New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1898-08-10
.SP NISH CIR D EES,
FAMILY PEDiGREEs THAT RUN BACK
TEN CENTURIES. B

FAMILY PEDlGREEs THAT RUN BACK
EN- CENTURIES. q.
The National Vanity Borders on the Alb
surdly Grotesque. and PlAying the Gem
tleman Has Been Called ..the Endemic
Disease Of spain.s s.
It is related that a young guard, hav-.
ing neglected to pay the usual salute to
q Spanish duke at the court OF Madrid,
excused himself by saying that he did
not know the offended nobl eman I s rank.
s. MY friend, replied his grace, &. the
safe rule is to assume that every body in.
the palace who looks like monkey is a
grandee Of the first class. r Il Z. ;s4t
The truth is the Spanish are thor.
oughly mongrel race, and their conceit
Of themselves amazes us Their country
has probably been oftener overrun and
conquered than any other territory Of
equal extent in Europe. Phenician,
Carthaginian, Roman, Vandal, Visigoth
and Moor have all successfully made it
their stamping ground, and the effect
OF all this upon the pure Castiliani
blood, whatever that may be, is indeli-
bly, stamped on every really Spanish;
face. SIS 81 Is s5 +.
But playing the gentleman has been
called "the endemic disease of Spain, y
and the national vanity is something
grotesque. One of their historians seri-
ously advanced the theory that the first
inhabitants of the country .tttarrived
by air, = SO impressed was he by their
superhuman qualities that nothing short
Of descent from the sky could account
for them. A subsequent historian, how
ever, after a long and grave discussion
OF the question, finally announced his
opinion that "they more probably came
by land y
After this we need not be astonished
| that the Spanish claim to possess the
Oldest families in Europe. The surpris-
ing circumstance is that the claim is
not wholly without foundation. Their
family names can in some cases be trac-,
ed back to an incredibly remote period,
though it must not be assumed that the
original blood persists in any purity.
Probably the most ancient family in
Spain is the house of Pacheco, whose
estates are not far from Oarteia, now
called Cartaya, in Andalusia. Plutarch
tells us that when Crassus fed from
Italy he concealed himself for eight
months at Ximena, near Carteia, in
caves belonging to Spanish gentleman
named Paciccus. Cicero also mentions
this generous Spaniard, and there can
be no doubt that he was one Of the an
cestors of the Pacheco family, whose
name is obviously derived from his and
who still own the caves. This carried
them back about 2, 900 years, to period
antedating the Christian era, but it is
| possible to trace the line much further.
The name is clearly of Phenician origin,
being ultimately derived from "patai-
co.,, the word by which the Tyrians
designated the carved figurehead of
their galleys. - ~- :.
The Identification is made more COM
plete by the fact that the Phonicians
were the founders of Carteia, as of Cad
IL in the same province. That adds
| another 1000 years or so to the Pacheco
pedigree. Think of it-a landed estate
remaining in the possession of the
same family for 5000 years! This is
doubtless the most wonderful family
tree in the world and unusually we'll
authenticated. The Pachecos may we'll
be pardoned for taking pride in it,
though it roots in rather unsavory soil
at last, for the great original Pacheco
was evidently a Tyrian freebooter.
Names that trace back to the Cartha-
gilman occupation in the time of Han
nibal are also found, and the title Of
Hannibal's own clan, Barca, is perpet-
uated by the Barcias and Garcias, we'll
known families of, Andalusia. There
are also several names Of Roman ante
cedents, as Ponce and Cane, in Latin
Pontius and Canius "A Spanish gentle
man bearing the latter name was per-
sonal friend Of the poet Martial, all Of
which seems to bring antiquity very
near--in Spain. The fact Of the matter
is she has never emerged from antiquity.
The Spanish, however, are inclined
to look back to the Cloths as the purest
fountain of nobility" This certainly
seems strange perversion of sentiment,
for of all the barbarians that came down
from the north to lay waste Roman civ
ilization with fire and sword the Cloths,
with their cousins, the Vandals, were
the most irredeemably villainous.
And these Cloths were no extraordi-
nary heroes either, even in war. With
supine and braggart( incompe tency they.
lost to the Moors in the eight months
!. - -