Middletown transcript., 1898-07-02

writer, Bran
tome, seeking to
u-N-1- give reasons for
the Spanish bombast and boastings,
which he called "rodomontade;"
MachiavelIi speculated about the spas
modc spirit Of enterprise in the Span
iards; and journalists nowadays are
attempting to show how unique the
Spanish character is aud Just why it is
so peculiar. 1t is surely one Of the
incest problems of race ever propoun-
ded. It has generally been admitted
that as the German loved system above
all, as freedom appealed supremely to
the Anglo-Saxon, so the idea of dignity
was the key Tote to Spanish perso-
nality. This sense of dignity is the
result of an excruciating self.cons-
ciousness which has so dislocated his
other qualities as to render the Span
lard fundamentally inefficient. 1t has
made him a highly emotional or ex-
citable and correspondingly irrational
creature. While he may exhibit the
child's instinct for self-denial, the
Spaniard is utterly incapable of self
effacement when most expedient. The
consequence is the Spaniard never
succeeds. With the loyalty of dog at
times, he never adheres to his plans so
as to realize his wishes. With tie im-
pressive endurance and tenGcity of the
mule he never perseveres in well-con.
sidered directions. Doubtless the fact
that the Spaniard has always been a
soldier may account for his peculiar
pride. He bas the soldiers contempt
for death, his incidence when out of
action, his techiness about grade. But
behind this is that disordered self
consciousness which explains his high
explusiyeness, which, in turn, is, as a
rule, accompanied with Grass callous-
ness. Perhaps no people have so re-
ligiously pursued career of inhuman-
ity as the devo ess Of autos da fe Il. e
acts of faith) and bull lights.
Such explosiveness and eallousness
are found only in such extreme mix
lures Of race as appear in Spain. The
Iberian stock, which is purest in Bis
cay, represents deposit Of the Mon
golian and Visigolhic, with trace of
the Semitic 1t may be this sorry ad-
mixture, after all, which makes the
Spaniard the being who never quite
succeeds. This may explain his
strange habit Of telling falsehood and
truth so Unexpectedly, his Righteousness
in comparison with The French and
Italians, his sardonic humor, his sur
prising Qulxotry, and, above all, his
incapacity manifest in the long list of
his defeats by the Romans, Moors,
Dutch, English, Mexicans, South
Americans and finally CubAns and
North Americans.
In 21S B. c. the Romans defeated
the CartEag ,nians, who had made
colonies in Spain. and after 205 B. G.
Spain was regarded as a Roman pro-
vince. In 507, after an invasion, the
Visigolhs established kingdom in the
peninsula and the typical madness OF
Spanish history began. Of the twenty
three Visigothic kings from Theudis to
Roderic, nine were deposed and seven
were murdered. In I'll the Moors, an
offshoot of the Arabian family, made a
conquest of Spain. Their rule was not
harsh, but the pr6cess Of driving them
south lasted until the sixteenth CEN
tury. Even then, af er the repulse OF
the Moors, there was no common ma
tional feeling in Spain.
Chance, not skill, added America to
the wealth of the Spanish monarchy.
Spain was now on the apex Of what is
called her greati ess, yet she could dc
nothing but blunder and be foolish
when favored by historical accident
She was producing Cervantes, Lops
da Vega, Calderon, Murillo, Velasquel
and almost the finest architecture iL
Europe.
Through Ferdinand'S settlement oi
domestic problems by diplomacy, inter
| national politics, The most distinctive
feature of modern history, was estab.
lished. Yet here occurred a calosssa
failure. With her colonies in thu
hands of unit, corrupt politicians, the
Spaniards at home lnss completely th'
art Of living and the art Of lighting
and retained only the art of dying ac
cordingt to their tropical instinct.
The industry Of the tolerant Moors
their systems If irrigation, their cult
vation of sugar, cotton, rice, silk, hat
teen model TO Europe, but with thl
insane passi IN for religious unity, will
the excessive taxation Of the produc
tive classes. all Spanish prestige wal
wips d out. Because Of Spain'e intoler
ance the Netherlands threw off thl
hated yeke. Think of the splendid
mind Of Spirezs being lost to Spair
and gained by he Dutch Then cam,
the most spectacular collapse Of any
nation in the modern world, the col