The record-union., 1898-06-08
spAN1ARps s KNOW L1rrr,r OF 11s.

SPANIARDS KNOW LITTLE OF U.s.
When one turns to Spain, however,
the situation is very different. The
| people Of Spain, taken en- masse, are
not we'll educated or widely travelled,
and they are particularly ignorant as
to what this particular part of the
world is-like.. Even those whom one
would expect to find we'll posted in this
| particular cherish singular delusions.
ThTt these fneorrect ideas persist is
duel believe. to the fact that they are
Constantly put forw ard by the editors
| of newspapers and the civil leaders who
know them to be false. Che cannot
| avoid the conclusion that there is sys-
tematic and willful Misrepresentation of
the United States on the part of the
Spanish leaders. Why this is so is hard
to say. but it accounts for the general
| transformation that obtains throughout
Spain on this particular subject. Well
educated Spaniards believe that there
is a small cultured class in the United
States. but that as a nation we are
made up chiefly Of shop keepers and
ditch diggers.
EXPECT TO WHIP US.
They have been told over and over
again that we have no courage, that we
are afraid to fight, that our navy is
useless, or nearly So and that our lead
ers are all blowhard politicians. Natur-
ally they have come to believe this. ,and
so confidently expect to whip us. AS
for the lower classes they actually be-
heve that the principal industry of
America is the raising of hogs, and at
the word Americanos they conjure llp
visions of swineherders and their
droves.
One or two instances will give a bet
ter idea of these popular misconcep-
tions- comic paper has just been
started in Madrid It is called THE
Porker,' and is devoted to the ridbcule
of Americans. The title does not seem
at all crude or exaggerated to the aver
age Spaniard, I'll warrant. The other
day the Spanish press printed a. re-
port that the savages of Ohio and ,Illi-
nois had risen and that all the regu-
lar troops would have to be called
from the seaboard TO quell the out
break. From what know of the state
of public information in Madrid, dare
say this story didn't raise a smile of
incredulity in all the capital unless it
was in the case of some American born
resident. 1t seems to be the settled
policy of the Spanish officials and news
pei this ignorance. Therefore the Span
ish people are likely to experience a
rude awakening before this war is over.
an awakening that may be fraught
with danger to these same officials,
THE SPANISH FIGHTING SPIRIT.
''At the same time / believe that
those who expect Spain to yield the
present contest without a struggle are
badly mistaken. The Spaniard is really
a desperate fighter when he is pushed
to 1t. What Spain has done toward
quelling the insurrection in Cuba is not
to be taken as a fair test Of what she
can do in an extremity There may
have been sufficient reasons why the
Spanish Generals did not wish to bring
the Cuban war to a speedy end, and
any way in that contest the Spanish
nation has not been straining every
nerve as they will against the United
States. The Spaniard's boast about
shedding the last drop of blood in de-
fese of his country's honor may be
partly buncombe, but it is not alto
gether without foundation.
Some of the wars between the South
American countries, whose people are
of Spanish blood, give instances Of this
desperate species OF bravery. In the
war between Chile and Peru, after the
Chilean vessel had been sunk and while
her crew were struggling in the water,
they still fought with their knives
against the Peruvians who came to
rescue them and died rather than ac-
cept aid at the hands Of their enemies
do you think that the present plan
Of raising an army by calling out the
national militia will provide a more eff
cient force than the North had at its
command at the beginning Of the civil
warp"
The conditions are widely different,
but they are alike in this: At the be-
ginning of the civil war it was neces-
sary to make an army and now II is
necessary to make an army. There
was militia to be called on then as
now. Perhaps it is a little more nu-
merous and a trif1e more efficient and
better equipped now.
A WARTIME MAXIM.
'The truth Of the matter is that wa
have plenty of material for the ranks,
but it inevitably takes some time to
get it into shape for, efficient work.
Perhaps the best lesson to be drawn
from the civil war is, the necessity Of
taking plenty Of time for preparation; it
Will shorten the contest in the end A.
good maxim for war time and one that
our leaders seem to be obeying is: Pre-
pare for the worst and hope for the
best 1t looks now as though the brunt
of the present war would fall upon the
navy. While am not naval author
ity, it seems to me that our navy
should easily outclass Spain's in pbint
of efficiency and settle that part Of the
affair at the first opportunity.
eff ffho war e vicCrO11Cly rriadA IN. a
successful termination, think that it
should strengthen the moral influence
Of the United States among the Euro
pean nations, by correcting some OF
the false notions that prevail through
out the continent in regard to us, and
by showing to the old world the Ameri-
can people as they really are: Strong
in righteousness, just and brave