Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1883-11-16
STREET SCENES IN MADRID.

oOhNho
The Madrilenos offer not fiat, but
rather an extremely round, contradiction
to this general and accepted idea Of the
national appearance. Slenderness is the
exception with them. Their city is 0
forced flower in the midst Of mountain
lands, and the men themselves rejoice
in rotund and puffy look OF success,
which also partakes of the hot-house
character. They are people OF leisure,
and, after their manner, of pleasure.
How they swarm in their cafes. In the
Gate of the Sun--where they keep up the
Moorish custom Of calling walters by
two claps of the hands-or on the one
great thoroughfare, Gale de Alcala, OF
in the bull-ring Of Sunday They
never sleep, or, il they do, others take
their places in the public resorts. The
clamor of the streets, and even the snarl.
ing cry Of the news.venders-"La Cor
respondenoia," or "H Democrata-a"
is kept up until the small hours and
at 8 or 6 the restless stir begins again
with the silver tinkling Of fleet mule
bells. There are no night.howling
watchmen in Madrid but the custom
of street.hawking is rampant in Spain |;
and here, in addition to the newsman,
we have the wall Of the water-criers min
istering to an unquenchable popular
thirst, the lottery ticket sellers, the wax
match peddlers, and dozen others.
The favorite bird Of the country is Q
kind of lark called aiondrd, much hung
III cages outside OF the windows, whence
they utter-with that monotonous recur-
renee which seems fixed principle OF
all things Spanish-a hard, piercing
triple note impossible to ignore. This
loud, persistent "twit, twit-twit," re-
sembling at distance the click Of cas-
tinets, begins about daybreak, and gives
a most discouraging notion OF the Span
ish musical ear.
OF course there is home life and there
is family affection in Madrid, but the
stranger naturally does not see great
deal Of these ; and then it may be doubt.
ed whether they really exist to the Same
extent as in most other civilized capitals.
1t becomes wearisome TO make sallies
upon the town, and day after day find
so much of the population trying to di.
vert itself or killing time in the cafes
and clubs. The feeling deepens that
they resort TO these for want OF sulli
GENTLY close interest in their homes.
More than that, they do not seem really
TO be amused. Even their Language
fails to express the amusement idea ; the
most that anything can be for them, in
the vernacular, is entertaining" Still
the choice of light diversion is varied
enough. Opera fiourishes in winter, il
spring and summer the bull-ight; thea
ters are always in blast; cocking-mainl
are kept up. Hitherto gambling hai
been onother favorite pastime unit
checked by the authorities. Not con
tent with oil this, the Madrilenos seel
in lottery shops that excitement which
Americans derive from drinking saloons
The brightly-lighted lottery agency oc
ours as frequently as that other indica
ton OF disease, the apothecary's win
dow, in American cities. People of al
classes hover about them both by da,
and by night. Posters confront yol
with announcements OF the Child Jesu
, Lottery, the lottery to aid the Asylum
of Our Lady OF the Assumption, or tn
J National, which is drawn thrice month
. with 4 chief prize Of S32, 900, and som
400 other premiums. There ore man.
small drawings beside constantly goinI
: on not day passes, in fact, withou
your being solicited by wandering deal
: ers in these alluring chances at leas
: half a dozen times. George p. Lathrop
+ in Harper's Magazine.
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