The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-03
The Palaces, PantheOns, Gardens, Churches
and Curiosities Of the EScurial.
THE TOMB OF IT'S FOUNDER.
Burial Place of the Span
iSh MOnarchs.
ROYAL SUMMER RESORT.


HERALD an account OF the visit OF General Sherman
and his party 10 the Escuria, having had honor
OF accompanying him by his kind invitation. In
addition to General Sherman, Lieutenant Grant and
Colonel Audenreid, party included MI. and
Mrs. Scnoeheld OF Columbus. OHIO. and another
lady. Eight O'Clock Tuesday morning the 9th
found us snugly ensconced IN compartment Of
first class carriage at the Northern Railway
depot. 1t was bright joyous morning, and though
the sun had not yet begun to shine yet felt per-
suaded he was going TO honor our visit to what the
Spaniards call the octard mdrdcRd. or
EIGHTH WONDER THE WORLD.
The Spanish railroad cars are constructed on The
English principle, divided into compartments with
side doors. When travelling In party, as we were
must confess a great liking to tins system. The
trains go slowly In Spain. Ours took hours and
q half to do the twenty miles between Madrid and
the Escural. There Is nothing interesting on the
line to beguile the m0notony OF this snals pace.
We stopped four times before reaching destlna.
tlon, viz at the depots OF Pozuelo Las Rosas Tor
relodones and vIlalba, all of them petty ana in.
significant 'pueblos." Villaoa Is the depot you
stop at If you going to La GranJa; but we were
bound to the Escurial. About nalf-past ten we
reached the latter depot and left the train. There
are two villages bearing this name,
EsCORIAL DE ABAIo AND EscoRIAL DE ARRlBA
or, In PLAIN Saxon, Lower and Upper Escurial.
The railroad separates the two, rather blocks
of the small collection Of huts and a church called
Lower Escurial from the approach to the Upper
Escural, the latter being some two miles up hill
from the depot dingy, primitive omnibus, evil
IDENTITY one OF the first O. these vehicles ever
constructed conveyed us up the hl AS 1t contained
only tight fitting room inside for SIX, and we were
seven. Lieutenant Grant preferred take his watch
on deck" He greatly astonIshed the beggars who
surrounded US by planting himself squat on the top.
instead OF taking his seat alongside the driver; and
he equally astonished crowd OF more beggars VINO
greeted our arrival up the MI by jumping down at
one agile bound. instead of the grave aud digniied
manner In which the Spauard ever ascends and
descends.
THE BEGGARs AT THE EscURIAL AND REGeARs IN
GENERAL.
The beggars, you must know. are an institution
at the Escura. From the moment you plant your
loot In the place 10 the moment you depart they
never leave you. They the most endearng
expressions to coax a cent out Of you They don't
call you ''Sr' or 'Madame," but they address you
as 'My dear little sir ~ "My dear little lady ~
They invoke all sorts or blessings you IN aniici-
paiion. They try To STIR up your religious senti.
ment by telling you that God will repay you y,
sThe Virgin and the Saints will repay you - All
this for an octave, the fourth part OF a cent-an
"Ochavito" as they call iJ--that Is TO say a sdear
little ochavo - Their perseverance is astounding.
II their countrymen only displayed equal perse-
verance in the ordinary AFFAIRS of lie Spain
would be different country. Tne impor-
tunity 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 mosquitoes do "away down Southn
Colonel Audenreld thought the best way TO get rid
Of them al first was to yield to their demands ana
give them money. No greater mistake could posi-.
bly, have been made. The spread like wildGre
throughout the whole begging community and at
every step we took We were beseged by the whin-
Ing opportunities OF ragged men, ragged women
and ragged children, with babies al hbftun,. They
tracked us everywhere-to the hote. where we
breakfasted ana dined; they escorted Us to the
door OF the great temple Itself; they met
US IS we emerged; they accompanied us
TO the Palace OF the Principe; they waited
for us till we out; they led the
way for to the depot as we prepared to
depart they even took kind farewell OF us on the
platform After we had done sightseeing ana re-
turned 10 our hotei q fresh crowd OF little raga
muffns gathered around the door. BY this time
our charitable funds and tcmpers were alike
exhausted. We refused them anything. They
pleaded, they urged. One OF the boldest followed
us into the dining OF the hotel. She was a
slp-shod dirty looking girl OF some ten or eleven
summers. OF course we looked daggers her.
The waiter resented her attempt 10 poach his
vineyard by summary election. AS she was put
out OF the door overheard her exclaim, "WhaJ
shame havn't we been waiting for the
gentlemen ever since this morning ~ General
Sherman seemed 10 me 10 escape much OF
their opportunities. l only account for it by
their being made aware, through that unucky act
OF generosity OF Colonel Audenreld. at the depot,
that the gallant Colonel the treasurer OF the
party. This system OF begging Is nowhere SO au.
moving as In Spain, and 1t mas It's origin not so
much IN real distress as In superstition. To give
much day to.the poor is a duty OF religion, and,
the duty performed, the Spanish conscience Is clear
Hence II is that you will the portico anu steps
OF every church crowded with beggars. No police
man or guardia civil ever thinks OF sending them
away. You will notice the pious ladies' VINO have
been to mass or to confession. always give money
To those cringing mendcants on their way
out. The ceremony within would not be com.
pete II the donation without were with.
held. In Madrid the beggars were a fearful
nuisance at the time OF the revolution. queen lisa.
bella was. indeed, nursing mother ana her gov
eminent a nursing father TO them. Get into an
alteration with one OF them, ana no policeman
would take your part. II you spoke roughly you
were answered with redoubled importantly. II
your temper overcame your cnarity and you VEN.
Lured to indulge 10 q little ''muscuar Christianity
to rid yourself OF them you instantly found the
pssscrs-by first aghast and then angry, not at the
beggar, but at you. The result you always
came or second best After the revolution the evil
continued. Poor Prim a terrible victim.
have often walked with him. during the first months
OF the revolution, the short distance between
the Puerto del sol and his house, and
he was terrible obiect OF attack. HIS
look was stern, yet they minded II not. Often and
often he declared he would give nothing out ere he
had reached his home he would have parted with
every cent In his pocket. One day, however, Prim
got more annoyed than usual. The result was con.
terence with Rivers, the Then Aicalde OF Madrid.
aud resolution TO rid the capital OF the nuisance
altogether. Six miles out OF the city was an old