Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-11-25

The Spanish dominion is represent
ed in round numbers by 800, 600 square
miles OF territory and $4,000, 900 of
of people. Old Spain, though it con-
tains come ranges of mountains and
arid plains, has now q density of S5 to
the square mile, and may very readily
under good government, have 200 to
the square mile. This would give
nearly forty millions of people, which
is more than France now has. Her
territorial possessions will contain as
many more; and thus we see that
Spain, already apowerful nation, may
become much more so. France is not
as powerful as Spain may become. 1t
depends altogether on what form and
principles her government may here
after assume. No people on earth
have ever suffered more from the evils
of government, both ecclesiastical and
political, than have the Spanish ma
ton. We need but glance at what
Spain has been at particular periods to
understand this clearly. In the eighth
century large part of Spain was con-
quered by the Moors, who aided great
ly in Spanish civilization. AT one
time the Court of Cordova shone with
q splendOr and magnificence and even
an intellectual grandeur, which were
unsurpassed in the greatest Courts Of
Europe. We are always looking at
our own history, a. il our race was the
only one, and when we 90 out of our
selves, we talk of Germany and France.
But when France and Germany had
not yet emerged from barbarism, the
Mohammadan Moors We're enlighten-
ing the world with poetry, mathemat-
les, with rhetoric and romance. In the
thirteenth century, when the MoOrs
and Nisigoths still held power, the
population Of Spain was estimated at
twenty millions. This may have been
too high, but st the end of three CEN
turies OF arbitrary power, and bigOted,
ecclesiastical government, the popula-
ton OF Spain was less than hdLf what
it was supposed to have been under
the MOOrs! This was the result Of all
that the proud Ferdinands, Charleses
and Philips had been able to accom-
plish in the age of ecclesiastical dark
ness and tyranny! History tells US Of
the Empire of Charles the Fifth, and
OF the gloomy though gorgeous power
Of the Philips but history fails TO
finish his portrait with an account Of
O depopulated and impoverished coun-
try. Historians paint the portraits of
Princes, of Potentates and Powers. OF
Bishops and of Generals of palaces
and of mOnasteries; but how seldom
do they paint the picture Of a famish-
ed people, or of martyrs and soldiers
whose blood has nOurished the Prince
or the Bishop! If the world could
have been described then as it really
was, Whist different cOuntenance it
would have exhibited! But il could
not be. The world could not move
beyond its human pace. The free
| press was reserved foranother age, and
thrones, principalities and powers go
down, swept away like cobwebs, in
the mighty breath of omnipotent
truth.
The Spanish Monarchy, which had
heretofore been divided, was united
under Ferdinand and Isabella, by the
discovery and conquest of America,
and really reached then the hight OF
its power, for, strange as it may ap-
pear, the worm entered the heart of
| the Spanish Monarchy when its bran
ches spread the widest and fiourished
most. In pursuance of the same poll
CIV which had banished the Protest.
ants from France, and thus rapidly
augmented the wealth and industry
of Holland and of England-the Moors
and Jews, then very industrious class
es, were banished from Spain. 1t was
a fatal blow to her arts and manufac-
lures. AT the same time, the gold Of
America bloated up heresy and idle