The record-union., 1892-02-20

Out of the mythic days come brave old
tales of the folk that fiourished here.
The inhabitants, heroic race, fought
naked with sings, and from the dexter
lty OF the warriors the islands became
known as Balearica, country of the
strong-armed singers. The old legends
nave 1t that their marvellous proficiency
with this weapon was attained through
the mothers refusing their children food
until they could sling it down. from
beams or branches on which it was hung.
This very city of Palma is built upon the
ruins of the old Roman town founded by
Quintus Cecilius Metellus, VINO con-
quered the islands with galleys ''plated
with ox-hides and skins as a protection
against the fatal strokes of the Balearic
singers"
Ruled in turn by Vandals and Goths,
the islands eventually fell into the hands
OF the Moors, shortly after Southern
Spain became prey to the hordes of Gebr
al-Iarek. Curiously the people of the
islands reached their highest prosperity
under their African rulers, who taught
them all the arts and cruelties of piracy,
until the Balearicans became master of
and spread terror over the entire Medlter-
ranean. The isles were thus merged into
clear yet terrible commonwealth, whose
power was often courted and employed
by nelghboring soyereigns. The acccu-
great as TO invite cupidity of invasion
and even to "holy'' crusades, until Don
Jayne l., King of Aragon and Count of
Barcelona, in September, 1929, sailed for
Palma with fleet of $50 galleys and 49,
GOO men, principally Catalonian peasant
warriors. Palma fell. The males of the
mixed race Of pirate MCors and Baleari-
cans were butchered, sold as slaves or
banished to the African coast The
women became the slaves and wives of
the Catalonlan peasant warriors. The
islands were partitoned off among the
followers of Don Jayne l., founding a
titled land-holding aristocracy, existing
to this day, as proud, rich and noble
bIooded as Europe ever knew. The then
independent kingdom of Balearica, under
eventual vassalage to Pedro ~. of Ara
gon, was finally merged with Aragon
into the Spanish Dominion. With mo-
theirs of pure Balearic and Moorish blood
and fathers from the sturdy, sluggish and
over-contented Catalonian stock tinged
and tempered by matchless cline and
fruitful soil, the 700 intervening years
have nodded a race fine in physique, sup
pie Of limb, CHEEKY of temper and heart,
melodic of speech and tongue, fair to look
upon and truly good to find and know.
Having left the beautiful, sleepy. sunlit
bay for Palma's streets, you have entered
city of nearly 10000 souls, where Italy,
Spain and Algeria seem to have formed
charming composite in architecture and
people. The hugenesS of walls is every
where remarkable. Everything is con-
structed as if for eternal lasting. No
street is beautiful, but not one fails of
picturesQueness that is often weird and
grotesque. Every structure possesses in
some portion, and frequently in the most
unexpected position, some wonderful and
ornate ornamentation. Tiny squares
with whipping fountains are set in all
sorts of odd corners. huge church
may tower on the one side of each Of
these. At a corner may stand, or project
from a curious and seemingly unneces-
sary wall, massive carved facade or
gargoyle from which the water is end
lessly flowing. At another side mass of
vines and verdure, capped to the sight by
far domeS or spires, is only visible. Out
juttlng at another spot, the angle of some
huge building seems TO have pushed it's
way half across the plaza and with its
galleries, balconies and tremendous over
reaching roofs is ready to pitch headlong
into the open space beneath. While
another sunny side shows only a roof of
red tiles sloping like a tent cover, I'M
pierced by single aperture, from an
lnterminable hight wholly to the edge of
a stone cloiSter-like porch beneath.
In all open SnaceS are palm trees. And
these, rising from courts, lifting their
spreading tronds high above roofs from
darkened thoroughtares, often leaning,
like the tower of Pisa, out OF quaint old
courts, and here and there being pre-
served by an entire building constructed
around them, lend a dreamfuI, mystic,
almost lonesome and pathetic coloring to
every maSSing Of structures upon which
the eye may rest. To me the palm,
whether | have seen it in Southern Spain,
in Sicily, in Morocco, in Algeria, in
Cuba or here in Palma, whose name had
its origin in the former extraordinary
number of palm trees upon the island,
has always been an emblem of dolorous
isolation and IneXpressible loneliness. It
hints of the camel, the Bedouin, the
desert. In art, in story, in fact, it ever
suggests the endless hopeleSsneSS and inn
FEASIBILITY Of the barriers between the
races that subSiSt upon and rest beneath
it, and those who know and love the
maple, beech and oak.
1t is city of steep ascents and ILL
paved streets, but of witching old bits of
curious architecture, and perhaps as
lovely and splendid interiors as any
Moorish or semi-Moorish city can show.
All the houses retain features of Moorish
taste and evidences of medieval forms of
habitation and living. They are not
higher than three or four stories at best.
More have but the ground floor with an
upper one, and an attic called porcho.
Invariably the entradas to the interior
are studies in carved arabesdues and
fanciful Moorish designs. Balconies
are as universal and as huge or as
lace-like and fragile as in Granada or
Seville. A marked popularity of all
structures is their huge projecting roofs
spread out into pent-houses and fire.
quently most tascinatingiy worked out
and decorated. And the lowliest home
in all Palma is charming in its patio or
court-that loveliest of all interior ar
rangement around which MoSlem or
Christian home can be built.
Every one of these courts is place of
beauty, sunshine and song. In every
one there is the melodic sound of water
from running jetty or fountain. In every
one, whether glittering with slender
marble columns and daintily wrought
arches or softened in tones with messy
stone and crumbling tiles, there are wav-
ing ferns and flowers. Vines Chamber
wantonly over entablature, arch and bal
ustrade. The alcobas of all living in these
abodes are within the sound of friendly
calling voice. And not one is without
birds of gay plumage and birds with end
less songs. L often wonder why the rich
of our own land do not build their homes
like these. A dome Of glass instead of
the blue Mediterranean sky is all the
change required. Danish the pall-like
hangings and whitening shadow places
from your stuffy homes, and learn to live
in the life-giving light like the Latin and
the Moor. Put your great New England
hrepIaces opposite your arched entrances,
and make of these sunlit open, courts
places of beauty, ightsomeness, melody
and homeside joy.
Only when the feast and professional
days come is Palma gay and brilliant