Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-08-10
SPANISH GRANDjEESS.
FAMILY pEDlGReEs THAT RUN BACK
: 7EN'cENTuR,Es.

The National Vanity Borders on the Alb
surdly Grotesque, and Playing tho Gen.
tleman Has Been Called 1.-THE Endemic
Disease Of SPAIN"
1t is related that young guard, hav- :
Ing neglected to pay the usual salute to
a Spanish duke at the court of Madrid,
excused himself by saying that he did
not know the offended nobleman's rank.
my friend, ''replied his grace, 1.-THE
safe rule is to assume that everybody in
the palace who looks like monkey is a
grandee Of the first Glass;
The truth is the Spanish are thor
oughly mongrel race, and their conceit
OF themselves amazes u.s. Their country
has probably been oftener overrun and
conquered than any other territory of |
equal extent in Europe. Phmnician,
Carthaginian, Roman, Vandal, Visigoth
and 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
grotesque. 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
superhuman qualities that nothing short
OF descent from the sky could account
for them. A subsequent historian, how
ever, after Il 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-
ed back to an incredibly remote period,
though it must not be assumed that the
original blood persists in 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 Ximena, near Ca,rteia, in
caves belonging to Spanish gentleman
named Paciccus. Cicero also mentions
this generous Spaniard, and there can
be no doubt that he was one Of the an
cestors Of the Pacheco family, whose
name is obviously derived FROM his and
who still own the caves This carried
them back about 2, 900 years, to period
antedating the Christian era, but it is
possible to trace the line much further.
The name is clearly Of Phmnician origin,
being ultimately derived from "patai
col, - the word by which the Tyrian!
designated the carved fgurel1ead Of
their galleys
The Identification is made more com
plete by the fact that the Phenicians
were the founders of Carteia, as of Cad
IL in the same province. That add!
another 1000 years or so to the Pachect
pedigree. Think of it-a landed estate
,1emaining i'll the possession of thu
sane family for 5000 years! This il
doutt less the most wonderful family
tree III the world and unusually vel
authenticated. The Pachecos may vel
be pardoned for taking pride in it.
though it roots i'll rather unsavory sol
at last, for the great original Pachect
was evidently Tyrian freebooter.
Names that Grace back to the Cartha
gilman occupa tion in the time of Han
nlbal are also found, and the title Of
Hannibal's own clan, Barca, is perpet
uated by the Barcias and Garcias, vel
known families of Andalusia. There
are also several names of Roman ante
cedents, as Ponce and Cane, in Lati1
Pontius and Canius. A Spanish gentle
man bearing the latter name was per
sonal friend OF the poet Martial, all Of
which seems to bring antiquity very
near-in Spain. The fact Of the matter
is she has never emerged from antiquity
The Spanish, however, are inclined
to look back to the Cloths as 1.-THE pures
fountain of nobility This certainly
seems strange perversion of sentiment
for of all the barbarians that came dow1
from the north to lay waste Roman civ
ilization with fire and sword the Goths
with their cousins, the Vandals, were
the most irredeemably villainous.
And these Cloths were no extraordi
nary heroes either, even in war. Will
supine and braE,gart incompetency the,
; lost to the Moors in the eight months
campaign a supp :emacy which it cos
eight centuries of conflict to regain
Yet "Gothic of s pain is the pet phrase
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