The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-24
THE SPANISH SOLDIER.
He Is SIOuchy and Lazy and Dirty, but
lie Can Fight When Chased
Into a Corner.


The little. lissom lnosmen. who in all
human probability are destined to meet
in mortal combat the sturdy soldiers
of "Uncle Sam" would be the despair
of an English or a German staff Of
ficer.
Watch him as he slouches along; his
tunic faded, torn, and probably minus
a button or two; his red trousers fray
ed and threadbare; his feet cased in
the clumsy hempen sandals of the
country; and his hands mufled in huge
green woolen gloves, between the top
of which and the sleeve of his tunic is
usually to be seen two or three inches
of bare, brown, sinewy arm. He car
ries his rifle anyhow; at the trail, at
the slope, muzzle foremost, slung at
his back. Not an insprtng picture!
Far from it. Nevertheless that the
Spanard can fight, and fight we'll, too,
on occasions, has been proved on many
a blood-stained field. At Ignalada,
one of the fiercest battles of the late
Carlist war, an entire battalion had to
choose between annihilation and sur
render, and selected the former. De-
spite the shuftling gait. too, he marches
we'll and uncomplaininFly. In fact,
the Spanish Tommy" never seems to
tire, and he is seldom out OF temper.
TWO MEALS A DAY.
Two meals a day. served at Q a. m.
and 5 p. m., constitute the regular COM
missariat allowances, but, in addition,
he is served in some corps with coffee
and soup in the early morning. Bread,
and bread only, at the rate of a pound
nd holt
tutes the government ration. ANY ad-
ditional food he has to buy from the
regimental canteen. This is kept by a
civilian, but the scale of prices is reg
ulated by a regimental committee.
Very little meat enters into the Span
ish soldiers dietary. Perhaps this is
the reason his wounds heal so rapidly
and easily. a chunk of dry. black
bread, little oil, and Glove of garlic
sutfices him for the day.
If to this he is able to add half a
pint of wine that looks like red ink
and tastes like vinegar and water, he
is in clover. one thing however, he
Will never consent to do without, and
that is his cigarette. The number of
these an average Spanish Tommy"
VIII consume in the course of the day
is appalling. He rolls them himself
using yellow, dry, dusty-looking to-
bacco, which possesses no more flavor
to an English smokers palate than
would so much chopped straw.
MILITARY SERVICE.
In theory every Spaniard must serve
his twelve years in the army: but there
is wide difference, in this case at all
events, between theory and practice.
To begin with, any citizen can dis
charge his liability to serve by the
payment in a lump sum, Of 200 pese-
tas. This sounds a good lot Of money.
But it takes twenty-five pesetas to
equal an English sovereign, so that he
really has to disburse only about G4S.
Enormous numbers, even of the peas
ant class, have taken to availing them
selves Of the privilege. There has even
sprung up in many of the provinces a
special class Of village usurers, who
lend the smart money"-at a ruinous
rate of interest, OF COurse-to young
men who have been drawn" Benefit
clubs, having the same object in view,
are also . i'm the agricultural dis
tricts. This has the effect of increas-
ing the Spanish revenues: but from a
NEIIOIdDle,
Besides those who honOrably purchase
their exemption, large numbers Of
young men obtain what are known as
"dispensations," absolving them from
serving their time under any circum-
stances whatever. To get one of these
"dispensations" it is not necessary TO
be either braver, wiser, or better than
ones neighbors. But one must have
what the Americans call pull" with |
the authorities.
1t is scarcely TO be wondered at that |
the Spanish peasant tries his utmost |
TO eyade the cOnscription; for his treat |
ment from the moment he dons his |
country ) uniform until the moment he |
is discharged, is Of the vilest. He Is |
bulled by his officers, ill-treated by his
"non-coms"" and robbed by all. Nomi- |
nally his pay is seventy-nve centimOs |
Glad) a day. Often, however. for
years together, he does not handle that
much money i'm month. The Spanish |
system of army stoppagcs" is worked |
upon sliding scale. The more money |
Tommy has coming to him" at the |