STORY OF SPAIN AND HER PEOPLE.
The Growth and Decay of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World—The
Lnad that Encouraged the Discovery of America Now the Bitter Enemy of
the New Country.—Rebellion in the Tottering Empire that
Threatens its Downfall.— Fortifications of the Country
and Characteristics of the People.
Founded on the ruins of ancient
Rome and peopled by the ruggedest
races of the middle ages, Spain easily
conquered the old world and discovered
and overran the new world. Under the
rule of Charles I of Spain, better
known in history as Charles V of Ger-
many, the Spanish empire included the
whole Iberian peninsula, the Balearic
iglands, Roussillon and Cerdagne north
of the Pyrenees, the island of Sardinia,
Sicily, Naples and Milan, Franche-
Comte, Holland and Belgium and prac-
tically Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and
ransylvania. In Africa it held the vast
domain which Portuguese adventurers
had seized, and in Asia the Philippine
archipelago. In North America Spanish
territory included everything south of
Savannah on the east and San Francisco
on the west, together with Mexico, Cen-
tral America and the West Indies.
Spain dominated all South America, in-
oluding Brazil, which was a Portuguese
CHARLES V.
province at the time Spain ruled Portu-
gal. The total dominion of Charles at
its zenith was about 17,000,000 square
iles, double that of the czar of Russia
ha infinitely greater than that of any
other monarch in history. Nor was
Spain great in size and strength alone.
She was rich beyond computation. Be-
sides the boundless resources of the
Spanish peninsula, which the Roth-
schilds consider superior security for
enormous loans, the wealth of Germany,
Austria and the Netherlands was at the
disposal of Spain.
All this, however, was as nothing to
the gold and silver that poured in from
smerica. The native monarchs of Mex-
ico, Central America and Peru yielded
up their treasures at the command of
Spanish adventurers, and the mines,
worked by Indian slaves, produced the
precious metals in quantities that daz-
ed the world and intoxicated the
Spaniards. It is estimated that during
the century which followed the discov-
ery of the new world 2,000 tons of gold
and 6,000 tons of silver crossed the
ocean to be squandered in Spain. Penni-
less noblemen borrowed money to pay
their passage to America and returned
millionaires. Common soldiers came
back to the mother country with proces-
sions of slaves. A certain Spanish sol-
dier was married in Barcelona to the
daughter of a nobleman and celebrated
the occasion by giving away in alms
$600,000 in gold and silver. Another
returned Spaniard stood ata window
in his house at Madrid and threw into
the street, a handful at a time, two bar-
rels of silver coins for the fun of seeing
the rabble scramble for the money. Na-
tional extravagance kept pace with in-
dividual profligacy, and legitimate busi-
ness was lost sight of in speculation.
Spain ruled the most of the world and
snubbed the rest of it. Upon her strength
was founded the national pride which
proved her national weakness.
How Ruin Came.
At her zenith Spain seemed to possess
invincible power. Only one nation dared
to challenge it. That nation was Eng-
land. Spain’s argosies were successfully
attacked in the south seas. Then came
the destruction of the great armada.
The charm was broken. Spain started
on the downward path and never stop-
ped. Foes developed without and with-
in. Under Ferdinand and Isabella be-
gan the ruin of the country which their
successors have completed. They drove
the Jews and the Moors out of Spain.
It is that fact in Spanish history which
accounts for the nation’s decadence.
The Jew and the Moor were traders and
artisans. They constituted the middle
class, and they were the people which
the fanaticism of Isabella and the dark
zeal of Torquemada banished from
Spanish soit. When they were gone, the
fires of the inquisition were lighted for
the thinkers, and free thought was al-
lowed no foothold under the cross of
Castile. When the philosopher, the
soientist, the inventor, had gone, there
remained only the soldier and the peas-
ant. From the days of Ferdinand to the
days of Weyler it has besn the policy of
Spain to terrorize her subjects into sub-
mission by torture and butchery. From
first to last this policy has been a fail-
ure.
Early in the sixteenth century the
Netherands revolted and formed the
United Provinces. The sturdy Dutch-
men destroyed what remnants remained
of the Spanish navy, and in 1648, at
Rocroy, the Spanish infantry, hitherto
invincible, was beaten and forever
broken. Portugal and her vast posses-
sions in three continents were lost in
1640. Naples revolted in 1648 under
Masaniello. He was assassinated by
bravos in the hire of Spain, and after a
long struggle the rebellion was sup-
pressed. But Spain’s hold on the two
Sicilies, once loosened, was never so
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strong again. France seized the prov-
inces north of the Pyrenees and Franche-
Comte. All authority in the German
states had long been lost to Spain, and
the last Spanish king of the Austrian
dynasty, at the close of the seventeenth
century, saw his realm the prey of the
great powers.
Equally disastrous were those times
in the colonies. The Dutch, French and
English seized foothold in the Guianas
and then helped themselves one after
another to the smaller islands in the
Caribbean sea. By the time of the Dutch
war of 1665 the pretensions of Spain to
universal ownership in those regions
were wholly ignored. The English
seized Jamaica. The French first took
Tortuga and thence sent out filibusters,
who presently drove the Spanish out of
Haiti—Hispaniola, Little Spain—and
made it a French province. Even Ha-
vana was attacked more than once.
Drake had a fruitless venture at it.
Penn and Venables, who took Jamaica,
tried to take it, but failed. England
did storm the forts in 1760 and held the
city a few years, then gave it back to
Spain. By the end of that century Trin-
idad, too, was snatched away, and
Spain’s ‘commerce with the American
colonies substantially destroyed. Eng-
land came to her aid at home in the
Napoleonic wars, and then France in
turn helped Ferdinand VII to hold his
throne.
Spain Loses a Continent.
Early in the nineteenth century re-
bellions began in South America. Se-
for their object the throwing off of the
Spanish yoke. The chief founder and
promoter of these was a Spanish creole
of Venezuela, Francisco Miranda by
name. He had served under Washington
in the American Revolution and had be-
come thoroughly imbued with the spirit
of liberty and with the principles of re-
publicanism. What had been done in
North America could, he thought, be
done in South America. He therefore
formed in London, since it could not
cret societies were formed which had |
] lowed in the same year, and the Argeu-
tine confederation, after a ten years’ wur,
in 1824. Brazil had been lost to Spain
in the secession of Portugal, and Florida
was ceded to the United States in 1819.
Nothing was now left to Spain in the
western hemisphere except Cuba and
Puerto Rico. 7
Rebellious Remnants of an Empire.
Beyond the rear end of the Spanish
peninsula, a few islands adjoining her
shores and a penal colony in Africa in
which political prisoners are starved
and tortured Spain has nothing left but
Cuba and the Philippines, and both are
in revolt. Columbus declared Cuba to
be the ‘‘most beautiful land ever beheld
by human eyes.’’ Her peaceable natives
the Spanish exterminated with every
horror of torture. Since there was no
gold in the island Cuba was neglected
and ignored for many years. But the
Spanish colonized it and ultimately
found that its sugar plantations and to-
bacco fields were more profitable than
gold mines. For two centuries it has
proved the most valuable of all Spain’s
possessions. Cuba finally grew tired of
being plundered by Spain, and rebellion
after rebellion arose, only to be ruth-
lessly suppressed. Then came the fa-
mous ten years’ war and finally the
present formidable insurrection. The
smaller island of Puerto Rico, which,
with Cuba, makes up the remnant of
Spain’s empire in America, commands
but slight attention. Its history has
been colorless, its individuality not sig-
i nificant. It hangs upon the fate of Cuba.
The Philippines form an important
link in the great volcanic mountain
range lying off the Asian coast—Kam-
chatka, the Kuriles, Japan, Formosa,
the Philippines, Borneo, Java. There
are two large islands, Luzon and Min-
danaho, seven others of considerable
size, and uncpunted hundreds of smaller
ones, down to the merest dots of verdur-
ous rock on the sea. They are all made
of volcanic rock and coral and abound
in valuable minerals. The climate is
tropical, but the height of the moun-
safely be done at Caracas, the ‘Gran
Reunion Americana.’’ Into this Bolivar
and San Martin were initiated. For
some years Miranda made occasional
but futile attempts at revolution, in one
of which he engaged the interest of the
great Dundonald. Nothing of impor-
tance was achieved, however, until April
19, 1810, when Caracas openly rose
against its Spanish governor, Miranda
and Bolivar heading the revolt. Two
years of conflict followed, not promising
for the insurgents. Then came an earth-
quake. It destroyed Caracas, killing a
number of people. The superstitious
troops of the insurgents thought it was
an omen, threw down their arms, de-
serted or surrendered, and the rebellion
was at an end. Miranda was captured,
taken to Spain and died in prison—mur-
dered, it may be surmised. Bolivar
escaped into the neighboring province
of New Granada.
In October, 1812. Bolivar re-entered
Venezuela with 500 men, declaring war
to the knife against Spain. Victory fol-
lowed victory. In August, 1813, he re-
entered Caracas in triumph. Then came
reverses, and he had to flee to Jamaica.
For some years more the struggle went
on, until 1821, when New Granada and
Venezuela were united as an independ-
ent republic under the name of Colom-
bia, the last of the Spanish troops being
driven out in 1824. Ecuador was added
to the republic in 1822. Peru formed
another state in 1825 under the name
| of Bolivia, Peru itself—and Chile also,
| thanks to the genius of Dundonald—be-
| coming independent in 1824. Mexico
| threw off the yoke of Spain in 1821, and
| Guatemala-—then including all Central
| America—in 1822. Nor did the prov-
| inces on the Plata river lag behind.
Paraguay, indeed, was first of all to win
| ber independnce, in 1814. Uruguay fol- |
ot
TI
THE ALCAZAR OF SEVILLE.
tains and plateaus makes it endurable
to Europeans. The total area of land is
54,000 square miles, and the population
some 8,000,000. The flora is wonderful-
ly profuse, comprising teak, sandal and
camphor trees, palms, tea, a vast varie-
ty of spices and perfume bearing flow-
ers, rice and the famous manilla hemp.
The fauna shows no dangerous beasts of
prey save the crocodile. There are buf-
faloes, pigs, antelopes, monkeys and
lemurs galore. As for the people, they
are as much mixed as those of Spain
itself. Negritos were probably autoch-
thonous. Then Polynesians came in,
and then Malays. Chinese also came in
great numbers, and of late years the
| Japanese have been flocking, with in-
| tent, it may well. be, to possess the is-
land when the Spanish are expelled.
| The Spanish population is very small.
Industry and commerce are considera-
| bie. There are steamship lines, rail-
roads, telegraphs and cables, and a for-
eign trade of $60,000,000 a year. Manilla
is a splendid city, set on the margin of
one of the finest harbors in the world.
It has an ancient fortress, fine churches,
' a gay parade, busy streets and canals,
parks and palaces, hotels and theaters.
The inhabitants are an amiable and
handsome race.
Fortified Cities of Spain.
The fortified cities of Spain on the
north and northwest coast are Santona,
Santander, Coruna, Ferrol and Vigo;
on the Atlantic, between the Portu-
guese frontier and the strait of Gibral-
tar, there are Palos, San Lucar, near
the mouth of the Guadalquiver river;
Cadiz and Tarifa. In the Mediterranean
are Malaga, Cartagena, Barcelona, Pal-
amos, Tarragona, Almeria and Alicante.
Barcelona, Cartagena and Almeria were
formerly looked upon as the most for-
midable fortresses on the Mediterra-
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HAVANA IN 1720—FROM AN OLD PAINTING.
nean, but their fortifications are now in
decay, so little attention having been
paid to them since the wars of the
French revolution that, with the excep-
tion of a few modern batteries here and
there, they are not worthy of considera-
tion. During the wars with Napoleon
every port of Spain was put in a thor-
ough state of defense by English money, '
but since the Spaniards have been left
to their own devices the fortifications |
have been neglected, and even forts and
batteries of modern style are mounted |
with old fashioned smoothbore guns, |
utterly ineffective in modern warfare. |
At the entrance of the Mediterranean |
are two points which if properly forti- |
fied could be held against the naval |
powers of the world—Tarifa on the |
Spanish side and Ceuta on the opposite |
coast of Africa. Tarifa is, in the judg- |
ment of military critics, capable of be- |
ing made as invulnerable as Gibraltar. |
All the seaports of Spain have stron- |
ger fortifications on their land side than |
on that toward the sea. This odd cir- |
cumstance is a relic of the French inva- |
sion in the early years of this century, |
and also significant of the turbulent |
condition of the country ever since, for
the cities of Spain are, in the judgment
of the government, in more danger from ;
the Spaniards themselves than from a
foreign enemy. On the bay of Biscay, !
Coruna and Ferrol are the principal |
fortresses, while at Vigo there are two |
small forts to protect the entrance of |
the harbor, and San Sebastian, the royal |
residence during the summer, is guarded |
by a medieval castle and two or three |
water batteries. Coruna and Ferrol are
situated on the same bay, about 20 |
miles apart, and the latter is the site of |
the largest navy yard and marine arsenal |
in Spain. |
Spanish Characteristics. |
The story of Spain from great Charles |
V to little Alfonso XIII has no parallel |
in the history of the world. Historians |
and philosophers explain the phenom- !
enon according to their individual ideas. |
Protestants attribute the fall of Spain to
religious bigotry and the suppression of '
independent thought by the inquisition. |
One Catholic writer, on the other hand, |
maintains that leniency in dealing with |
heresy marked the beginning of na-
tional decay. Had Charles V been duly |
diligent in stamping out the reforma- |
tion in Germany, says this writer, Spain |
would never have deteriorated. The po- |
litical economist teaches that the enor- |
mous wealth brought from America in- |
stead of enriching really impoverished
Spain, since it induced neglect of home
industries and generated an extrava-
gance which became the ruin of the na-
tion. Buckle finds, or thinks he finds,
the cause, partly at least, in the super-
stitious reverence for authority which
kept the Spaniards faithful to church
and state, even while they knew the one
to be corrupt and the other incompetent.
Pride of character and an arrogance that
excited the hatred of all foreigners and
the antagonism of all foreign states,
the warlike habits of the Spanish people,
confirmed by eight centuries of constant
conflict with the Moors, draining the
country of its best men and leaving only
the weakly and infirm—each and every
one of these causes, together with in-
numerable others, has been upheld by
able advocates. Be the cause what it
may, the fact is apparent that the great-
est nation of the fifteenth century is
amoug the least of the nineteenth. The
twentieth century may find her nothing
but a memory.
Spain has had much architecture,
some art and little literature. The Al-
hambra, the Escurial and the Alcazar
are marvels of beauty and grandeur. In
a book conspicuous for friendliness to
Spain Mr. Chatfield-Taylor says that
Spaniards are probably less understood
in America than any people in Europe.
i In fact, the popular conception of the
Spaniard is of a sinister scoundrel,
wrapped in a cloak, who smokes ciga-
rettes and commits dark deeds—a sort
of comic opera villain, whose passion
is cruelty. Thisabsurdity is fully equal-
ed by the Spanish impressions of Amer-
icans—or ‘‘los Yankees, ’’ as they call
us. They look upon us as a species of
plutocratio barbarians, whose sole merit
lies in our dollars, whose manners are
boorish and whose government is the
most corrupt and most overbearing in
the world. It is not always pleasant to
ALFONSO XIII
see ourselves as others see us, and when
one reads in Spanish papers that the
United States is a country without
principle or religion, without manliness
or bravery, where negroes are roasted
alive and Italians lynched in the public
streets, where Chinamen are persecuted
and strikes are prevalent, where an-
archists are governors of states and per-
sonal liberty is unknown, one resents
the tirade and feels the jingo spirit
surging in one’s heart. As a matter of
fact, the Spanish conception of the
American is merely an exaggeration of
the national faults, just as our idea of
the Spaniard is a misconception of his
character, formed by magnifying his
vices at the expense of his virtues. Hu-
man nature is very much the same the
world over, and the Spaniard is very
like other men, save that he is down on
his luck. Like must people who have
known prosperity, he finds it difficult to
appreciate his circumscribed position
and is wont to survey himself from the
magnificent standpoint of his achieve-
ments.