Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-05
coined this -marehioness to their innermost

NOulNu ILLS maj lDuts W utl lIlt LlOSN
circles.
The father of the marchioness Of Man
zanedo was a hatmaker; her husband was
a banker. Both amassed great fortunes and
the hatmaker became duke of Santona and
marquis of ManZanedo. The dukedom he
bequeathed to his daughters eldest SON
in Spain one leaves a title where one wills
the lesser honors passed by themselves.
After the death of her father the mar
chioness took up her residence in Paris
and remained there many years, where she
became almost more French than Spanish.
But one thing she could not eradicate from
her nature-the passion for the bull ring
and no big bull fight found her absent from
the ringside.
In Madrid she occupies an old palace,
hidden among many big trees, on the Paseo
de Recoletos; in Paris she owns a home
near the Madeleine. All the rooms are
furnished with every known modern luxury
and decorated with artistic taste and the
proud duchess of Alba is one of the most
intimate friends Of the "hatmaker's
daughter"
Both the marchioness and her eldest
daughter Maria, stand upon the edge OF
"women's rights they approach with tact
the equality of the sexes and when such top
les as ancestral, old families and ancient lin
cage are preached they dismiss it with a
Jest and say: 'Oh! but that was so long
ago." When she goes to her country seat,
Santona, near the Bay of Biscay, she be-
comes the fairy godmother Of the neighbor-
hood. Last summer the poor people OF
Santona gave a midsummer nights festival
on top Of a neighboring mountain. The
marchioness climbed the difficult pathway
to the top, entered into the spirit OF the
festival and danced will peasant and rustic
the Aragonese Jota. With ali this, she
is still sufficiently bigoted to make the
annual pilgrimage TO Loundes.
AS for the aristocracy OF genius, apart
from the royal family and the diplomatic
corps, there is very little of it to be found
among the prominent ladies OF the capita
of Spain. The queen, who Interests herself
for everything connected with science, liter.
ature, or the arts, lives quietly and in re-
tirement and her influence on society Is
therefore, not great. Formerly, the Ouch
ess OF Medinaceli maintained a salon ii
which the artists and celebrities gathered
and where the Spanish poet, Juan Tenori'
"Jose Gorilla made his debut.
In general the ladies of the Spanish arts
tocracy suffer from an education in tn
convent which, while 1t does not proven
their enjoyment OF the worlds good things
renders the world of bellies lettres a terri
incognita to them.
Small and Select.
Ten or twelve years ago there came L
Madrid a lady from Spanish Galicia, Dom
Emilia, Countess Pardo Bazan, and owe
this she published several romances an,
feuiIletons. At first she was surrounde,
by a very small but bright and clever circle
recruited almost exclusively from the up
per middle classes. Later she aspire
higher and became the fad Of the period
Now no evening gathering in the very up
permost crust of Madrid society is consid
cred complete at which "the Pardo BaZan
does not appear.
4 For many years there have been Monda
evening readings in the Ateneo club; thes
! readings have always been clever and In
teresting but they were, as a rule, eXclu
sively attended by gentlemen, a few ladie
appearing now and then in the gallery. On
day there appeared in the papers the an
nouncement-"Next Monday, at the Atene4
reading by Dona Emilia Pardo Bazan."
> was a revolution. A scramble ensued fc
I tickets. Before evening the issue was e,
hausted. All Madrid, that is, all Madri
society, attended the reading; the crowd Wa
so big, the hum SO palpable, the excitemeE
$ so great, that the reading, really a very alb
a paper, was heard but by a small minorit
of those present. 1t made no diferenc
Public readings are now the fashion; II
: University has set aside several Afternoon
. in each week for public readings, and Dor
L Emilia PardO Bazan is the favorite reade
+ All Madrid society-ministers Of the cabine
: generals, fnanciers. members of the Corte
d the foreign ambassadors with their wiye
u attend them.
y II Madrid ever becomes a literary. a
i loving. science fostering city, the cred
: will belong TO this clever grass widow. tt
Countess Emilia Pando Bazan is by l
a means pretty or attractive; she is sho
and corpulent and eccentric in dress. 81
likes light and glazing colors and is n
. particular as 10 whether they harmonic
not. She oolors her black hair a reddi:
, tint; but her fine eyes, her high torches
l and the friendly. clever expression of h
features indicate the mind Of the thinke
: the soul OF the poet She edits a ~literar!
critical periodical and writes wost OF u
;. editorials herself; she is the leading feui