The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1898-06-18
THE WOMEN OF SPAIN.
An Americans Interesting Statistics
as TO Their Social and Intel
IectuaI Condition.

A great deal has been written about
Spanish men, but l think one may find
truer key to Spanish character by taxi
ing a glimpse of the misery of the Span-
ish women. doubt if the Spanish wom-
an is any better off than the Turkish
woman, and while American women are
not clamoring for a conflict, the fact
remains that the taking of Spain from
the European geography might prove
a great step in advance for the women of
that land.
1t appears from an official document
which came my way the other day that
but 2, $3.50, 615 Spanish women can read or
write. This fraction is almost as big as
the male army that knows its own Ian
guage. 1t is pitiful showing, but it is
only the beginning of the table of fe-
male wretchedness. The municipalities
list 81 ,946 professional beggars whowear
petticoats. Then there are $780, wom-
en- who earn their living by working in
the farm fields. There are $40, 500 won1-
en- rated as day servants, who get but
little more than board and shelter for
their work, and in all the dying dynasty
there are 10000 girls in the schools OF
any kind, public or private. There are
twice as many female mendicants as
male. The census shows that 6,764 ,406
women have neither professions nor
trades, and are altogether dependent
upon charity, the possibility of getting
married or hard labor at starvation
wages.
The same lamentable condition of the
Spanish woman is shown by glance
at another side of her life. The king
dom has but "a women elaSsed as lit
erary writer's. There are but rs women
physicians in the mother country and
all the provinces. The women school,
teachers number only IA, 400, as COM
pared with 24,612 men, but this does not
include the nuns, who are classed by
themselves, and number $3.50.
Spanish women who are fortunate live
in the most magnificent homes and
seem never to bother their heads about
the poorer sisters at their doors. The
favorte resort for the grande senoras
is San Sebastian, and the lives the care
less Spanish women of fashion lead
there during the summer is said to be
a scandal all over Europe. There is
scarcely a pretense at propriety or even
ordinary conventionality. As in France,
majority of the young girls of the
best families are educated in the con-
vents. Their greatest accomplishment
is embroidery, and they sit and sit and
sit at their knitting until some man
from an ancient and bankrupt house or
a bull-raising plantation comes along
and marries them. Club life is un.
known. Marriages are celebrated very
early In life, and but few people who
get weary of these early alliances ever
90 to the trouble and formality of get
ting a divorce. The unhappy couples
simply divide up the household things
and live the balance of their lives the
best way they can.
Spanish women, as have found, have
very little outdoor amusement. The BIZ
cycle is just beginning to be admitted
put under protest. Inc young WcInen
love their queen next to pretty frocks
and glittering fans and bright ribbons
They flock to the cruel shows in the
bun rings and laugh and cheer at the
horrible spectacle. They show no more
pity than an American girl bestows
upon the dashing hardships which the
average tennis player or the golfer I'M
dergoes when he performs in the broil-
ing sun to amuse her.-Chicago Times
Herald