The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-26
SPAIN AND THE SPANISH.
Area and POpuIation--Less Than
100000 Inhabitants 49, How
Spain Has Lost Its Power.

Area and POpulation--Less Than
100000 Inhabitants --- How
spain Has Lost Its Power.
From the Times-Hcrald.
1t is interesting to know that the
total population Of Spain is 1866, ,632
Many people, without looking up the
matter, would say at a guess that
Spain'S population was 35, 900 600 or 40
100000. But it is, in reality, not 1S,000,-
900. The area OF France is only a few
thousand square miles greater. and yet
France has population of very near
ly 40000,000. Texas has an area of ga
1856 square miles. Spain could be laid
out on Texas and Texas would have
1866 square miles left over The states
of Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois
and Alabama have more population to-
gether than has Spain, and are i'm
mensely more wealthy. These states
could borrow enough money, with their
whole field of commodities, men and
capital behind the loan, to pay off at
one coup the whole national debt of
Spain. They could raise, pay and main
tain a bigger army than Spain could.
Their natural resources could outlast
Spain's ten to one. Their steam power
is infinitely greater, and as man power
can always be gauged by steam power
you can imagine the difference. These
four states could exist if they seques-
trated from all the rest of the world.
Spain could hardly live a day.
ONCE THE GREATEST NATION.
Spain was once the greatest nation
on the face of the globe. Say, rather,
she was twice so. First as a centre of
learning and science under the Sara
Genie rule, when the city Of COrdOva
had a mile of gas-lit streets and foun-
tains of quicksilver played in the pal
ace yard of the caliph. Second, when
she was the greatest military power
in Europe. If you look at the names
of countries, cities and places in the
western hemisphere you will realize
what a grand empire Spain once was
and what a power she welded over
men. But Spain could not stand the
march of modern invention. She has
steadily shrunk and shriveled and lost
her possessions, until now all she has
left worth speaking of is Cuba. The
Philippines are insignificant possess
sions.
HER DECADENCE
Why has Spain lost all her power?
The theOrist who holds that education
is the cause Of progress, will point you
the answer in the statistics concerning
Spains illiteracy. Only one nation in
Europe is lower in enlightenment than
Spain. That is Italy. OF all the popu-
lation Of Spain only twenty eight per
cent can read and write, four per cent.
can read only and siXty-eight per cent.
can neither read nor write. When you
come to think of it this fact staggers
the mind. Here is a nation in the heart
of civilization, and sixty -eight per cent.
Of it's people have no conception what
ever of the marvelS of the printing
press or Of the letters that Cadmus
brought to Europe. But let US so a
little deeper into this matter of illit-
eracy. / do not desire to talk about
causes; the sociologists can do that
But were one in the mood to do it a
sociological study of Spain would be
worth the writing. Spain, as I have
said, has a population of less than 49,
| 900, 900, and sixty-eight per cent. of her
people cannot read or write. The United
States has a population of, let US say
| u, 600, 900. OF the native white popula-
| ton in this country only six per cent
cannot read or write, OF the foreign
whites only thirteen per cent. cannot
| read or write, and of the colored popu-
| lation fifty-siX per cent. cannot read
| or write. But, accounting for the for
| eigners and the negroes in the compu-
tation there is but thirteen per cent.
of the population in this country that
cannot read or write. Think of it! Out
| of nearly 40, 900, 900 native white Ameri-
| cans only six per cent cannot read or
| write, and Spain's percentage is sixty
eight!
AN ILLITERATE PEOPLE.
Let us see how Spain compares in il
| literacy with her neighbors. 1t is not
precisely just 20 Spain to compare her
with such a wonderfully fortunate peo-
| pie as we are. In England N.ondOn)
| three per cent, of men and four per
cent of women make their marks on the
marriage register. English iliteracy
reaches a little higher percentage i'm
some of the counties. sweden has
| hardly any illiteracy AT all. Only oil
per cent, of the recruits cannot read
| or write. OF the French conscripts
| only 6.l per cent. cannot read or write.
| Of the recruits in the German army
only one-quarter Of one per cent. can
not read or write. In Austria eighty
six per cent Of the children OF school
age are at school. In the Russian
army recruiting 1t was found that only
| twenty per cent of the men We're ig-
norant Of letters Russians at large
may be as illiterate as are Spaniards
| but the statistics available do not go
to show that such is the case. The sta
tistics i'm the Statesmans Year Book
| show Italy to be considerably more il
hterate than Spain, but outside of Italy
| Spain's ignorance is monstrous in Eu-
rope. SPANS banking power, like her
steam power is practically nil. She
| has in all not quite 1000 miles Of rail-
road. 1t is fashionable to laugh at
China with her seventy eight miles Of
steam railroads and her backwardness
| in point of civilization. But it must
be- admitted, however much we dislike
To do so, that, making allowances for
her environment and her advantages,
| Spain is worse than Chin