The Portland daily press., 1879-08-09
Spain in Profile.

lished book of travels, Spain in Profile (Boston
Houghton & Osgood; Portland: Loring, Short
& Harmony appear the same qualities that
made his Greek Vignettes such fascinating
reading, together with percsptibls advance
of literary workmanship. His style, original
in its traits of perception, models its manner
after the splendors of Edmondo de Amicis-as
may be noted both from its own evidence and
from the admiring reference which Mr.. Harri-
son often makes to the writings and expert
ences of the superb italian. OF course, nei-
ther the nature or art of Mr.. Harrison rival at
all those of Signor dc Amicis; and the genial,
modest and natural writer Of these Profilss
and Vignettes would be the last to claim such
rivalry These studies of Spain are remarks
BILE for the absence of two faults hard TO
avoid in books of travel: dry, Iurray-and-
Baedeker-like statistics, with points of admire
ton vigorously insisted upon; and trivial per-
sonalities and egotisms that interest no reader.
and are in themselves as impertinent as the
autographs which cockney tourists scraul on
the walls of Shakspeare's house on Washing
toms tomb. Accursed of men to como is the
man who leaves the broken beer-bottles and
egg-shells of his vulgar and ephemeral lunch
upon the top of the Pyramids. Into this line
of failings, Mr.. Harrison, who Is both artist
and gentleman by nature, is never led to fall.
His writing is lively, ready, picturesque. Its
chief literary fault is an over-fullness Of Illus
tration, to follow whose rapid march the less
nimble mind of the reader must take many
leap. But this crowding of illusions, fancies,
illustrations is easily pardonod to book so de-
lightful as this Proiles of Spain. 1t is a sue
cession of rich and vivid sketches. Mr.. Hsrri-
son has the gift of impartins clearly that
which he has clearly seen. He Is not indis-
crimnate in praises of foreign things; his hu-
name and vigorous denunciation Of the barba-
rous bullfghts and the cruel pitting of cock
against cock gives shadow dark enough for his
brilliant picture of the yellow light and intense
life Of Spain. His description of the AIhambrs
is fairly worthy of Signor de Amicis himself, so
fine and subtle is his reading of the insffable sad
ness and splendor of the place. "A sword, . po-
EN-, perfume" are the suggestions of the Al
hambra to his thoughts. The Moorish sentences
written upon the walls of this fairy palace are
singularly poetic, and one of the longer of
these exquisite canticles is transferred to the
pages of the present volume. Mr.. Harrison
notes with fine instinct the character, little
progressive, of the Spanish people:
From remote time Che says) the people of Seville
have been the same; they wept and walled In the
train of Venus, commemorating the lost Adonis, as
they now weep and wall In Holy week, commemor-
ating the lost Redeemer. Their customs, fairs fes
rivals, household gods, have been touched with the
ly the same; only, as Gibbon says, they have as-
cepted with alacrity the advantageous offer Of im-
%SsG Ss as snS S1
of prehistoric Venus-worship, as in some Tann-
hauselegend for the exquisite fabric is reared
the ancient temple and smothers were, the cry
of those ancient times.
Mr.. Harrison was so fortunate as to see the
very shop number fifteen, on the left, ;" where
the Barber ofSeville sang his immortal chant Of
ubiquity: Figaro cn Figaro lar Apropos,
the author tells good story of De Cosse, Duke
de Brissac, who recognizing the primal doom
of labor, chose for his part-to shave himself
With open razor in his hand, the French no
bleman thus was wont to commune with his
SOUL
Timoleon de Cosse, God has made thee gcntle-
man and the King has made thee a duke It Is new
ertheess right and tit that thou shoudst have some
thing to do; therefore thou shalt shave thysef.
Capital punishment, though it exists in
Spain, is repugnant to Spanish feelings, Mr..
Harrison observes, and many criminals are ac-
quilted on the plea of insanity. But these in
dividuals are not left at large to commit fresh
emotional outbreaks, but are very properly
handed over to the mad-house.
Spain is, says Mr.. Harrison, literally filled
with bad money, especially paper money" So
much as we may admire the justice dealt out
to violent lunacy above referred to--it is clear
that very harmful class of lunatics are abroad
there, ait-iacketed,-the moon-struck
believers in paper currency. Upon bridge
across a stream that runs through province
little travelled, the writer finds curious in
scription which he thus translates:
O Opasser-by, detain thee here;
Religion first adore;
The Constitution next revere,
Then pass on as before!
Good, old-fashioned reading for the Commun-
lists and Greenbackers of our own country, who
are prone to "pass on without any respect to
religion or patriotism. OF course Mr.. Harri-
son visited the American minister, Mr.. James
Russell Lowell, and found the ambassador-poet
full of entertaining and brilliant conversation
and kind attention to the stranger. 1t would
seem advisable, however, for Mr.. Lowell to
speak with more esteem of America which he
represents. His attitude upon home politics
seems much the same as that which he was so
unfortunate as to express upon the gratulatory
occasion of his national ode-that of distrust
and depreciation of the political progress
which the clique of Massachusetts, politicians
has not aided, except as an ill-conditionsd and
inactive chorus, chanting its Jeremiads OF Ill
bode whenever anything practical was done.
Mr. Lowell is an admirable poet; but knew
even less of politics than do the set Of men who
in To ha fba h;s.
strawberry on the top of their political box.
The following is Mr.. Lowell's expression. as
quoted by Mr.. Harrison upon which it has
seemed suitable to comment thus as to the DO
litical position of our minister 10 Spain:
The Spaniards have reached . condition of an
archy politically to which rotaton-in-Ofos sys-
TEN Is rapidly bringing us. Government sasSseds
government with unpleasant haste, and one round