The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-02
Famous
Salamanca
as 1t Is.

Salamanca, Spain July 30.-H0w dis
appointing, and yet how interesting, is
this old city o. song and story. For cen
turtles the world has been accustomed to
think Of Salamanca with its celebrated
university and troubadouring students,
as the synonym of erudtiOn-the oxford,
Yale Harvard. Heidelberg, of Southern
Europe, and most of the world has gone
on thinking so to this day. though the
melancholy fact is that the ancient seat
of learning has been for many years lit
tie more than a heap of ruins Abandoned
to rats and owls. From AviIa TO Saia-
manca is a tedious night journey, over
an arid and treeless country which even
1.-THE hallowed benediction Of the moon"
fails to beautify. You leave Avila at
a. m guided by lanterns down the mar
row. crooked streets from hotel to sta
ton. importuned every step of the way
by whining beggars and lottery ticket
sellers. who are as numerous and persis-
tent by niIht as by day when strangers
are their prey So slowly joys the train
that day is well advanced before YOU
sight Salamanca-horse shoe in shape.
pale yellow in color, with the wide, blue
river Tonnes flowing close under its an
Gent walls.
THE RIVER TORMES.
This mighty river. than which. by the
way. bluer or more beautiful does not
exist proves a dangerous acquaintance
10 the foreigner. Its waters hold in So
luton some unexplained mineral or or
ganic matter. which not only plays h3v-
oc with the inner man Of one unaccus-
toned 70 drinking it, but covers the body
Of the bather with minute sores, resem-
bling an aggravated case of 'prickly
heat" Salamancans keep the water IN
Cisterns for several days before drinking
IT, in order to allow the injurious sub
stance to deposit. The Tonnes, rising
somewhere in the northern mountains.
flows more than a hundred miles through
Spanish territory. to its junction with the
Duero, the great river OF Portugal \
lazy. shallow trout stream through the
arid reeiop where Il is the most needed.
* suddenly becomes very broad and i'm
posing near Salamanca. Here it IS
crossed hy a magnificent stone bridge Of
p arches.
THE RULE OF TWENTY FIVE
The rule cf twenty-five seems to pre-
". IN this anN.ent seat of learning-25
colleges. . converts. - churches. . pro
fessorshirs and y arches to the Roman
bridge. But the last alone remain in
tact-the rest being amons the things OF
long ago. In the 1tth century Salamanca
boosted the most splendid collegiate
buildings in Europe and 1000 students in
its great university alone. Its pride was
first laid in the dust by the French in
the summer OF 1872 who wantonly de-
etroyod % II the colleges and all the
richest converts. together with private
palaces worthy the Cerso OF Rome OF
the Grand Canal ~ Venice. They first
looted the buildings OF their valuabies ana
then burned them for fircwo1d Later Oh
the law Of Queen Isabella II.-that no
corporate body Of Spain could hold any
property tnade especially for royal plum
der1 completed the devastation 81 Sa}a-
manca. A few notable buildings remain
TO show what the city must once have
been-the great cathedral. dozen coll
leses and converts. the monestary Of
san Bartolme now used as a residence
for the civil governor. Snd the Arch
bisnop's palace. occupied by what remains
of the celebrated CoIegio de Noolesses
Irlandeses. college OF irish Noblemen-'
founded by Phillip II in l5sa 10 spite his
sister-in-law Elizabeth OF England. and.
dedicated 70 81 Patrick. The beautiful
walls OF the larger buildings, was quar-
RED close by the city, on the banks Of
the Tonnes. Most Of them were erected
early IL the 18th century, although OF