The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-02-15
spanish Beggars.
General sherman and Prince Fred Among
the Mendicants of the Escurial,

---fFTs-st
General Sherman and Prince Fred Among
the Mendicants OF the Escurial,
Madrid Correspondence of New York Herald.
The beggars, you must know, are
an institution at the Escurial. From
the moment you plant your foot in the
place to the moment you depart they
never leave you. They use the most
endearing expressions to coax a cent
out of you. They don't call you "Sir''
or q Madame" but they address you as
'' Ny dear little sir !" &c My dear little
lady !" They invoke all sorts of bless
ings on you in anticipation. They try
to stir up your religious sentiment by
telling you that "God will repay you p
"The Virgin and the Saints will repay
you!" All this for an ochavo, the
fourth part of cent-an "ochavito," +"
as they call it-that is to say, "a dear
little ochavow Their perseverance is
astounding. Iftheir countrymen only
displayed equal perseverance in the
ordinary affairs of life Spain would
be different country. The importu-
nifty these beggars display is something
awful. The Irish are nothing to them
AT the Escurial they swarmed. They
attacked us on all sides, as the mosqai-
toes do away down South" Col.
Audenreid thought the best way to
get rid of them at first was to yield to
their demands and give them money.
No greater mistake could possibly
have been made. The news spread
like wildfire throughout the whole
begging community, and at every step
we took we were beseiged by the
whining opportunities of ragged men
ragged women and ragged children,
with babies od li6itum. They tracked
us everywhere-to the door of the
hotel where we breakfasted and dined !;
they escorted us to the door of the
great temple itself; they met US as we
emerged they accompanied us to the
Palace of the Principe; they waited
for US till we came out; they led the
way for us to the depot as we prepared
to depart, they even took kind fare
well of us on the platform. After we
had done sight seeing and returned to
our hotel a fresh crowd of little rag
mullins gathered around the door. BY
this time our charitable funds and our
tempers were alike exhausted. We
refused them anything. They plead
ed, they urged. One of the boldest
followed us into fhe dining-room of
the hotel. She was slip-shod, dirty
looking girl of some ten or eleven
summers. Of course we looked dag
gers at her. The waiter resented her
attempt to poach on his vineyard by
out the door heard her exclaim, "what
a shamel haven't we been waiting for
the gentleman ever since this morn
ing?" Gen. Sherman seemed to me
to escape much of their opportunities.
1 can only account for 1T by their be-
ing made aware, through the unlucky
act or generosity of Colonel Auden-
reid, at the depot. that the gallant
Colonel was the treasurer of the party.
This system of begging is nowhere so
as in Spain, and it has its or
igin not so much in real distress as in
To give so much day
to the poor is duty of religion, and,
the duty performed, the Spanish con-
science is clear. Hence it is that you
will see the portico and steps of every
church crowded with beggars. No
policeman or guardia civil ever thinks
of sending them away. Yon wii1no--
tice the pious ladies, have been to mass
or to confession always give money to
those cringing mendicants on their
way out. The ceremony within would
not be complete if the donation with
held. In Madrid the beggars were
fearful nuisance at the time of the
revolution. Queen Isabella was, in
deed, nursing mother to her govern
ment, nursing father to them. Get
into an alteration with one of them,
and no policeman would take your
part. If you spoke roughly you were
answered with redoubled importuni-
,y. If your temper overcame your
charity and you ventured to indulge |
in little muscular Christianity" 10 |
i'd yourself of them, you instantly |
found the passers-by first aghast and |
then angry, not at the beggar, but at
you. The result was you always came
off second best After the revolution
he evil continued. Poor Prim was
,errible victim. / have often walked |
With him during the first months of
revolution, the short distance between
he Puerto del Sol and his house, and
lie was terrible object of attack. His
ook was stern, yet they minded it not
Often and often he declared that he
would give nothing, but ere he had
cached his home he would have part
ID with every cent in his pocket.
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