses. Some of the finest preserved olives are 
 
 stuffed with red pimientos, the stone being removed and the 
 
 pimiento being inserted in its place. The taste is delicious 
 
 and the harmony of colour presented by the green olive 
 
 and the scarlet pimiento is a feast for the eyes. 
 
 Olive oil is largely used as a cosmetic in the south of Spain. 
 It is highly beneficial to the skin, and it is claimed that its 
 continued use produces the golden-tinted complexion of the 
 Andalusian beauties. 
 
 The fruit is picked early in the year, never before January, 
 since the Spanish refrain says : — 
 
 Si coges la aceituna antes de Enero, 
 dejaras el aceite en el madero. 
 
 The picking begins after the first rainfall of the year. By 
 that time the fruit is ripe, and in the best condition for 
 producing fine olive oil. The process of picking is long and 
 tedious, since each olive has to be removed separately and 
 with care, so that the young shoots may not be injured, for 
 it is these which will produce next year's crop. In former 
 times it was customary to knock down the fruit with long 
 hooks, but it was found that this was injurious to the trees. 
 
 The olives when picked are heaped into large baskets : 
 some are taken to the grinding mill to make olive oil, and the 
 larger and finer olives are separated for preservation.
 
 208 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 The grinding process takes place within twenty-four hours 
 after the picking, as the oHve loses its aroma if kept too long. 
 The grinding machine, or molino, in use at present, is of 
 the most antiquated design : it consists of a large stone 
 turned by horse-power, which grinds the olives into pulp, 
 
 A new molino is being perfected by the Marques de Acapulco 
 and it will doubtless take the place of the old system, 
 which has, however, the advantage of serving its purpose 
 admirably. 
 
 When the fruit is ground, great baskets, made of esparto 
 grass, are filled with the pulp which is put into the press to 
 extract the liquid. 
 
 The next processes are those of cleaning, by means of 
 douches of tepid water, and clarifying : the liquid being left 
 to stand some time so that the oil may rise to the surface. 
 
 The last process is that of filtration in which the oil is 
 thoroughly purified and all extraneous matter extracted. It 
 is then a brilliant, clear, gold colour, and is ready for bottling. 
 
 Spain has always been remarkable for the beauty of its 
 
 damaskeened work. At the present day the three great 
 
 centres for its production are Madrid, Toledo, 
 
 ^^"work^"^'^ and Eibar, but it may be said that the finest 
 modern specimens of the art are produced in 
 Madrid in the ateliers of Felipa, in the Calle Arenal. 
 
 The value of the object depends upon the richness of the 
 design. All the objects worked on are made of pure steel, 
 and they take the form, ordinarily, of watch-cases, cigarette 
 cases, etc. The design is traced with a burin and filled in 
 with a fine thread of gold : numerous instruments are used, 
 such as a small hammer, files, and chisels, the work being 
 extremely delicate and complicated. 
 
 When the gold design is filled in the object is passed through 
 the fire, to tone the steel to the velvety black tint which, 
 contrasting with the gold, is the great beauty of the work. 
 In some of the more costly specimens the motif is raised in 
 relief : heads of a cameo-like delicacy are worked in gold and
 
 Commerce and Industries 209 
 
 silver on the background of dull black. Two different tones 
 of gold are frequently introduced on the same object. 
 
 Umbrella handles, photograph frames, and sets of combs 
 for the hair are most effective objects for incrustation. One 
 of the most beautiful specimens of this work that I have ever 
 seen was a finely modelled vase of Arab design, with a delicate 
 little motif worked in gold on a uniform ground of dull black : 
 a single deep red rose was set in this vase, with an eye for 
 effect that was truly Spanish. 
 
 The fruit trade in the south of Spain is rapidly increasing 
 
 in importance. The peculiar richness of the soil produces an 
 
 abundance of luscious fruit of all sorts, and 
 
 Other £g^j. jnore could be done in the agricultural line 
 
 Industries. ., , , . . . ° . , 
 
 if the system of imgation were unproved. 
 
 All the southern provinces produce rice, maize, sugar-cane, 
 
 bananas, pine-apples, and all the tropical fruits : besides 
 
 splendid tomatoes, plums, melons, and, of course, grapes. 
 
 There is a great demand for Spanish fruits in the foreign 
 markets, as the peculiar quahty of the soil produces a delicate 
 yet rich flavour which is often lacking in the fruit grown in 
 more temperate climates. The grapes of Valencia and 
 Malaga, for example, have never been equalled for size and 
 flavour. 
 
 One cannot help thinking how much more might be achieved 
 with a soil in which anything would grow, at almost any 
 season of the year, if it were sufficiently watered. It is 
 almost inconceivable that plant cultivation should be so 
 neglected as it is in the south of Spain : even in spring it is 
 no easy matter to procure flowers in any quantity, although 
 by going early to the market one can buy roses of extra- 
 ordinary beauty and gigantic carnations, almost all of which 
 are grown in pots on the flat roofs of the houses : from which 
 fact it can easily be realised that in the south of Spain flowers 
 are by no means cheap, as we — who are accustomed to buy 
 flowers in London and Paris — understand the word ! 
 
 Until within recent years the silk and wool trade of Spain
 
 210 
 
 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 has not extended much beyond her own frontiers. The silken 
 goods manufactured in the Peninsula have always been of 
 the very best quahty : they are made entirely of pure silk, 
 hence their lasting qualities. The silk petticoats worn by 
 many of the peasant women, the velvet trousers of the 
 Aragones and the beautiful silk madroneras and mantillas 
 are all made from home-grown material, and will last for 
 generations without wearing out. 
 
 Quantities of mulberry trees are grown in the south for the 
 rearing of the silk-worms. 
 
 The same standard of excellence applies to the Spanish 
 cane-sugar : in fact it may be said of the Spaniards that if 
 they make a thing at all they make it well. The Spanish 
 cane-sugar is absolutely pure, and although the trade has been 
 much injured by cheap German beet-sugar, its superiority 
 is being recognised everywhere at the present day. 
 
 As a final note to this httle chapter on Spanish Commerce 
 and Industries, I append a table of figures which will, I think, 
 
 An Interesting ^^ ^^ some interest. It gives, roughly and 
 Table of without particulars, a list of the Exports 
 Figures. q^^^ Imports — of Spain — during a period of 
 over fifty years. 
 
 Annual Imports and Exports, Covering 50 Years 
 
 
 Imports 
 
 Exports 
 
 1853. 
 
 183,608,728 pesetas 208,955,686 pesetas 
 
 1858. 
 
 376,139,516 
 
 242,839,951 
 
 1863. 
 
 474,627,730 
 
 304,967,774 
 
 1868. 
 
 573,893,343 
 
 277,485,160 
 
 1873. 
 
 532,116,446 
 
 588,162,112 
 
 1878. 
 
 547,183,774 
 
 479,878,207 
 
 1883. 
 
 893,446,011 
 
 719,468,414 
 
 1888. 
 
 716,085,479 
 
 763,104.389 
 
 1893. 
 
 770,715,408 
 
 709,706,877 
 
 1898. 
 
 723,444,369 
 
 918,943,206 
 
 1899. 
 
 1,045.391,983 
 
 864,367,885 
 
 1903. 
 
 977,859,650 
 
 945,978,417 
 
 1905. 
 
 1,087,661,953 
 
 993,871,315 
 
 1906. 
 
 1,056,090,154 
 
 937,583,811
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE SPANISH 
 
 It is a thankless task to attempt to sum up, in a few words, 
 
 the characteristics of the individuals who, en masse, make up 
 
 a great nation, but in the case of the Spaniards 
 
 ^^Peo'^t"'^^ the handicapping of this task is regulated by 
 feeling rather than by practical knowledge. 
 You are born with a power of understanding the people of 
 Spain or — you are not. 
 
 I am absolutely certain that if this power does not come 
 from within, a gift of Nature which may or may not find an 
 opportunity of making itself prominent, it can never be 
 obtained : it will resist the call of the most diligent and 
 patient study. On the other hand, if your own nature be 
 in genuine sympathy with the atmosphere of Spain, you will 
 quickly and easily draw into yourself many delicate little 
 threads of sympathetic understanding which will surely 
 creep towards you and, when taking possession of these, you 
 will, unconsciously, send off emissaries of a like character, 
 in return. 
 
 It is easy to understand why so many persons are dis- 
 appointed on visiting Spain. They are disappointed because 
 they rarely find just what they expect to find. And this is 
 true of the country and people alike. 
 
 The word " Spain " has always had the power to stir 
 the imagination and to set adrift a fleet of golden dreams. 
 Theophile Gautier realised this, and so did Victor Hugo, and 
 many others. But then it is unfortunately true that the 
 golden dreams of such artists as these have, not infrequently, 
 had disastrous effects on ordinary minds. What they have 
 painted does not, for the greater part, really exist.
 
 212 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 One very marked peculiarity connected with Spain is that 
 
 it arouses, with unbehevable facility, the spirit of exaggeration. 
 
 The country is always represented as the 
 
 The Spirit of ^^^^ ^j. ^^le worst : the most adorable or 
 Exaggeration. . 
 
 the most detestable : the most enchantmg 
 
 or the most disappointing. Its women are marvels of 
 
 beauty or they are " quite ordinary " — just as the spirit of 
 
 exaggeration influences individual cases. And, naturally, all 
 
 this is exceedingly misleading. If a traveller has fed his mind 
 
 on the encomiums of a poetic enthusiast he will probably 
 
 expect to find Andalusia one huge flower garden, where roses 
 
 and orange blossoms may be culled on every side : where 
 
 exquisite women, with languid eyes and costumes similar to 
 
 those depicted on the outside of a Malaga date box, wear 
 
 " gracious mantillas " every day of the week and promenade 
 
 the streets, followed by a train of " toreadors " : the latter 
 
 in " gorgeous attire " ! 
 
 Recently I read a very amusing little article in one of the 
 leading Madrid papers apropos of this spirit of exaggeration — 
 which the Spaniards themselves hold in sovereign contempt. 
 It was a semi-serious criticism on a story of modem Spanish 
 life, written by a brilliant Parisian ; and — in passing — it may 
 be remarked that French writers have given more highly- 
 coloured accounts of Spain, and rather more inaccurate, than 
 the writers of any other nation. In this story a certain society 
 woman was described, in ordinary daily life, as wearing a 
 gorgeous manton de Manila, and conducting a little affaire 
 de coeur with a picador in traje de luces ! It was a story which 
 out of Spain would probably have been described as " very 
 Spanish," but which, in Spain, was regarded as simply 
 ridiculous, for neither picadors, nor matadors, nor banderilleros 
 ever wear traje de luces except at a bull-fight, and neither 
 society women nor any others wear mantones de Manila except 
 at Fiestas or — on occasions — in the house, when dancing ! 
 
 I confess that on visiting Sevilla for the first time, in winter, 
 my disappointment was very great at the lack of flowers.
 
 The Spanish 213 
 
 There, in the midst of brilliant sunshine, with soil that would 
 grow everything and anything, and in profusion, it was quite a 
 difficult matter to get enough flowers to decorate the dinner-table. 
 
 In London, or in Paris, roses and violets and mimosa " from 
 
 the South " are to be seen at every street corner all through 
 
 the coldest winters, but in Sevilla hardly 
 
 Possibilities of anyone takes the trouble to grow them. I 
 
 Cultivation, have often thought that a very nice, and 
 
 sufficiently lucrative, little industry might be 
 
 worked by a clever woman-gardener who understood how to 
 
 take advantage of the possibilities of an Andalusian winter. 
 
 Before trying to describe the Spaniards as individuals, I 
 should like to pause a moment for the purpose of pointing out 
 one or two reasons why foreigners, especially the English and 
 the Americans, find them hard to understand. 
 
 Taking England first, and looking at the matter from a 
 general point of view, for in individual cases the understanding 
 between Spain and England is quite perfect, it may be said 
 that what — on the Continent — is known as " the English 
 manner," is offensive to the average Spaniard, He does not 
 understand it ! 
 
 There is no more truly democratic country in the world 
 than Spain — no exception being made in the case of America : 
 and the spirit of democracy which pervades the country is a 
 noble and dignified one. Englishmen, when on the Continent, 
 adopt very often, perhaps quite unconsciously, one of two 
 manners. They are either frankly superior or they are 
 patronizing. And the average Spaniard will not acknowledge 
 the superiority any more than he will accept the patronage. 
 And then the Enghshman — and, in this connection, America 
 may join hands — sees no reason why things in Spain should 
 not be done as "at home " ! 
 
 With all my own personal love for Spain, and feeling, as I 
 do, that the manana bugbear has been done to death, I do 
 not hesitate to say that no southern Spaniard understands, 
 even in a vague way, the meaning of the verb " to hustle," 
 
 15— (2399)
 
 214 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 He does not " hustle " himself, and he will not permit anyone 
 else to " hustle " him. If he happens to be in business he 
 conducts that business in his own way, on his own Unes, and 
 it is worse than useless to try to bring about a change. Much 
 better give in at once and accept the inevitable : for inevitable 
 it is. 
 
 I should like it to be clearly understood that in this chapter, 
 when speaking of " The Spaniards," I am thinking chiefly of 
 Andalusia and its people. Cataluiia is another affair alto- 
 gether, and will be treated exhaustively in the final chapter 
 of this book. And then the people of Madrid, the members 
 of the Court circles, the clubmen, etc., etc., all these also 
 belong to a different world. When trying to arrive at some 
 just idea of the character and temperament of a people you 
 do not, if you are wise, go to the capital city : most certainly 
 you do not found your conclusions on the ideas and actions 
 of Court circles, for Court circles are very much the same all 
 over the civilized world. The same people meet, year after 
 year, in Paris, London, Madrid, Vienna, or St. Petersburg. 
 They are delightful and cultured, but they are cosmopolitan. 
 
 The southern Spaniard is in some respects like a wise child. 
 He recognises instinctively, and with disconcerting rapidity, 
 the person who is really sympathetic to him. He may be, 
 from the school-board stand-point, illiterate, but he is an 
 excellent judge of character. He judges instinctively — like 
 a child — but his conclusions are rarely at fault. And then 
 " side " is as foreign to him as is the verb " to hustle." 
 
 It has been asserted again and again that the Spaniards are, 
 
 as a race, very cruel. I have already referred to this subject 
 
 in the chapter, " Sports and Pastimes " — in 
 
 If ^cSdtf^ connection with the bull-fight— but just here 
 I should like to say that in my own wanderings 
 in the Peninsula I have never seen any special acts of cruelty. 
 From personal observation I am led to conclude that animals 
 are as well treated in Spain as in most other European 
 countries : certainly one sees in the streets of southern Italy
 
 The Spanish 215 
 
 far more cruelty than, in the same circumstances, in southern 
 Spain. 
 
 At the same time, it quite well may be that the southern 
 Spaniard is in reahty cruel to animals, for his nature is, in 
 some respects, cruel, as it is self-centred. You cannot attend 
 a theatrical performance, a concert, or a bull-fight, without 
 realising this. 
 
 The whole attention of the individual spectator is centred 
 on himself : on his own feelings of the moment. If he is 
 pleased he applauds most heartily : if it chances that he is 
 displeased he rages violently and quite as heartily. It 
 matters not at all that the special performer is an old 
 favourite : someone who — from the English point of view — 
 ought to be considered because of past successes. The feeling 
 of " let's give him a hand because he — or she — used to be a 
 good 'un," is unintelligible to the average Spaniard. And for 
 this reason he is one of the keenest and most cruel of critics. 
 He judges of what he actually hears and sees, without care 
 or thought of either past or future. 
 
 As Spain is the land of the unexpected it ought not to come 
 
 as a surprise to us to find that the women — especially those 
 
 of the south — almost invariably dress in black, 
 
 ^^^ TaS^" °^ ^" ^^^ ^^^®®*- ^"^ y^^ ^^ ^^ ^ surprise ! And, 
 after the first shock of amazement, a delightful 
 one ; for in the narrow white streets of the Andalusian towns 
 with overhead a flaming ball of liquid fire lying against a 
 limitless field of deepest sapphire and in the courts and open 
 squares giant date-palms and orange trees laden with golden 
 fruit, the sombre garments of dull black strike a note of 
 perfect harmony. 
 
 And let me explain that in the street — except on certain 
 rare occasions — the mantilla is never worn. There is a vast 
 difference between the Spanish mantilla and the veto. The 
 former is worn on state occasions only : in black, during the 
 Holy Week, as I have explained in my chapter on Fiestas, 
 and in pure white or ivory at the buU-fight and, in carriages,
 
 216 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 at the Ferias. The Spaniards are a very conservative people : 
 they have set times for wearing certain things, and in no 
 possible circumstances can these things be worn save at these 
 set times. The velo — which is in reality a long black lace 
 scarf — is the ordinary head-dress of the Andalusian women, 
 in almost every class of society, for early morning wear, for 
 shopping and for going to Mass. 
 
 While the mantilla has to be arranged with great care and 
 draped over a wonderful erection composed of a high comb 
 and a quantity of flowers, placed at one side of the head, well 
 towards the front, the velo is simply thrown over the hair 
 and lightly fastened at the breast with fancy pins or with a 
 brooch. It is a peculiarly becoming head-dress and speciaUy 
 suitable for Spanish women who have their hair dressed very 
 neatly. I use the words " have their hair dressed " with 
 intention because the peinadora, or female hairdresser, is an 
 indispensable adjunct to daily life. In the more humble 
 walks of Andalusian life she makes a beautiful coiffure for 
 such a modest sum as 15 or 20 centimes (less than twopence), 
 and for this sum she not only dresses the hair, but also brushes 
 it most carefully. The average Spanish woman adopts a 
 neat style of hairdressing : the coils on the top of the head 
 are perfectly arranged but the outline is entirely free from 
 exaggeration : in the morning, with the velo, quite a small 
 tortoise-shell comb is worn on the top of the head, and this 
 comb makes the lace scarf remain in position. 
 
 In Sevilla the little dressmakers and other women of the 
 same class wear, winter and summer, a simple but delightful 
 style of dress. In winter the dress itself is almost always 
 black, and it is accompanied by a black crepe de chine shawl 
 with long fringes : this shawl is demurely drawn over the 
 shoulders and crossed in front. In summer the same shawl 
 is worn, but it is accompanied by a print dress, of pale blue 
 or rose pink, and by a rose or carnation, placed at one side 
 of the smooth hair. Women of this class rarely, if ever, 
 wear a velo.
 
 r'-^^ ^* 
 
 PItoto by 
 
 ?•? 
 
 *-Jr M. 
 
 .:^^i^ 
 ./ 
 
 A BEAUTIFUL SEVILLANA
 
 The Spanish 217 
 
 Spanish women undoubtedly have remarkably pretty, and 
 smaD, hands and feet. But then, when comparing these 
 important points with those of French, English, and American 
 women it must be realised that the Spanish boot- and shoe- 
 maker is an artist worthy of all praise. Old-fashioned he may 
 be — and is, if to be old-fashioned means a refusal to be " new " 
 — but he understands that the small feet of a woman were 
 given her as a special gift of Nature, and he refrains from 
 adding three or four inches to their length. Once a woman 
 has worn a Spanish-made boot or shoe she finds it impossible 
 again to accept the long-toed-pointed-toed horrors now so 
 fashionable in America and in Paris. 
 
 The politeness of the Spaniards is a much-discussed point. 
 
 In the first place, they are frequently accused of saying very 
 
 much more than they mean when they say : 
 
 Politeness. " En Calle So-and-So 13 tiene V su casa," 
 
 which means literally : "At Number 13 
 
 So-and-So Street you have a house " ; or, in other words, 
 
 that you will be welcome when you call upon the speaker. 
 
 For my own part, I cannot see that this very polite and 
 
 charming little speech even borders on the untrue : it is only 
 
 spoken to those who will certainly be received, if they call, and 
 
 though the figure of speech is not English, it is distinctly 
 
 giaceful. The fashion of offering for acceptance anything 
 
 admired is now dying out, but even that was merely a polite 
 
 phrase which obviously had no practical meaning. 
 
 A more difficult form of politeness — or impoliteness — to 
 deal with is the habit, in Andalusia, of expressing opinions 
 about passers-by, in the street ; and this in a clearly audible 
 voice. It is, from every point of view, an embarrassing habit ! 
 The Spaniard of good society does not, of course, take part 
 in this amusement : it is left to the ordinary man-of-the- 
 street-corner, but as this latter personage is in the majority in 
 all the Andalusian cities the difficulty has to be faced. In 
 theory this habit cannot be too harshly condemned, but in 
 practice , well, circumstances sometimes alter cases, and
 
 218 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 the southern Spaniard knows how to turn his phrases 
 charmingly, when a pretty woman is concerned ! 
 
 One thing certain is that foreign visitors to Sevilla, Cordova, 
 etc., must make up their minds to accept these audible 
 criticisms in the spirit in which the Spanish women accept 
 them. They must pass along quietly as if, in hearing without 
 heeding, they accepted such glowing words of praise as a 
 natural tribute of a mere man to one of the Queens of the 
 Earth. 
 
 I think Bizet's delicious " Carmen " has a great deal to 
 
 answer for when travellers rail at the shortcomings of Spain. 
 
 I lay stress on the name Bizet, because the 
 
 heetnd^^ original Carmen of Prosper Merrim6e was 
 
 quite another thing. The Carmen of Bizet is 
 
 a fascinating creature, born of genius in wedlock with the 
 
 stage. Sometimes, when interpreted by the divine Calv6, 
 
 for example, she is put before us as an elegante possessed of 
 
 a dissolute soul and an amorous body. Sometimes she is 
 
 frankly an audacious cafe chantant performer. Always, and 
 
 in all forms, and because of the genius which helped to create 
 
 her, she is fascinating, but rarely is she the Carmen of Prosper 
 
 Merimee ; for the latter was wholly and entirely a cigarrera 
 
 of Sevilla. And the cigarette makers of Sevilla have nothing 
 
 in common with the cafe chantant element. 
 
 In the tobacco factory you will find, perhaps, 6,000 women, 
 of all sorts and conditions. Women pretty, plain, fat, coarse, 
 brazen, comely, and — a few — quite beautiful : but while you 
 may look in vain for even one who might, by stretching an 
 elastic imagination, suggest the Carmen of Bizet, you will find 
 very many who might, at the moment, have stepped right out 
 of Merimee 's picture. 
 
 In speaking of Prosper Merimee and his Carmen, it is 
 
 impossible to curb the thoughts which fly 
 
 ^^EugSi?r^^ back to the days when Merimee was the 
 
 friend and respectful admirer of the most 
 
 notable Spanish woman of recent times. Of Eugenia de
 
 The Spanish 219 
 
 Guzman y Porto, ex-Empress of the French and, even yet, 
 one of the most beautiful of women. 
 
 When a woman becomes so world-famous as the Empress 
 Eugenie her nationality is easily forgotten. She seems to 
 belong to the world at large. But Granada, once the glory 
 of the Moorish kings, once the stronghold of Boabdil the 
 unlucky, was her birthplace, and her family, past and present, 
 has been and still is, closely connected with various parts of 
 Andalusia. At Granada the house in which the Empress was 
 born can still be seen, but it is in a dilapidated state. 
 
 It was in the year 1830 that Prosper Merim^e first met the 
 Condesa de Teba y de Montijo — mother of the Empress — and 
 from that date to the end of his life he cherished for this 
 remarkable woman a sincere admiration and friendship. The 
 Condesa was possessed of a very determined character, and in 
 this connection Merimee once said to her : " Vous m'avez 
 habitue a croire que tout ce que vous vouliez s' accomplissait." 
 
 In thinking of the life of the Empress Eugenie two famous 
 
 sayings, connected with Granada, rush to the front. The first, 
 
 an inscription on the walls of the Alhambra, would willingly 
 
 have been repeated by a thousand voices in the hours of her 
 
 triumph — 
 
 Wert thou compared to the stars they would be humbled : were 
 splendour and nobility wanting to thy dignity, thy person would give 
 it sufficient lustre. 
 
 The second, the words of Boabdil, spoken on the spot known 
 as El Ultimo Suspiro del Moro — 
 
 When was sorrow ever equal to mine ? 
 
 The Empress was a notable example of the much vaunted 
 type, the fair Spaniard. Writers have differed as to the actual 
 colour of her hair, but it is certain that she was more blonde 
 than brunette, and that her superb eyes were " blue : darkly, 
 deeply, beautifully blue." Bismarck, in speaking of the 
 Empress, described her hair as " dark brown," but this was 
 a mistake. It was brown with vivid reflections of gold, and 
 so pecuhar was the tint that the Parisiennes did not hesitate
 
 220 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 to say that it was impossible it could be natural. Eyes of 
 true, brilliant blue — such as those of the Empress — are not 
 common in Spain, though I have myself seen them, in connec- 
 tion with hair of purest gold, and in Sevilla. But the green 
 eyes of the poets are not at all uncommon. 
 
 A fascinating gipsy, a creation of Cervantes, is described as 
 having golden hair and emerald eyes, and several of the 
 Valera women belong to the same type. Amongst the gipsies 
 of Triana green eyes are frequently to be seen, and they are 
 amazingly effective because of their contrast with the bronze 
 skin and the unfathomable expression. 
 
 As a rule, the one great physical fault of the Spanish woman 
 is that she is rather short and, after her first youth has passed, 
 too stout. Of course there are many exceptions to this rule, 
 and these exceptions show us how near to the truth the father 
 of Italian anthropology, Paolo Mantegazza, came when he 
 said : " When an Andalusian woman attains the stately height 
 of an Englishwoman, and when an Englishwoman has small 
 hands and feet, they are both divine, the two highest forms 
 of life, the most splendid creatures in the human world." 
 
 In my chapter on Literature I have spoken of what has 
 been called " the Valera type " as the " eternal woman." 
 It is Spanish, but then it is also cosmopolitan : and this because 
 it embraces nearly all the finest feminine qualities it is possible 
 to imagine. There can be no doubt about the physical and 
 mental charms of the aristocratic Spanish woman : the 
 mondaine of Madrid, of Biarritz, of Paris, and of London. 
 She is, almost always, an excellent linguist, and, curiously 
 enough, she nearly always speaks English more perfectly than 
 any other foreign language. Of course, all the society women 
 of Spain speak French quite fluently, but, as a rule, an 
 attentive listener can detect a slight accent, while in speaking 
 English this suspicion of accent is frequently absent. I know 
 many Spaniards who speak English absolutely faultlessly : 
 in fact, I have more than once mistaken a Spaniard for an 
 Englishman, and this after some conversation. Many of the
 
 The Spanish 221 
 
 men, especially the officers, look like Englishmen of the best 
 type : they are tall and clean-limbed, and they wear their 
 clothes with a certain ease which at once suggests the club- 
 man of Pall Mall. I have never noticed this peculiarity in 
 connection with Frenchmen, though the latter place immense 
 faith in London tailors, and many of them even go so far as 
 to send their shirts and collars to England to be washed ! 
 
 In all the better-class families in Spain it is the custom to 
 have French and English nurses and governesses, and it is 
 not an unusual thing to find little children speaking English or 
 French more easily and fluently than their own native language. 
 
 Very much has been said of a sarcastic nature and by 
 Spaniards themselves on the subject of Progress of Women 
 in the Peninsula. I hardly dare to do more than touch on 
 this subject because my own personal views are hopelessly 
 old-fashioned, and I see so many immensely important things 
 for women to do at home that I do not see how they can go 
 far outside the home, without serious injury to vital interests. 
 It may be that Spanish women have not, legally, as many 
 " rights " as women of other nations, but, on the other hand, 
 they have rights of another kind. No one can realise the 
 position of the mother in Spain without seeing that the women 
 must understand very well how to hold their own. The 
 Spanish mother is an empress in her own home : and she 
 retains her sway over her sons long after they have cut 
 themselves adrift from the parent root and have set up house 
 for themselves. It often and often happens that the mother, 
 in her old age, takes precedence of the wife ; her wishes and 
 requirements are considered first. And this, though not 
 always quite pleasant for the wife, is just as it should be. 
 The mamita has given up the days of her youth and strength 
 to the care and culture of her children, and if she reaps her 
 reward — as most surely she does in Spain — it is no more 
 than her due. 
 
 In the humble walks of life it is quite a common thing for 
 the old father and mother to live with the married son who 
 
 ^
 
 222 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 is best able to support them, and this arrangement, to any 
 
 Spaniard, seems only natural and what was to be expected. 
 
 Of the Spanish beggar very much has been written, and 
 
 certainly he is a troublesome person, when encountered, but 
 
 the Poor Laws are improving year by year, 
 
 Beeear ^"^ °"^ ^^" ^°^ ^^^^^ most of the Andalusian 
 
 cities without fear of annoyance from these 
 insistent followers. In Sevilla begging is forbidden, except 
 on certain days, and a law of the same kind obtains at Granada. 
 But then it must not be forgotten that the Spanish beggar is 
 a thing apart from his fellows. He honestly and genuinely 
 thinks he has a perfect right to beg, and that you do no more 
 than your right when you give. In these circumstances 
 begging becomes an honourable profession, and those who 
 follow it expect to be treated with proper respect. It is an 
 insult to a Spanish beggar to pass him by with a haughty 
 gesture, or even without a word of explanation, if you do not 
 feel disposed to give. You must pause a second and say, 
 " Perdoneme usted," or " Perdone usted por el amor de Dios," 
 which means that you are asking him, m the most polite 
 form, to excuse you. And in any ordinary case the beggar 
 will smile and pass on. 
 
 I have already said that Spain is the one truly democratic 
 country in the world, and the more one studies the thoughts, 
 ideas, and ideals of the humbler classes the more this fact 
 becomes evident. It is absolutely true that your butcher 
 and your baker, your domestic servant and your coachman, 
 your railway porter and your hotel waiter, all think and feel 
 themselves to be your equal. They do not insist on the 
 fact, if you, by look or act, do not try to show your superiority, 
 but, honestly, they feel that they are your equal. They are 
 not so rich, but then riches do not place people on pinnacles 
 in Spain. They have to work while you are free to play, 
 but that is just an accident, and they see no more shame in 
 their work than in your play. They do their part. And 
 more often than not they do it very well, if entirely in their
 
 The Spanish 223 
 
 own way. And since they do what is expected of them they 
 look to you to follow suit, and to do it poUtely and graciously. 
 
 Just at first all this is very disconcerting. One finds oneself 
 perpetually making mental notes of interrogation ! The 
 driver of your hired carriage will, if it seems to him that 
 you are agreeable, enter thoroughly into your affairs : he will 
 ask 5^ou questions and will give excellent advice. And 
 frequently in the shops the same thing happens. In Andalusia 
 it will happen, nine times in ten, that the young man behind 
 the counter will be smoking a cigarette when he comes forward 
 to attend you. And while you are delicately insinuating 
 that you would be pleased to see a ribbon of a special colour 
 or a certain class of silk he will, probably, ask you where 
 you are staying and how you are enjoying yourself, and how 
 long a visit you intend making. And if it be in your nature 
 to be muy simpatica, he will perhaps give you some notes 
 on a coming bull-fight, or suggest to you the most agreeable 
 theatre in which to spend an evening. And all this without 
 the faintest suspicion that in England the same thing would 
 be regarded as impossible. He is not impertinent, and he 
 does not take a liberty because his motive is of the best. You 
 are a stranger, therefore you must be made to feel at home ; 
 you are a friend, therefore you must be greeted with pleasant 
 words. He is selling, and you are buying. Why should it 
 be less dignified to sell than to buy ? And in Spain one realises 
 that there is very much to be said for this point of view, 
 because the Spaniards are naturally polite. And because of 
 the utter absence of " push " or of vulgarity or pretension, 
 the position seems perfectly natural, and — if you yourself 
 know how to take it — agreeable. 
 
 It is impossible to discuss Spain Vv'ithout bringing up the 
 
 evergreen manana question : the everlasting " to-morrow " 
 
 of which we have heard so much and which 
 
 The Manana j^^g driven so many innocent individuals to 
 Question. , c -, ■ ^ r- 
 
 the very gate of a lunatic asylum. Some 
 
 witty writer has stated that an EngUshman of business, in
 
 224 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Madrid, once compared his feelings with those of " a cat in 
 
 hell without claws," and it is not difficult to understand the 
 
 comparison, for the ways of Spain are not those of England, 
 
 much less those of America. Personal experiences tell me 
 
 that the manana question has been done to death, but still, 
 
 even with the best of luck, and in the best circumstances, 
 
 it is not easy to get the average Spaniard to do to-day what 
 
 can be put off until to-morrow, or the next day, or next week ! 
 
 Of course, this peculiarity is at times very inconvenient, 
 
 but one must never forget that countries, like individuals, 
 
 have the faults of their qualities. If the Spaniard does not 
 
 hurry neither does he hustle. If he does not exert himself 
 
 strenuously to make money, neither does he consider the 
 
 making of money the most desirable occupation of life. The 
 
 English and American nations are notable for their business 
 
 qualities : they know how to make money and how to spend 
 
 it, but perhaps in the race for wealth and power they miss 
 
 something, and a thing of value, which belongs to the 
 
 Spaniard ? In this connection I cannot resist the temptation 
 
 to give once again a quotation from Havelock Ellis. In his 
 
 " Soul of Spain," at the end of his exquisite chapter on 
 
 Montserrat, he says — 
 
 The ascetic temperament of the Spaniard renders few things neces- 
 sary, while his individuahsm makes it easy for him, in no unkindly 
 spirit, to leave the stranger alone. I cannot remember that any one 
 during the whole of my stay made any attempt to hamper my move- 
 ments, to offer his services or his wares, or to demand any gratuity. 
 There are guides, indeed, but they do not proffer their services, and 
 there is a little bureau where post cards are sold, but it is nearly always 
 closed. One reflected on all that would be seen here if some evil fate 
 had placed Our Lady of Montserrat's Shrine in one's ov\ti country — of 
 the huge and gaudy hotels, with their liveried flunkies, of the tea- 
 gardens which would replace the cross on the Mirador, of the innumer- 
 able shops and booths where the stranger would be pestered to buy 
 altogether unnecessary articles, of the gigantic advertisements of 
 whiskies and liver-pills which would defile every exquisite point of 
 rock. As one thinks of these things one realises Iiow far we have yet 
 to travel before we attain to the Spaniard's insight into the art of living, 
 his fine parsimony in life, lest for life's sake he should lose the causes 
 for living, his due subordination of dull material claims to the larger 
 spiritual claims of joy and freedom.
 
 The Spanish 225 
 
 In Spain the House of " Our Father " — the House of God — 
 
 is in the true sense of the word the home of the people. All 
 
 over the Peninsula this may be seen. In San 
 
 The House of Sebastian, the centre of fashion, as in 
 
 our Father. . , , . ■, ■ ^ , ~ i • ^ i- • j 
 
 Andalusia and m Cataluna and in Cralicia and 
 
 Madrid. The people, even the very poorest and most 
 wretched, enter the House of God as they would enter their 
 own home. There they rest : there they, very often, and 
 in a dark comer, eat ; there the women sit tranquilly, with 
 the baby at the breast. And there they kneel and pray, as 
 naturally as a child prays at the knee of its mother. 
 
 I can imagine no more beautiful sight than one of the great 
 dark churches of Spain, on a week day, with its silent inhabi- 
 tants scattered about, here and there. All perfectly reverent, 
 but some so evidently taking an hour of perfect rest. And 
 then on Sunday morning, at a crowded Mass — how exquisite 
 is the courtesy shown from one to the other, without the least 
 regard for position or station. I have, at the Buen Pastor of 
 San Sebastian, frequently seen women belonging to the Court 
 circles kneeling side by side with poor old beggar women in 
 rags, and if seats are scarce, because of the vast numbers, 
 the poorest woman will, quite naturally, offer her Prie Dieu 
 to the richest. And it will be accepted as naturally as it is 
 offered. 
 
 The spirit of true and most admirable democracy is more 
 noticeable in the churches of Spain than elsewhere, and is 
 not this as it should be ? Is it not a beautiful idea that Our 
 Father's House should be the home of all — without any 
 distinction of persons, in thought or in action ? 
 
 The charm of the Spanish patio, or open court, is irresistible ! 
 
 In Andalusia these courts are often very large and beautiful, 
 
 as will be clearly seen in the photograph 
 
 ^^he^pSS."^ of one which belongs to a house in Sevilla. 
 
 The house is built round the fatio, in a square, 
 
 and the open court, which is always decorated with palms and 
 
 splendid foliage plants and flowers, serves as a cool reception
 
 226 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 room in summer. In the photograph may be seen, at the 
 extreme right, the handsome stone staircase which leads to the 
 house proper, for the ground-floor rooms are not often 
 occupied by members of the family, except in the hot summer 
 months. 
 
 Opening on to the street there is always a large gate of 
 massive iron, and some of these gates are exquisitely wrought 
 and of great value. Spain has always been famous for its 
 wrought-iron work, and, at the present day, very beautiful 
 gates and screens are made at Madrid and in other parts of 
 the country. 
 
 Latch-keys are — so far as I know — an unheard-of luxury 
 in Andalusia ! To enter the house at all it is necessary to 
 ring the great bell at the outer gate, and then to wait until 
 someone inspects you from above. When you have satis- 
 factorily given a reason why you should enter the gate opens 
 in a mysterious way, and you find yourself in the patio. 
 
 In southern Spain the houses are built — in some ways — on 
 very practical lines. You have the lovely cool patio in which 
 to sit in summer, and you have the flat roof, which catches 
 every ray of sunshine, on which to sit in winter ! And the 
 flat roofs, as the patios, are made gay with flowers and foliage 
 plants.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 FIESTAS — RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR 
 
 The most interesting Fiestas of Spain are those of Sevilla, 
 in spring. There are processions and Feriqs of a similar kind 
 in other cities, but the Holy Week in Sevilla 
 Fiestas. remains a thing apart. It is unique in the 
 entire world. And to those who contemplate 
 spending some months in the south of Spain I offer the 
 following suggestions. Spend a week or ten days at Sevilla 
 in the Carnival season, for in this way you will have an 
 opportunity of seeing the seises dance at the Cathedral, and 
 also of seeing Sevilla, with its many interesting monuments, 
 quietly. Then — if you are in search of sunshine — spend a 
 few weeks at Malaga and return to Sevilla via Granada and 
 Cordova, getting back in good time for the Holy Week. In 
 some such way as this Andalusia may be seen at its best, 
 and I have given in the first chapter of this book some practical 
 information about the kilometric system of travelling, which 
 win probably be found useful. 
 
 I have already described several of the picturesque costumes 
 worn by Spanish women, on special occasions, but it remains 
 to be recorded that they never look to greater advantage 
 than during the Holy Week. For this solemn season the 
 regulation dress, out of doors, is a robe of black silk, black 
 satin or black gauze ; with a black lace mantilla carefully 
 arranged over the head and shoulders. The hair is dressed 
 rather high and the mantilla is supported by a comb and by 
 clusters of crimson carnations : the latter being placed close 
 to the front, at one side. The sleeves of these black dresses 
 are almost always elbow length, and long white suede or kid 
 gloves are worn. Than this costume nothing could be more 
 effective.
 
 228 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 It is, in fact, perfectly bewitching, for Andalusian women 
 almost always look their best in black. It is easy to judge 
 how much better they look in the black mantilla than in the 
 white, for on Easter Day, at the great bull-fight, the latter 
 is always worn. Of course the white, or ivory tinted, mantilla 
 is infinitely graceful and becoming, but there is a subtle 
 fascination attached to the head-dress of black silk lace which 
 cannot be overlooked. 
 
 The first of the Holy Week ceremonies is the blessing of 
 the palms, at the Cathedral, on Palm Sunday. This is a 
 picturesque and interesting sight, for the procession, composed 
 of very many persons carrying large palms, leaves the 
 church by the west door and then re-enters, after knocking 
 at the locked door, by the Puerta de los Palos. 
 
 And in connection with the ceremonies of Palm Sunday 
 it is worth while to pause a moment, to consider where and 
 how such a vast number of palm leaves are prepared. 
 
 One of the most notable Palm Groves in Spain is that of 
 Elche, a little oriental town on the borders of the Mediterra- 
 nean, close to Alicante. Many of the palm 
 
 The Palm trees at Elche are seventy and eighty feet 
 Groves. -' o j 
 
 high, and in looking at the marvellous groves 
 
 of these huge trees it seems impossible to realise that one is 
 
 not in the very heart of Africa. 
 
 Picture to yourself a grove of giant date palms which 
 
 average seventy feet in height and which number 115,000 
 
 or more. The sight is a wonderful one, and no visitor to 
 
 Murcia or to Valencia should miss it. The date palm requires 
 
 very careful cultivation, and on this subject Baedeker gives 
 
 some valuable and interesting information. He says — 
 
 The male palms blossom in May and their pollen is then sprinkled 
 by the husbandmen over the female palms. The latter bear their 
 fruit every other year, and the average crop is worth about 350,000 
 pesetas, each tree producing 75 lbs. of dates. The dates ripen between 
 November and the following spring, and are much inferior to those of the 
 oases of the Sahara. The leaves of the male palms and of the barren 
 female palms are also of market value, as they are cut at Easter, made 
 up into bundles, blessed by the priests, and sold to the pious throughout
 
 Fiestas — Religious and Secular 229 
 
 Spain, who attach them to their houses as a safeguard against lightning. 
 To prepare them for this use, the leaves are bleached on the trees by 
 being tightly bound up. A tree can stand this operation once in four 
 years, and the annual number so treated is about 8,000, each tree 
 yielding about ten bundles. 
 
 The hortolano climbs the branchless trees by means of a rope passed 
 round his waist, while he presses his feet against the trunk 
 
 All during Holy Week interest is centred on the splendid 
 
 processions of the various brotherhoods — or cofradias. All 
 
 these processions are important, but some 
 
 The Processions, very much more so than others, because of 
 
 the special value of some of the images. A 
 
 procession — or faso — consists of masked members of the 
 
 brotherhood, in curious costumes which I shall presently 
 
 describe, of gendarmes — in some cases of mounted soldiers — 
 
 of musicians and of other persons, who vary according to the 
 
 particular procession. In the illustration may be seen a 
 
 cofradia standing still in a street. In the front are the 
 
 Nazarenos, or masked brothers. All wear long and shapeless 
 
 garments with high-peaked head-dresses, but the colour and 
 
 material of these garments differ considerably. Some of the 
 
 dresses are purple, some black, and some white, and so on. 
 
 If you look carefully at this picture you will see, at either 
 side, men standing with sacks over their heads. These are 
 the gallegos, or the men who have to bear the immensely 
 heavy paso on their bent shoulders. A large number of these 
 men are required for each procession, and their work is 
 exceedingly arduous : they are hidden from sight by curtains 
 which hang at either side of the paso. In the picture I am 
 now describing a number of life-sized figures, representing 
 the Last Supper, are seated round a table, and these figures 
 are surrounded by a vast number of lighted candles. 
 
 All the pasos are different, and some of them are of great 
 artistic value. Some of the figures exhibited during the 
 Holy Week at Sevilla are the work of Martinez Montanes, 
 the famous Sevillan sculptor of the seventeenth century. 
 Montaiies was a master of mediaeval polychrome sculpture, 
 
 l6— (2399)
 
 230 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 and many of his figures are treasured in the churches 
 of Spain. 
 
 Very remarkable figures of the Blessed Virgin are to be 
 found amongst the pasos of the Holy Week, notably " Our 
 Lady of Victory," which belongs to the Chapel of the cigarette 
 girls. The robes of this image are magnificent, and so are the 
 jewels. 
 
 Each cofradia makes a pilgrimage from its own church to 
 the Cathedral, and back ; and so heavy are the pasos that 
 frequently this little pilgrimage occupies from eight to ten 
 hours, or even more. Each procession passes in front of the 
 Ayuntamiento — or Town Hall — and pauses before the stand 
 in which the Alcalde has taken up his position. They then 
 slowly progress onward towards the Cathedral. 
 
 Although the processions of the afternoons are the more 
 gorgeous, those of the early morning — de madrugada — are by 
 far the most interesting. 
 
 There is something weirdly fascinating about the solemn 
 beat of the drums — which accompany all the pasos — in the 
 silent hours of early morning, and as the procession goes by 
 in those mysterious moments which herald the dawn, the 
 imagination is strangely excited, and it becomes easy to 
 understand the feelings of those " penitents " who have 
 volunteered to follow the Holy Images — barefooted and 
 sometimes even with a great cross crushing in the shoulders. 
 
 Each procession passes through the Cathedral, and it is 
 a strange sight to see the immense church lit up only by 
 torches and by the twinkling lights of the many candles which 
 surround each group of figures. 
 
 On the Wednesday and Thursday evenings of Holy Week 
 
 the " Miserere " of Don Hilario Eslava is sung in the Cathedral, 
 
 and the music, if curiously cheerful, is remark- 
 
 ^^'Vf E'slava.^ ' ' ^^^^ ^^^- Eslava was born in 1807 in a small 
 
 village of Navarre, near Pampeluna, and from 
 
 early childhood he revealed extraordinary musical talents. 
 
 He was proficient on the piano, organ and violin, and was at
 
 By permission of the l-,!i/<i <■/ the - l',_,ui:sular Post' 
 
 A " PASO " 
 
 HOLY WEEK AT SEVILLA
 
 Fiestas — Religious and Secular 231 
 
 the same time a notable composer. In 1830 he was Maestro 
 de Cupula in Sevilla, and he afterwards filled the same post 
 in Madrid, dying in the year 1878. 
 
 One of Eslava's most enthusiastic admirers was Rossini, 
 who frequently said that no one surpassed him in the art of 
 arranging the vocal parts of an important composition. 
 
 Besides the " Miserere," which has made him famous in 
 many countries, Eslava composed several dances for the 
 seises — of whom I shall speak a little further on. The Eslava 
 miisic is generally used for the dances at the Feast of the 
 Immaculate Conception. 
 
 Amongst the religious ceremonies of Holy Week, special 
 mention must be made of the " Rending of the Veil," accom- 
 panied by music representing thunder, at 10 a.m. on Wednes- 
 day. The Consecration of the Oil, in the presence of the 
 Cathedral Chapter, the Town Council, the University, 
 and other important persons, early on Thursday morning. 
 The " Washing of the Feet " on Thursday afternoon — at 
 the Cathedral. The solemn extinguishing of the candles in 
 the Tenebrario, one by one, on Thursday night, during the 
 singing of the " Miserere," and on Good Friday morning — 
 between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. — the Adoration of the Cross before 
 the High Altar and the removal of the Host from the " Monu- 
 mento." This " Monumento " is a wooden temple, 105 feet 
 in height, which is brilliantly lighted up on the night of 
 Thursday in Holy Week. The effect of this dazzling structure 
 in the midst of the dark Cathedral is very striking. On 
 Easter Day the High Mass in the Cathedral is magnificent. 
 
 Of the many religious ceremonies to be witnessed in the 
 
 Cathedral of SeviUa none is so supremely interesting as the 
 
 dances, before the High Altar, of the boys 
 
 The Seises. known as the seises. These dances take place 
 
 every year on the three days of Carnival : at 
 
 the Feast of Corpus Christi, which falls at the end of May or 
 
 beginning of June, and during the octave of the Immaculate 
 
 Conception which begins on December 7th. The dances take
 
 232 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 place at the foot of the High Altar and are accompanied by 
 a stringed orchestra and by the organ. 
 
 The boys — ten in number — wear pages' costumes of the 
 period of Philip III, and these costumes are made as follows : 
 There is a tunic and knickerbockers of either blue or red 
 damask, with stripes of gold galon. Red is the colour for 
 the carnival and Feast of Corpus Christi, and blue for the 
 Feast of the Immaculate Conception. 
 
 A very curious feature of these costumes is Las Aletas, or 
 
 wings, which are made of the same stuff as the rest of the 
 
 costume, and which hang from the shoulders, 
 
 oMhe°Sds?s^ at the back. Las Aletas were the wings of 
 the original boys, who were dressed as angels. 
 Over the shoulders and across the breast the boys wear scarves 
 of white taffetas, which are fastened on the shoulder with a 
 rosette. They wear collars and cuffs of white lace and 
 sombreros a la chamberga, or hats which are turned up directly 
 in front : these hats are made of blue or red damask, and are 
 lined with white. This particular hat was introduced during 
 the time when Don Hilarion Eslava was Maestro de Capilla, 
 and it is adorned with a tuft of plumes, blue or red according 
 to season. 
 
 It is surprising that so httle seems known about the history 
 of these famous dances of choir boys in the Cathedral of 
 Se villa, for it is quite certain that these dances have taken 
 place, at certain seasons, and in various forms, for about 800 
 years. They have from time to time aroused the violent 
 opposition of ecclesiastical and civil authorities who had, 
 in many instances, never witnessed the dances, and who were 
 not in a position to judge of the truly devout spirit which 
 animates the whole ceremony. Opposition was only overcome 
 by the insistence of the sevillanos themselves, who were 
 determined to maintain an ancient and beautiful custom. 
 A well-known Spanish writer has given the following apprecia- 
 tion of the dance of the seises and of its real meaning. " It 
 is," he says, " certain that from time immemorial it has been
 
 i 'i^. -• 
 
 ,| '^•i^;
 
 Fiestas — Religious and Secular 233 
 
 natural for the sevillanos to dance, to sing, and to play the 
 castanets. They perform these actions with all the charm 
 and the grace which God has been pleased to bestow upon 
 them in abundance, and in my opinion it is right that they 
 should make an offering which is purely Andalusian to the 
 Almighty. This offering is the dance of the seises, which 
 is essentially typical of the popular customs of Andalusia." 
 
 The origin of the dance may safely be stated to have been 
 
 coincident with the institution of the Festival of Corpus 
 
 Christi in 1264. For the first solemnization 
 
 °"D^nceV^^ of this Festival the Chapter undertook to 
 construct a wooden ark, representing the 
 Ark of the Testament, in which the Blessed Sacrament 
 was placed. This Ark was carried in solemn procession and 
 was accompanied by priests and choir boys. Immediately 
 preceding the Ark were eight boys dressed as angels, with 
 garlands of flowers on their heads : these boys went before 
 the Ark singing and dancing as David and the Israelites did 
 before the Ark of the Testament. An account of this 
 historic Feast of Corpus Christi is recorded in the archives 
 of the city of Sevilla, and in the records of each succeeding 
 festival mention is made of the dances of the boys. 
 
 In 1600 the dances seem to have been very much what 
 they are to-day ; between each pair of figures a verse of a 
 hymn was sung, but no mention was made of the castanets ; 
 nor has it ever been ascertained when these were first intro- 
 duced, though there is a record in the archives of the purchase 
 of one pair of castanets in the year 1667 ; it is presumed that 
 this single pair was to replace a pair which had been lost. 
 
 Some time in the year 1650 the boys entered the College of 
 San Isidoro, to which they have belonged ever since. There 
 are at the present day in this college twenty-two pupils ; the 
 ten seises and twelve others. To enter the college a boy — 
 of more than eight years — must have a good voice and must 
 know how to read Latin. The seises receive their education 
 free, but they have certain duties to perform ; they officiate
 
 234 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 as choir boys, etc. They are given three lessons each week by 
 the Maestro de Capilla, and every Saturday they sing a Mass 
 in the Capilla de la Antigua. 
 
 It is difficult to give, in mere words, a clear idea of the 
 dances of these boys, but perhaps it is not incorrect to say 
 that the movements resemble, somewhat, those of a quadrille, 
 very solemnly danced. Each figure has a mystic meaning : 
 the lines in which the boys move forming some letter, or letters. 
 The most notable figures are the simple and double chains, the 
 figure 8 and the double " S " — the latter figure standing for 
 the words Santisimo Sacramento. 
 
 The music for these dances is written in seguidilla rhythm : 
 the boys at first sing and dance at the same time, accompanied 
 by the orchestra. Then they cease singing and dance with 
 a Castanet accompaniment. The castanets used by the seises 
 are small and very delicately made : they are worn on the 
 middle finger, instead of on the thumb, as in the case of 
 ordinary dancers, and the boys never raise their arms : nor 
 is there any movement of the body. The picturesque little 
 figures move gracefully and most solemnly from point to point. 
 
 The dance of the seises takes place, as I have said, in front 
 of the High Altar, and within a space which measures about 
 ten feet by seven feet : this space is enclosed by two long 
 benches covered with crimson velvet. 
 
 The annual Fair at Sevilla attracts immense crowds to the 
 
 city and it is made especially interesting for strangers by the 
 
 fact that peasants, frequently in national 
 
 Feria at Sevilla. costume, come from all parts of Andalusia to 
 
 this annual gathering. The Fair is in reality 
 
 a great cattle show, at which 70,000 or 80,000 animals of 
 
 various kinds are to be seen. But though the people from 
 
 the country may, and do, come to the Feria to buy and sell 
 
 cattle, the Sevillanos — and specially the SeviWanas — make 
 
 the most of an opportunity to entertain friends and to be 
 
 entertained. One of the special features of the Fair is the 
 
 street of casetas, or pretty temporary houses, which are
 
 Fiestas — Religious and Secular 235 
 
 occupied during three days by the society people of Sevilla. 
 These casetas are very prettily built and contain, as a rule, 
 two rooms • they are not enclosed in front, and it is in these 
 salons which are open to public gaze that the various hostesses 
 receive their friends. And in the same salons, to an accom- 
 paniment of pianos, guitars, and castanets, the charming 
 Senoritas dance endless sevillanas and other Spanish dances. 
 
 At night the sigM is a most charming one. All the casetas 
 are lighted up, and most of them are decorated with flowers 
 and foliage plants. The fashionable clubs — such as the 
 Labradores, the Sev.Uano, the Centro Mercantil, etc. — ^have 
 gorgeous temporary hcuses in which to receive their guests, and 
 military and other bands add greatly to the gaiety of the scene. 
 
 In other parts of the Fair the women of the people are to 
 be seen in their lovely mantones de Manila, crimson carnations 
 arranged amongst the coils of dark hair, and pearly teeth 
 gleaming white as gay laughter fills the fragrant air. For 
 in very truth the air of Sevilla, in spring, is deliciously fragrant. 
 There are moments whtn the perfume of orange and acacia 
 blossoms seems absolute!/ overpowering ! 
 
 The Fair at Sevilla is alvays held on the days of April 18th, 
 19th and 20th, and so it rarely happens that visitors can 
 enjoy the Holy Week and the Feria, without a break. Once 
 in a way Easter falls late end then an ideal fortnight can be 
 spent in the fascinating olc city. 
 
 Vast numbers of persons visit Zaragoza for the Fiesta del 
 Pilar on October 12th : the mniversary of the day on which 
 the Blessed 7irgin appeared to St. James, 
 "pUa?"^^^ when the Apstle was journeying through 
 Spain. Zaragoza itself is surrounded by a 
 halo of romance, for it was, jist 100 years ago, the scene of 
 one of the most pathetic sieges the world has ever known. A 
 handful of brave men and womei.. with the aid of sixteen can- 
 non and a few old-fashioned musktts, defended the town against 
 Marshall Lannes at the head Oi an overwhelming French 
 army. And defended it for two terrible, merciless months !
 
 236 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 So frightful were the scenes connected with this heroic 
 defence that Lannes himself wrote of it to the Emperor : 
 " I have never seen stubbornness equal to the defence of this 
 place. Women allow themselves to be killed in front of every 
 breach. Every house needs a separate assault In a word, 
 Sire, this is a war which horrifies." 
 
 And it was in this defence of home and country that Maria 
 Augustina — the " Maid of Zaragoza" — won for herself death- 
 less fame. This brave daughter of Aragon 
 
 of^zlr^^iza fought side by side with her lover all through 
 
 the siege, and when at last he was killed she 
 
 took the linstock from his dying hand and continued to work 
 
 the gun herself. Byron has immortalised her glorious deeds 
 
 in " Childe Harold "— 
 
 Her lover sinks — she sheds no il)-timed tear : 
 
 Her chief is slain — she fills his fatal post : 
 
 Her fellows flee — she checks their base career : 
 
 The foe retires — she heads the sall/ing host. 
 
 'WTio can appease like her a lover^ ghost ? 
 
 Who can avenge so well a leader'* fall ? 
 
 What maid retrieve when man's flushed hope is lost ? 
 
 Who hang so fiercely on the flyiig Gaul, 
 
 Foil'd by a woman's hand, befo'e a battered wall ? 
 
 And last year — in 1908, the centenary of the Defence of 
 Zaragoza — Queen Victoria of Spain anveiled a beautiful statue 
 of " The Maid " by Benlliure, whi:h has been placed in the 
 historic Plaza del Portillo, in wiich she served the gun, 
 standing over the dead body of lev lover. 
 
 Augustina de Aragon died in Ceuta in the year 1857, and 
 during her life she was beloved by all who knew her. She 
 was, in many respects, the prototype of the women of Valera — 
 of whom I have spoken in the ciiapter on Literature. Brave 
 and strong of mind and body, Augustina de Aragon was yet 
 whoUy a woman. Her nature was frank and noble, and her 
 love of truth was proverbial. And in this famous " Maid " 
 we find embraced some of theleading features of the people of 
 Aragon : a people curious'y tenacious of their personal 
 independence and of great brce and originality of character.
 
 Fiestas — Religious and Secular 237 
 
 The Cathedral del Pilar at Zaragoza is a large and very 
 fine building, which has grown into magnificence on the site 
 of the simple httle church which originally held the precious 
 Jasper pillar upon which the Blessed Virgin stood when she 
 appeared to St. James. This column is placed on the right 
 of the High Altar, which is made of alabaster, and year after 
 year thousands and thousands of pilgrims from all over Europe 
 visit it on the day of October 12th, 
 
 The Pilgrimage del Pilar is as notable as it is picturesque. 
 Peasants in national costumes come to Zaragoza, from aU 
 comers of Spain, and it is a solemn sight when the Cathedral 
 del Pilar is completely filled with these devout pilgrims — all 
 reverently kneeling before the beautiful sanctuary which 
 contains the sacred column. 
 
 The Fiesta of Corpus Christi at Granada is possessed of 
 
 unique interest because the woods and gardens of the Alhambra 
 
 are brilliantly illuminated. The numerous 
 
 " Fiesta del ^ ^ trees growing in that delightful spot are 
 
 in Granada, adorned with a profusion of coloured electric 
 
 lights, fastened to the branches and imitating 
 
 flowers and fruits. Many arc lights are placed in the woods, 
 
 and powerful reflectors throw delicate tints on the waters of 
 
 cascades and fountains. 
 
 The Palacio del Emperador and the Gate of Justice are 
 outlined with electric lights, and the whole effect is that of 
 an enchanted palace. 
 
 There are at this season fine concerts in the Palace of Carlos 
 V, given by the Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid. 
 
 The Fiesta of Corpus Christi at B^jar — not far from Sala- 
 manca — is a very strange one, and to appreciate it one must 
 understand its origin. In the year 850 the 
 c "^*^Ch '^t' " ^^^^^® inhabitants of Bejar were turned out 
 at B6jar. of their town by the Moors, and for fifteen 
 years they were forced to take refuge in the 
 mountains. But in the year 866 they regained their city 
 by a most ingenious strategy. They dressed themselves in
 
 238 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 skins of animals, and in coverings of moss : in this guise they 
 entered Bejar and so terrified were the Moors at their frightful 
 appearance that they fled and left the coast free ! 
 
 In commemoration of this remarkable achievement it has 
 been customary, at the Feast of Corpus Christi, for two men 
 covered from head to foot with moss to carry the flag of the 
 city at the head of the procession.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 CATALUNA AND THE CATALANS 
 
 For many years Spain has been confronted, within her own 
 
 territories, by a problem far more intricate than any question 
 
 of colonial or foreign policy : the problem 
 
 History of presented by Cataluna and the Catalans. In 
 
 a SketchT ^11 the turbulent history of Spain no such 
 
 heated discussions have raged round any 
 
 previous political question ; nor has any attitude been so 
 
 frequently misunderstood as that of the Catalans themselves. 
 
 To appreciate correctly the relations of the Catalans with 
 the rest of Spain it is necessary to understand a little of their 
 history, their national characteristics, their language, and — 
 most important of aU — the real aims and ideas of the leaders 
 of the Catalan movement. 
 
 It would be idle to deny that all through history there has 
 been a marked want of sympathy, if not a feeling of actual 
 ill-will, between the inhabitants of Cataluiia and the rest of 
 Spain, the latter summed up by the term castellanos. From 
 the earliest times the Catalans have been a warlike and 
 extremely independent race, determined at aU costs to 
 preserve their national liberty. 
 
 Catalufia has been successively under the dominion of the 
 Romans, the Visigoths, the Moors and the Franks. The latter 
 were dispossessed in the ninth century, and an independent 
 Condado de Barcelona was established. 
 
 In 1149 Catalufia was united to Aragon by the mairiage of 
 Ramon Berenguer IV with Petronila, and in 1469 both 
 countries were incorporated with Castile by the marriage of 
 Ferdinand and Isabella : Catalufia received, however, a liberal 
 constitution, and numerous fueros or privileges. 
 
 The first outbreak with Castile occurred in 1640, when
 
 240 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Philip IV imposed a heavy taxation upon the Catalans to 
 aid him in his wars against France. The people rebelled 
 against this, and instead of helping the Spanish sovereign they 
 rose unanimously in favour of France and offered a long and 
 obstinate resistance to the castellanos. 
 
 The rebellion was eventually quelled and many penalties 
 were imposed by Phihp V, the bitterest of which was the 
 suppression of the fueros which had so long 
 The "Fueros." been cherished by the people as an ancient 
 and sacred emblem of the liberty of their 
 province. These fueros were publicly burned by the hang- 
 man : municipal liberty was abolished, and the royal revenge 
 even went to the length of issuing an edict commanding that 
 the knives used by the labourers at their meals should be 
 chained to the tables as a stigma of servitude ! 
 
 Even now in many old houses in Catalufia these tables with 
 the chained knives are carefully preserved, nor is popular 
 resentment by any means extinct : indeed, it may be said 
 that from that date the feeling between castellanos and 
 Catalans has been one of scarcely concealed antagonism. 
 
 Until quite recently the policy of the Spanish Government 
 towards Catalufia has been singularly unfortunate : everything 
 that might tend to foment discontent has been done. For 
 instance, the most systematic attempts have been made to 
 suppress the Catalan language. 
 
 Catalan writers have frequently been compelled to publish 
 their works in the two languages, the natural result of which 
 is that the people of Catalufia cling more tenaciously than 
 ever to their mother tongue, and, as a rule, absolutely refuse 
 to speak Spanish. A little later on I shall explain fully the 
 difference between the two languages, but I may here remark 
 that it is quite erroneous to assume that Catalan is a dialect. 
 
 In spite of innumerable misunderstandings on the part of 
 the State, no province has been more ready to help Spain in 
 time of need than Catalufia. In the War of Independence 
 against the Napoleonic invasion, and later in the Cuban war,
 
 Cataluna and the Catalans 241 
 
 Cataluna made heroic sacrifices in the common cause, and 
 showed clearly that, although the Catalans had an intense 
 love for their own land, their traditions and their liberties, 
 they nevertheless considered themselves bound to Spain by 
 the strongest ties of kinship. 
 
 In speaking of this militant people — who are neither 
 wholly Spanish nor wholly French, though displaymg the 
 characteristics of both nations — Mr. Ellis says — 
 
 To-day it is the political and administrative control of Madrid 
 against which the Catalans protest. The Catalan question is especially 
 an economic question. The Catalans rebel against paying the bureau- 
 cratic Castilian heavily for services which are very badly performed : 
 services which they are well aware they could perform very much 
 better for themselves. 
 
 They have suffered seriously from the necessities of a State centralised 
 in remote Madrid, and they consider moreover that they are entitled 
 to fiscal autonomy. Their commercial and industrial supremacy leads 
 them to assign to Cataluna a more than provincial rank, and they 
 believe that the restoration of Spain can best be accomplished with 
 the Catalan hegemony, and increased home-rule in all the regions of 
 Spain. It is quite likely that such a reform of the national constitution 
 would lead to a state of things more suitable to the genius of the 
 Spanish character than the present highly centralised system. 
 
 Since Mr. Ellis wrote these words a large degree of autonomy 
 has been granted to Cataluna by Seiior Maura's Bill of Local 
 Administration. 
 
 The first point to be settled with regard to Catalan is that 
 
 it is a language and not a dialect, or corruption of Spanish, 
 
 as it is frequently assumed to be, both abroad 
 
 Lannlage. ^"^ ^^ Spain. Of course, when I state that 
 
 it is a language I mean that it has as much 
 
 claim to that title as has Castilian. I spoke in the chapter 
 
 on Literature about the etymological significance of the word 
 
 language, and pointed out that scarcely any European tongue 
 
 can really claim the title, since all, with the exception of 
 
 Basque, are derivations from some older language. 
 
 It is not generally known that Catalan has no connection 
 with Castilian beyond their common Latin origin. The two 
 languages took form concurrently, and each was enriched from
 
 242 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 various sources : Castilian from the Arabic and Catalan from 
 the Provencal, with which it has a marked affinity, the 
 language spoken in many parts of the south of France being 
 exactly similar to that spoken in Cataluna. Although many 
 words are the same as in Spanish the pronunciation is quite 
 different. 
 
 Ch at the end of a word sounds like k ; g and / are 
 pronounced as in French ; Ig — which frequently occurs — has 
 the sound of the Scottish guttural ch, as puig — pronounced 
 puch ; X is like sh. 
 
 As regards the beauty of the Catalan tongue, opinions run 
 from one extreme to another ; many Spaniards affirm that it 
 is one of the harshest and most unlovely speeches imaginable. 
 Cervantes, on the contrary, asserts that Catalan is a 
 " most charming language, with which for its sweetness and 
 agreeableness only the Portuguese can compete." 
 
 The Catalans themselves cling to it with the utmost 
 affection, and regard it as the very soul of their land ; the 
 institution of Catalan as the official language of the Province 
 was one of the first rights claimed at the famous Assembly 
 of Manresa. All students of Catalan literature are amazed 
 at its importance, and still more surprised that it should be, 
 comparatively, so little known in Spain. 
 
 The poets are innumerable and the excellence of their work 
 would do honour to any language ; history, science and art 
 are well represented, and it is a curious fact that, although 
 not more than twelve Catalan writers are really well known 
 in Spain, the works of a large number of Catalans have been 
 translated into foreign languages : English, German, Swedish, 
 Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Proven9al, and even 
 Latin ! These translations have been collected and placed 
 in the Biblioteca de Villanueva y Geltru by its founder, Don 
 Victor Balaguer — himself one of the most notable Catalan 
 men of letters. Of the great Catalan writers three stand out 
 pre-eminently : Ramon Muntaner, Ramon Lull, and Ausias 
 March.
 
 Catalufia and the Catalans 243 
 
 The greatest Catalan poet of our time was Verdaguer, 
 whose Atlantida is one oi the most beautiful poems ever written. 
 There are at present over forty weekly papers and four daily 
 papers published in the Catalan language, and a sign of good 
 omen for the future is the fact that, during the recent Royal 
 visit to Barcelona, an important address was read in Catalan, 
 and was received by the King with evident approval. 
 
 In studying the characteristics of the Catalan race, as dis- 
 tinct from the rest of the inhabitants of Spain, one must 
 give due importance to the widely varied 
 Ch ^^*i° • ^- climatic conditions of the Spanish Provinces. 
 The physical and mental dissimilarity of the 
 northern and southern Spaniards is most extraordinary. In 
 no other European country are there to be found so many 
 apparently distinct races united in one kingdom. 
 
 The effect of climate upon the inhabitants of different regions 
 is too much a matter of scientific speculation to be entered into 
 here, nevertheless it is obvious that the vast disparity between 
 the hot, balmy climate of Andalusia and Castile and the cooler 
 atmosphere of the mountainous northern provinces must 
 necessarily influence the character of the inhabitants. 
 
 The Catalans have been, from the earliest times, a brave 
 and independent race, notably bold and skilful mariners and 
 excellent men of business. They could not be more accurately 
 summed up than in the words of Victor Balaguer, one of the 
 greatest men of his era. " In Catalufia," he says, " everything 
 is in perfect harmony. The language, history, literature, 
 customs, temperament, and character — which differ in every 
 respect from the other provinces of Spain, above all in 
 Andalusia and Castile. A certain unyielding determination 
 of character which has been noticed in them does not arise 
 from any racial pride, but rather from a natural dignity and 
 a consciousness of their rights. The Catalan admits equals 
 but not superiors ; he will accept Monarchs and Sovereigns 
 but not lords and masters. Advice is distasteful to him and 
 correction intolerable. He is scrupulous in the execution of
 
 244 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 his duties, but, a jealous guardian of his rights, he will fiercely 
 resent any attempt to undermine his independence or his 
 liberty. 
 
 " Possessing these characteristics, the Catalan is daring in 
 enterprises when he sees that he can achieve ultimate success. 
 Everything in his nature reveals practical good sense. His 
 poetry may have its birth in the clouds, but it will descend 
 to brush with its wings the realities of everyday life. The 
 historian may have a lofty outlook, but he will relate the most 
 trivial facts with a keen regard to minute detail. It may be 
 said at once that in his wildest aspirations the Catalan will 
 never indulge in an ideal that has not something practical 
 about it. These have been the characteristics of the Catalans 
 from time immemorial, and they have been in no way altered 
 in our days." 
 
 This conception of the Catalan character may be taken as 
 
 being accurate in every detail, and when, having studied it, 
 
 one considers for a moment the most salient 
 
 Vll ^f^}^^ characteristics of the Castellano and the 
 and the Andaluz. -i , 
 
 Andaluz it will be seen at once that the 
 
 gulf between north and south is vast and that mutual 
 
 understanding could not easily be arrived at. 
 
 The Andaluz is a more easily understood and popular 
 character than the Catalan. He is credited, not always justly, 
 with improvidence and laziness ; he is usually represented 
 as basking in the sun of his delicious province, and of not 
 occupying himself overmuch with the welfare of his country. 
 
 The Catalan would be the first to take this rather conde- 
 scending view, and to assert that his own more advanced 
 civilization is in every way preferable to the easy-going life of 
 the south. As a matter of fact the Andaluz is by no means 
 as improvident as he is represented ; he is satisfied with far 
 less than the Catalan, but his mode of life is eminently suited 
 to the climate of his province, in which a strenuous existence 
 would be not only undesirable but impossible. 
 
 In all the southern provinces there is a marked degree of.
 
 Cataluna and the Catalans 245 
 
 what might be called, a subtle philosophy of life : the southern 
 Spaniard accepts happiness and misfortune, just as they come, 
 with an acquiescence which is very primitive and which is 
 no doubt one of the many heritages received from Moorish 
 ancestors. He does not struggle with life, he accepts it : 
 thankful when pleasure comes his way ; resigned when he 
 meets with sorrow. 
 
 The Gallego also possesses this characteristic to a certain 
 degree, but his philosophy is tinged with pessimism. Neither 
 will ever attain the mental balance of the Catalan, whose 
 unfailing application of common sense to all the problems of 
 existence is proverbial. 
 
 It is no easy matter to resume, in a limited space, the ideals 
 
 of the various political parties of Cataluna ; and the task is 
 
 rendered more difficult by the fact that the 
 
 Political ^jj^g a.nd ideals of the maiority of Catalans — 
 
 Situation in , ^ . 7 • , J ■' 
 
 Cataluna. known as Catalamstas — are, as a rule, mis- 
 represented, or at best misunderstood, by the 
 rest of Spain. One hears continually such words as " Cata- 
 lanism," or " Regionalism," which amounts to the same 
 thing, " Anexionismo " and " Separatismo," these words being 
 used casually and with very little real comprehension of their 
 meaning. 
 
 It may be stated clearly that the hopes of the great majority 
 of Catalans are centred in the political party known as the 
 Caialanistas, their theories being called Catalanism. The aims 
 of the two other parties named I shall deal with later. 
 
 The origin of Catalanism was coincident with the renaissance 
 of the Catalan language, and the re-institution — in 1842 — of 
 the famous Jochs Florals, or Floral Games of the Middle Ages. 
 The first and most important point is that Catalanism does 
 not deny the authority of the State, nor does it desire to 
 separate Catalufia from the rest of Spain. 
 
 It considers that Spain is composed of a number of distinct 
 nationahties, each possessing marked individual character- 
 istics, and therefore not to be bound by an official and legal 
 
 17— (S399)
 
 246 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 uniformity. It considers that each province should govern 
 itself ; in other words, that each province should be granted 
 autonomy. 
 
 The views of the Catalanistas were embodied at the historic 
 
 Assembly at Manresa, in 1892, and are now known as the 
 
 Bases de Manresa. They are summed up in 
 
 d M ' ^^^^. the most complete form in an article contri- 
 buted to La Nacion of Buenos Aires by the 
 great republican. Pi y Margall, a few days before his death, in 
 1901. This famous Catalan, had he lived, would probably 
 have obtained complete autonomy for Catalufia. He was a 
 man whose political career revealed the most curious union 
 of exalted theories and practical common sense. He was a 
 humanitarian in the best sense of the word : a disciple of 
 Hegel and by nature a poet and an idealist. 
 
 The following extracts from his last political utterance will 
 give a clear idea of Catalanism — 
 
 " Catalanism," he says, " aspires to the autonomy of 
 Catalufia ; it reduces the action of the State to national and 
 international interests. It leaves to the State control of the 
 foDowing affairs : — Diplomatic relations ; the making of War 
 or the preservation of Peace ; the Army and Navy ; the 
 Commerce of Spain ; the Postal, Telegraphic and Shipping 
 regulations, etc. 
 
 " It limits the arbitration of the State in the internal affairs 
 of Catalufia. It wishes Catalufia to have the control of its 
 own Civil, Penal, Mercantile, Administrative and Legal 
 Legislation. It requires that Catalan should be the official 
 language. It demands that aU persons holding official posts 
 should be Catalans by birth or by naturalization, and that 
 their Ecclesiastics should be favoured with dignities and 
 prebends. It does not admit compulsory military service, but 
 desires to contribute a stated sum for the maintenance of the 
 Army and Navy. 
 
 " The Interior Legislation is to be vested in a Cortes elected 
 by all the heads of families, which Cortes must assemble
 
 Catalufia and the Catalans 247 
 
 yearly. The executive committee is to consist of five or six 
 functionaries elected by the Cortes and placed at the head of 
 the different administrative departments. The Legal Admin- 
 istration is to be vested in a Supreme Tribunal, which will 
 pronounce judgment in all judicial matters within the 
 Province. This, briefly, is the resume of the ambitions of the 
 Catalans, who desire autonomy not only for themselves but 
 for the other provinces, and who protest energetically against 
 any idea of separation from the rest of Spain." 
 
 I have given here only the outline of this remarkable article, 
 of Pi y Margall, whose ideals v\dth regard to Spain may be 
 briefly said to be Unity but not Uniformity ! 
 
 These two pohtical parties are not of very great importance : 
 
 they voice the theories of persons of extreme opinions and 
 
 their ideas are indignantly repudiated by the 
 
 ^!Cexioi!i?smo"'^ majority of intelligent Catalans. Separatismo 
 
 means a complete separation from Spain, and 
 
 Anexionismo means annexation to France. The Separatist 
 
 party has done incalculable harm to the Catalan cause, owing 
 
 to the fact that their extreme views are confounded with those 
 
 of the Catalanists, who have no desire at all to separate from 
 
 Spain. 
 
 The Separatists cannot now be regarded as a dangerous 
 element, but they might easily have become dangerous had 
 not the present Government wisely conciliated the Catalanists 
 by granting them a measure of autonomy : if this had been 
 refused the Catalanists would have been exasperated and 
 might, possibly, have joined hands with the Separatists, with 
 whose ideas they have now no sympathy. 
 
 The Annexionists do not really represent the opinions of any 
 important group of Catalans. Their ideas are those of isolated 
 individuals, notably of Catalans living in France. Without 
 doubt the French Constitution has found many admirers in 
 Catalufia, which has always inclined towards republicanism, 
 but the idea of annexation to France is repugnant to all 
 patriotic Catalans.
 
 248 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 Sefior Vinardell, in his Discourses at the Sorbonne, says 
 that the Annexionists who desire to abandon Spain and join 
 France — always supposing such an absurdity to be possible — 
 remind him of a person who, in his desire to get rid of an 
 annoying corn, has recourse to the expedient of cutting off his 
 leg ! By such an annexation Catalufia would lose everything 
 and gain nothing. 
 
 It is, beyond question, the most important province of 
 Spain : by its population, its great industries, its culture, 
 and the beauty of its cities. Annexed to France it would be 
 eclipsed by neighbouring provinces quite as important : 
 Barcelona would have to yield precedence to Marseilles, which, 
 on account of its situation, will always remain one of the 
 greatest maritime cities in the world. 
 
 This annexation would also sound the death-knell of the 
 Catalan language, which has been so carefully nurtured ; in 
 fact, all the illusions of the annexionists would be shattered, 
 sooner or later, and there would only remain the bitter regret 
 that Cataluna had left the common hearth of the great Spanish 
 Family to become part of a foreign land. 
 
 A great number of Spaniards speak, in a general sort of way, 
 about the value and necessity of Unity as opposed to the 
 Catalan demands, not at all realising that absolute unity has 
 never existed in Spain ; nor could it ever exist. The very 
 history of Spain is composed of a conglomeration of histories 
 of separate kingdoms and peoples. 
 
 Nor is unity of language possible where so many different 
 races exist. Besides the Castilian and Catalan tongues there 
 are Basque, the origin of which is unknown, Asturian and 
 Gallego. All these separate entities cannot be regarded as 
 a uniform kingdom, to be indiscriminately governed by iden- 
 tical laws ; probably nothing more practical has ever been 
 suggested in Spain than the Catalan conception of the word 
 " Unity " — which precludes the petrifying uniformity of past 
 systems of government. 
 
 I cannot leave the subject of Catalan politics without
 
 Catalufia and the Catalans 249 
 
 speaking of the work of Victor Balaguer, whose death deprived 
 
 Catalufia of one of her most ardent champions. It has been a 
 
 remarkable fact in the history of Spain that 
 
 B 1 eu'^r scarcely any of her great patriots have received 
 
 the recognition due to them, during their 
 
 lifetime. General Prim — himself a Catalan — spent his whole 
 
 life in untiring and disinterested labour for the good of Spain ; 
 
 for months previous to his assassination he was denounced, 
 
 insulted and threatened by the very people whom he was 
 
 seeking to benefit. WTien he died, in December, 1870, there 
 
 expired, in the words of Hume, " the only really great Spaniard 
 
 that the century had produced." 
 
 Victor Balaguer was destined to afford another example of 
 the curious want of appreciation, to say the least, shown by 
 the Spaniards to their famous men. Balaguer was a man 
 whose genius could find scope in every direction ; he was 
 notable as a historian, novelist, dramatic author, poet and 
 statesman. Perhaps his qualities were more of the poet 
 than of the politician. He was far too romantic and chivalrous 
 to ultimately succeed in the political arena, which frequently 
 demands the very reverse of these qualities. 
 
 During his political career he filled in turn the ofRce of 
 Deputy, Senator, Minister of Agriculture, Colonial Minister, 
 Vice-President of the Congress, President of the Council of 
 State, and innumerable other offices. He was an eloquent and 
 impassioned orator and defended conscientiously his ideal of 
 a great democratic Spain. 
 
 It was in his position as the champion of the democratic 
 party that so much caliminy and injustice was heaped upon 
 him by persons incapable of understanding his greatness of 
 heart. In Catalufia, his o\^ti country, for which he had worked 
 so untiringly, a bitter press campaign was organised against 
 him ; this was, ultimately, the cause of his withdrawal from 
 political life. 
 
 Before his final retirement he made a magnificent oration, 
 in which he referred to his enemies as traitors, who, having
 
 250 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 clasped his hand in friendship, broken his bread and worked 
 at his side, now raised their hands against him. This discourse 
 made an immense impression throughout Spain, but Balaguer 
 was determined to retire into private hfe ; he was completely 
 wearied and disillusioned. 
 
 In literature he is considered the equal of Menendez 
 y Pelayo, and in poetry he had nobly divided the honours 
 with Mistral during the two years which he spent in Provence. 
 
 The renaissance of the Catalan language was mainly due 
 to Balaguer's efforts ; his poems in his native tongue are 
 of extreme beauty, though he wrote equally well in 
 Castilian. 
 
 Barcelona — the capital of the old Principado de Cataluna — 
 
 is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. And it is the most 
 
 prosperous. From a commercial point of view 
 
 Barcelona. Bilbao begins to run it very close, but the 
 
 lovely city on the borders of the Mediterranean 
 
 must long remain queen of the Iberian Peninsula. Of 
 
 Barcelona Cervantes has said : " It is the home of courtesy, 
 
 asylum of strangers, shelter of the poor, land of the brave, 
 
 refuge of offenders, and the common centre of all that is sincere 
 
 in friendship. It is the flower of beautiful cities of the world. " 
 
 Barcelona is about the same size as Manchester, and as 
 regards population these two great commercial centres run 
 almost parallel, but the Spanish city has the immense 
 advantage of being spread out along the borders of that 
 wonderful cobalt sea which attracts and holds our imagination 
 with such sustained vigour. 
 
 And then it has been most carefully and skilfully planned. 
 The great park and the Jardines de la Ciudadela cover an 
 area of more than seventy-five acres, and they are exquisitely 
 laid out. In all the length and breadth of Spain there is not 
 one other such park. 
 
 A very curious and interesting feature connected with 
 Barcelona is the perfect way in which things beautiful and 
 things useful are balanced. The Catalans seem to set as high
 
 Catalufia and the Catalans 251 
 
 a value on beautiful and healthy surroundings as on com- 
 mercial successes, and this is why a visit to the chief city of 
 Catakma calls up surprise as well as delight. 
 
 During his last visit to Barcelona King Alfonso inaugurated 
 works for the interior reform of the city. Beautiful as it is, 
 there are many of the older parts whose disappearance would 
 add greatly to its attractions, even though some picturesque 
 streets and squares would be lost. It was at first proposed 
 to destroy entirely the old quarters of the town and to build 
 wider streets. The suggested improvements cannot all be 
 achieved at once, but a wide avenue is to be constructed in 
 order to unite the Ramblas and the Port with the new part 
 of the town. This has been rendered essential by the immense 
 increase of trade, and the consequent augmentation of traffic 
 within the past ten years. To construct this avenue it will 
 be necessary to pull down over 400 houses and two entire 
 squares. The ultimate ambition of the authorities is to 
 build, wherever it may be possible, long straight boulevards 
 like those in Paris, which city Barcelona very much resembles, 
 only on a smaller scale. 
 
 Strangers visiting the Catalan capital are immediately 
 impressed with the extraordinary activity of its inhabitants 
 and the amount of business they transact 
 B*a?cdoni" during the day. One might weU apply to 
 Barcelona the observation made by a French- 
 man regarding London : " Everyone seems to be going 
 somewhere in a great hurry ! " 
 
 This press of business never relaxes, even during the 
 summer months, and the Barcelon6s rarely finds himself able 
 to take a holiday. 
 
 It is becoming more and more usual for the women of the 
 family to migrate for the hot season to one of the charming 
 seaside or inland pueblos, which surround Barcelona, while 
 the men spend the day in town, only returning in the evening. 
 More than 200 trains run daily between the city and these 
 outlying villages. Those who are less fortunate, such as the
 
 252 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 clerks and employees of commercial houses, think themselves 
 lucky to be able to spend Sunday with their families. 
 
 The summer population is thus largely composed of men, 
 though an ever increasing number of visitors from the interior 
 of Spain and the south of France make Barcelona their holiday 
 centre. The restaurants cater well for these visitors and for 
 the business man who is retained at his post by press of work. 
 
 Nowhere else in Spain can one lunch and dine so cheaply 
 or so well as in the capital city of Catalufia. 
 
 A speciality of the city is the iaberna, which has no con- 
 nection with other establishments of the same name in the 
 Peninsula ! The taberna of Barcelona is an airy restaurant, 
 elegantly and artistically furnished, where immaculately 
 dressed waiters serve an excellent meal at an incredible price. 
 Rice and fish, the famous Catalan stew, fresh fruit, bread and 
 wine may be enjoyed for the sum of one peseta — or about 
 ninepence-halfpenny — and the choice of dishes is long and 
 varied. 
 
 After lunch business is resumed until five o'clock, when 
 sparkling lights begin to twinkle under a sapphire sky and the 
 stations are crowded with thousands of men hurrying back 
 to some cool seaside town or some sweet scented mountain 
 village. 
 
 The recent visit of the King and Queen to Catalufia aroused 
 
 much discussion in Spain. Many journals declared that it 
 
 was most dangerous for the Royal Family to 
 
 ^^o CaSu~a^'* ^^^^^ Barcelona, which was, in their opinion, 
 
 still a hot-bed of anarchy. The result of the 
 
 Royal visit, however, proved that these forebodings were 
 
 entirely without foundation. As a matter of fact, the King 
 
 and Queen, by their foresight and tact, did more to ensure the 
 
 adherence of Catalufia than could possibly have been imagined. 
 
 Everywhere they were received with unconcealed enthu- 
 siasm ; they entered into direct contact with all social classes, 
 from the aristocracy of Barcelona to the miners of the most 
 remote districts, and the legend which persistently represented
 
 Cataluna and the Catalans 253 
 
 Cataluna as a storm-centre of revolution has fallen into 
 disrepute. 
 
 The Catalans have not, however, renounced any of their 
 political aspirations, nor do they intend to forego any of their 
 ancient rights. 
 
 The growing sympathy of Cataluna for the Monarchy is 
 largely due to the charming personalities of the reigning 
 monarchs, and is, of course, also owing to the fact that the 
 Spanish Government has completely changed its policy 
 regarding the Catalans ; the tendency to accede, as far as 
 may be possible, to their demands, which have never been 
 unreasonable, has made a most favourable impression. 
 
 The people have confidence in Maura's policy, and sooner 
 or later the Regionalists will, in all probability^ join forces 
 with the Monarchical party. 
 
 The Spanish Government has it in its power to ensure the 
 permanent adherence of Cataluna, and it will certainly make 
 use of the opportunity offered for reconciliation. 
 
 The Monarchy now represents the peaceful and orderly 
 Government so necessary to the Catalans who, in their turn, 
 contribute enormously to the industry and culture which is 
 essential to Spain. 
 
 The Catalans have always fully realised the necessity of 
 
 supplementing education with a serious and practical study 
 
 of art and music. They have understood 
 
 ^n Ba"cel?na"^ *^^* ^^^^^ national aspirations towards 
 
 autonomy cannot be successfully developed 
 
 without a fundamental basis of culture which would place 
 
 Catalufia on a level with the great intellectual centres of 
 
 Europe. 
 
 Until quite recently a serious drawback to the development 
 of art in Spain has been the fact that almost all serious students 
 with advanced ideas have left Spain to pursue their studies, 
 and, finding far greater facilities offered to them abroad, have 
 not returned to their native land at all. 
 
 The Catalans are determined that their students at least 
 17a— (2399)
 
 254 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 shall have such exceptional opportunities offered to them for 
 study at home that there will be no need for them to leave 
 Spain in search for a wider scope for their talents. 
 
 The Junta de Museos y Bellas Artes has already contributed 
 enormously to the progress of culture in Cataluna, and it has 
 recently formulated a new plan of compaign by which the 
 most eminent professors in Europe will come to Barcelona 
 to give instruction in the various branches of art and science. 
 
 In this the Catalans have followed the example of the 
 Japanese, who have found it of far greater advantage to their 
 country to import foreign professors than to grant pensions 
 in order to enable students to finish their education 
 abroad. 
 
 The Conferences already given by the Association above 
 mentioned and those announced for this year are of the 
 greatest interest. Aubry has lectures on the history of music ; 
 Professor Pottier, of the Musee du Louvre, has treated of the 
 Greek ceramics of Ampurias. 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting of all was the dissertation on 
 Iberian ceramics of Professor Pierre Paris, who has drawn 
 the attention of the scientific world to the importance of 
 Spanish influence on the ceramic industry. His notes on the 
 ancient industries of Spain were a revelation to the Spaniards 
 themselves. 
 
 It was Professor Paris who purchased for the Louvre the 
 
 famous " Lady of Elche," which, had the law forbidding the 
 
 exportation of art treasures been in force, 
 
 f El'h '^ would never have been permitted to leave 
 
 Spain. Of this wonderful bust, which dates 
 
 back to about 440 B.C., Professor Pierre Paris, in his " Essai 
 
 sur I'Art et I'lndustrie de I'Espagne Primitive," says — 
 
 In her enigmatic face, ideal and yet real, in her living eyes, on her 
 voluptuous lips, on her placid and severe forehead, are summed up 
 all the nobility and austerity, the promises and the reticences, the 
 charm, and the mystery of woman. She is oriental by her luxurious 
 jewels and by vague technical traditions which the sculptor 
 has preserved in the modelling : she is Greek, even Attic, by an
 
 Catalufia and the Catalans 255 
 
 inexpressiblejflower of genius which gives to her the same perfume as to 
 her sisters on the Acropolis : she is above all Spanish, not only by the 
 mitre and the great wheels that frame her delicate head, but by the 
 disturbing strangeness of her beauty. She is indeed more than Spanish : 
 she is Spain itself, Iberia arising still radiant from the tomb in which 
 she had been buried for more than twenty centuries. 
 
 This year the Conferences are to treat mainly of modem 
 art, each lecture being illustrated by slides or by objects lent 
 by the Museo. The success of these Art Conferences is most 
 remarkable. The Catalans have eagerly seconded the efforts 
 of the authorities to complete the national education, a charge 
 which has never been adequately fulfilled by the State. 
 
 During the past year the amount of good achieved by 
 individual effort is almost unbelievable ; more than 1,300 
 Conferences have been given by the various societies on such 
 subjects as Art, Industry, Science, Sport, Literature, PoUtical 
 Economy, Art applied to Industry, etc., etc. And such 
 Associations as the Ateneo Obrero and the Centra Autonomista 
 are, in fact, universities in themselves, since four or five 
 lectures are given daily by the best professors. 
 
 Last year, 1908, was the fiftieth anniversary of the re- 
 institution of the Floral Games, and it was made the occasion 
 of great rejoicing in Catalufia. These historic 
 The Jochs contests were founded in 1393 by Juan I of 
 Catalufia. Aragon, for the encouragement of Catalan 
 literature, which, owing to his effort attained a 
 high degree of perfection in the Middle Ages. The chief pri2e 
 at these poetic contests has always been an artificial flower 
 and the title Mesfre en Gay Saber, which title was keenly 
 sought after by the most famous troubadours of the fourteenth 
 and fifteenth centuries. 
 
 When Catalufia fell upon evil days the Floral Games were 
 discontinued, and it was not until 1859, when the efforts of a 
 few notable Catalans to revive the national spirit had met 
 with a measure of success, that they were re-instituted. 
 
 Catalufia of to-day is a remarkable example of what can be 
 achieved by single individuals. A little group of patriots.
 
 256 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 among whom were Victor Balaguer and Mila y Fontanals, 
 initiated the renaissance of the Catalan language and literature 
 and re-established the Floral Games which have contributed 
 greatly not only to the maintenance of the language, but to the 
 national spirit of patriotism which has lead to the triumphant 
 reinstatement of the ancient rights of Catalufia. 
 
 In 1859 it was decided that Catalan was the only language 
 to be spoken at the Floral Games, and that representatives 
 were to be sent from all the provinces or districts where 
 Catalan was spoken. In 1908, ten districts were represented, 
 among which were Valencia, Mallorca, Provence, Rosellon, 
 and Bearne. 
 
 The Fiesta was held in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which 
 was decorated for the occasion with exquisite flowers. The 
 poems were read aloud and a notable discourse was pronounced 
 by Seiior Menendez y Pelayo, after which the prize was 
 presented according to tradition, by the Queen of the Fiesta. 
 
 The closing ceremony of the fiftieth anniversary was most 
 beautiful and significant. The monument to Verdaguer was 
 unveiled, in the village of Folgaroles, where, in a humble 
 labourer's cottage had been born one of the greatest poets of 
 the nineteenth century — the immortal author of Atlantidu' 
 and the Cants Mistichs. 
 
 Nothing could be imagined more typical of Catalufia than 
 the long procession of representatives of the Jochs Florals^ 
 which wound its way slowly through the valley, shadowed by 
 snow-covered mountain peaks. 
 
 The procession was headed by the Consistorio of the Jochs 
 Florals, followed by the Queen of the Fiesta, the Ayuntamiento 
 of Barcelona, many literary and political societies, the Bishop 
 of Vich and innumerable ecclesiastics, besides country farmers 
 and working men ; a mixed crowd which fitly represented 
 the admirers of Verdaguer, whose poetry is quite as well known 
 among the labouring men of Catalufia as it is in the most 
 intellectual circles of Spain. 
 
 In considering the growth of Industry and Art in Catalufia
 
 Catalufia and the Catalans 257 
 
 one finds oneself continually marvelling at the rapidity of this 
 
 growth and with the daily development of this enterprising 
 
 province. Nowhere else in Spain can one 
 
 Music m Yiear such good music as in Cataluna : indeed, 
 
 most of the other provinces are remarkable 
 
 for their lack of musical enterprise. 
 
 The Opera in Barcelona is admittedly superior to that of 
 Madrid and concerts are innumerable and excellent. Never- 
 theless the musical renaissance of Cataluna dates back only 
 some twenty years. This renaissance was organised by a few 
 enthusiastic Catalans, whose main object was the development 
 of their own characteristic national music. This group of 
 enthusiasts was composed of Domenech and Montaner ; 
 Menendez y Pelayo, Guimera and Verdaguer, with a few 
 others ; a httle circle of painters, poets, scientists, who formed 
 the nucleus of the great Catalan movement, of which we are 
 only now beginning to realise the importance. 
 
 A few young musicians formed an embryo Choral Society 
 for the interpretation of Catalan music and for the study of 
 the great foreign masters. At the same time Mila y Fontanals, 
 and a few other poets, undertook to collect and revise the 
 Cantos Populares of Cataluna, in this manner unearthing an 
 inexhaustible treasure of verse from which numerous com- 
 posers have sought inspiration. This movement, which 
 commenced in the most unpretentious way possible, quickly 
 spread over a vast field, and the humble little house in which 
 the band of enthusiasts were wont to meet became quite 
 inadequate for their requirements. 
 
 Little by little their influence grew and gained strength, 
 and in these latter days they have found themselves in a 
 position to realise their fondest wish, which was to establish 
 an ideal Palace of Music in Barcelona. 
 
 It is impossible to describe the home of the Orfeo Catala 
 otherwise than as a " Palace of Music," for it is indeed that. 
 This is a very large and important building of beautiful design. 
 It possesses many splendid adornments of wrought iron, and
 
 258 Spain of the Spanish 
 
 one of its remarkable features is the beautiful majolica 
 staircase which leads to the concert room on the first floor. 
 
 This concert hall may be said to be unique in Spain. It 
 is very handsomely decorated and capable of seating a vast 
 number of persons : the galleries are outlined with garlands 
 of majolica flowers, and the platform is surrounded by fine 
 statuary. A notable feature of this hall is that it is possible 
 in it for three choral groups to sing at the same time, as is 
 demanded by some modern maestros. 
 
 In a recent issue of Blanco y Negro an interesting article 
 
 appeared, relative to a novel enterprise which has been 
 
 inaugurated in Barcelona. This enterprise 
 
 Enterorise ^^ °^ ^^*^^ general interest — and outside 
 
 Spain --that I quote at some length from 
 
 the article — 
 
 The house of Industria y Arte Mecanico of Barcelona has been 
 recently founded for the development of an industry new in Spain, 
 and one which is likely to produce a real revolution in the art of building. 
 Industria y Arte Mecanico will be a powerful auxiliary for architects, 
 master-builders, constructors and decorators. It will be indispensable 
 to proprietors of estates and to shipbuilders, since it undertakes all 
 classes of construction ; such as marble staircases, pavements, and 
 house decorations — the latter in the widest sense, since they undertake 
 the decoration of walls, ceilings, doors, and windows : carvings in 
 relief, tapestries, etc. This establishment counts among its members 
 many artists and first-class draughtsmen who are thoroughly competent 
 to execute work of all kinds in a finished manner. They can furnish 
 plans when required, or can work from those supplied to them : every- 
 thing they do is marked by a perfection of finish and by economy — 
 of time and money. 
 
 Though the Casa de Industria y Arte Mecanico has only been 
 established a comparatively short time it has already had many notable 
 successes. It has, within a short space of time, executed a large 
 number of important works for the most famous architects and builders 
 of Spain. Among these works must be mentioned the ornamental 
 sculpture of the facade of the new Casino of Madrid : this beautiful 
 sculpture was carried out from the plans of the distinguished architect, 
 Don Jos6 Sallaberry, and under his direction. Mention must also be 
 made of over twenty splendid staircases in white and coloured marbles 
 which have been constructed by the " Casa " from the plans of various 
 architects : works in marble for the Palacio de Justicia in Barcelona 
 under the direction of the architects, Senores Domenech and Laguier, 
 and some really fine altars.
 
 Catalufia and the Catalans 259 
 
 I have not attempted to exhaust the subject of Catalufia — 
 
 much less of the Catalans — in a single short chapter, but I 
 
 hope I have been able to indicate something 
 
 A Final Word, of the aspirations and achievements of this 
 
 province and its dauntless people. A slight 
 
 study of this chapter alone will help to prove that I have 
 
 reason on my side when I repeat that Spain is the Land of 
 
 the Unexpected, and that in Spain — there are many Spains ! 
 
 And it is because of all these differences of race and climate 
 
 and temperament that the Spanish problem has for so long 
 
 been a very difficult one to solve. 
 
 Would-be critics, who know little of the heart and soul of 
 the country, and who so often emulate our friends at the 
 bull-fight who find it delightfully easy to " tor ear from the 
 tendidos," ought to take time for quiet reflection. Time in 
 which to realise the overwhelming difficulties of those who 
 are in the midst of the fight, down in the arena. 
 
 It is not easy to understand either Spain or the Spaniards, 
 but that does not take from the fact that there is — in country 
 as in people — very much to understand and very much to 
 admire. 
 
 For my own part, I can find it in my heart to wish, and 
 fervently, that Spain may find a way of again becoming a 
 great power in the land without losing her precious indivi- 
 duahty, for, with Mr. ElHs, I feel that " we have yet to travel 
 far before we attain to the Spaniard's insight into the art of 
 living, his fine parsimony in life, lest for hfe's sake he should 
 lose the causes for living."
 
 INDEX 
 
 " A. B. C". Illustrated paper, 100 
 Actors, the best, 94 ; Maria 
 Guerrero and Fernando Men- 
 doza, 95 ; Matilde Moreno, 
 96. {See also Theatres.) 
 Agriculture, difficulties of irriga- 
 tion, 189, 190, 191 ; the Vine- 
 yards, 203, 204 ; the cultivation 
 of oranges, 206 ; the olive yards, 
 207, 208 ; possibilities of fruit 
 cultivation, 209 ; palm groves 
 and cultivation, 228 
 Alfonso XIII, King, 1 ; King's 
 personal bravery, 6 ; the King 
 at San Sebastian, 12 ; the 
 King's yachts, 13 ; King's 
 visit to Barcelona, 251, 252, 
 253 
 Alfonso XII, popularity of, 1. 
 Alhambra, the, 166, 167, 168, 169 
 Almaden, mines of, 192, 193, 194 
 Anthropology, criminal, 19 ; works 
 of Salillas, the great anthro- 
 pologist, 20, 21 
 Arbos, Fernandez, 14, 146, 147 
 Art, 63; Modem Spanish painters, 
 63 ; Influence of Velasquez, 63 ; 
 " Las Meninas," 63 ; Murillo 
 as a great idealist, 64 ; influ- 
 ence of the French school, 64 ; 
 Sorolla's portraits, 65 ; Zuloaga, 
 66 ; vivid colouring of Zuloaga's 
 works, 68 ; Antonio de la 
 Gandara, 67 ; Rusiiiors Span- 
 ish gardens, 70, 71 ; a great 
 fruit and flower painter, 72 ; 
 the art of Villegas, 72, 73, 74 ; 
 Moroccan pictures of Bilbao, 
 75 ; Carbonero's great picture, 
 
 77 ; his pictures of Don Quixote, 
 
 78 ; Diego Lopez, 78, 79 ; Juan 
 
 Sala, 80 ; the work of Roberto 
 Montenegro, 81 ; notable sculp- 
 tors : Benlliure, 81 ; Miranda, 
 82 ; Blay, 83 ; the Association 
 of Spanish artists in Paris and 
 its founders, 83 
 
 Art treasures, the exportation o , 
 23, 24 
 
 Asturias, Prince of, 8 
 
 Avil6s, Doctor Jose, 177 
 
 Balaguer, Victor, 243, 249, 250 
 Barcelona, 250, 251, 252, 253 
 Bazan, Condesa Emilia Pardo, 28 ; 
 short stories of, 31 ; books of, 
 34 ; her woman's library, 35 
 Beggars, 222 
 Bells, of the Giralda, 175 
 Benevente Jacinto, 93 
 Benlliure, sculpture of, 81 
 Bilbao, Gonzalo, painter, 75, 76 
 " Blanco y Negro," 100 
 Blay, sculpture of, 82, 83 
 Bodegas, the, of Jerez, 201 
 " Bombita," the famous bull- 
 fighter, 112, 122 
 Breton, Tomas, the greatest Span- 
 ish composer, 144 ; early life, 
 145 ; " Los amantes de Teruel," 
 145 ; other operas, 146 
 Bull-fight, inaccuracy of usual 
 accounts of, 108 ; the Spanish 
 points of view, 109 ; the 
 " Tienta," 110 ; a famous pica- 
 dor, 111 ; Easter Corrida at 
 Sevilla, 112; " Bombita " at 
 Tablada, 112 ; the dress of the 
 toreros, 115, 116; different 
 classes of bulls, 1 16 ; the 
 Miura bulls, 117; the " suerte 
 de Varas," 118; the "suerte 
 
 260
 
 Index 
 
 261 
 
 de banderillas," 119; the 
 " suerte de matar," 120 ; Bom- 
 bita, 122 ; Machaquito, 122 ; 
 points in favour of bull- 
 fight, 123 
 
 Canovas del Castillo, 2 
 Carbonero, Moreno, 77, 78 
 Caridad, Church of the, 177, 178 
 Cathedrals, Burgos, 185 ; Barce- 
 lona, 186; Segovia, 181; 
 Sevilla, 173, 174, 175, 176; 
 Santiago, 184 ; Tarragona, 182 ; 
 Toledo, 179; 180; Zaragoza. 
 237 
 Cataluna, 239; history of, 240; 
 Catalan language, 241, 242; 
 characteristics of Catalans, 243, 
 244 ; political situation in 
 Catalufia, 245, 246, 247, 248; 
 Barcelona, 250, 251, 252, 253 ; 
 the Jochs Florals, 255, 256; 
 music in Cataluna, 257 ; Catalan 
 enterprise, 255 ; Victor Bala- 
 guer, 243, 249, 250; Pi y 
 Margall, 246 ; King Alfonso's 
 visit to Barcelona, 251, 252, 
 253 ; Verdaguer, 243, 256 ; 
 " Bases de Manresa," great 
 Catalan assembly, 246, 247 
 " Carmen," of Bizet, 218 
 Ceramic art, 198, 199 
 Cervantes, great influence of, 27 
 Chamber of Deputies, qualifica- 
 tions necessary for election to, 
 5 
 Churches, 166, sqq. 
 Cid Campeador, the, 185 
 Commerce, 189 sqq. 
 Concerts in Barcelona, 257 
 Conservatorio of Madrid, 150 
 Cordova, the Mosque of. 169, 170, 
 
 171 
 Cortes and Congress, 4 
 Cristina, Queen, excellent Regent, 
 2 
 
 Damaskeened Work, 208 
 
 Dancing, 124, 125, 126, 127 
 " Don Juan Tenorio," 177 
 Dotesio, Luis, great music pub- 
 hsher, 153, 154 
 
 Echegaray, Jos6, dramatist, his 
 most successful plays, 88, 89. 
 
 Education, schools, 14 ; want of 
 teachers, 15 ; education in 
 Catalufia, 253, 254, 255 
 
 " Electra," 47 
 
 Empress Eugenie, the, 218, 219 
 
 Feria, the, at Sevilla, 235 
 Fiestas, 227 ; Fiesta del Pilar, 
 
 235 ; Fiestas at Granada, 237 ; 
 
 Holy Week at Sevilla, 228, 229, 
 
 230, 231 ; Fiestas at B6jar, 237 
 Fleet, construction of, 24, 25 
 Flower cultivation, possibilities 
 
 of, 213 
 French influence on Spanish 
 
 literature, 60, 61 ; influence on 
 
 art, 64 
 
 Galdos, Perez, his early life, 42 ; 
 
 his principal books, 43, 44, 45, 
 
 46, 47 ; his plays, 89 ; his 
 
 striking individuality, 90. 91, 92. 
 Galicia, Condesa de Pardo Bazan's 
 
 books on, 29 
 Gandara, Antonio de la, 67 
 Ganivet, Angel, extracts from his 
 
 " Idearium Espafiol," 156-165 ; 
 
 his play " El Escultor de su 
 
 Alma," 94 
 Garcia, Manuel, 138, 139, 140; 
 
 his great discovery, 141 
 Gipsy Dances, the, 128 
 Giralda, the, 175 
 Guerrero, Maria, 95 
 Cuervos, the Court Pianist, 149 
 
 Historical works of Menendez y 
 
 Pelayo, 48 
 History of Cataluna, 240 
 Holy week. the. at Sevilla, 228, 
 
 229. 230, 231
 
 262 
 
 Index 
 
 IbaSez, Blasco, great Spanish 
 realist, 53 ; his " Cuentos 
 Valencianos," 53 ; " Flor de 
 Mayo," 54, 55 ; " Sangre y 
 Arena," 56, 57 ; influence of 
 Zola, 58 ; his adventurous life, 
 58 
 
 Illustrated papers, 103. {See also 
 " Newspapers.") 
 
 Images carried during Holy Week, 
 230 
 
 " Imparcial, el," 98 
 
 Industries, 189 5^^. 
 
 Irrigation, 189, 190, 191 
 
 Jerez, 199 sqq. 
 
 Jochs Florals of Cataluna, 255, 
 256 
 
 Lara, Manrique de, 148 
 
 " Liberal, El," 98 
 
 Literature, works of Valera, 26 ; 
 influence of Cervantes, 27 ; 
 Emilia Pardo Bazan, 28 ; poems 
 of Eduardo Pondal, 30 ; short 
 stories of E. P. Bazan, 31, 32 ; 
 the " Pazos de Ulloa " and 
 " La Quimera," 34 ; E. P. 
 Bazan's " Woman's Library," 
 35 ; Juan Valera, 37 ; influence 
 of Zola, 37 ; realism in Spanish 
 Literature, 38 ; Valera's hero- 
 ines, 39 ; character of Valera, 
 40 ; principal works of Valera, 
 41, 42 ; early life of Perez 
 Galdos, 42; " Episodios Nac- 
 ionales," 43 ; religion and 
 politics in Galdos' works, 44 ; 
 " Angel Guerra," 45 ; ideals of 
 Galdos, 46 ; " Electra " and 
 " Dona Perfecta," 47 ; Menen- 
 dez y Pelayo, eminent critic 
 and historian, works of, 48 ; 
 Leopoldo Alas, " Clarin," 49 ; 
 Pereda, literary style of, 50 ; 
 chief works of, 51, 52 ; Blasco 
 Ibaiiez, great Spanish realist, 
 53 ; influence of Maupassant 
 and Zola, 53 ; short stories. 
 
 " Flor de Mayo," 55, 56 ; 
 realism in " Sangre y Arena," 
 56, 57 ; comparison between 
 Zola and Ibafiez, 58 ; Juan 
 Ochoa's finest books, 60 ; other 
 notable Spanish writers, 60 ; 
 Palacio Valdes, 60 ; effects of 
 French influence, 61 ; minor 
 poets, 61 
 
 Llobet, Miguel, 151 
 
 Local Government Bill, the, 4 
 
 Lopez, Diego, 78, 79 
 
 Loyola, Ignatius, 188 
 
 Machaquito, famous bull- 
 fighter, 122 
 
 Madrid, Palace of, 8 ; situation, 
 climate and population, 10 
 
 Mantilla, the 215, 216 
 
 " Mantones de Manila," the 132, 
 133 
 
 Maeztu, Ramiro de, 16, 102 
 
 Maupassant, influence on Spanish 
 literature, 53 
 
 Maura, Antonio, 2, 3, 4 
 
 Mendoza, Fernando, 95 
 
 Menendez y Pelayo, 48 
 
 Mensaque, Jose, manufacturer of 
 Moorish titles, 199 
 
 Minerals, 189 
 
 Mines, of Almaden, 192, 193, 194 ; 
 of Rio Tinto, 195, 196, 197; 
 mines of Bilbao, 197 
 
 Miranda, Fernando, sculptor, 
 82 
 
 Miura Bulls, 117 
 
 Montenegro, Roberto, 81 
 
 Montserrat, 187, 188 
 
 Moreno, Matilde, 96 
 
 Mosque at Cordova, 169, 170, 171, 
 172 
 
 Murillo, 64 
 
 Museo del Prado, 9' 
 
 Music, Manuel Garcia, 138, 139, 
 140 ; discovery of laryngos- 
 cope, 141 ; Sarasate, 143; 144; 
 Breton, Tomas, 145 ; orches- 
 tral music, 146 ; Fernandez 
 Arbos, 146, 147 ; chamber
 
 Index 
 
 263 
 
 music in Madrid, 147 ; Man- 
 riquedeLara, 148 ; Chapi, 149 ; 
 Guer-vos, the Court Pianist, 
 149 ; the Conservatorio of 
 Madrid, 150; Miguel Llobet 
 and Pablo Casals, 151 ; the 
 Valverdes, father and son, 152 ; 
 the " Zarzuelas," 152; Luis 
 Dotesio, the great music pub- 
 hsher, 153, 154 ; progress of 
 music in Catalufia, 257 
 
 Newspapers, 97 ; " Correspon- 
 dencia de Espana," 98 ; "El 
 Liberal." 98 ; " Heraldo de 
 Madrid," 98 ; " El Imparcial," 
 98, 99 ; the RepubHcan Press. 
 100 ; " Blanco y Negro," 100 ; 
 " A.B.C.," 100 ; " Nuevo 
 Mundo," 101 ; Jose del Perojo, 
 Director of Nuevo Mundo, 101 ; 
 the bull-fight press, 102 ; 
 illustrated ioumals. 103; report- 
 ing, 103. 104, 105 
 
 OcHOA, Juan, 59 
 
 Olives, cultivation of, 207, 208 
 
 Operas, composers of, 144. 148, 
 
 149 
 Operettas. {See " Zarzuelas.") 
 Orange trade, 205, 206 
 Orchestral music, 146 
 Otero, Jose, famous dancing 
 
 master, 134, 135 
 
 Palm Groves, and cultivation, 
 
 228 
 Pereda, Jose Maria de, '50; his 
 
 literary stj-le, 51 ; his political 
 
 novel, 52 ; " La Montalvez," 
 
 52 
 Perojo, Jose del, Director of 
 
 Nuevo Munco. 101 
 Pelota, 106, 107 
 Poets, minor, 61 
 Polica, school of in Madrid, 17 
 Pondal, Eduardo, poems of, 30 
 Post Office and postal reforms, 
 
 22 
 
 Pi y Margall. 246 
 
 Press. {See " Newspapers.") 
 
 Prisons, model prison of Valencia, 
 
 18 ; suggestions for prison 
 
 reforms, 19 
 
 Quixote, Don, Carbonero's pic- 
 tures of, 78 
 
 Realism in Spanish literature, 38 
 Religion in Galdos' works, 44 
 Reporting. 103, 104, 105 
 Romanones, Conde de, 99, 100 
 Rusiiiol, Santiago, 71 
 
 Sala, Juan, 80 
 
 Salillas. Rafael, great anthropo- 
 logist, 20, 21 
 
 Sagasta, 3 
 
 San Sebastian, summer Royal 
 residence, 11, 12, 13, 14 
 
 Sarasate, Pablo, his early life, 
 143 ; his rendering of the 
 Mendelssohn concerto, 144 
 
 Schools. {See " Education.") 
 
 Sculptors : Benlliure, 81. 82 ; 
 Miranda, 82 ; Miguel Blay. 63 ; 
 Gustave Obiols 
 
 " Seises, the," 231 ; costume of 
 dancers, 232 ; origin of dances, 
 233. 234 
 
 Sevilla. 172. {See " Cathedrals.") 
 
 " Sevillanas. the." 128 
 
 Sherry. 199, 200, 201, 202. 203 
 
 Ship-building at Ferrol, 25 
 
 Silvela as public leader. 3 
 
 Sorolla. Joaquin, his great pic- 
 ture " A sad inheritance," 65 ; 
 his portraits of the King and 
 of the Queen Regent, 66 ; his 
 success in America. 66 ; an 
 amusing story of Sorolla, 84 
 
 Spanish ideals, 156 sqq. 
 
 Spanish people, the, 211, 214, 215, 
 217, 220, 223, 224 
 
 Sports. 106 sqq. 
 
 Statistics of exports and imports, 
 210
 
 264 
 
 Index 
 
 Tax on stamps, 22 
 
 " Teatro de Arte " in Madrid, 94 
 
 Theatres : the " Zarzuelas," 86 
 the serious drama in Spain, 87 
 the plays of Echegaray, 88 
 the plays of Galdos, 89 ; Galdos 
 striking individuahsm, 90 ; psy- 
 chological interest of his plays, 
 91 ; " El Abuelo," 91 ; " Bar- 
 bara," 92 ; the school of 
 Benevente, 93 ; the Teatro de 
 Arts and its ideals, 93 ; the 
 best actors and actresses, 94 ; 
 Maria Guerrero and Fernando 
 Mendoza, 95 ; Matilde Moreno, 
 96 
 
 Toledo, 178. [See also " Cathe- 
 drals.") 
 
 Tortajada, Consuelo, 131, 132 
 
 Valdes, Palacio, 60 
 
 Valera, Juan, 26, 37 ; his ideals, 
 39 ; his heroines, 39 ; diplo- 
 matic career, 40 ; his most 
 popular novel, 4 1 ; other works, 
 42 
 
 Valverdes, the, well-known com- 
 posers of " zarzuelas," 152 
 
 Velasquez, his great influence on 
 modern Spanish art, 63 ; " Las 
 Menifias," 63 
 
 Verdaguer, the great Catalan 
 poet, 243, 256 
 
 Victoria, Queen, her charming 
 personality and popularity, 7 
 
 Villegas, Jose, Director of the 
 Museo del Prado, 72 ; early life, 
 73 ; finest pictures, 73 ; "La 
 Muerte del Maestro," 74 ; per- 
 sonality of Villegas, 75 
 
 Vineyards. 203 
 
 Wine trade, 199; exports, 205 
 Women in Spain, rights of, 221 
 
 Yachting in Spain, 13 
 
 Zaragoza, the maid of, 236. {See 
 also " Fiestas.") 
 
 Zarzuelas, the, 87, 152 
 
 Zola, Emile, his influence on 
 Spanish literature, 37 ; differ- 
 ence between realism of Zola 
 and of Blasco Ibanez, 58 
 
 Zuloaga, Ignacio, 67 ; brilliancy 
 of his work, 68 ; his picture 
 " Lola la Gitana," 68 
 
 THE END 
 
 Printed by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., Bath, 
 (2399)
 
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 1974 
 
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