The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-05-24


medicine for every woman.
weight, are most veXatiOuS and cause
you to miss many a train and AS no
checks are given. and robberies of lug
gage are frequent, You will find it we'll
to put no valuables into your trunks.
The soft answer that turneth away
wrath is particularly needed here often
accompanied by the soothing influence
OF silver peso. and always by the ex
aggerated politeness of the Latin. To
lose patience with the Stupidest Span
ish official is also to lose your cause in
evitably and irrevocablv. Whatever
happens, strive to maintain an unruffed
demeanor and to out do the Spaniard
himself in his own coin of meaningless
compliment, remem boring always that
'silence is golden when nothing can
be gained 10y speech. Every Spaniard
whatever his class. considers himself
Tn caballero Christiano vieio ranico
"a Christian gentleman of old and hon
orable origin: and looks down upon all
foreigners as less Well-born When his
sef-esteem is stroked the right way. like
the fur on a kittens back. his natural
courtesy blooms as a tropical flower and
he will put himself to any trouble to ac-
commOdate the judiciouS stranger
whose words have set him upon What
he believes 10 be his proper pedestal.
All attempts to bully and broW-beat
him are worse than waste of time. The
Spaniard does not live-at least on his
own soil-Who could be driven with an
iron rod in the hand of an Americana:
and in these uncertain times civil words
are the latter's best protection IN the
land which believes itself Wronged by
superior proves. With these intense
~ sensitive people, that's off on both
sides is the signal Of peace and good
will: and when the hats are not lifted
! iguratively. or otherwise. the Spaniard
bristles up like the porcupint against
suspicion of disdaiil.
There is no other part of Europe. if
indeed of he world, with which to COM
pare Estramadura prOvince-so named
from being the Extreme Ora. or ''eX-
F, treme' conquest of Alfonso IN. There
are steppes in Russia, deserts i'll Arabia
| and sandy wastes i'll Africa which re-
semble parts of Estramadura: but no
where else has nature combined such
| widely dissimilar features in so small a
compass. Watered by two noble
streams-the Tagus and the Guadiana
| both of which any other people would
have rendered navigable for hundreds
| of mileS-the region became flourish
| ing granerv under the Romans and a
garden under the Moors. To this day
/ the gypsies speak of it as ''Chin del
Manro," the land of corn. But with
| bians, it went back to the original deS-
ert; and bids fair to remain so, though
a little ttful activity has been aroused
in recent years by pushing two railroads
through and opening up the mines OF
| Almaden and CaSceret Including Its
several towns and cities, the whole
province of EStramadura-190 miles
long by 90 broad-has less than 700, 900
inhabitants. and i'll a long days journey
YOU will hardly meet a human creature.
Everything displays the eXuberant
vigor of the sun, yet the production of
weeds and grain seem rather the ca
price of nature than the work of man.
Lonely pastures and leagues upon
leagues of burning desert are an abso-
lutte preserve for the sportsman. Dan
gerous beasts abound, as well as all
manner of troublesome insects; while
the swampy banks of the Guadiana are
literally swarming with wild fowl
which. by the way, should be hunted in
region is infected with fevers and agne
and mosquitoes are unbearable. Besides
numerous birds of prey, enormous
flights of turtle-doves come over from
Barbary to breed; and they coo all ovel
the country in pairs, models of connu
bal felicity. These are the same
Gloves of the West" or their direct de
y scendants, which brought ambrosia to
Jupiter, according to classical history
and then retired to Africa to visit the
!, temple of Venus. How can any mar
| Il, IL e l,yC CHI
one of these harmless pigeons? Bu1
they do-especially Englishmen ant
Americans. They come over here OF
, purpose and spend months in the so
J called sport, enduring all manner O
hardships for the mere pleasure O
, slaughtering the innocents.
: 1t is hard to understand how sucl
rich territory has been allowed to re