The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-03-10
Mrs. Berliner EXcOriateS Span
lSh Authorities.
RTDICULES ENGLISH WOMEN
Her Epistle to 4 Friend in This CITY
Likely to Be the Subject OF Interna-
tiOnal COrrespondence-NO Complaint
Yet Filed at State Department.

! ernmental and social affairs there. which
] promises to cause widespread interest
4 throughout this country and Spain Mrs
/ Berliner was formerly 4 Miss Gutenberg.
daughter Of a prominent baker Of this
/ city, and was married to Mr.. BerIiner
/ last September.
! Among other criticisms. she declares
/ that the officials OF the Spanish Gov
/ eminent in the Canary Islands have no
4 interest in the Islands other than that of
| personal gain and advancement.
] Concerning the English ladies residing
/ at TencriIe. Mrs. BerIiner says that. not
| withstanding they are quite pale. they
make lavish use Of paint
No Formal Complaint Yet.
The state Department has not yet had
| the letter brought to its attention. and
no complaint has so far been made Il
is believed however. that the Spanish
Government will not ignore the matter
when the publication Of the criticism is
brought before the public
1t is generally held that a consul is
not responsible for the utterances Of a
member Of his family In this instance.
[ however. the contention will probably be
made that the structures Of Mrs. BerIiner
are SO severe that they necessarily re-
feet, in a manner. the views of her hus-
band. and the matter may be made the
subject Of international correspondence.
Caustic Criticism.
Almost The entire letter is devoted 20 a
/ caustic criticism Of The Government. not
/ only Of Tenerine. but Of Spain. and the
I English people who are residents or visi-
. tors there are held up 20 liGicuIe and
actual contempt The manners and Gus
/ toms. as well as the persons of the in
/ habitants Of the island particularly the
women, are numerically criticised and
/ slurred at. the writer stating that they
/ dress and powder their faces until they
. look whitewashed," and their minds are
not developed beyond music and dress"
/ Direct attacks are made upon the Eng
( lish people who 60 TO the island. the
/ writer comparing them to the lower class
/ OF cOlOred peCple-''niEgers as she
/ terms them-in this country
Following IS the text Of the letter:
Severe on the English.
Think Of if, have been away from
home over two months and have had only
one letter. You cant imagine how il
! feels 10 get mail here. You sec. it brings
you in touch with people Of your own
/ race. on an equality with you. in short.
I with civilization itself Not that these
1 people are savages. but that they are
I living two centuries behind the times,
/ and as for the English people here.
/ Well, ] would rather De with-the natives
than with them They come here, the
most untidy people I ever saw. make their
/ living and pile up "a little out OF these pco-
: pie, abuse them. and then go to England
( They arc very much disIiked here. When
I a Span lard speaks or Los Ihgleses' il is
with the same contempt that we speak
( Of the 'uiggers. AS for the few negroes
/ here. why. they associate with the PEG
/ pie and are very inJimate-shere is no
/ color distinction. Just few days ago
/ the United States Consul to Sierra Leone.
/ Africa, a very black fellow, called here
on his way back TO his post or course.
! he paid US an official visit. and we treat
I ed him with the utmost courtesy He
I was an American. the first / have seen
} for months tfOr We are the only ones
/ hercJ. AMI that night on the plaza every
I body bow ID reverently 10 him.
@They Look whitewsshed"
Vow let me tell you o. our Spanish
beauties. They have coffee CT chocolate
/ in bed at 8 o'clock. AID having nothing
better to do. lie there until time to dress
( for what they call II o'clock breakfast.
/ but it is really dinner, for they have
soup. FISH. meats. vegetables. desserts.
fruits. etc. then they play the piano or
curl their hair until evening. when they
dress and powder their faces until they
/ look whitewashed- Then they sit by the
window or balcony waiting TO be ad-
mired or waiting for their 'nObius,'
sWeethCarts. who must not come into the
house until the engagement. but who
stand outside. night after night. as ii
holding up the side OF the house. They
DO not work and never take exercise and
where is their beauty The most hOmely
American girl is as pretty as the most
beautiful Spauiard. There may be a few
pretty girls here. buT they are rare. Fan
| cy girls who take no exercise and whose
minds are not developed beyond music
I and dress. and who, although they are by
nature deathly pale, insist upon putting
! powder by the pound on their faces, Old
and young Just the same. and besides they
all try 10 initiate the sanity look Of the
Virgin smile is a rarity.
School System DeplOrable.
THE school system here is depIorablo
and 1 thought ! could do some coed, but
I am an American and must only look
on / am trying to cultivate the friend
ship Of the Civil Governor and induce
him TO do something. and have worked
matters so far as 10 speak fearlessly to
him and to tell him that 50 per cent OF
his people can neither write nor read |
that they are less than human and only
little more than animals and make him
understand that ia few countries besides |
Spain can such conditions be found and
how detrimental il is for the country. He
is an intelligent person and admitted that
I was right.
But" he said they know no better |
and it is perhaps better 20 keep them in |
ignorance and contentment than 10 teach !
them a little and make them only crave !
for more" / told him II it came TO that |
point and the people craycd for more
perhaps for a higher education in col !
legcs which the country could not afford |
for spain is very poor then the people /
themselves would soon find a way to sup |
port their own schools. as soon as they
were made TO feel the importance OF IT, /
But the trouble an lies with politics The |
Civil Governors know they may be here /
for the length Of time their party has /
control but the parties often exchange /
places. For instance, the last Governor 4
came with his entire family trCu Madrid /
and was here but six weeks when the
party Of the present Governor took the ]
lead and he was recalled. So they simply
try TO make all the money they can While