Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-01-11
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARYoo1o, 1872
y O 40. 20.l
what aGIerchant saSvdof Europe.
BARCELONA, SPAIN,
GNond@Y. April 10th, 1871.

Sunday, and Easter Sunday at that, new
ertheless every great ring in Spain had
its bull fight, and Barcelona in common
with the others. At p, M, we left
6Qur hotel, took a cab for Barcelonita,
and rafting up the narrow streets of
= that sailors haunt, we are part Of great
moving throng all converging to one
SOcenter, the great amphitheatre, where
among the celebrations of Easter Sunday
az to beTitnessed a grand "bull fight. !"
Great colored posters ON the city walls
told us of the event when first we land
Cd here and we must waive all conscien-
tious scruples concerning the sanctlty
Of the Sabbath or fOrego a spectacle
peculiar to Spin. To go from Spain
and not to have seen bull fight is hardly
to have seen Spain. Here we are at the
EDor of a great circular building which,
in Conformation, much resembles the
pictures of the Coliseum at Rome
9There is a great rush for tickets, and we
prefer to pay brawny Spaniard to Ego
in lemons and get squeezed" to accept
iEas that ordeal ourselves. Join us as
Isaw with tickets of admission, we are
surged in&he door with the multitude.
Faithful as a pen might portray the
\ scenes enacted within this circular, roof
less building, it can carry with 1t but an
inadequate idea Of the engrossing inter-
est, t5he hilarious excitement, and the
marvelously morAd desire with which
Spaniards come to witness their favOrite
, and0eculiar amusement. Spaniards, did
say? Yes! Sirteen thousand Of them
are gathered in this amphitheatre, which
has as its only canopy the azure blue of
sky. God and that risen Judge
of the quick and the dead, with a whole
4Qst of angels, may look directly in upon
. THIS vast consourse, and l much doubt if
they would find one fHore conscience
smitten than he WEao writes, for I have
myBaper and pencil and am taking notes
upon the spot, Let us glance from the
paper apd6Dok upon a varied scene which
fills the eye and ooverweighs the mind
with 9sG2se of the immensely of the
concourse. y general review of the
ctierJlpon tier crowded to excess gives to
us quite all the rainbow cop0rs, but there
is no bow of promise here. The scarlet
1rlmrG&d blue coats of the soldiery dotted
a4ong the purple, ogreen, blue, white,
BACK and brown attire of men, women
and children, thousand above thousand
ranged on the stone seats which, inclin-
Gjng upward recede from the ring to the
y upper verge of t4e outer wall quite fifty
feetterom the ground. we'll remember
AN immense gathering at the Chicago
Iace course last autumn, the occasion of
4 pride match at base ball, the Red
Stockings of Cincinnati v the White
Stockings Of Chicago. The enthusiasm
,aSd extent of that cOnCOurse is hardly
deserving of comparison, but for want
of better l apply it as the nearest APP
eproac8. We are seated on the second
tier of the western side of the bull ring
consequently it is the shaded side. The
ring itself is perfectly smooth and circu
lar, with a diameter estimated at 200 feet
ON the center an uncouth black cross,
ten feet high, surmounts a large black
box with a black stool beside it. This
y Is merely a resort for the fighter when
} hotly pursued by the bull, which cannot
q, t1G1 sharp corners dexterously. The
GFlng is securely enclosed by close, solid
wall about five feet high, and back of 1t
9 ~ alley of saSten feet wide, lined by a
high waTl as protection to the audience.
The alley-way is the retreat of the fight
er if closely pressed, and he reaches it
- by vaulting the inner wall. The ring is
entered by three gates at the north, south
and east, and these gates are securely
barred and boltcd while the fight is in
Sprogress. We observe an immense Grim
son velvet robe with 4 center piece braid
ed in gold, the shield Of Spain, and this
robe droOps in folds, from a private box
above us, We are not long to learn
that it is the GQ@crnor-GeneraTspoint of
observation. The government not only
tolerates the bull fight, but cOmmends it
by the presence Of those high in power.
G5The government patronizcs and the cross
after all, be so intolcrably wicked We
shall know more after while. We Oh
serve among the cOnCOurse a sprinkling
of the better classes Of the people, hut
the lowly and the peasants pre-
dominate, who sit in the brOiling hot
sun willing to suffer and to endurc
with great cOmplacency. Inglis, speak
ing of these peasants, says: You may
see many hack cabriolets drive to the
entrada of the amphitheatre, their usual
burden being peasant and two girls,
dressed in their holiday clothes, for there
is no way of showing gallantry, SO much
approved among the lower orders, as
treating to a bull fight and when this
is carried so far as to include drive in
a red and gilded cabriolet, the peasant
need sigh no longer" But now that
may have given you q faint Idea of this
remarkable place and the novelty of its
varied gathering, assembled to pamper
morbid craving, let us cndeavor to i'm
bibe the spirit of the performance at its
primal stage, even if it be Sunday. The
same Impotence which characterizes an
American audience is becoming appar-
ent. Weary Of waiting in the hot san,
the lower classes set up the shout, lei
Toro Ell Toro!" The bull The bull!
and on our left a cornet band answers
the call with lively air to opiate the
impotence. Single out the faces and
they look happy enough. The season
of Lent" with all it's restrictions of
pleasure has just passed, and these poor
maudlins have the right to smile after
such restriction. Just from priestly alb
solution, from kissing the waxen images,
and knee sore from kneeling before