Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-18


nan cans on his fiancee and finds that
her mother is not at home he must
stand outside in the street and saw
"hat ne mas to say to his sweetheart
who is behind the bars of the window
On the second floor. This is unite q
common sight in the streets of a Snan.
ISL city and it is a sign that the two
are engaged, for they must be en-
gagged before they can be allowed this
kind of long-distance love making.
1.-THE standard of feminine beauty
in Spain does not come up to it's rem
tation to any great extent There
are few who are strikingly beautiful
but they are GASES in a desert of small,
dark looking and often mustachioed
females, who, when not engaged in
raising families, are busy making
cigarettes for the rest of the populace
to smoke. The cigarette industry is
one of the largest in Spain. Each
large city has its tobacco factory run
by the government and EMPLOYING
from 5000 to 10000 cigareras or CT
garet girls. Great precautions are
taken to prevent smuggling. All the
employees are searched on leaving the
factory and in Seville a deep moat
surrounds the factory on all sides so
that tobacco can not be taken away
during the night.
Bull Batting.
The bull fight is the most typical
Spanish institution and is the one
which has best withstood the invasion
of European customs and the attacks
which have been made upon it. 1t is
the national sport. Every town of
any considerable size has it's bull ring.
The Spanish town which lies just
across the frontier from Gibraltar has
a bull ring costing $4,000, but no pub
lie school of any kind. The bull rings
of the larger cities are large arenas
seating from 5000 to 10000 people
and are among the chief rights Of the
town. Bull fights are held in Madrid
during the entire year and in other
towns on church festivals, such az
easter, palm Sunday, and on fair days.
The bulls for the fights are bred es-
peclally for the purpose on the
ranches of breeders who make it their
speciality. One of the drawing cards
of a corrida is the breed of the bulls
which will be killed. The duke of We
raqua, who was entertained SO mag
nificently at Chicago during the
worlds fair, is a famous breeder and
his bulls were used in the fights at
Madrid last easter. The corridas are
held in the afternoon and almost in
variably on Sunday. They are attend
ed by all classes of the population
and by women as we'll as men. The
performance opens with a procession
Of those taking part who march into
the ring and in front of the Jox Of the
president of the day. There they
swear to kill the bulls, the president
dismisses them and the slaughter be-
gins. The regulation number of bulls
killed at each cOrrida is five. They
are all killed. No bull ever goes out
of the ring alive. The killing of each
bull is divided into three scenes, the
first two Of which are preliminary ex-
hibitiOns of worrying and exciting the
bull and which lead up to his death
in the last act. Before he is let into
the ring the bull is kept in darkness
and without food or water so as to
make him fiercer than usual if posi-
BILE. When he is let into the ring the
first part is begun by the picadores,
who are armed with long lances and
mounted on horses. They are sup
posed, by skillful use of their lances,
to keep the bulls from injuring the
horses. This is merely a pretence,
however, for the horses are partly
blindfolded SO that they can be
brought within striking distance of the
bull. The bull attacks the horse, the
picador usually fails to protect it,
and it is gored by the bull. If the
wound is not fatal it is forced toward
the bull again and again until it falls
to the ground from weakness caused
h. loss of blood. Several horses are
killed at every corrida and the audi
ence votes the performance a failure
if too few horses are gored to death.
The next part is played by the bander-
iIleros, who stick the banderillos, or
81 ort pronged sticks, into the bulls
necks. This part of the performance
requires skill and nerve, for the ban
GC-illos must be placed, two at the
same time, one in each side of the
shoulder, as the bull rushes for the
banderillero with its head down and
on mischief bent Sometimes the
banderillos are placed by the bander-
illero while he is seated in a chair or
in some other way out of the ordinary.
If the banderillero is too hard pressed
at any time the attention Of the bull
is distracted by colored capes flung
il his face by men who are employed
to keep the bull busy in the intermis-
sions. After the crowd has had
enough of this entertainment the ma
tador, or killer, enters the ring. He is
armed with brilliant red cape which
he uses to excite the now tired bull,
When he has the bull in the proper
position, which is with his head down
and coming for him, he thrusts the
sword downward between the buns
shoulders into its heart. The bull
1rops dead on the spot if the job is
veil done. Often, however, it takes
several attempts before the finishing
hrust is given in the proper manner.
The dead bull is hauled out of the
ing, little sand is sprinkled over the
POOLS of blood and another bull is let
n.