Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-01

and ''Dios le a companer' "Dios lie a COM
paneP' came fervently from every grateful
tongue. Circling the noble bay, we passed
through the hamlet of Corcuvioh, its people
also in a sad plight from the mysterious epi-
demic, crossed the little torrent of Jallas;
and then with peasant as guide climbed TO
8 considerable altitude, from which the At
lantic could be plainly seen. Thence de-
scending by mountain path into the valley
of the Tambre, we reached Nova and its
single int where we refreshed ourselves
soon after noon. Here we procured another
guide, typical Gallegan, from whom, on
our way to Santiago de Camposrelo, which
we reached shortly before midnight, drew
much useful information regarding the
people OF GalIcia, the oldest, and once the
most famous province of Spain.
OLD GALICIA REVIEWED.
The old sovereignty of Galicia comprises
the present four northwestermost provinces
of Spain named Lugo, Coruna, Orense and
Ponteveda, with population o: 1000, 1000
souls. The inhabitants are descended from
the ancient Betians and preserve their fine
PHYSIQUE and facial peculiarlties to re-
markable degree. The cities and towns are
far apart and strikinglv interesting IN very
ancient, though unartiStic architecture; but
the region, outside the towns, is more densely
populous, considering Its sterile mountains
and tempest-swept moors, than any other
portion OF Spain. Outside OF the cities and
the more pretentious hamletS there is no
habitation deserving better name than
hovel in all Galicia. Their owners call them
chozas, and they are perched in all manner
of romantic and out of the way places, usu-
ally sheltered and half hidden by luxuriant
chestnut groves. In these chozas whether
the peasant occupant is a sitiero or tenant at
will, at a rental not exceeding three Ameri-
can dollars per year, or whether he has be-
come the proud pOssesSOr of few acres,
which is every Gallegan's highest dream,
the peasant of Galicia who remains at home
idly sits and dozes his life away in sodden
Incidence. -Four bare walls, the outside
ALWAYS whitewashed, the inside black with
smoke and filth, and thatched roof, are
enough for shelter. He needs little FIRE,
and the dead branches OF the forests pro-
vide for this. A patch for potatoes, a
quarter o! an acre for milo or millet, half
acre Tor borono or corn, are all he sullenly
pecks at in the summer; and for winter his
perro or dog is the same excellent company
as is his wife's rueea or distaff to her. Two
or three goats furnish enough milk, and
oueso or cheese whose horrible odor no CON-
pound can surpass. He NAV possess a
skinny jacas on whose patient back burdens
inconceivable are packed. He knows no
spade nor plow nor other toil-provoking
implement; and as his choza always stands
beside bubbling spring or songiul rivulet,
no labor is expended in his only other need.
JUST HARMLESS ANIMAL.
This Gallegan is a sort of animal, never
exactly harmful, never wholly helpful, and
always wholly contented with sombrero, a
pair of leather breeehes, a shirt worn outside
these, cockade or taSsel, and any red or
yellow stuff Tor a sash. He is not vicious.
When he was young he did some labor.
But altogether be is only unit of calcula-
tion in summing up population. II he be
married he lives peacefully anywhere in
the mountains. His wife is prolific of
children and rude expedients. He rears
children, like goats, because they come.
The are welcome to come, to stay or to go.
He is likely to know a few airs on the gaita,
the Spanish highland bagpipe, and be will
sing through his nose 10 this and the moon
with the same fervor at so as 1S; while one
could hardly lose his way in the Galician
mountains for the lugubrious notes that
reach from one choza to another, as these old
bagpipes and older Gallegan lungs below
and roar against the affrighted air.
Upon the lace of things one feels that all
is squalor, poverty and permeated with
dumb sort o. wretched content But that
Judgment would be wholly wrong. They
have this saving in Spain to describe a
hoarder of money: "He is as heavy with
onzas Ian onza is about SIG in gold) as is a
Gallegan's breeches;" and there is said to be
greater wealth, in coin, per capita, in Cali
cia, than is possessed by any other equal
rural population of Europe. This comes of
certain fixed andineradicable characteristics
of the Gallegans old, stubborn and finty as
Spain itself
Carlyle said of Emerson, HE has learned
the art of sitting STILL" The Gallegans ever
possessed it, pride in it, and send it down
through posUerity as the one desirable
achievement of life. But that they may
"sit still" they calmly accept their period
of toll Unf1inchingly. When the Gallegan
youth has arrived at the age of Is, he goes to
his drudgery, at sea, in the army, or as the
city menial.
A CHARACTER QUITE UNIQUE.
He suffers every indignity without resent
ment. ''Gallegau dog!" is the mildest uni
versal epithet applied to him. Kick blm
and he will not even cringe. No power can
tempt him to resent insult, or break law, but
to deprive him of his earnings. He will not
squander a copper ochsvo in an entire year.
He will starve himself toEa skeleton;to save.
He Will do anything but rob or murder
while at service to increase his hoard; and
though his homesickness for his mountain
dulcinea, perro and gaita are often so des-
pairing that he dies of heartache and long
ing, he never will return to his beloved Ga
1icia until he has earned enough to possess
his own choza and patch of ground. This is
his only earthly ambition, and he seldom
fails Of its realization.
Thousands Of others gain this accomplish
ment as segadors or reapers. When the
southern fields are ripe whole armies of
Gallegan reapers set out from their noun
tain homes armed with the short hoz or
sickle, their wooden shoes slung over
their shoulders, something as the west of
Ireland men annually set forth for the En-
glish harvest-felds, and, carrying also their
gsltas with them, pipe their way to the
south, where they reap the grain for the in
dolent farmers of CASTLE and Portugal. Re-
turning on foot az they went, they wake
wild and barbaric echoes through the Sierra
de la Culebre, Sierra de Banaderio and the
fair Montanas de Leon. The Gallegau wo-
men meantime have cared for their own
little harvests, and from autumn until
spring-time, save for the occasional droning
of the bagDipe, the crack of the retaco or
blunderbuss, and the wolfsh barking of the
mountain dog, sodden silence and ifeless
sleep seem to have knit all Galicia into a
forbidding and gloomy web of leaden and
obdurate repose.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAE,
As the liver is easily disordered, and a
great deal OF bilious distress apt to prevail