The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-24
SPANISH BLUE BLOODS.
How They Live and the Petty Posi-
tiOns to which They Aspire.

W AhCy ASPIRE
DR.. Field in the Evangelist
How is a higher class so numerous as
that in Spain TO be supported? Some
may become officers in the army or navy,
but for the larger part there is little hope
Of anything eft for a gentleman" except
to get some employment under the gov
eminent; and TO obtain that, however,
humble the position and petty the pay,
is the ambition of many a man in whose
veins flows the blue blood of the proudest
families of old Spain.
A Spaniard would rather die than not
to keep up appearances. If he aspires
to a position in society he will try to APP
pear rich, or at least independent while
in reality he may be desperately poor. To
this end there are two things which are
more important to him than food and
drink--a carriage and a box at the operal
To show himself in the Prado at a GER
tain hour of the day and in the opera at
night satisfies his ambition. For the rest,
how he lives, nobody knows and nobody
cares. He need not have a dinner; indeed
he may not have a dinner to give, or even
to eat himself When he comes back from
his daily drive and alights at his door he
may retire into the recesses of his cham
Der, and there partake of the meanest
food to satisfy the cravings of hunger,
and nobody be the wiser. The Spaniards
have a convenient proverb that the
stomach has no windowsw What a man
wears on his back Is exposed to the gaze
of all men; but what he eats nobody sees.
Or if, indeed, he does not eat at all, TO-
body can see that his stomach is very
lean and hungry when he muffies his
cloak about him and sallies forth to meet
the world with an unruffied countenance.
Some Of the stories which were told me
in Madrid of the petty economies to which
gentlemen in good society We're reduced
were quite equal to anything in the shifts
of Don Quixote.
But the Spanish cavalier is not yet at
the eind of his resources or the attain
ment of his highest felicity There is one
more prize to be gained and his happi-
ness will be complete; it is to get a PEN
sion-a hope which would be chmerical
in a country where such rewards were be-
slowed only for distinguished public SER
vices. But they do these things differently
i'm Spain. Here pensions are given for
all sorts OF services, or for none. The
most triAing claim is recognized by the
assurance of a certain sum from the gov
eminent 1t may be very, very small; but
no matter for that-it is fixed; and so long
as Il secures the recipient from absolute
he viii SET up as a gentleman, and not do
another stroke of work to the end of his
days
Thus II Is that the pension roll of Spain
has become so great. Every new admin
istration that comes in has a fresh army
Of favorites to be rewarded for devotion
TO their political leaders, and the number
swells larger and larger from year to
year. All this Is a burden which the
state has to carry. and as IL takes the
labor Of two able-boded men 10 support
third idle one. the drain upon its re-
sources r. enormous.
But what cares the happy pensioner?
For him life's woes are ended ana It's
Joys are but jiist begun. Every day he
viii spend his morning at the cafe. where
he will sip his COFFEE. read his Journal.
and twirl his cigarette: the afternoon he
wil take his ride cor drive Except sun
days. when be viii go 10 the bun ring.
end the evening he viii spend az the the.
ater or tbe opera. When llfe flows on
With ihis smooth ana even current. la "a
perpetual sound Of nmusemenfs. who can
wonder that abe spaniard b. perfectly Sad.
i~nsd Blih himself snd bic country WHY
should he not heT ls not his country the
gfegiesi in enc N0rid2