Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-10

days In the year are holidays The earning
power of the iaboring classes Is not only
reduced more than 80 per cent by this loss
Oh time. but there n so much drinking and
fighting that half the faboring population
require an additional day to sleep OFF the
effects Of the eelebratiops.
1t may seem very simple thing, but it
lance that Spanish workman rolls a CT
garette every few minutes, and thus
wastes a great deal Of valuable time.
thousand Spaniards are employed by the
British government, no holidays and no
cigarettes are allored.fand any one who
cares to study the question can find a
in the results of their labor and in their
character their condition and their earn
ings. They get white mans wages but
are required to do white mans work."
as the English boss put 1t to me, land no
dago nonsense Is allowed" The success of
this policy indicates what might happen
In Spain II the same practices were intro
duced throughout the Kingdom, but Span
iards will tell you that=a revolution would
follow If such a thing were attempted
Another important point, which also may
seem absurd, Is the amount of time wasted
in formalities, such as i told you about a
day or two ago. No gentleman will intro
duce business at his first call, but will
come back the next day: nor Is it consid-
cred good form for a Spaniard to decide a
question at the first interview. 1t will not
There must be overture to every opera.
That is the etiquet of the country and
wastes no end of valuable time.
Trade and Labor Despised.
Then the old-fashioned ideas still pre-
vail that it is degrading for a man to have
anything to do with labor or with trade.
Tradesmen have no social position. The
farmer who raises wheat is engaged in an
honorablel occupation, but the miller who
grinds 1t and the merchant who sells it
are not. They are not gentlemen and cam
not be as long as they live. They must be
born again before they can be admitted to
good society.
For this and other reasons young men
will not go into business or engage in
manufacturing. 1t is more honorable to
be a sponge a loafer and spend their
time gambling at the club. In Spanish
families today the eldest son looks after
the estate; and of the other sons. if there
are so many, one gets a position under
the government, another becomes a law
yer, another a soldier, another priest, or
they become chronic loafers- Service In
the army is more popular than 1t used to
be- because there are no colonies to keep
in subsection, and the army is not sent
out of Spain. But the regulation that mill
tary officers may not marry without GER
tain income in order that their widows
and orphans shall not be a burden to the
state, prevents many young men from en-
tering upon a military carrcr
The most desirable employment is in
government Office, no matter how humble
or Improbable the position Hence abouN
one in every 1875 of the population has his
name on the public payroll. drawing from
$40 a month up in the way OF salary NO
matter how small the pay, the occupation
is honorable, although there is no chance
of advancement, and young woman or
wealth and social position will marry
man who holds Sinecure In govern
ment office without earning half the
small salary he receives, while she would
reject with Scorn an offer from prosper
Gus merchant or manufacturer, VINO Is
earning an honest living. accumulating
wealth, and doing something toward the
improvement Of his country.
Millions Of Idlers.
Nearly one-half of the 100000 popula-
ton of Spain, or, to be exact, S,727,3 le
persons, according to the last census, de-
clare that they haEe no occupation, ana
they are proud Of the fact. PROBABLY
many of them lied about it. and claimed
to be idlers when they are actually working
for wages. That is7enough to explain the
poverty of the cour try, and why the streets
are filled with idle young men, VINO receive
small allowances from their fathers ana
spend their time in dissipation and vice.
According to the same census there are
% 257 persons in the employ OF the govern
ment LOOP retired militaTy and naval OF,
ffcers. 81 600 lawyers, 6Sgl6 doctors A3,2oo
priests, ana Only fl,pof StnOOi lCdSICio. -
little calculation will show you that there Is
one priest to every 400 people, and If you
will include the 50,933 monks and nuns,
which is a very low estimate you Will nno
that there Is one to every 200, while there
is only one teacher for every AGO of the
population and a school house for every
1900
No one believes more sincerely in religion
than l. but ais the old Yankee lady said,
it is not a good thing, unless it is lived up
to, and empty churches are very bad
sign particularly If they are large ana
splendid and cost lot of money to main
tain.
Throughout Spain there are too many
priests and few worshipers. In Toledo
the other day l counted fifty-eight priests
and attendants engaged in the service ana
only four worshtpers. AT the same mo,
ment in a chapel of the same cathedral
eleven priests were chanting another form
of service with only two worshfpers, and
they appeared to be tourists. At Cordova
nineteen priests were present. and two old
women knelt near by the choir.
More Spent on Bull Rings Than Schools
School houses are very scarce in Spain
More money is paid to support bull rings
than the schools. 1t is estimated that
mere than S50O0,O00 is expended on bull
fights during each year, while in 1901 only
81 617,314 was expended for public educa-
ton There were more students in the
ago, during the reign Of Ferdinand and
Isabella. than are enrolled in all of the
nine universities of Spain today, and, by
the census of 1896, more than 6S per
cent of the population are illiterate. The
exact figures show that 6,1o4, 40 can neither
read no. write, 3.417. $50 can read little,
while 2,6S6,6l5 can read and write little.
The act of July, 1872, requires school
for every 500 population and the minister
of education is required to examine teach
ers to see that they are qualified and to
inspect the schools for sanitary reasons
and for discipline, but the law is not en-
forced. and few days ago Senior Silvela.
recently prime minister in explaining his
retirement from political life, declared that
he had reached the melancholy conclusion
that his country was not interested in agri-
culture, industry, trade, public works or
public instruction.
MAJOR ROBINSON DEAD.
fnIa "a 0orryoI uyi<1,