The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-27
Days of Dreamy Delight
in Seville.
A CHAT WITH MONTPENSIER.
Does the Gambling Spirit Affect
a Peoples Faith?
CoRpovA, Dec. 8. 1873.

historian relating that adventure. "Nec decus dur
fsrre-cessavit C0rduba terr9." Seneca and Lucan
were born at Cordova. The Romans founded cele-
brated university here After Roman and Goth had
had their empire it became Moorish town. and
under the Moors attained the height of its splendor
II you believe the Moorish chronicles you
could travel ten miles from the centre of Cordova
the lights from the dwellings illuminating the way
Buildings twenty-six miles in direction and
six in another. The country dependent on it sup
ported 5000 towns and villages. The people in those
days proud of their Dress the university. the
wine shops and especially goried in their mosque 1t
Is all that remains Of their forgotten splendor There
were pleasure gardens with all kinds of fruits.
among them the luscious peach, the very taste or
which has gone from memory. There was palace
Of which not stone be discovered. which, &C.
cording to the chronicles must have surpassed any
achievement of modern royalty In this palace were
more than four thousand columns, and doors Of
varied decoration to the number of $4,000. The
Romans and RACED 1t to the ground, and there
is no remnant of its glory nor any vestige of its
ancient medieval splendor but the stone bridges
across the river built by the Romans and the famous
mosque now called cathedral. built by the Moors
REMNANTS ANCIENT sPLENDoR.
It was late in the evening and a heavy rain
falling when General Grant and his party reached
Cordova. The Governor of the city and the author-
ties waiting at the station After the long ride
from Lisbon it was pleasant to rest, in the in
different condition Of comfort provided in Spanish
inn. There visit to the theatre, ramble about
the streets which is General Grants modern fashion
Of taking possession Of town; there was a stroll up
the Roman bridge. the arches of which as stout
and fresh if the workmen had just laid down their
tools. There visit to Moorish mill in which the
millers were grinding wheat. There was the
30
Audalusia is spreading out before green and
smiling. And this sums up Cordova. What you
read of its ancient Roman and Moorish splendor, all
traces of 1t have vanished and you feel you wind
and unwind yourself through the tortuous streets
that you in forgotten remnant of Spain; that
civilization has changed it's course rivers at home
sometimes do. and run into a new channel. leaving
Cordova to side. The only evidence Of modern
life lie the railway station.
FAMOUS MOSQUE.
It was pleasant while at Cordova to meet Mr. Hett.
the American Secretary of Legation at Paris his
wife, who were returning to France from holiday
in the Peninsula. In the morning the mosque was
visited. We had thought that it might be better to
visit the mosque alone, without state ceremony.
but the authorities of Cordova were in advanced
stage Of courtesy and visit was in state. It
seemed almost like desecraton-this dress and
parade within these unique and venerable
walls. The mosque is even among
the wonders Of Europe. 1t stands the
site of an ancient temple of janus. Eleven
centuries ago the Moors resolved to build a temple
to the worship Of God and Mohammed His prophet
which should surpass all other temples in the world
Out Of this resolution came this building. You can
theImosque in its day justified the ex-
travagant concentrations of the Arabian historians
There enclosed courtyard. in which orange
taking the morning air. This enclosure seemed to
be a bit out Of Islam, and it looked almost like a
PROCLAMATION of Moslem rites to see men in
attendance wearing the garb of Rome-so COOL so
quiet, retired so sheltered from the outer world
that could we'll imagine it TO have been the place
of refuge and rest which Mohammed intended as the
special purpose of every mosque AS you enter the
FIRST impression is of wilderness of low columns
that run in all directions. These columns for
merly whitcwashed by the Christians after the TAX
ing of Cordova, but under Isabea's government the
whitewash removed. and you the
ancient red and white brick walls and precious
stones Of which they are made. There Is n
tradition that most of these columns made
out Of the materials of the ancient Roman temple
which stood on this site, and that some were sent
from the temples of Carthage. II easy to
that they were not the work of any one mind, but
rummaging among other ruins the generosity of
priests and rulers who showed their desire to stand
well with the Governor of Cordova by sending guam
tty Of columns for the mosque In this way IL hap
pens some OF the columns of jasper others Of
porphyry, others Of choice marbles Some you notice
are short and have had to be supplemented by me-
chanical contrivances. But although n close EXAM
ination Of the mosque shows these differences
and really adds to its interest. the general
effect is unique and imposing. You note
with impotence that the governors under Charles "
had large part of this incompatible series of arches
removed to build modern chapel. and. although the
chapel was not without interest in respect to wood
work and tapestry its presence here violence
to all the laws of art and understand the
chsgrn Of Charles ", who. when he examined the
mosque for the first time In 1926 and what had
been done in the building of this chapel, said"You
have built here what any might have built any
where clsc but you have destroyed what unique
In the world"
II is difficult to give exact description Of the
mosque. Its value lies In the impression IL makes
you and in the fact that IL is almost perfect
monument of Moslcn civilization in Spain. There
ts the ever recurring Oriental arcl the inventor OF
which you sometimes think must have found his
type in the orange. There elaborate and gorgeous
decorations Of the sacred places Of the mosque.
where tho Koran was kept. where tho guilty ones
sought refuge and unfortunate ones succor. where
justice was administered and the laws of the Koran
cxpoundcd. II all seems as clear and fresh
30 genial is this Andalusian atmosphere
as IL came from tho hand of the faithful
kings who built IL. As one strolls through
the arches. studying each varying phase of Oriental
taste the voices Of tho priests chanting the morning
service and the odor of incense arc borne upon tho
air. II is startling to find Christians In the perform
ance of their sacred ONCE within the walls of a
building consccrate by the patience and devotion of
the unfortunate Moors. Tho lesson you always
learn in Spain is what you sec to-day. and what you
admire the work OF destiny only phases OF
changing aud vanishing civilizations. The Moor
may have unused the ruins Of Roman spienior
even as we arc musing over the monuments OF the
Moors pride; and even after gone others may