Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-10-18
SPANS FAIR DANES.
Hne ways OF Maids and Matrons In thu
Iaud Of the Troubadours.

STA'NS FAIR DANES.
Hne ways o. Maids and Matrons I'm the
Land Of the Troabadours.
When a Spanish woman Is beautiful
she is beyond compare; but this
transcendent beauty, contrary to what
travellers would have us believe, is the
exception rather than the rule in
Spain. and the common type Of woman
kind is not prepossessing, whilst, sad
to say. a Spanish wOman's good looks
last but a brief span, and as she puts
on years she invariably puts on flesh.
whilst long before she arrives at the
age when We in America consider a
woman has a right to be both flair
and fat, " the symmetry of her form is
certainly not of the character that an
aesthetic poet would rave about. In
fact, one of the chief reasons why so
few foreigners marry Spanish women
is, l believe, on this account A man
must be very much gone on the
senOrita of his choice and be possessed
of Bayardian loyalty if he does not
desire to escape from the engagement
on seeing his mother-in-law elect. 1t
is really tax upon any mans chivalry
and devotion to'be suddenly confronted
with mamma and the senoras Of the
family. and to know that the sylph-
like Venta by his side will inevitably
become every whit as bulky and I'M
wieldy as they.
Chaperoning is vigorously exercised
in all parts Of Spain. country where
it is not respectable for a female to go
Out alone. Every young woman. even
unto them who are perfectly capable
of taking care of themselves. has her
chaperone when she takes her walks
abroad.
Argus may have been cute. but in a
trial of vigilance l would, l think, be
inclined to put my money on the Span
ish materfamilias, who not only keeps
her chicks under her wing with care
equal to that of the most devoted
mother hen, but she can sight a posi-
BILE poacher long before he is visible to
the ordinary eye. But then. in justice,
it should be added that it would not be
safe for any young girl to walk in the
streets unattended, for Spaniards,
although exceedingly punctilious and
formal, are not in reality courteous,
and their views in regard to women in
general are embraced in cynical Tai
leyrand's three golden rules: L'Oppor-
tunite, L'opportuaite. L'opportunite.
Then Spaniard's everyday language,
even in the presence of his women
folk, is of the most free-and-easy de-
scription.
Spanish women have fewer vices
than those of many other nations.
They are naturally voluptuous. but
they are scrupulously loyal to those
whom they love, making devoted,
obedient wives, without bothering
their heads about woman's rights, or
any of those questions which vex the
souls of their more masculine-minded
sisters in this country. They have all
the curiosity and but little of the in
tuition common to their sex in European
countries. They have all the Moslem
woman's hatred of physical exercise.
Whilst the majority of the lower classes
can hardly read or write, the educa-
ton of the middle classes is practical
ly limited to grounding in matters
appertaining to the rights and usages
of the mother church. Their liter
AZURE is almost entirely of religious
character, interleaved with vulgar ac-
counts of the doing of the bull-ring.
Of the works of foreign authors she
knows but little, even by name, whilst
her acquaintance with those of her
own countrymen is. as rule, confined
to trashy productions of a questionable
character. Madrid Letter.