The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-02-09
SPAIN AND SPANIARDS
MRS. MARY HAYES WILMARTH LEG
TURES BEFORE WOMAN'S CLUB.
A VISION OF ALPHoNsE XIII.
Beauties of Spanish Life and Architecture
are Beautifully Portrayed by
the Lecturer.-No Feeling Be-
tween U. S. and Spain.

One of the most interesting meetings
ever held by the Kenosha Womdn's
club was held at their rooms in the
Simmons block on Wednesday after
noon.
The meeting was an open meeting,
and large number of the ladies had
invited their gentlemen friends. The
feature of the meeting was a lecture
by Mrs. Mary HAYES Wilmarth, of
Chicago, on the subject of Spain and
the Spaniards.
Mrs. Wilmarth is very charming
speaker, and her extensive travels in
The Castillian fields made her lecture
one of more than ordinary interest.
She said that Spain was nation so
peculiar that much might be said in
it's favor only to b. unsaid by the
things which had made it an eye sore
on the face of the civilized world.
It's palaces, it's architecture, it's
ruins, it's mountains and valleys are
beautiful to the eye but behind it all
one cannot but see the squalor, the
poverty and the misery of it's inhabi-
tants. In the opening of her lecture
she said that she deplored the general
antipathy to Spain in the United
States, and that such feeling was
unfounded. The Spaniards, as a peO-
pie, have the greatest courtesy for
American tourists, and while she was
travelling in that country she never
heard an expression of enmity against
her native land.
Gibraltar formedl an interesting sub
ject for Mrs. Milmarth. Lying as it
does at the very gateway of the home
of the Dons it is altogether English.
The blue coated English soldiers and
the English costumes make it SO decid-
eddy English that one can scarcely feel
that they are so near to the country of
the Spaniard.
The cities in Spain also formed an
interesting subject. Wandering in
Madrid and Valencia forms interesting
pastime for the American tourist. The
beauty of the architecture and the an
tiquity of the ruins makes it only more
interesting. She spoke of the Alham-
bra as bringing back so manymemor
of the life of Washington Irving, and
the Alcazar, the crossing into Tangiers
and the surprises awaiting the tourist
as each new journey brings to light the
new visions of beauties in landscape
and art.
During her stay in Madrid Mrs, Will
marth had the interesting experience
of attending a genuine Spanish bull
fight. She saw the ring. the bull,
the great crowd and the fighters with
their red robes inviting the Infatuated
animal to the fight, but the barbarity
of the costume would not permit her to
remain to see the real contest. The
pret6nders to the Spanish throne was
another subject of great interest. Mrs.
Wilmarth had travelled among the
supporters Of Don Carlos |. and IL;
had heard the arguments in favor of
the regent queen and had seen in per-
son the little AlphOnso XII, the boy
king of Spain.
Her talk on Spanish politics was
very interesting and showed how
closely the speaker had observed the
feeling of the citizens and their patri-
otto feeling Their motto seemed to be
"Spaln first, the King (be he who he
may) afterward. She closed her talk
with word on the Spanish people.
She said that history had only re-
peated itself in recent years and the
Spaniards of today we're the same as
the Spaniards of yore, living an ideal
life of poetry and romance in poetic
and romantic country.
After the lecture the usual social
meeting followed.