Evening star., 1898-07-30

u sionals of low birth.
N& Spanish bull fights
ceased to possess
anything of the old chivalry when chivalry
itself expired, more than two centuries
ago. Apologists of the ring indeed, claim
for the end O. the aristocratic period" Il
date as late { the accession of the Bour-
bons in 17IO: but as their chronicles are
silent concerning the exploits of the Span
ish nobility II this regard all through, the
eighteenth &c 1tury. there is reason to give
the date Of the accession of the Bour-
bons'' it's mere sentimental value. The
chronicles of the ring begin again in no
with the name of the plebian Pedro Ro-
nero; with the Corrida de TOros in full
swing a mercenary show, and with the
Spanish dons content TO patrontZe il in the
simple act of paying for their seats.
The sport Degenerated.
Romero found the national sport de
generated" to a simple conflict between a
bull and a professional -without-a -profes-
sion. Apart from the lack of noble Span
ish blood in the bull fighter. the Gegener-
acy appears to have consisted in ex-
change of the heavy armor in which chiv-
airy was wont to prudently envelop itself
for the cheaper suit of padded leather and
shirt of mail of the time and trade Pedro
Romero first threw aside every kind of
protection, appearing as gymnast, light,
terbalance the obvious disadvantage. hit
upon the device of ''tirng OUT the bull by
whole series Of preliminary exercises
to be performed by understudies. He in
vented also a new and very dangerous
method of killing the animal a single
sword-blow. which must penetrate a GER
tain spot behind the shoulder of the bull,
while the bull fighter perilously faced him.
How much this was 'degeneratIng" from
the prudence of the old aristccTats who, IN
their knightly armOr, speared the bull from
hka l- a heir hE.r~- I-~xl
at him. when unsea ted with their battle
axes. is a question rather delicate than
difficult to answer.
At His Brothers Death.
One Of the first experiences of Romero
was to assist at the death of his own
brother. whom he had been training in the
trade 1t was on the occasion of the
c1owning of Charles ". In the royal box
sat the king and his young consort under
meath a canopy of white and purple.
Grouped around them, in a half moon,
snone the dazzling costumes of the ladies
of honor. of the gentlemen of the court, of
the ambassador. the ministers. the cheva-
lers and the guards
The first bull had been teased and killed
to feafcning applause Then the crowds
yelled out enc1urasements and compli-
n entS TO Pedro Romero again, he ad-
Vanced to the corregidor and begged to be
allowed to ceCle his place in the next
combat 10 his brother Juan. The favor
spaia leaped into the ring. But behind the
barriers girl leaned on the shoulder OF
an oil man, weeping.
The conflict vas unhappily short one
Juan Romero evaded the bull once and
then was seen to rise into the air and fall
heavily on his back. The bull was below
ing his victory, and the people joined him.
while the understudies kept careful dis
ta2ce from the mad animal. 1t was here
the old man and the girl slipped into the
arena unperceived and. forgetful of all dam
N ht fIy-ivtc
PIE were tremendously excited. 1t was
then that Pedro Romero brother of the
victim, seized the sword and to stand
between his family and the bull. Pray
for me- he cried TO the audience for |
shall Kali this beast or die myself-' Then
as the chronicle has it-''without allowing
himself To be moved by the spectacle of his
sister in tears, his old father stricken BY
sorrow, his brother cold in death the king
and court in contemplation of him. and the
tumuttuous crowd. Pedro Romero threw
himself with great cry upon the bull and
killed him with a single master stroke
And thus was manifested. in clear daylight
in most satisfactory manner, and in the
space Of few moments the chronicle
continues. the despair of a father the
love of sister, the intrepidity of man the
enthusiasm of people, the tenderness of
king and the triumph OF human address
over brute force"
Pupil Succeeded Him.
Pedro Romero. after a career of great
honor and profit, died in his bed at the age
of 102 years. His pupil, Miguel Galvez
Succeeded to his title first spada of Spain
and the direction of his troupe. Then to
Romero Gaivez and Bargaiztegui succeeded
a galaxy Of great toreros, from whose play
rose up the rival schools of Seville and
Arunda- 1t is true that during the reign of
Joseph Bondparle the bull ring languished; :;
while even with the return of King Ferdi-
nand the bulls were made TO fight with
leather balls upon their horns. But in 1915
the last restrictions We're removed and
shortly after the king established at Sc
vile, practical and theoretical school of
TauromaChIe, whose director was made to
receive the magnificent annual salary of
l<tNp reals Things being again estab-
lished on q rasis satisfactory to the people
the fame of the ilIustrious Curro-Ciufien
1875. ~
''Curro-GuiIlen." says a writer of the
time, is now scarcely twenty years of age
thouBh already on the pinnacle Of honor
He IS tall. slender and large at the shouI-
ders- He has the hands and feet of a wo-
man. His figure IS that of u slender vornp
girl His dark eyes burn strangely. His
movemen-s are supple and graceful and
his tenue is so naturally correct in the
presence of the bull that one perceiyes
easily that he has been from the tenderest
Infancy initiated into the profoundest mys-
teries OF the corr!da- Is Curro-Guillen not
II fact. the son Of Francisco Herrara Gull
len, and grandson Of Francisco Herrara
two of the best masters of the old school
OF Seville? We pray God that he may
therefore lot the sake or his ancestors and
the glory of Spain. not abandon himself too
completely 10 the caresses of his too nu-
rnerous sweethearts. but may be able to
eyede the bowery chains woven for him
by the whitest and most arstOcratic hands
OF the fatherland. pious wish and
gratthed. presumably. until the handsome
youth had attained his forty-third year.
Then he was killed by a bull in the ring of
Arunda, where perished also Castillares
and Pepe-Hillo in their time.
Two Died In the Ring.
The period that succeeded is chiefly re-
marksble for the exploits Of Jose Rodri-
guez, called Pepete. and the famous Fran
cisco Arizona Cuchares. There are also the
great names OF Francisco Montez. Juan
Nunez, Jose Baden and Juan Leon; but the
career OF one is almost the career of the
other. with the exception OF the manner
of their deaths. Leon and Nunez were kill
ed IN the ring, while Montez and BadeT
died of old age and both wealthy. For that
matter IT almost seems that the Spanish
bull fighter has but these two ways oi
quitting the world. II he does not give his
life in his efforts to crafty the ferocious
Spanish public his hardy training and tenn
HxrirO hf,r, old