New-York tribune., 1896-09-27

in Asia To-day she is scarcely a third-class
Power in Europe. is the least Of all foreign land
holders in Africa. and the last of her Ameri-
can and Asian possessions slipping from her
grasp
No empire ever began its course with higher
promise than did Spain. The peninsula is sin
gularly favored by nature. Its climate is genial
its soil we'll watered and fertile and abounding
in useful and precious metals. Its geographical
position gives IL command of entrance to and
exit from the Mediterranean. an ample frontage
on both that sea and the Atlantic. ready access
10 all the lands of Southern Europe, and close
connection with Africa Nor were its people for
merly unworthy of their environment and OPP
portunities The autochthones were probably
superior to their reighbOrs, the Celts and Gauls,
beyond the Pyrenees. At any rate when some
Of these latter came down and mingled with
them. the Celtiberians were superior to the
Celts. Who were the autochthonous Iberians?
Perhaps the Basques their unmiscegenated
descendants II not then who are the Basques?
Neither Japhetic nor Semitic. the ethnooglst ana
lincuist would say nor yet Hametc; perhaps
the sole descendants Of some antediluvian an
cestor not taken into the Ark. Certainly their
language comes from no rootstock elsewhere
known II is the speech Adam and Eve had In
the Garden. says 1t was brought TO SPAN
by Tubal before the confusion OF tongues at
Rabel. SAWS another 1t is the language of the
angels says a third. which the devil once tried
to learn. but mastering only three words in seven
years abandoned in despair No wonder IT, as
says a fourth. in it you spell word solomon
and pronounce it Nebuchadnezzar
But however good the original stock the ad-
vantages Of a composite or cosmopolitan popu-
laton were presently added. First came the
Celts as we have already seen. Then Phoeni-
ca Egypt and Greece successfully added their
quotas Next came the Carthaginians the most
liberal contributors yet and then, because or
them. the Romans The latter found the lberi-
ans far more difficult to subdue than any of the
purely Celtic tribes. 1t an inch-by-inch
struggle over the whole peninsula. not completed
until the time of Augustus Caesar. Then Spain
became more Roman if possible, than Rome it
self Italian and Iberian fraternzing. intermar-
rying commingling beyond possibility Of pre-
serving traces of the separate strains. The lit
erature and arts Of Rome there attained their
well-nigh best development. Spain gave to
Rome in arms and letters such names as those
Of Traian Martial, Lucan. Seneca, and Quin-
tilian while the names Of Leon Uegio), Sara
gossa Caesar Augusta), Pampeluna Pompeiop-
os) Merida CEmerita Augusta), and many
others still tell in Spain the tale Of ancient Latin
glory Then came the conquerors of the con-
ouarinp Romans the Goths and their allies. The
suevi established themselves in Lusitania, the
Vandals made their home in and gave their
name to Andalusia and the Visgoths set up
kingdom which outlasted all its contemporaries
Of like origin These added to the already mixed
blood a vrile Northern tincture. and then IN
turn Yielded to a contribution from the South
and East brought thther by the Moors. With
such forbears the Spaniard of to-day is well en-
.ftfa a1 ida 90
body" -
A WORLDWIDE EMPIRE
Such was the composition of the Nation which
for many years dominated the whole continent
Of Europe and founded the first Empire upon
which il could truly be said the sun never set.
The fifteenth century saw its rise when famous
navigators went out toward all the corners OF
the earth to find new worlds. Vasco da Cana
and Magellan may be claimed for Spain, the lat
ter because he was actually in her service the
former because Portugal and all its findings
presently became an appanage OF SPAN "rea'-
est Of all however. was Columbus. who indeed
discovered "a New World for Leon and CASTLE
and whose great adventure called forth from
Pope Alexander VI the famous Bull of Parti-
ton" OF MAY T. 1895. which gave 10 Spain all
the lands Of the earth not already possessed by
Christian prince lying west of line Crawn
north and south from pole TO pole hundred
leagues west OF the Azores. True, the French
and the British disregarded the Holy Fathers
decree, and presently began making raids and
even establishing colonies beyond the forbidden
line and after time such men az Hawkins.
Drake and Oxenham took to disputing Spanish
sovereignty wherever they found il. But for a
long time Spain held her sway over the bulk OF
the Western Hemisphere.
The history OF Charles ! OF Spain who was
Charles V, Emperor Of Germany was the history
Of all Europe. The history Of his son Philip III
was the history of the whole known world. For
under the former, Spanish authority was dom
inant throughout the German cities and duke
doms-the Holy Roman Empire; and though
Charles failed broken heartedly in his great
scheme Of making his son his successor and the
imperial dignity thereafter hereditary In his line.
he yet left TO Philip realm compared with which
that Of Charlemagne or Of Napoleon seemed mea-
gre indeed For under that despot the Spanish
Empire included the whole Iberian Peninsula
and the Balearcs Roussillon and Cerdagne north
OF the Pyrenees the island OF Sardinia, Sicily.
Naples and Milan. Franche- Comte Holland and
belgium. and. practically speaking, Austria,
0ohemia Hungary and Transylvana. In Africa