The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-22
SOME NEW
BOOKS RECEIVED
Interesting Addition to the Literature
of Travel.
NOTE BOOK ON NORTHERN SPAIN
BY Archer Huntington-Profusely and
Beautifully Jllustrated-Spain's De-
cIine-Its Causes-Daudet's Lat
est Novel-Litcrary Notes.

A NOTEBOOK IN NORTHERN SPAIN.
BY Archer NJ Huntington. illustrated.
G. =. Putnam's Sons. New York.
London.
For sale by George VI. West
"a man." SAYS Emerson. has been IN
Spain. The facts and thoughts which the
traveller has found In that country grad
ually settle themselves into determinate
heap of one size end form and not
another. That Il what he knows and
has TO say Of Spain. He cannot say IL
truly until a sufficient time for the ar
rangement OF the particles has elapsed"
This supplies Mr.. Huntington with the
motif for his Introductory chapter which
IS comment i'm general. from the stand
point Of a thoughtful Is well As cultured
traveller, upon the country which his book
seeks 10 describe. Just hero Is as good
place as any 20 call attention TO the
beautiful mechanical work upon the vol
ume-the prOfuse Illustration that de-
lights the eve and mind az once; the
clear large print the excellent paper.
book Of the character or this gains
incalculably from fine illustration, and
Mr.. Huntington has shown his apprecla-
ton Of that fact.
To the thoughtful. current events are
choly interest attaching to swiftly de-
clining powor-to the proud little country
beyond tho Pyrenees. Unfortunately r.
is not only proud and 1rttle-else would
the prescnt conditions not obtain. In
Spain" says Mr.. Huntington. 1T Is less
the color and romance Of which we
hear 50 much. than the strange, sombre
setting Of " all-the wonderful meian-
chOly landscape. UNMARRIED, sullen, monot-
onous to-day; tomorrow ablaze with a
fiery life: impetuous, restrained, inn
ferent. responsive. There Is no single
meaning in tho mysterious expanse OF
mountain and plain and yellow, crawling
river. To call IL barren would be as de-
scriptivo as to call sky blue. 10 Is far too
protean for classification. for the analy-
sis which elsewhere permits a symbolic
meaning 10 single words. The magma
ton has wings I'm this place. Soon ono
IS breathing the unreal. Fanaticism IS
natural chivalry a necessity. Tho boom
Of the outside world dies away and a
new world arises-One Of fanciful shapes
She cares less for what
YOU may think Of her than docs any other
nation I'm Europe. and you can force her
to accept fewer OF your ideas than any
other. She moves slowly: very slowly.
and always considers herself just q little
better than you, and viii, always po-
litely, tell you so when need be-
Spain gives us pride-which Spain 70
all tho earth may largely give nor fear
herself a dcarth.'
Mr. Huntington truly attributes the de-
cline Of Spain from her ancient position
I'm affairs IN Furope-nOt 20 pride a weak
monarch. a dissolute cortland religious
intolerance-but TO the absence Of that
which has developed the great nations Of
the earth-the trading spirit" Spain.
says ne. lacks the trading spirit. For
seven centuries she was O. battlefield.
During that time. while She was keeping
the Mohammedan wolf from the door OF
Europe there was no chance for the de-
velopment Of the trading spirit. What
growth came IN n measure 10 some Of
the coast cities was the result Of local
commercial relations finding an extern
sion and expansion at sea-not the OK
change Of commodities between nation
and nation. The spirit OF getting by the
good right arm grew and produced its
tradition. while the precariOus cultiva-
ton OF land for food. an occupation ever
more and more removed from the lead
crs. became the work of an ignorant and
unrespccted class. with the absence OF
trade goes the absence OF knowledge OF
the outside world. and though q certain
general knowledge was brought back by
the Europe soldiers Of Charles
and Philip. 20 was a knowledge Of how
easily gain could be made IN the old way,
rather than n stimulous 20 the merchant.
Without the logical tradition OF buying
and selling. raised up through generations
Spain could hardly avoid the errors Of
p0vernmeht which the want Of such ira
dition brings. She could scarcely hope
not TO become the victim OF each and
every scheme for n financial millennium.
as n nation. which we are all accustomed
20 smile az when played I'm the more self
evident form Of personal charlatanry.
And most Of all. the dignity Of work had