The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-09-15
SALAMANCA TO VALLAD0LID
Character of the Castil.an Gentleman -
Medina Del Campo, Where the Great
Isabella Died--The city of Zamoru.


Isabella Died--The city of zamoru.
Especial Correspondence of the Journa
and Courier.)
Valladolid, Aug. 3, 1890.
From Salamanca to Valladolid you
may go direct by rail in a few hours;
but if time is "noobject" by far the
better way is to make a weeks journey
of it by diligencia, or, best of all. in a
private conveyance. The route leads
through some of the widest and most
untamed tracts of country in Spain,
perhaps in Europe, excepting always
the unscalable Sierras. For many miles
the road winds amid huge masses Of
granite, strewn over desolate, wind
swept plains that seem never to have
felt the touch of man since the world
began. No animals are encountered
but even the brown sheep and pigs that
are herded on the plains Of La Mancha,
nor the Sinking wolves of the uplands,
and few habitations are seen outside
the infrequent cities. The latter are al
ways on the banks of some stream,
reached by fortified bridges and strong
1y walled as in medieval times, when
every mans house was his castle, to be
strenuously defended.
The most instructive experiences of
the Spanish tour are gained in d jaunt
through Old CASTLE, the impoverished
land of the Cid, where the climate is
often bitterly cold, but food and fuel
scarce and DEAR 1t is noticeable fact
that the poorer the people the greater
the pride of aristocracy--the meanest
hamlet boasting it's tattered mobiles,
conspicuous for "superhuity of titles
and a deficiency of shirts" AS rule,
this province of CASTLE is carefully
avoided by travellers, who entertain the
altogether erroneous impression that
run through Madrid, Cordova, Seville
and Grenada will give them a perfect
idea of Spain. The idea is as sensible
as that of many foreign tourists who
come to the United States, visit New
York. Philadelphia, Washington-and
then sail away believing they have seen
1t all. Somebody says that Africa be-
gins at the Pyrenees; but l should put
its northern boundary little below Old
CASTLE In southern Spain all its al
= Turing, sensuous Oriental, the dialect
more African than European and the
physiognomy and mental characteris-
tics of the tiller of the soil are, like the
vegetation, eXotics But the home of
the Spaniard par excellence, who con-
solidated these dispersed and hostile
provinces into a compact and powerful
nation, is found far away to the north
upon the boundless plains of CASTLE, or
in the Businesses of the Asturian noun
tains. There the life of the peasant,
uncontaminated by contact with for
eigners, unaffected by the feverish ex
ctement of cities ana in whose thoughts
and deeds is mrrored the genuine char
acter of the people, has remained unal-
tered for centuries. Exulting in the
glorious history of the past, the Cas-
titan never allowed himself, or you, to
forget his crusades, his discoveries, his
triumphs. With a sensitiveness that Is
quick to resent any display of AFRO
gance he is yet a model of courtly def
erence to his superiors, and the easy
familiarity that exists between master
and servant-a "Reminiscences of the do I
mestic intercourse of the ancients and !
an acknowledgment of mutual respect
still prevails in all the patriarchal SIM
plicity which distinguished the house |
holds of the richest and most aristo-
cratic patricians of Rome
Perhaps the best way to illustrate the |
Spanish character Is to cite a few incl
dents Of travel. There is no place where |
pride in rags is more splendidly exhi
bited than at Salamanca. Madame |
d'Aulnois narrates that one day. look
ing out of her window, she saw wo-
man selling small pieces of fresh sal
mon and calling upon everybody in
sight to buy. A poverty Stricken shoe
maker came and asked for a pound of
her fish. you do not hesitate about
the price" she said suspciously, be
cause you think it is cheap. But you
are mistaken; 1t costs a crown
pound The shoemakers paling face
showed that he was aghast at the I'M
expected price; but, being insulted by
her tone, he said haughtily: IF it had
been cheap one pound would have been
enough for me, but since it Is dear I
wish for three pounds"-and he imme-
diately produced three crowns every
cent of money he had in the world the
earnings of his whole week, and staked
away, twirlng his moustache and glow
ering at the spectators, every one of
whom knew that after the fish was gone
his wife and children would fast on less
than bread and water till another I
weeks wage was due. Mime. d'Aulnois
wrote long ago; but Spain never
changes, and scenes of the same char
acter may be seen any day in Salaman-
ca. 1t is the want of regard for or I'M
Outstanding of this national amour ]
propre which makes most English trav-
eers so unpopular in Spain. For exam
pie, people are yet laughing about IL |
tied Englishman who travelled through
these provinces two or three years ago S
and paid no attention to the local idea {
that distinction of classes is out of place
on wild and dangerous roads. Wher- {
ever his cavalcade halted he sent his
driver-a very decent man of Saaman- I
dine in the kitchen. The Jehu, I
his own consequence and i
glorious ancestry quite as much as his 6
lordship did his own, and feeling in his (
heart that he would be comforting I'M q
merited honor on hereto by deigning a
to sit at the same table, concealed his +
until a fitting time came to 5
get even Three or four leagues from C
Xeres, in the midst of a desert full of V
boys and brambles overrun by gypsies '
and brigands, the driver pushed the q
out of the carriage, and, /
nm bic horses cried. INV Il