Middletown transcript., 1898-05-07

COmpulSUIy Wdo poooCO ia AOOsq DN" ~
" as never enforced, partly for political
reasons and partly because of the
wretched pay of the teachers-$50 to
$100 a year being usual fee. In
higher education Spain is not behind
hand. She has ten large universities,
c irrying an enrolment of 10000 stu
dents.
Spain gets its revenue by system of
direct aud indirect taxation, stamp
duties, government monopolies, etc.
Dirrct taxes are imposed on landed
property, holses, live stock, commerce,
registration act, titles of nobility,
mort cages, etc: the indirect taxes
come from foreign imports. articles of
consumption, tolls, bridge and ferry
dues. Her revenue for 1896 and 1897
was ego, I'll, ,450;her expenditures e30,-
456, ,594. She had beside this, how
ever, an extraordinary expenditure of
Sc. 100000. Her pubic debt is
now over $4,000, 900, 900, including
over $3.50, 900, 600 incurred in Cuba.
WHAT HER PEOPLE LIVE ON. HER
RAILWAYS.
Spain is an agricultural country. In
the early party of the century the
country was owned by landed proprie-
tons, who had acquired great tracts of
land, but in recent years these tracts
have been divided and have passed in
to the hands of small farmers and
fruit-growsls. The vine is the most
important culture, bit large quantities
of oranges. raisins, nuts and olives are
exported every year. Spain is rich in
minerals, the annual value of her min
eral exports being about &c, $40, 900.
She also manufactures cotton goods.
She has nearly seventy thousand looms.
Her imports for 1896 and 1897 amount
ed to e29, 1856, ,906. Her exports brought
her in e34, 800, 400. The most primi-
tive conditions prevail in many parts
of Spain, and in some portions life is
almost as it was when Columbus trav-
eled he country roads on foot leading
his little son by the hand. This is due
to the meager means of communication,
there being but 754S miles Of railway
in the whole country. This is only 3.9
linear miles of road for every 100
square miles of territory. New Eng
land alone has as many miles of rail-
road as has Spain and her territory is
not nearly as great. The same area as
Spain picked out of the upper Eastern
United States has nearly 10000 miles
of road. But the people Of Spain still
adhere to their gayly caparisoned
mules, which, perhaps, make up in
worn out romance what they lack in
speed.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH is ABSOLUTE
IN SPAIN.
The domination of the Catholic
church in Spain is almost absolute.
Nearly the whole population adhere TO
that creed. Indeed, no other form of
worship is allo we'd to be praticed pub
licly. The last census showed 81, ,435
priests living in the sixty-two dioceses
of the country. There are 1854 monks
living in 161 monasteries. and Il, ,592
nuns living in 1927 converts. There
are sixty five cathedrals; thirty reli.
gious colleges aud 1854 churches.
Besides these there are over 11,O0O
houses devoted to religious purposes.
A restricted liberty of worship is al
lowed the Protestants. but it has
to be be kept very private, and no pub
lie announcement of the fact is permit
ted. The churt dignitaries are sup
ported by the State.
A GORDON OF FORTS.
Spain is well defended from invasion
by Gordon of forts and fortified towns
drawn completely around her frontier.
On the north there is Fuenterrabia, the
fortified ports of Passages and mill
tary ports of Santona, Santander, Fer.
rol Coruna and Vigo. In the Basque
provinces are Bilboa and Vitoria. To
the left of the Ebro are Pamplona, Ia
falla Jaca, Venasqua, Monzon, Puycerda,
SEQ de Urcel Balaquer anc Lerida.
Nearer the Mediterranean are Cardona.
Hostalrich, Campredon, Ripoll. Corona
Qlot, Cartelfollit, Figueras. On the
Mediterranean are Palamos, BARGE
Iona, Tarragona, Malaga, Almeria,
Carthagens, and Alicante. Logrono,
Tudell, Zaragoza, Mequinenzs, and
Tortosa, are in the Ebro. Burgos and
Morella lie to the sonth of 1t. Toro.
Rodrigo, Valencia and Alcantara, AL
buquerque and Radsi1s lie along the
Portuguese frontier. Tarifa and AL
geciraa are IN the Strait Ot GlDlaitar
aud Cadiz is at its entrance. Not all
of these could withstand the Projectiles
of modern great guns, but quite the
besS methods prevail. and an army of
invasion would have some difficulty in
breaking through the barrier.
COULD MOBILIZE OVER MILLION
SOLDIERS.
Spain maintains permanent army.
She also has what is known as an ac-
tive reserve and . sedentary reserve,
each of which uld be relied upon for
support in time of war. Any Spaniard
above the age Of 10 is liable to be
called upon to serve 10 the permanent
army for three years. From this part
Of the army the soldier passes to the