New-York tribune., 1874-02-23
pRIEF HOURS WITH CASTELAR,
TIE IS FIRST A sPANMRD, THEN A REPoB,
LICAN.

m
YICE-HoIDERs, AND THE biiNAh'' 0'
Yxcrs OF REPUBLICANIsM.
,,oard 10 most satisfactory town to travellers IN
1,ho o,e morbid on the subject of embracing
.rr,r,un;ties There are no opportunities " ,
W. 10 ON ;nexnressble comfort TO know 'h''
-"'o.vr y. ;unrove vour mind. Churches 90 no'
,vait for Won. nor do ruins upbraid you JOE no'
.rn.ah;nr thom ON the spot After visilihg .no
60 orn'orv beholding the Cid's sword anu ,no
-. .'.o ,rorn bv Charles V. and by Chris'opn'i
Sr.,'.,,hrs hotb men of medium slze-'heio i'
.sS,,,;no to Gee but the picture gallery; anu 'ne
,auerv as the world knows, is everything 10 see'
a. q w,lderness of genius thrown toge'ner WIN
snan;sh contempt for order and chroholosS' "''
,ntelv stupefying in its first effect graou"',y i
mating. until appreciative Souls s'anu 'p'''
before its masterpieces
Na.h;n 20 easier than fine writing about palntlhg
and senluture III none of 1t. Crltics ho' n''oi"
,ours are needed for this work. When Haw,horhe'
- .,T,e Marble Fannp undertook to play the con-
no;ssenr and praise his artist friends ne uspiaSeu
,onorapce and amiabe weakness unworthy oi MS
literary genius Fancy makes hctoh anu n''i0
,r,ticsm But il is no fiction to express en'nus'"'
far the portraiture of Velasquez falh.'hg ino,e
honest more manly, cannot DE cohCeNcu'
rptber have one Velasquez than dozen Muiiios'
for there is a vinty scorn for nonsense anu sen'i
,neotalitv respect for reality however unlovely,
that brace the soul to renew ITS hight LOT uru'n'
Were history written as Velasquez painted IT, we
shonld have facts, not prejudice. lie mas III
,ured immortality TO his royal patrons Inc"
worst deeds will he forgotten before their faces
Nevertheloss. while reverencing Nelasqnez, pi'y
him, The SUansh Court condemned HIM 1or lie u
tbe naintipp of ugly men and women. Ihere is not
asynnatbetic n face among all the Bourbons. "hat
ylosonoz with his artists love for beauty musC
have endured. no one but himself can tell, ana
fancy that he painted his wonderful porIiaiV VI
Bohemian EsOp protest against rOyai fuuS anu
imbeeility. Cold chills ran down nv back at sight
Of narrow headed boysand sleek young women copy
ing Murillos intended probably, for American draw
;ng-rooms Why men and women possessed OF or
snarv sense paw gold for painted blasphemles OF OLD
masters. when for very little money they can pur-
chase excellent photographs, dehes comprehension
I'm returpapg 10 the hotel after my first visit TO
the Gallery met the kndest OF men with the most
amiable of letters. The man was our Secretary OF
Legation cultivated American, who is mamma In
the wilderness to travellers hungenng for compan'
iouship tempered with valuable information de is
gentleman and gIide-boOk complete In one per-
Bon and an honor to our diplomatic service. Would
tbere were more like him. From whom came the
scrption was addressed to "Senor Adee, Secretarlo
de la Legacion de los Estados Unidos," and at the
foot of the enyeopeI beheld Emilio Castelar," dis
,nct nduprght, with slight flourish beneath. The
President of the Spanish Republic is boon to auto
rraph-manacs. He signs in full both envelope and
letter Peeping inside, | saw PLAN violet mono
gram of f. c. i'll the lefthand corner, and read how,
on the following day at noon, the President would
be diseagaged; how he would be happy to receive
his dear friend the Secretarys compatriOt IN her
house and how, had he known her residence, be
would have called. Here at least was man!who,
having power thrust upon him, assumed no official
dignity content to stand fall by personal worth.
Details denote character. So far / liked Emilio
CASTELAR,.
Precisely at noon on the following day cab left
me before the Presidents door. There was a shop
OH the ground floor and soldier only, in fatigue
dress. at the general entrance. I mounted three
flights of stars before arriving at Castelars apart
ment He is a bachelor, living with a sister older
than hmself sister who tells wonderful stories of
her brothers memOry-hOw, as a boy, he could re-
peat verbatim the contents of newspaper after one
perusal and how he never forgets anything he
reads CASTELAR, must be particular in his choice Of
books for what terrible trial it would be to most
of us TO remember all we read! On ringing the
bell man without livery appeared. Senor Cas-
telar would be disengaged shortly. Nothing
could be palmer than the two small rooms
into owbchI was ushered. Engravings of the Spanish
masters hung upon the walls Besides these
bronze satuette of Don QuxOte another of Mrabeau,
a few books and an enormous bouquet, as uncOuth
as Europe could make it land Europe excels in hide
Gus floral arrangement the sole ornaments. Had
not known of Castelar's sister should have said
the rooms lacked the touch of woman's hand but
few continental apartments look like homes CozI
ness is an Anglo-SaxOn speciality. Latin drawing
rooms resemble our hotel parlOrs in small. and as
Spanish families move whenever there is death
among them, they exist without roots. Though
Americans move Oftener than the English our homes
are the prettiest, most comfortable and convenient
in the world. We have 40 palaces, no state apart
Inents; but who that has breathed the cold atmos-
phere of colossal grandeur wishes to live in iti
All this thought while waiting for CASTELAR, be
coming more and more nervous about seeing him:
for what right had to take up his valuable time
who had come to Spain solely to look at him, hear
hun talk if he would and draw my own conclusions
for my own satisfaction was not sent on a mis-
sion by Great Moral Organ /; | was not clothed in
The garb of an interviewer. Impulse alone had i'm
PEELED me- and how could draw CASTELAR,. out IN
half an houri Though | might long to put leading
questions and jump into the middle Of things, /
could not NObtesse obH0e. i began to snub i'm
pulse and wish myself on thei other side Of the
Pyrenees, when CASTELAR, entered, shaking hands so
cordially as TO render my role less difficult than
had feared. He man of SO. about five feet six
snches tall inclined to corpulency. squarey built
and short-necked. He had an olive complexion,
great black, sympathetic eyes denoting near
sghtedness that the glasses hanging from his neck
proved round face shorn of all but heavy black
mustache concealingthe mouth too much to please a
Physiognomist; round good -natured chin, noble,
oome-shaped head. somewhat snggestive of Shake.