The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-06-14
THE WOMEN OF SPAIN.
Interesting Statistics Concerning 'ihcif
Social and Intellectual Condition.

Social and Intellectual Condition.
4 great dsal has been written about
Spanish men, but t think one may
find truer key to Spanish character
by taking glimpse Of. the misery OF
the Spanish women. 7 doubt If the
Spanish woman is any better of than
the Turkish woman, and while Ameri-
can women are not clamoring for a
conflict, the fact remains that the
taking Of Spain from the European
geography might prove great step IN
advance for the women of that land.
It appears from an official document
which came my way the other day
that but 9, ,636, 615 Spanish women can
read OF write. This fraction is al
most as big as the male army that
knows its own language. It IS a
pitiful showing, but it is only the BE-
ginning of the table of female wretch
edness. The municipalities list 81, =
946 professional beggars who wear
petticoats. Then there are 82s. 53l
women who earn their living by work
ing in the farm fields. There are
329, 596 women rated as day servants
who get but little more than board and
shelter for their work, and in all the
dying dynasty there arc but 1l9, OOo
girls 10 the schools of any kind, public
or private. There ave twice as many
female mendicants rs male. The cen
sus shows that 6, 764, ,406 women have
neither professions nor trades. and are
altogether dependent upon charity.
the possibilityeof getting married, or
hard labor at starvation wages. .,
The same lamentable condition OF
the Spanish woman is shown by a
glance at another side. of her life.
The kingdom has but seventy-four
women classed as literary writer's.
There are but seventy-e eight women
physicians in the mother country and
all the provinces. Tie women school
teachers number only 14,400, as COM
pared with 24,612 men, but this does
not include the nuns, who are classed
by themselves, and number %,
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 farorite resort for the grande
senoras is San Sebastian, and the lives
the careless Spanish women Of fashion
lead there during the summer are said
to be scandal over all Europe. There
is scarcely pretence at proprlety or
even ordinary conventionality. As in
France, majority of the young girls
of the best families are educated ID
the converts. Their gres lest &C
complishment is embroidery, and they
sit and sit and sit at their knitting
until some man from an ancient and
bankrupt house or bullraising plan
tation comes along and marries them:
Club life is unknown. Marriages are
celebrated very early in life, and bat
few people who get weary of these
early alliances ever go to the trouble
and formaliLEas- -.se.t:aa &Aa==d =diSols&e=
T6s unhappy couples simply divide
up the household things and live the
balance of. their lives the best way
they can. .
Spanish women, as I have found,
have very little outdoor amusement.
The bicycle is just beginning to be
admitted, but under protest. The
young women love their queen next to
pretty frocks and glittering fans and
bright ribbons. They flock to the
cruel shows in the bull rings and
laugh and cheer at the horrible spec
tacles. They show no more pity than
an American girl bestows upon the
dashing hardships which the average
tennis player or the golfer undergoes
when he performs in broiling sun to
amuse her.-Chicago Times-Herald.