The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-02-24
THE MOORS IN SPAIN.

Pho Legends Of the Oiden Times ilus'
trated by n Series Of Beautiful raolea"'
In the Night Procession at New Orleans
Last week the readers of the FREi
TRADER had the pleasure Of reading
brief of the story Of the Lost City OF Az
Isntis, rs illustrated at the New Orlcan'
Carnival In the day procession ot I'M
King. This week II 10 followed ny gym
opsls OF what was given in the evening By
the "Krew of Momus." who chose Tor thei
subject the history OF
"THE MOORs IN SPAIN
q theme that afforded brilliant lableau'
and a gorgeous street pageant. The &C
count following IS manly condensed from
The ,olumipous repor. IN The n, o. Piea
ysne:
Sna.a, the land OF poetry and romance
has furnished to writers Of all ages TIT
''motivc aud the cue" for brilliant descrip
tions and facinating histories The ancient
legends are cmb'aZoned with episodes OF
high. wrought passion and spleadd deeds
Of chlvalry, and ample libraries might be
filled with the chronicles Of this one coun
try OF Europe. Ovcrran by Cclts. Greeks.
PhGnicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Van
dals and Cloths, and occupied for eight
centuries by the Moslems the land bears
the traces OF these successive invasions by
nations widely differing in customs, Ian.
guage and traditions. The Gothic power
nd, "a tu,A NJ, I'd "a
the scepter was welded by twenty five
successive kings. In the beginning OF the
eighth century Of the Christian era, Witiza
was elected to the throne, and the corrup
uon of his reign prepared the way for the
overthrow Of Gothic domination. "Witiza,
the wicked. taught all Spain to sin" says
an old chronicle. This llcentl0us monarch
was displaced by Don Roaerlcr, q ruler
equally licentlous aud the last OF Gothic
Kings
A.n..ar Rodcrick had been ON the throne
some time. a Moorish galliot containing a
Moorish princess and Der ictinue was
driven ashore, The princess was Oh her
way 10 marry Z son of the King OF Tunis,
and adverse winds had driven her bark to
the shores of Spain. She was conducted
with much pomp to King Roderict. and
the king kept her captive and wooed and
won her for his wife. This incident IS OF
interest, because, had the Moorish prn.
cess not come into Spain with her MaurI-
tanian damsels that palace without the
walls OF Toledo, with the inner garden,
would never have been built; that contest
Of beauty in the garden would never have
taken place; the king would never have
toasted his eyes upon the charms of Flor
india: the lady would have escaped the
prosecutions, or the wilcs, OF the king,
whichever it was, that led to her downfall
Count Julian would never have proven q
traitor TO the Moors and would never have
come into SPAN.
With this briei prelude we proceed tc
the description OF
THE PAGEANT.
Ordinarily the merry god and his train OF
knights inaugurated the Carnival
with their spectacle, but in this year
they appear, by consent of COmus, on
Mardi Gras night itself The city is bril-.
liantly illuminated in honor of the popular
divinity, and the vast Assem- blagc of PEOPLE
on the Grand Boulevard Canal hail with
~
it advances amid the glare Of torches and
TO the sound Of martial music. An i'm
mense transparency precedes the pageant,
and displays in fiery letters the title Of the
subject illustrated: THE MOors in Spain"
Then comes the car Of Momus, the Mer.
ry Son of N0X, the critic of the gods, who
ridiculed the works of Minerva, Vul-
can and Neptune. This jocund divinity
appears in the armOr Of q Grecian soldier,
and stands IN Gothic temple. The base
OF the structure rests on the shoulders OF
cr0uching angels, and Is surrounded by
clouds brilliant with stars. The columns
are twined with garlands, and enriched
with gildings Of silver and gold, Momus
10 clothed In rich tunic, over which he
wears splendid Corselet and an embro,-
dcrcd chlamys. His helmet Ia of gold and
shield OF silver, which CLEAN IN the light
If the torches.
The subjects Of the second, third, fourth,
hith and sixth tableaux of the pageant are
70 be found In the Legend OF Don Roder-
lck, the last al the Gothic kings.
The first represented the Temptation of
Roderick, from the surreptitious view he
obtained Of the divine form of Florlnda,
VI SOuut JuilhU, tSDlcu0ly
entrusted by her father TO his protection
whom he saw bathing ia an interior gar.
den Of the Queen in the palace of Toledo,
sacredly guarded against all male ntru-
sion. The second presented a realistic
picture of the scene In the garden, ending
IN the betrayal of The sacred trust rcpOsed
IN the King by the Count, q crime as dis
astrous 10 Spain a. the rape of Helen was
TO the city OF Troy.
The tablcau of the third car referred To
the magic tower near the city of Troy,
erected by Hercules, containing fearful
secret, which every succeeding king was
commanded to aid III guarding by AL ad
dihonal lock, but which Don Roderick
broke into, expecting TO find 1t filled with
treasure, but in which he only found q
casket containing linen cloth, on which
he beheld painted figures of men on horse.
back. of fierce demeanor, clad after the
manner of the Arabs and above them in
scribed In Greek characters the words
Rash Monarch behold the men who are
to hurl thee from thy throne and subdue
thy kingdom" The tableau represented
this tower OF jasper and variegated mar
bles, with four broken lions at its base, the
eagle descending 10 It's summit, the ancient,
guardians at the portals, the sumptuous
hall within, Roderlck breaking open the
golden casket, &c.
The fourth tableau represented the re-