The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-30
WOMANHOOD IN SPAIN.
A Sad Picture of Degradation and
Illiteracy.

The womanhood of a nation Is a re-
Election Of the general character of that
nation: Spain is no exception to this
rule. So much has been written in the
past of the lovely women OF Spain, SO
much of romance and poetry and art
has been brought to bear upon the sub
ject, that few people are aware of the
truth-cold, naked, and grewsome-that
is yet to be revealed concerning these
sisters of ours, who dwell in land
made charming by the glamour of med
iaeVaI pageantry, but really land of
darkness and degradation when COM
pared with countries of the more civil
lied, more truly Christian world. Span
ish characer is rapidly disclosing itself
to the public, and this will naturally
bring the women of Spain nearer to our
view. 1t is impossible that the women
of nation can be very different from
it's men. We of America are prone to
look upon the condition of women as a
serious subject; and it Is now possible
that the women of Spain may soon
come within the scope of our interest,
as among the classes of Earth's people
who need enlightenment quite as much
as do the women of Turkey or China.
Let US look at some facts recently pub
lished from official reports OF the
total number of women in Spain, nearly
5000, 900 are utterly lliterate. These
women cannot read ana write, and
have no desire to learn. In the cities
of the country are over $4,000 registered
professional beggars OF the adult femaIe
class. These women are beggars by
training and choice; beggary is their
trade and they wish no other In the
rural districts are nearly 100000 women
who work as farm labOrerS, tilltng the
soil as men do here, or more as peas
ants in European countries do; for the
American farmer is a very different
kind OF an agriculturist from the peas
ant farmer of the continent Three
hundred and fifty thousand women earn
their bread as registered day ser
wants." that is to say, they work for
their food and lodging. We have no
such class here, and it is to be hoped
that we may never have. The total
schoolgirl population of Spain IS only
700, 900, including all kinds of schools,
and it Is little education that they get
at that. Six million seven hundred
thousand women have no occupations
or means of support, and are wholly
dependent on charity, luck In getting
married, or possible chance work Con-
trasted with these women Is small
class of fortunate ones who happen to
be rich, and who spend their time as
ladies of fashion, leading incident, aim
less lives and caring nothing at all for
their hapless sisters. whom they look
upon as beneath thought. These women
are not of a high type intellectually, are
educated chiefly in the art OF en-
broidery and Irritation, ana are most
eager of all the people for the bloody
spectacle of the bull-ring, which they
never fail to attend. At the exhibitions
they are said to display more cruelty
tIan Ln0 fI0u, anu ~ SIM" 6AOc~eCi
liking for blood and suffering. They
certainly are not a class of women who
are likely to lead other women forward
to better things. Marriage with them
takes place in early life, and. if it does
not happen to suit, they simply sep
arate from their husbands and then do
as they please. They -ove their queen
devotedly, adore their pretty clothes.
and care little for aught else. Such, in
brief, is the general status of woman
hood in Spain today. In the mother
hood of a people lies the future of its
sons These are the Spanish mothers
Can a son be better than his mother?-
Godey's Magazine for July.