The herald., 1898-06-19
DUrL FIGHTS STILL ATTRACT
ENORMOUS CROWDS
IT is A BRuTALIzED NATION
An Accurate Description Of What In
Madrid Goes by the Name
of Sport

Spaniards lose their appetite for the ma
tional sport of bullfighting. Are tunos
needed for war? Give bull fight" says
the Spaniard. "for in no way can money De
more readily raised" Celebrate the
ending of the war?" he will presently add
"Certainly. Bring on the bulls" 1t is his
resource when sad or glad, and it is about
as brutal as slaughter, mlscalled sport, well
can be.
The Spauiard will tell you that his national
sport is seen to best advantage at Madrid,
except occasionally at Seville. The rea-
son of this is that bull fights are so costly
that the manager of the show can only
nut on a first-class production where he has
q fair chance of getting his money back
from an audience sufficiently numerous and
ready to pay no triflng price for its excite
ment No one, not even Spaniard, could
seriously say he went to bull fight for
amusement.
The bull ring at Madrid stands a mile or
so outside the city. 1t was built in 1874, at
q cost it is said of 100000. The style is
Moorish. The building itself is like a
gigantic circus, Of which the ring has
diameter of about seventy yards. This
ring is surrounded by heavy, red-painted
wooden barrier. of height Of some tve
feet, over which the minor performers
vault out of the ring when pursued closely
by the bull. This feat is rendered even
easier than it looks by a narrow bench which
runs all around the barrier, placed at some
two feet above the ground.
There is accommodation, one is told, for
IA, 900 spectators. Last Sunday the house
was at least two-thirds full. Prices OF
admission vary from about fifty cents for
seat on the granite steps, which form the
first thirteen tiers of seats, beginning at the
ringside to $50 pesetas, or even more, for a
box in the upper rows. lnssmuch as six
bulls, each worth from $500 TO $780, were
killed during the afternoon and about
eighteen horses, probably worth, on an aver
age, about $15 apiece, and as the various
bull fighters employed all receive for single
performances salaries that would content
our own highly paid theatrical performers
for week, it is obvious that the expenses
of the show must be enormous.
Consequently, as at our own opera, the
better seats are offered for subscription at
the beginning of the season. These are
taken SO largely in Madrid that a stranger
has some difficulty in obtaining accommo-
dation in the better positions.
The performance was to begin at 4:30 p.
M, but for fully an hour before the ring
was full of men. chiefly of the lower classes
VINO seemed to find an intense pleasure in
treading the arena of the combatants. A
very indifferent brass band played circus
music from time to time. AS the hour of
commencement approached the ring quick
ly cleared, while the circular rows of seats
became in parts densely crowded. The fire.
quenters, all respectfully dressed, reminded
one of the men one sees at the enclosed
race courses, save that there was no bet
ting and no rowdness or shouting.
There was fair number of ladies pres
ent, both of the upper and middle classes,
but 1 was told that the attendance of the
gentler sex had much diminished of late
years, and that on the present occasion
many had doubtless abstained from coming
because OF the war and the news of certain
Spanish defeats. This unpleasant subject,
however, seemed to be entirely shelved for
q time.
Punctually at 4:3o to some very mild
cheering, the various performers, in the
traditional dresses, paraded according to
the customary ritual. Each of the first
two bulls took whole half hour to kill
death three of the sad-looking old horses
that are ridden by the picador. 1t is only
this preliminary portion of the combat
that 1t is really repulsive to watch. -au
may not appreciate the maneuvers of the
espada as he stands with his naked sword
before the tired but still infuriated animal;
at the same time you cannot but admire to
some extent his undoubted pluck and agil
extent in the skill and dash with which the
unarmed banderillos circumvent the angry
beast and successfully plant their pairs of
barbed darts into his neck at the very
moment Of his charge. Even the gay-clad
chulos who keep the bull moving and skip
nimbly out of the way when he charges at
their tantaiizing cloak, may be watched
with interest, owing to the apparent dan
ger they run, and the ready tricks by which
they escape IT, But the picador's business
is truly revolting in its cruelty, as well as
contemptible in many ways.
There are never more than two picadors
in the ring at once. Each in turn engsges
the bull. after he has been teased a little
by the chulos. Their miserable old horses
are supposed to be blindfolded, but this is
seldom the fact, as the pcador has the
habit of uncoverng at least one eye, for
fear the frightened animal should dash him
blindly aesinst the barrier. All he has to
do is to tease the bull with his pretence
lance; he could do 1t no serious hurt even
If he so desired. His sole duty seems to be
the letting of his horse be killed by the
bull There Is no horsemanship worth the
watching. Often enough the rider makes
little or no effort to avoid the bulls on
slaught. His own legs, thickly padded run
little danger from The terrible horns; he
has merely to fall cleverly (and this is
scarcely horsemanship) when his mount
is lifted off the ground or overborne by the
bull
The poor horse, long since broken out
of shying, awaits the assault calmly. 1t
seems in no way to anticipate the awful
attack SO unprovokedy to be made by
the bull upon it. Even when the bull ac-
tually charges, the horse seldom attempts
gored In the flank or quarter to the depth
Of foot or more of the bulls horns.
Sometimes the poor beast escapes for a
while to receive a similar attack a few
minutes later, sometimes he is fortunate
enough to be killed outright. The bull.
thrusting his horn deeper and deeper to the
very hilt. may reach a vital part and over
throw the horse, who falls and never moves
again.
But this is not the worst; this is not
nearly the worst. In the case just de-
scribed the horse is killed outright. The
spectacle is horrid to watch, no doubt, and
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