V
THE SCKA2VTOW TKHrnSTE "WJSUJMTSSDAY SlUICXUSCr, MABCH 25, 1890.
9
TBE DECADEKE OF SPACi
Pall of the Greatest Empire Ever
, Seen on Eartb.
INSTRUCTIVE BIT Of HISTORY
Wealth aad Esteat of the SpaaUa Stat
Oaring iha Days of Charles V. aad
Philip IL-Uow tba Vast Do
aslaioa Ha Collapsed.
from thefJlobe-Democrat.
To the student ir the philosophy of
history no more thrlMngly Interesting
chapter has ever been written thun thut
lennJ by Buckle on the causes of the
decadence of Siiuln. and no more sig
nificant words were ever spoken than
thus tie lined when contrasting the
Spain of Philip II. with the Spain uf
' j Au It l lrn.iun fit na ntfe count r V
. lu Europe is of less consequence in tlie
world a anaira. j.itue runui, mai
once acknowledged tha dominion of
Hpaln and formed a province In the
" Hpanish empire, is now of more Import
ance. The Kulkan states, which arose
but yesterday out of the ruins of the
ottoman empire, ure Infinitely more po
tential. Kven Greece and Denmark,
both once great empires, and now, with
(Spain, in eclipse, cut a lurRer llgure In
lite world's affairs, for each, by Its
geographical position, is able to com
mand a respect that It not shown to
Spain. The time was when the affairs
of Europe and the world were directed
from Madrid, but now. when the pow
ers meet in conference to settle ques
tions of mighty import, Madrid sends
no representative to the congress, for
Spain has no Influence, Is not consulted,
and So far as appears on the records,
is not even thought of by the diplomats
of the powers that now control the
affairs of the eastern hemisphere. Prom
a position or supreme authority, Spain
bus sunk so low as to be utterly disre
garded In the world's politic a"1 te
nured In the world's movements.
f THE SPANISH EMPIRE.
!When the universal contempt Into
which Span has fallen Is remembered.
' It Is difficult to realise that only three
oenturles ago Spain ruled the world.
It was the Kmperor Charles V. who
llrat made the proud boast that on his
riiiminlnmt the sun never set. nor was It
an Idle word, but a plain statement of
faot. At Its greatest extent tne npun
iHh empire spread so far beyond the
limits of the peninsula tnot tne original
imumlarleH of the Suanlsh state In-
tiosed It! Btnallest . possession. The
8 way of Charles was acknowledged, not
only over Spain, of which he was the
hereditary monarcn, but in a large pan
of Southern Italy. In Sicily, in Portu
gal and In the Netherlands, while as
emperor he ruled over a considerable
jiortlon of the present possessions of
Austria and all the Bmall states, which,
almost from the dawn of authentic his
tory, have been grouped under the gen
eral named of Germany. In America
the Spanish- power waa acknowledged
over a territory so vast as to make the
mightiest empires of antiquity seem
t-ontemptlble by comparison. Charles
claimed for his own the 8,000,000 square
miles of North America and the 7,000,-
000 of South America, a grand total of
1 5.000,000 square miles on this side of
the Atlantic, while his possessions In
Africa. Asia and the innumerable Is
lands that, in every sea, acknowledged
allegiance to the Spanish throne,
brought up, with the Kuropean states,
the area of the empire to a grand total
of not less, and perhaps more, than
17.000,000 square miles. Never before
nor since has so vast a territory been
governed by one man. The Czar of
Kussla rules a territory a little more
than half the size of that which owned
the sway of Charles: the Utitlsh flag
-floats over rmirn Teas than two-lhlrds
that area; the Roman eagles, In the
srolden days of Trajan, were honored
over a territory only one-sixth as large
qh the dominion of Charles, while tne
empires of Greece. and-Assyria, and
VtnlivUin. and the irrent states, founded
by the Moguls and finghls Khan, were
petty by comparison witn tne epanisn
dominions. Over 100 different political
commonwealths have been carved out
of the Spanish empire, and still the
process Is going on. i
A COMPARISON".
The overshadowing supremacy of
Spain can be better understood by
glancing at the relative positions held
by other states orf Europe that have
grown while Spain was declining. When
Spain was at her best, France was
hardly more than a vassal state.
Hemmed In on every side by her power
ful neighbor, the territory of Prance
was much more limited than at pres
ent, while the crushing defeats of the
'rench arms at the hands of the dread
ed ..Spanish house caused, in Spain, the
Hume contempt for Prance that is now
felt In the latter country for Spain.
Oermuny and German states of Aus
tria were a part of the empire, while to
the southeast, the Hungarians were so
constantly engaged In battling with
the Turk as to llnd no time for other
occupation. The states of Italy not un
der control of the Spanish empire were
tinder Its political Influence, while to
the east of Germany, the kingdom of
Poland, when not divided by civil strife
among Its nobility, was alternately
waging war against the Turks to the
south and the savage tribes In the
great steppes which extended to tho
base of the Ural range, Russia was
little more considered lu the affairs of
Kurope than China Is at present, being
regarded as a savage state, while Den
mark and Sweden were hardly more
esteemed than Russia. Even England
had not, at that time, come to be recog
nised as a lirst-class power, and. al
though Charles and Henry VIII. met on
terms of equality as reigning sover
eigns. It was regarded at the time as a
special condescension on the part of the
former that he, the ruler of the world.
Should show such a courtesy to the king
of a petty group of Islands north of the
channel. The English colonial period
had not begun, and nothing was known
of the marvelous ability of tha English
people as colonists In a new country;
the English commerce and manufac
tures and banking institutions were alt
In the future; there was no standing
army on the Islands; a few top-heavy
hips, more dangerous to the sailors on
board from a tendency to capsize, than
to the enemy, represented the splendid
fleets that now carry the British flag
on every sea. Spain was the master
of the world, and no proposal of inter
national consequence was made in any
court of Europe without consulting the
Spanish ambassador; nor was any plan
carried out without the approval of his
master.
WEALTH OP THE EMPIRE.
The natural resources of the Spanish
peninsula are In themselves so consid
erable that in the hands of an enter
prising and industrious people the
country would take high rank among
the nations of the earth, but the re
sources of Spain were but a trifle com
pared wlUi those of the empire. The
Italian and Sicilian possessions were
wealthy, the German and Austrian
portions were still more so, and the
Netherlands were a constant source of
revenue to the Imperial treasury. All
that Europe could give, however, was
but drop In the bucket compared with
the Incalculable sums sent to Spain
from the almost limitless colonies In
America. The native rulers of Mexico,
Central America and Peru yielded up
their treasures at the command of the
military adventurers who conquered
those countries, and the mines, worked
by the labor of hapless Indian slaves,
poured .forth void and sliver In such
quantities as the world had never
known. Every, galleon that crossed
from Spain to America returned laden
with treasure. It Is estimated that In
the eenturjr which followed the disco v-
ery of the new world 2,000 tons of gold
and three times that quantity of silver
crossed the ocean to be squandered In
Spain. Penniless knights, with only
their arms, borrowed money to seek
their fortune in America and returned
millionaires. Merchants and capital
ists who Invested their means in Amer
ican ventures became enormously rich.
Men who went out to America as com
mon soldiers came back In a few years
and paraded the streets of Madrid and
Toledo and Cordova with processions
of slaves and attendants such as be
fitted the state of a prince. In 1540 a
Spanish soldier was married In Barce
lona to the daughter of a nobleman and
gave away In alms at his wedding
1600.000 in gold and silver. Spain was
literally Intoxicated with wealth, and
went wild with the expectation of
more, in every town there were those
who had made fortunes in America
and returned to Spain to haunt their
Ill-gotten gains before their former as
sociates. The wildest extravagance
prevailed. A returned Spaniard in
lio? stood at hU window In Madrid and
threw, a handful at a time, two bar
rels of silver coins Into the street be-,
lots for the pleasure of seeing the peo
ple scramble and tight for the money.
The wildest tales of spendthrift fancy
during periods -of ubnorinal develop
ment elsewhere weeni tame when com
pared with the follies of the newly
rich In Spuin during the century after
the discovery.
BEGINNING OP THE DECLINE
Extravagance, whether national or In
dividual, Infallibly brings its own pun
ishment, and Spain was no exception to
the rule. It is possible for nations, us
for Individuals, to become shiftless, and
Spain had become a nation of improvid
ent gamblers. Agriculture and the In
'''' ' k "
EMMA CALVE, THE
-From tht Chlosjo Times
dustrles which build up tha substantial
prosperity of a nation were neglected,
while thousands of the. young men, the
best blood of the country, flocked to
America to Join those who had gone be
fore In the search of gold. So great
was the outflow of the bone and sinew
of the nation that In 1594. mechanics
In the cities of Spain commanded four
times the daily wages that had been
paid thirty years earlier, while, In the
agricultural districts, labor could not
be had at any price, and hundreds of
farms remained untitled because of the
lack of men to perform the necessary
work. The stupid policy of the gov
ernment still further Increased the dif
ficulty, for Philip II., affirming that he
would rather not reign at all than
reign over heretics and unbelievers, be
gan a policy of expelling Dissenters,
Jews and Morlscoes, who took with
them a large share of the Industries and
arts of Spain. The expulsion of the
Moors in particular did Infinite dam
age to the country, for whutever of
Industrial skill remained in It belonged
to them, and the result of their emigra
tion was the immediate annihilation of
Spanish manufactures. This, however,
was only a part of the Spanish misfor
tunes. The sudden exaltation of Spain
produced a degree of pride that, to
other nations, was unendurable, while
the wealth of the Spanish monarch ex
cited the bitter envy of all his con
temporary sovereigns, and led 'to com
binations against the Spanish power.
Personal pique often plays ns Import
ant a part in national as In society
affairs, and when the embassadors of
England, France and Venice- found the
representative of the majesty of Spain
claiming precedence over themselves,
because, to use the grandiloquent lan
guage of one don, "My master rules
the earth and your kings are but his
puppets," it was natural, not only that
they should report their grievance to
their governments, but also that their
indignant sovereigns should take up the
quarrel and make It personal to them
selves. THE WARS OP CHARLES V.
The consequence waB that even dur
ing the reign of Charles V. the empire
became Involved In war with all Its
neighbors, while the peace within was
often broken on account of the zeal
with which the state undertook to aid
the church In the extirpation of heresy.
There was a long and costly war with
Francis I., arising from the jealousy
felt by France for her more powerful
neighbor; there was a longer and still
more expensive strife waged against
the Protestants of Oermany and the
people of the Netherlands, while
Charles, though eager to exterminate
heretics, did not scruple to make war
on the pope, and military operations
on a large scale were also carried on
against the Turks, Tunis and Algiers.
The consequence was that even the
enormous sums sent to the Imperial
treasury from Mexico and Peru were
Insufficient to defray the expenses of
these campaigns, and Charles was
forced to levy extraordinary taxes on
the people. This caused revolts all over
Spain, and in several provinces a guer
rilla war was carried on by the people
against the imperial- troops for several
of the later years of the reign of
Charles. Even the extraordinary levies
failed to produce funds in sufficient
amount to carry out the plans of
Charles and he was Anally compelled
to contract an enormous debt, for the
payment of which he pledged the reve
nues of the state. There is abundant
reason to believe that Charles clearly
foresaw the approaching decline of the
Spanish power, but there Is no special
evidence to show that he abdicated in
order to escape his share of the re
sponsibility; He was not a man io
shirk responsibility. . His abdication
seems to have been the act of an old,
broken, disappointed and . thoroughly
heart-sick man.- He had seen all hit
plans fall. He had seen France once
crushed, but stronger than ever; ho had
seen Protestantism apparently exter
minated In Germany, but having ten
times more adherents at the close than
st the opening' of his reign. He was
sick of the whole business and, so in
disgust, turned it over to his son to
manage as best he could.
THE GREAT ENGLISH WAR.
The evil that Charles did lived after
him and soon grew to mighty propor
tions under Philip II. Some of the mis
chievous measures of this short-sighted
king have already been alluded to, but
the most disastrous and far-reaching
mistake was the English war. His
marriage with Mary had not enclenred
him In the least to the English people,
and his conquest of Portugal and mer
ciless campaigns against the heretics
of the Netherlands showed the English
what they might expect should he suc
ceed in obtaining authority on the
Islands. The death of Mary did not put
an end to his schemes, but his failure
to contract a matrimonial alliance with
Elisabeth enraged him, und. for re
venge, lie planned the conquest of Elig
land. The story of the "Invincible Ar
madu" hu been often told und Is famil
iar to every siiioolboy, but not so well
known Is the fact that Philip was In
spired to fit out the great Meet In K.SS
by the success of u naval campaign
against the Turks in Km I. In which the
Spanish fleet, allied with the naval
forces of all the Mediterranean states,
put an end to the Turkish growth at
sea und forced the Moslems to confine
their military operations to the land.
Philip dreamed of another epanto on
the English const, and, with sublime
confidence In the Invincibility of his
Meet, was with dltllculty restrained from
accompanying It to England. The ruin
of the Armada was the first great slun k
to the Spanish monarchy. It had been
weakening for years, but the weakness
here and there observable did not de
tract from public belief In its general
strength. The loss of the Armada
GREAT SINGER.
HernU. By the Courtesy of H. H. Kohlwat.
showed the world Spain's weakest Dolnt,
and the enemies of the Spanish state
were, not slow to profit by the knowl
edge thus gained. The English, the
Dutch, the French hastened to build
vessels on the type of those In which
Drakeand hlscaptalns outmanoeuvered
the unwieldy galleons that floated help
lessly up the channel, and in less than
a century three other great fleets bear
ing the Spanish flag had been captured
or destroped by the small fleet cruisers
or these constantly hostile nations, and
Innumerable Spanish vessels had been
taken singly, whose treasure was spent
as prize money in Amsterdam, Bordeaux
and Portsmouth by elated sailors.
INCOMPETENT RULERS.
In addition to these reverses abroad,
a train of disasters came at home from
the incompetence of the Spanish rulers.
No country waa probably ever so
cursed with fanatical and imbecile
kings as was Spain during the seven
teentli century. Each seemed. If pos
slide, a little worse than his predeces-
sor; a little more stupid, a little more
bigoted, a little less able to see facts
thut were obvious to all others, until
the like was ended by an Idot scarce
ly able to master the knowledge neces
sary to sign his nume to state papers.
The consequences were apparent, both
at home and abroud. Travelers through
Spain declared that the whole coun
try seemed under a blight. Industry
was dead, the farms were unfilled, the
pastures untenanted, the population
had fallen off to an nlarmlng extent,
the roads between towns could not be
used. The- provinces and dependent
states were In constant rebellion. There
were insurrections In Italy and Sicily,
Portugal recovered lis " independence,
the Spanish were driven out of the
Netherlands, there were Wars with
France In which the arms of the latter
were uniformly victorious, the Amer
ican colonies were almost completely
cut off from intercourse with the home
government on account of the activity
of English and Dutch cruisers, while
what news came was largely of mis
fortune, for the mines of precious metal
were falling, rival viceroys and gover
nors' were fighting, and the pirates of
the West Indies infested the coasts of
Mexico, Central America and Vene
zuela to such an extent that only a
large and well-armed fleet could pass
in safety through the gauntlet of pirate
brlgantlnes. To crown all, under
Charles IJ., at the beginning of the fol
lowing century, came the famous war
of .the Spanish succession, in which the
best blood of Spain was poured out on
distant fields In a quarrel In which the
Spanish people felt little Interest, and
at Its close the power of the state was
still further reduced by the cessions
which Philip V. was compelled to make
in order to maintain himself on the
Spanish throne.
THE AMERICAN REVOLT.
The eighteenth century was a period
of almost uninterrupted disaster. Two
unsuccessful wars were waged with
Hnr,and; during one, Gibraltar became
an English possession; during the oth
er, when Spain took sides with France
after the revolution, the Spanish fleet
was destroyed, all the ports of Spain
were blockaded and the country re
duced to abject misery. But these
great misfortunes were small when
compared to those which came In the
first quarter of this century. The at
tempt of Napoleon to force a French
king upon the Spanish people led to' a
guerrilla war against the Invaders,
which rnged for years In every nook
and corner of the peninsula and though
successful, left the country a barren
waste. ' officers of Wellington's
army have left accounts of the pitiable
condition of Spain and its inhabitants
as witnessed during their campaigns
against the French. Throughout whole
provinces not a farm was under culti
vation: heaps of ashes and standing
chimneys marked the sites of towns
and villages, anD a few rugged, starv
ing .wretches, picking up scorns In the
forests, represented the population.
Such was the state of Spain at the end
of Napoleon's wars, and worse was to
come, for three years after Napoleon
had been sent to St Helena mutterlngs
of revolt were heard in the American
colonies. By 1X20 the -whole of Span
ish America was in open insurrection.
Heroic attempts were made by the govt
trnment to put down the rebellions
that had sprung up all over the Span
ish colonies, but from Mexico to Chili
the whole country was up and armed,
and the few troops that could be sent
from Spain accomplished nothing. The
same policy that is now being prose
cuted in Cuha that of extermination
was attempted in America, but the
Spaniards were too few to extermlnata
whole nations, and, though the war
was prosecuted with as much vigor as
could be shown by a degenerate race,
before the close of lSu'tf the Spaniards
hud been driven from every position on
the mulnland of America and their
stilendld empire was gone. Since then
the decline of Spain has been still more
marked than before. Revolution has
succeeded revolution; a war with
France in civil wurs in the Basque
country, the Carllst war and other
struggles lmve tended to weaken the
nation, while Industries are paralysed,
agricultue U at u standstill, und of its
former greutness Spain retains only
the pride of recollection.
THECAl'SES.
So rapid a decline and a fall so grcnt
have not taken place without attract
ing the attention of philosophical minds
which have exerted themselves to dis
cover und explain the causes of the de
cay of an empire that comprised more
territory within its limits than any
other known to the historian. It Is In
teresting to observe that, in general,
the historians have explained the phe
nomenon according to their own preju
dices. The Protestants uses the de
cline as an object lesson against the
prevalent religion of Spain., finding a
full and satisfactory explanation In the
Inquisition and the suppression of the
freedom of religious opinion ;one Catho
lic historian, on the contrary, attributes
me uecuuence io ine leniency in deal
ing with heresy in Its early stages, af
firming that had Charles V. exerted due
dlllirenee In Rlamnlnr mil iha vAfn..mn
tlon In Germany, Spain would be today
wiiat sne was men, tne greatest power
on the earth. The political economist
teaches that ilia pnApmnna u.Anlth
brought from America, Instead of en-
ncning, reauy impoverished Spain. since
It induced neglect of home Industries
and generated an extravagance which
became the ruin of the nation. Buckle
nnus, or tninks he finds, the cause,
Dartlv at least, in the innsMiiiim,.
erence 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 foreign
ers and the antagonism of all foreign
states, the warlike habits of the Span
ish people, confirmed by eight centuries
of constant conflict with the Moors,
draining the country of its best men
biiu leaving oniy me weakly and Infirm,
each And evprv nmt nf th... to
gether with innumerable others, have
oeen upneia Dy aDie advocates. Ex
plain It as we may, the fact remains,
that from whatever cause of causes the
Spain of today is but a phantom of the
Spain of three renturles ago; the splen
did empire of Charles V. and Philip II.
has not melted nvunv Tt h.. KaAn ..in
tently rent in pieces, and not a leading
power in the world but has grown
ureai, in some uegree, at the expense of
Spain.
Notes on Science
and Industry.
A great number of people who can never
cross the ocean without being prostrated
by seasickness huve come to look upon
very reputed cure for that distressing
malady as a delusion and a snare.
Whether the latest remedy, or rather pre
ventive, Is more efficacious than the rest
remains to be proved. Dr. A. D. Rock
well says It is. He asserts that the rea
son to little attention has been paid to
seasickness, especially by those not sub
ject to it. Is that there was a fallacious
idea that to be seasick did a person good;
that it cleared out the system, and there,
fore nature should be allowed to take Its
course. Dr. Rockwell holds that there
Is neither advantage or need for the ail
ment. It must be prevented ,and the bat.
tie of prevention must be fought on land
before Bailing. For three days before the
voyage doses of bromide of sodium must
be taken in preference to bromide of
potassium and this course must be con
tinued for three or four days after sail
ing. One pleasant effect of this bromlzu.
tlon is the sound and refreshing nature
of the sleep it Induces. The dose recom
mended by Dr. Rockwell is thirty grains
of bromide of sodium three times a day
for three days before the voyage, and for
three or four days after starting. He has
Invariably found this treatment an abso
lute preventive.
Among the novelties in bicycle gear is a
new foot clip, which has several good
features. The construction Is such that
when the pedal Is not in use and hanging
downward, the toe-clip swings out of the
way, so thut the pedal may be cauKht by
the rider's foot without any intention bi
lug paid to the clip. Tha instant the foot
Is placed upon the pedal the clip Mies Into
position, where it locks lirmly. When the
foot Is removed, and the pedal turns with
the clip on the underside, the mechanism
Immediately unlocks automatically, and
Is ready for further use. Hy the use of
thl clip the sldeguards on the peduls may
be dispensed with, as the clip is provid
ed with a metal strip, which ucts us a
guurd, und which can be made narrower
or wider to suit the rider's foot. The clip
weighs three ounces. It is simply and
strongly made, und can be adjusted to fit
almost any kind of pedal. The inventor
of a new bicycle hruke claims that his
appliance, wheh can ulso be used as a
foot brake, will not cut or wear the tire
material. The brake frame, which Is nf
metal, carries two flanged rollers, on
which is tightly stretched a rubber band,
the brake being attached to a stem which
extends up the steering head. When the
brake- stem or rod Is forced downward
In the usual way the baud bears with cor
responding pressure on the wheel tire.
One of the rollers of the band is adjusta
ble, and can be so moved as to increase
the tension on the hand.
' II H II
It seems that. Independent of the now
much-mooted question of horseflesh for
htiiuun food, there can be no doubt as to
the value of that animal's bones for in
dustrial and chemical purposes. An In
vestigator. of this subject states that the
leg bones are so very hard and white as
Io be -'-specially valuable for handles of
pocket and luble cutlery, und the ribs
and head are burned to make bone-blu.-k
after they have been treated for the glue
thut Is hi them; In the calcining of these
bones the vaporsaiising are condernsed
and form the chief source of carbonate uf
ummonia, which constitutes the base of
nearly all ammonlacal salts. To make gl.io
the bones are softened in muriatic acid,
dissolved in boiling water, cast - Into
squares, and dried on nets. The phos
phate of lime, acted upon by sulphur!::
acid and calcined with carbon, produces
phosporus for matches. The roots are
boiled to extract the oil; the horny sub
stance Is shipped to the manufactories of
combs and a variety of special articles.
,Dr S. G. Bterlln Ryerson has grouped
together a' few of the admonitions by
which It is sought from time to time to
warn the public against frittering awav
their eyesight. He says: "Don't read In
railway trains or in vehicles in
motion; don't read lying or in a con
strained position; don't read by firelight,
moonlight or twilight, or by flickering
gaslight or candlelight; don't read books
printed on thin paper or books which have
no space between the lines; don't read for
more than fifty minutes without stopping,
whether the eyes are tired or not; don't
hold .the reading close to the eyes; don't
study at night, but In the morning when
you are fresh; don't select your own
glasses at the outset." ' Dr. Ryerson ex
plains tho? reading dying down -tends to
increase1' the strain on the accommoda
tion, end reading while traveling tires
the blharp-muscle because of the too fre
quent adjustment of the focus. In short,
anything which tends to Increase the
quantity of blood In the organ favors
the Increase of the defect, leading In ex
treme cases to detachment of the retina
and blindness.
Frederick Warde is the strongest favor.
Ite of any actor that visits the Paciflo
Coast. His. San Francisco ana-aaemant la
proving to be a hummer.
FEMALE BULL FIGHTERS
Spain's Collection of Peminiae Mata
,' dorsWho PijbttoKUK .
A STUDY IN HUMAN DEPRAVITY
Aoooaat of Soe of the Dseds of Blood
and Oaring Performed by 1ms
- s oa-LIke Doanas of the Flrt
Eatlng Kingdom.
From the Globe-Democrat,
When the people of Barcelona fired
the whole world with talk of war be
tween Srialn and the United States by
mobbing the American consulate in that
city and dragging the Stars and Stripes
In the dust they hud Just come from a
bull fight. The feruiiuus spurt had ex
cited their fiery natures to the point uf
frenzy, and they were ready for any
extravagant act to relieve their surplus
excitement. If there had been no bull
tight that day. Spain might nut now be
fitting up privateers to prey upon our
commerce and spending money which
it can ill afford to use. It was the bull
light which suddenly brought on the
crisis, otherwise the national differ
ences would have been shuttled back
ward and forward In the devious chan
nels of diplomacy, until all the bitter
ness of feeling hud been dissipated.
The Barcelona bull fight Is quite dif
ferent from the same kind of sport in
other Spanish cities, for it Is there that
the woman bull fighter Is born and bred
and makes here introductory killing be
ETHEL IRENE STEWART, AGED
From the Chicago Times
fore an admiring audience. Some of
the aristocracy of the old regime de
plore the existence of the woman bull
fighter, but the middle classes adore
her, and every year marks an Increase
In the ranks of the feminine dabblers
In blood.
HOW IT USED TO BE.
In the old days the bull fighter was a
gentleman of the bluest blood, who rode
Into the ring on an Arabian charger,
worth almost his weight In gold. It
was a great accomplishment In the old
days, and the young gentleman who
ranked as the cleverest bull fighter of
his time was a man of vast social dis
tinction. He was the pet of all the fine
ladles of the land and the envy of all
the men. Kings, queens and princes
smiled upon him and there was no favor
too great to be heaped upon him. He
was the Idol of the people. He did not
light in the manner of today. He car
ried a simple Javelin, four feet long,
and slew the bull unaided, at the same
time -putting his spirited mount through
a series of Intricate evolutions to show
off the paces of the animal and his own
horsemanship.
These were brave days for the young
men of Spain. They were supplanted
by the bull fighters who entered the
arena for hire. These men at tlrst took
more desperate chances than the oth
ers and, moreover, rode poor, broken
down horses, which were so slow and
nerveless that they could not avoid the
cumbersome charges of the enraged
bull. . The horses were gored, and this
added to the pleasure of the populace.
The more blood thut Is spilled and spat
tered about, the greater the satisfaction
of the audience. If some poor picador
Is laid low their delight Is supreme. If
the matador ) hasty and kills the bull
early in the fight without giving the
beast a chance to gore some one the au
dience Is angry. It has been cheated
of Its share of blood.
THE NEXT STEP.
The next step In the degeneracy of
the bull ring, according to Spanish au
thorities, came with the appearance of
the woman fighter. From the ranks of
the Barcelona mill hands, girls with
agile bodies, handsome in face and form,
come the women bull fighters. As mill
hands they are virtually slaves, earn
ing only enough to keep body and soul
together. As bull fighters they are the
Idols of the people, the recipients of
showers of adulation, with fine clothes
and plenty of money, to spend. They
live under a halo of happiness and pros
perity. No wonder It Is the dream by
day and night nf all the pretty durk
eyed girls slaving away in the mills
that they, too, will enter the arena
some day and kill bulls amid the wild
enthusiasm of the best people of the
city.
It is almost needless to say that
the most popular of these Amazons are
the prettiest and the shapeliest. They
wear the same garb as men bull fight
ers, and they ride the horse astride.
If they rode with the side saddle it
would be a most dangerous proceed
ing, for a firm seat Is essential to safety
of life and limb.
In the ring at some little distance It
Is quite Impossible to distinguish the
sexes. The girls are quite as tall as
the men, and almost as heavily built.
There Is nothing feminine about them,
either, when the. fight really begins.
They do not sicken to gain ferocity
by It, and they are happy In a scene
which would cause the average Amer
ican woman to faint In short order.
The horses which the women ride ore
the same broken-down wrecks which
the men use. In fact, the management
finds that women are more reckless In
exposing the horses than the sterner
sex. This has led to a practice which
the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals would kill off In
no time. lit any city in this country. It
is this: When a horse has been hor
ribly gored and staggers about the ring
with his entrails hanging out. he Is
not killed to end his misery, but Is led
into one of the stalls, where his en
trails are thrust back and the wound In
the stomach sewn up, Sometimes he
ll ves long enough to enter the ring the
next day, but he Is usually so weak
that the bull makes short work of him.
WOMEN1 IN THE RING, i
On the day set' apart for the women
bull lighters there are women only in
the ring. The picadors ride in on the
equine wrecks garbed in the costume
of the Spanish knights .of the middle
ages. The women look very handsome
and ride with considerable grace. Fol
lowing the picadors are the chulos on
foot, who wear wonderful cloaks, and
enough ribbon to stock a small shop.
They group themselves so that the
swirling mass of variegated color will
aggravate the bull. After a short
pause. In comes the matador with a
naked sword in her hand. She, of
course, is the queen of the day. The
right hand holds the sword and In the
iert she carries the muleta, a slender
stick with a bit of scarlet silk at
tached. The picadors take up a posi
tion In the center of the ring with their
long lances held lirmly.
Then the bull Is driven In. This Is a
critical moment. The experienced ones
In a moment can tell If the bull Is a
natural tighter or whether lie Is peace
ably Inclined. If the former, they
know that they will get their money's
worth in blood. If the latter, they
have their doubts. The best fighting
bulls are supplied by the duke of Ver
agua, the descendant of Christopher
Columbus, who visited this country
during the World's Fair. The duke's
income Is supplied by this business.
If the bull Is quiet, and shows no
disposition to attack at once, the pica
dors ride around him, prodding him
where they can with their long lances.
The chulos excite him by the flashing
of their gorgeous colors., it is not In
the bull nature to stand this for any
15, MARVELOUS CHILD SOPRANO.
Herald. By the Courttsy of H. H. Kohlsaat.
leneth nf time, unit mnnn h. h.ln tn
charge right and left. Horses are
bowled over and gored. When the bull
has been worked Into a perfect frehry
tne mastaaor prepares for her dainty
task.
To kill him at one blow Is considered
bad form, although It Is most dlfflci ,t.
The llODlllar mntadnea atlnU him l.i en
and there until he streams blood ll i a
score or places, wnen ne is at nls
wildest the matador by a few deft steps
WOrks to hlfl left aide anil at tha nrnnar
instant stands up on her litttle toes to
ner iuii neigni, ana witn a downward
thrust of the sword sinks It to the hilt
Immediately back of the shoulder
blades, If the aim be true, the sword
blade cuts the heart in two and the
bull drops dead In his tracks. This Is
considered a great feat, and the lucky
matador who accomplishes It the first
time Is caught in a shower of jewels,
coins and flowers from all sides of the
arena.
The cleverest women bull fighters In
Spain today are Providence Almeda
Maria Alvarsilo. Thu a o-wmt
als and each has an Immense following
oi Muinirers.
YOl'R GOOD HEALTH.
Cheerfulness, first of all, Is a duty a
man owes to iiimMt.ir Am .tK..Ui..i.... ...m
tell you that one of the best preventives
of disease Is cheerfulness, and one of the
best curatives, when disuse has set in, Is
that happy and hopeful disposition that
.T ii an ior ine uei, whatever comes,
health or sickness, life or what they call
death. uch a man will be restored to
health under the most adverse clrcum.
stances while the strong but despondent
and melancholy dlsuosltlon n.in ..ii.m
and fade away. All the doctors In the
iuiiu cannot save a man who has not en.
ergy enough to will his own existence.
Thinking of this, the great Kniillsh Ills
torlan said that cheerfulness was worth
more than 3,ouO a year.
The Dublin Journal of Medical Science
quotes an Interesting statement by Sir
Benjamin VV. Richardson concerning his
observations on the duration of Ufa of the
offspring as compared with that of the
parents. He considers that Jf the ages nf
the two parents and of the four xrun.l
parents be added together and divided bv
six. the age of the case In point will be
told with an average variation of not nioro
than two. If the ages of the parents are
high, the offspring tends to improve on
them; if low Isuy an average of 40 or low.
en, the life of the offspring will probably
he shorter.
firape-frult Is an admirable tonic as well
as a most appetising break fust or lunch
eon relish. The sharp stimulus of fruit
Is one of the best things to set the diges
tive organs In order for the day and the
peculiar properties of the grape-fruit give
it marked medicinal value. When eaten
at luncheon It Is prepared In a different
way thun for breakfast service. Kor tbo
second meal the contents of two halves
should be scraped out, the seeds nnd
tough cone of I'ivldlng skin taken out
and the puln and (nice thus obtained usd
to fill one of the h lives, which It will just
about do. A tublespoonful of sugur aril
one of rum or sherry, mixed with the
Juicy pulp, add the perfecting flavor. At
breakfast, with the long, pointed orange
spoon, the meat is eaten out as Is that of
an orange and very little sugar Is used,
many persons preferring none on the
ground that Its full medicinal value Is bet
ter obtained.
The diet In old see Is a matter of no lit
tle importance. Milk, milk preparations,
and farinaceous fowls are usually well
adapted to the nourishment of aged in
dividuals. Vegetable ailments rich In
starch and sugar and animal food con
taining much fat sre to be avoided, be
cause they are likely to Increase the
ratty deposits within the body, and also
because, lit consequence of a retarded cir
culation and less vigorous respiration,
thev become a check to tissue metamor
phosiswithdrawing from the blood the
oxygen necessary for transforming other
and more available principles in tissue
food. On the other hand, an excess of
nitrogenous food is to be avoided beca'ise
of the faillne powers of the orgun of x
cretion particularly the kidney and liv
ers. Plethoric persons should particular
ly avoid tod stimulating diet, for the
walls of the blood-channels lose much of
their strength with declining years ami
render easy, from trifling cause, the rni
tnre of a vessel In lungs or brain. For
similar reasons strong emotion or undue
physical exertion are frequently fatal to
the aged.
THE UTESTJAR CLCD3
It Hovers Ominously in tbe Ykliity
, of Khartoam.
GREAT TROUBLE'S SMALL START
The Sneeessor of El Mahdl Is on the Was
path aad the Soadaa Will Proba
bly Sooa Ra-eeho whh the
Clash of Swords. -
Upon small events great results hinge.
A scandal In Rome two years ago threat'
ened the safety of the Crlspl ministry,
and to divert attention Italy proclaimed
war on the dervishes of the Soudan. Tbe
war to a certain point was successful;
but the playing by Italy of a bunco)
game on Menelek II. king of Shoa, In
Abysslnlu, In the form of a gold-brlcK
treaty, rolled that dusky sovereign In
to fighting humor, und the next thins;
that Italy knew, her cruck commander.
General Buratleri. hud been ignoinln
ously defeated. This little Incident cost
Crlspl his otttclul head.' nearly upset
the throne of King Humbert, and last,
but not least. It has filled with tire-eating
belligerency every unhung savage
In uncivilized North Africa, has given
John Bull a long-sought pretext to make
a new grab for territorial spoils, and
threatens to set all Kurope at dagger
points.
The victories of Menelek have evi
dently roused the war spirit of the ruler
of the dervishes, and a bloody and re
lentless war with the forces of civilisa
tion Is Imminent.
ROMANCE OP THE MAHDI.
There Is no more Interesting and ro
mantic drama In history than that of
the rise of the Mahdlst power, which
is now to be broken forever by English
arms or to engulf Egypt.
Barely ten years ago the Soudan wag
under the rule of Egypt and open to
civilization. In the chief towns were
found European representatives. In'
Khartoum Itself the foreign powers had
representatives. Travelers could pass
through the land unharmed. Telegraph
lines and postal services facilitated In
tercourse. Mosques, churches and
schools looked after the moral and In
tellectual training of the young. The
land was Inhabited by diverse tribes,
many hostile to each other, but kept at
peace by the strength of the Govern
ment. Today this whole territory Is under
the despotic rule of Khalifa Abdullah,
the head of the Mahdlsts. No European
can venture to cross the limits of the
land, which la cut off from every civil
ised Influence. Death or life-long cap
tivity would be his lot. The people are
kept In the greatest subjection, while
Khalifa and his chosen companions lead
lives of luxury and licentiousness at the
capital, Obdurman.
The cause of this remarkable change
of conditions was the Mahdl, who, tak
ing advantage of the discontent due to
Egyptian ofllclals' avarice and mlsgov
ernment, led the Dervishes In a revolt,
expelled the former rulers and made
himself the autocrat of the region.
SUDDEN RISE TO POWER. .
The man who announced himself as
El Mahdl was Mahomet Ahmed, a low
born Dongowali, whose family waa
laughed at for Insisting that It was de
scended from Mahomet. This Ahmed
became a fanatical recluse, renouncing:
the snares of the world and getting
local fame as a holy man. He de
nounced the leader of his sect for de
parting from some Injunctions of the
prophet. The story of his defiance and
stern opposition to the degeneracy of
the time spread far and wide among the
tribes of the Soudan and made his name
a synonym for piety.
Ahmed began to think nf himself as
the Mahdl, had visions, asserted that
Mahomet held long talks with him and
finally confided to- a few Intimate
friends, who believed, or pretended to
believe, him. Soon he was working
miracles with ease and frequency and
carrying on a secret correspondence
with leaders of disaffected tribes
through the Snudan. Then came the
revolt, which ended with the troglo
death of Chinese Gordon on the day of
the storming nf Khartoum.
After the fall of Khartoum the Mahdl
ruled supreme, with the Khalifa Ab
dullah as his chief adviser. Uoth were
Ignorant bigots, pretending to be strict
disolplea of the religion, but secretly
giving themselves up to shocking
drunkenness and licentiousness. The
Mahdl built himself a capital on the
bank of the Nile, opposite Khartoum,
on the site of the village of Omhurman,
and retained Its name.
There he strengthend his army and
announced that he was about to start
on the expedition of conquest Into Eu
rope and Asia. He sent letters to Queen
Victoria and other European rulers,
calling upon them to surrender and be
come his vassals and Mahdlsts.
But a few months after the fait of
Khartoum the Muhdl died. He wan
taken off by typhus fever, which found
him easy prey on account of his de
bauchery, KHALIFA ON THE THRONE.
The) Khalifa succeeded him as leader
of the Mahdlsts. To Intrench himself
he railed the Western nomuds, who are
of his own blood, to come to his capital.
They marched through the Soudan,
robbing and murdering as they came.
They rolled Into the Nile district, drove
out the peaceful farmer nnd took their
lands, their houses and their slaves.
The Khalifa promised their farmers
compensation, but never gave It. He
gave them instead the right to oppress
and rob as they pleased.
The regions that are ruled by the fol
lowers of the Mahdl are bordered on
the north by the Sahara Desert and
Egypt, on the east by the Italian strip
of Africa and by Abyssinia. To tho
south and west lie the Congo Free State
and the English and French and Ger
man territories in Western Africa.
When the Mahdl first rose to power
the entire country was with him heart
and soul. Fanaticism burned In the
heart of every soldier, and the Mahdlst
army Inspired well-grounded fear In
the Europeans that fought against It.
for every soldier would fight until he
died, and flight was unknown.
DECAY OP THE DESPOTISM.
Since then there has been a change.
The Khalifa, with his eastern Arabs '
for backers, has) ruled with a rod of
Iron, and the unfortunate tribes fairly
long for a return to their former alleg
iance to Egypt. Seventy-five per cent,
of the population has be-n carried off
by war, famine and pestilence since the
Mahdl's day; the remainder are little
more than slaves. The terrible scourge,
the slave trade, Is rampant In the land.
Nevertheless, the Khalifa Is probably
securely Intrenched against internal
foes. He lives shut up In Omdurman,
surrounded by guards, and spending a
good part of the time In his harem,
where he has no fewer than 400 wives
and concubines. His throne Is defend
ed by a standing army of about 00,009
men, many of whom are fairly well
armed with rifles.
Chronlo Rheumatism Cared.
Dr. B. H. Hettinger, Indianapolis, Ind.,
says: "For several months after sprain
ing my ankle I was severely afflicted
with Rheumatism. I finally tried Del
etion's 'Mystic Cure' for Rheumatism,
and in 4 days could walk without my
cane; two bottles cured me sound and
well. I take great pleasure In recom
mending the 'Mystic Cure' to all who
are afflicted with Rheumatism." Sold
by Carl Lorenz. Druggist, 418 Lacka
wanna avenue, Scranton.
Jnmes K. Hackett has been engaged to
replace Herbert Kelcy as the leading matt
of the Lyceum Theatre Stork Company.
In two or three years, Manager Dan Frog
man expects to bring Hackstt out as a
star.
Li
i a a a a .
l"Hllll"Ali