The Portland daily press., 1898-08-05
WHY SPAIN HAS FAILED.
She Is the Most Unbusinesslike of AL
Nations-An Illustration.

An interesting article in the August
mum Der of the s'Pall Mall Magazine is
contributed by Mr.. David Hannay, who
from an intimate acquaintance with
Spain and the Spaniards, throws consid-
cradle light on the Spanish character.
Mr.. Hannay says that the Spaniard, who
has once more come before the attention
of the world, inspires those who really
know him with somewhat mixed feelings.
Mrs. Carlyle said of De Quincy that she
alternately wanted to hug him and to toss
him in blsnket-to hug him because he
was such charming little man, and to
toss him in blanket because of those
aimless, shiftless habits of his which
made him well nigh intolerable to
punctual, hard headed Scotchwoman.
When he has reached the point of know
ing the Spaniard Intimately only on
his social side, but in business-one ends
by feeling about him very much in this
way Those who do not know him at
all, or at second hand, may take him for
ferocious creature who only rouses him
self from sloth to indulge in excuses of
cruelty.
This picture is about as like the real
man as Is the old Continental idea OF the
brutal Englishman who sells his wife at
Smithfield, and commits suicide from
spleen. That he is capable of cruelty is
true, and SO are other races. Nothing
would be easier than to make 9 list OF
abominable masacres running allithrough
French history down to the Commune OF
our own time. Yet we are not asked TO
call the Frenchman cruel-at least, not
to say that what peculiarly distinguishes
him is his cruelty. 1t can. of course, be
answered that ii other conquerors and
settlers have sins to be recorded agains st
them they have ended by esta blishing
order and civilization, and the Spaniard
has not.
To that his best friends find it difficult
to make satisfactory answer, and they
are unable precisely because they do not
| know him and his weak point. II one
| wants to explain fairly why he has failed
| in the world, the answer must be that he
| is most unbusinesslike of mankind.
| Barcelona, for example, is great trad
| ing port, about on level with Marseilles.
1t has grown very much within recent
years. The Barcelonese consider them
selves model to all Spain in the matter
Of industry and in COMMON sense. Yet in
| this tOWn-which is really a handsome
place and rich-the head telegraph Office
| is in the suburbs; there is only one
branch Office in the town and messages
have to be sent from that by hand. The
postoffice is well away from the port, in
| by-street. If you are there on business
you will find, as likely as not, that one
clerk is in attendance out of an immense
staff. He will probably be very polite,
but he will purt his hand to pen or
bundle Of letters as il he feared they
would burn. And Barcelona is model
of smartness compared to Madrid One
wonders what would happen to the david.
! ling officials one sees at these places if
they were transported by some malignant
| fairy to St. Marti' S .le-Grand. Madness
would probably be their fate If they made
an effort to meet the call. But then they
would not; the hurry and drive would
simply revolt their sense of what was due
| to gentleman.