, 1890-02-06

Us lfNNNA aNi"f ~ % NfA'N N'''a.' a''''' wv
mysterious cpi.1migi crossed thc Tito
tos mt OF ia mas; and then with a peas
ant US guide climbed to a COUsil'rahlc
altitude. from which the Atlantic could
be- plainly seem Thence descendi ing by u
mountain uHth into tho valley OF the
rambrc, We reached Nuya aud its single
inn where we refreshed ourselves soon
after noon. Here We procured another
guide, n " pivM O.ulognn, from whom
on our wayt Santiago de tamppstclo.
which We reached shortly before mid
uivht. drew much interesting iuormH
ton Tcgnuiug the people of tulicli, tht
oldest and Uuuo tho most famous prov
inoc ui Spain,
The old sovereignty Of Gallcia com
priscs the present four urthMCstetnmosl
provinces Ol spain named Lugo, tOrunn,
Orrnsc ami nuuteyeda, with popula
ton uf . uyp 90 souls. The Inhabitants
are descended from the ancient Brotians
and preserve their line physique ana
facial IeCuliaritics to u remarkable de-
rrce The "i'iei and towns are mr.
apart aud strikinfly interesting IN very
ancient, though uuartlstIc architecture
but tho region, outside the towns, is
more dcuscly populous, considering lts
sterile mountains aud trmpcst.swppi
mours than any other portion ol SPAIN
Outside ut the cities aud the more pre-
t,ntiuus haiuluts there Is no hHultatiun
deserving u better name than novel III
all GaliCia. Their owners call them
Cholus and they nrr perchcd In all man
ucr of romantic and Out-of-llc way
places, usually sheltered and half hid
den by luXurinnt chestnut groves. In
these cho2la, whether the peasant oc'
cuuuut is d sitieru or tenant at VIII, at
rental not exceeding three American
dollars per year, or whether he has be
come Tie proud pussessor of a few acres,
which Is every Gallegan's high.
est dream, the peasant 81
Galicia who remains at home i1ly
sits and dOEes his life away iu soddcn
iudolenCc. Four bare walls, the outside
always whitcwushed the inside black
with Hlih, and u thatchet ROOT are
enough fot shelter. lie needs little hrc,
and the dead brnChe, of the forests
provide lot this. A patch of potatoes,
"a quarter Of an aero for milo or millet, a
half acre for hotono or corn, are all he
-u,lonly pcCks az IN the summer; and
for winter his pcrro or dog is tho same
excellent com ,iiuy as is his wiio's rueca
or distail to her. Two or three goats
furnish enough milk, and qucso or
cheese whose horrible Odoruo compound
can surpIss. lie may possess u -kinny
lauas ON whose patient back burdens IN
conceivable are packed. lie knows no
spade nor plow nor other toll-provOking
lANIllfIilNW " hllN NN lAA0 'AA'hN tANhg n
stands beside q buhbliug spring lr song,
ful riyulet, no labor is expended in his
only other need. This Gallogau is q sort
OF animal, never exactly harmful, ncy-
or wholly helpful, and always wholly
Contcuted with q sOubrcro, a pair OF
leather brCeChc-, u SHIRT worn outside
those, a cD,kade n; u tassel end any ROD
or ocll1W stun for u stslt. lie Is not
yiciOus. When ho was young he did
sono labor Hut altogether hc Is only a
unit ui calculation In summing up popu-
latiou. II hr De married he lives peace
mlly anywhere I'm the mountains. His
" no Is prOdtir Of children and rude OK
pcliouts. ic rcars children, like goats,
lccuuse they come. IhCy aru welcome
10 COME To stay, or to go. lie IS likely
To- know q few airs ON the guita, the
spanish highland hagpipc, and he will
sing through his nose to this and the
moon, with tho same tcryOrat 50 as Is;
while one could hardly lose his way in
the Galician mountains for the lugu.
brious notes that reach from one cho2a
to another, ms these old bagpipcs and
Older Gnllcgan lungs hollow and roar
against the aiiTightrd air.
MEASURE Of WEALTH.
Upon the face of things, one feels that
all is squnor poverty and pcrmeatcd
with dumb sort Of wrotchcd content.
Hut that Judgment would be wholly
wrong Thcy have this saying in Spain
10 describe hoardcr OF money: "llc Is
u- heavy with onzas Tan onza Is about
SID in goldl AS is Gallcgan's brceches;"
and there is said TO he greater wealth,
In coin per capita In Gulicia, than Is
possessed by any other equal rural popu.
latiun Of Europe. This comes of certain
nNed aud incmdicablo characteristics of
the Gullegun- old, stubborn and finty
MS spain itself For more than
1909 years the molOs and
Cradns or men and maid-ScrVaHts
ol spain have been supplied from
these wild and dCsulute mountain re
rions All the city cocheros or coach
men, aguadores or water carriers, can't
ncros or buffers and lunch carriers, por-
lerus or patio porters, Carreterus or cart.
men. zapateros or cobblers, you may
come upon In any city of Spain, arc
from among the peasants OF Galciu.
BESIDES, the best soldiers of Spain, her
best marines, sailors and fishermen are
iallegans. Go where you will every hu-
man tcast OF burden, every tunkcy,
every slave in any form of servitude TN.
der the prouder, lazier Castcllanos camo
from one of these white choZas. some
where between the Pyronees ana the At
lantic. "padrc bodcgncro, hijo cIbal-
lcro, nietu p0rl 10 scru' THE father "A
grocer, the son a gentleman, the grand .
son q beggarI l-terscly expresses tho
easy shifting of fortunes among tho
Spanish people. The Gallogans are the
only ones in Spain who never change.
They are rs con tent as servants. Tlvy
universally despise and contomn rest
lessness and ambition. Carlyle said to
Emerson, "llc has learned the art of
sitting still. The Gallcgans ever pos
sessed II, pride In II, nourish It, and
send II down through posterity as the
one desirable achievement OF Life.
But that they "sit stir they calmly
accept their period of toll unilinchingiy.
When the Gallegan youth has arrived az
ihe age OF u, he goes to his drudgcry,
az sea, in the army, or as tie
city mental, lie suffers every in
dignity without resentment. "Gallc-
gan dogW Is the mildest universal
cpithet applied to him. Kick him
and lac Will not even cringe. No power
can tempt him To resent insult, or break
law, but to deprive him of his earnings.
lie will not s1uander copper ochavo In
an entire year lie will starye himself
to "a skeleton to save. lie will do any
thing but rob or murder while at service
to Increase his hoard; and though his
hOnesicknoss for his mountain dulcinea,
perro and gaita are often so despairing
that he dies Of heartaohe and longing,
he never will rtsurr. to his beloved Cali.
ria until he has earned enough u pos
scss his own Choza and patch Of ground.
This l. his only earthly ambition, and
he seldom fails of'!ts realization. Thou.
sands of Others gain this accomplishment
as scgddOrs or rcnpers. When the
southern fields are ripe whole armies of
Gnliegan reapers set ont from their
mountain homes armed with the
short hoz or sioklc, their wooden shoes