Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-11-12

| Inc National Vanity Borders on the Abb
surdIy Grotesque, and PIay;n. the GEN.
tIer2an Has Been Called "the Endemic
Disease of Spain"
It is related that young guard, hav-
ing neglected to pay the usual salute to
Spanish duke at the court of Madrid,
excused himself by saying that he did
not know the offended nObleman' rank.
| Ny friend, - replied his grace, 1.-The
safe rule is 10 assume that everybody in
the palace who locks like monkey is
grandee of the first class.
The truth is the Spanish are 4 thor
oughly mOngrel race, and their conceit
of themselves amazes Us. Their country
has probably been oftener overrun and
conquered than any other territory Of
equal extent in Europe PhGnician,
| Carthaginian, Roman, Nandal, Visigoth
aud Moor have all successfully made it
| their stamping ground, and the effect
| Of all this upon the pure Castilian
blood, whatever That may be, is indeli-
| bly, stamped ON every really Spanish
face.
But playing the gentleman has been
called 1.-THE endemic disease Of Spain, "
and the national vanity is something
grotesGue. One of their historians seri-
| Ously advanced the theory that the first
inhabitants OF the country arrived
by air." so impressed was he by their
superhunan qualities that nothing short
Of . descent from the sky could account
for them. y subsequent historian, how
| ever, after a long and grave discussion
of the question, finally announced his
opinion that "they more probably came
by land"
After this we need not be astonished
that the Spanish claim TO possess the
oldest families in Europe. The surpris-
ing circumstance is that the claim is
not wholly without foundation. Their
family names can in some cases be trac-
cd back to an incredibly remote period,
though it must not be assumed that the
original blood persists III any purity.
Probably the most ancient family in
Spain is the house of Pacheco, whose
estates are not far from Carteia, now
called Cartaya, in Andalusia. Plutarch
tells US that when Crassus fed from
Italy he concealed himself for eight
months at Ximcna, near Carteia, in
caves belonging to Spanish gentleman
named PacicCus. Cicero also mentions
this generous Spauiard, and there can
DC III taOuCt lLlit 4At WIS JIG VI LIZ an
cestors of the Pacheco family, whose
name is obviously derived from his and
who still own the caves This carried
them back about ,, coo years, to a period
antCdating the Christian era, but it is
possible to trace the line much further.
Tho name is clearly Of PhUnician origin,
being ultimately derived from ''patai-
col, " the word by which the Tyrians
designated the carved Ggurehead of
their galleys.
The Identification is made more COM
plete by the fact that the PhGnicians
were the founders of Carteia, as of Cad |
IL in the same province. That adds |
another 1000 years or so 20 the PachecO |
pedigree. Think of it--a landed estate |
remaining il the possession Of the |
same family for ), 600 years! This is |
doubtless the most wonderful family |
tree in the world and unusually well !
authenticated. The Pachccos may well |
lie pardoned for taking pride in it, |
though it roots i'll rather unsavOry soil |
at last, for the great original Pacheco |
was evidently Tyrian freebooter.
Names that trace back to the Cartha- |
ginian occupation in the time of Han |
nibal are also found, and the title of |
own clan, BarCa, IS perpet- |
uated by the Barcias and Garcias, well |
known families of Andalusia. There |
are also several names of Roman ante |
as Ponce and Cane, in Latin |
Poutius and CaniCs y Spanish gentle !
man bearing the latter name was a per- |
sonal friend Of the poet Martial, all Of |
which seems to bring antiquity very /
nCar-in Spain. The fact Of the matter /
is she has never emerged from antiquity. /
The Spanish, however, are inclined |
TO look back to the Goths as "the purest |
fountain of nobility.'' This certainly |
seems strange pervcrsion Of sentiment, |
for Of all the Earbariars that came down
from the north TO lay waste Roman civ
ilization with fire and sword the Goths,
with their cousins. the Nandals, were |
the most irredeemably villainous.
And these GOths We're no extraordi-
nary heroes either, even III war. With |
supine and braggart incompetenCy they /
lost 10 the Moors in the eight months
supremacy which it cost
eight centuries Of conflict TO regain.
Yet Gothic of Spain" is the pet phrase.
To a rank outsider it would seem that
the Basque families have the most hon
orabIe lineage, and their pedigrees run
back TO time immemorial, though not
EASILY traceable. The Basques represent
the original population of the Spanish
peninsula. Their seat is the mountains
Of the northern district, and In many
ways remind Us Of the Welsh. They
have the same simplicity OF life, and !
the same really justifiabIe pride of birth,
for their blood Is the purest in Spain, if
hat counts for anything. Like the
Welsh also, they have to 4 considerable !
extent maintained their ancient Ian
guaSe, one Of the strangest which sur
sive upon the earth, bearing no resem-
5lance to any other in Europe.
These Basque families, for the most
part, bear names which appear TO be
ycOgra phical IN their origin, as Ugarte,