Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-26
Name Often Given to Toledo
by Its Inhabitants.
FEW MODERN HOUSES
SOME RoMANCES OF THE OLD
CITY.
Castle Where Charlemagne Wooed and
Won His Queen-The Home OF Ger
vantes-Moorish Architecture.
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
SperiaI correspondence Of The Evening star ana
Chicago rd-iierald.
TOLEDO. November Ii 1903.
Travellers will tell you there is nothing to
M. found in Toledo less than 100 years Old
lint that is a mistake. There is new hotel,
for which travellers bless the Marquis de
castillon. who erected 1t from motives OF
patriotism and maintains it for the beneht
OF tourists who are chiefly American, Eng
Usb and German. Spanish travellers, ana
,.ery few come to Toledo in these uhro-
mantle. modern days. usually stop at the
oId-fashioned hotels. which are darh'
gloomy. uncomfortable and without moderh
conyenienceS
Two other new buildings are being erected
in town the first for a century. when must
he regarded as quite a boom for the span
ish Rome" as Toledo IL often called by us
inhabitants who are proud of its age, PROUD
OF its conservatism and proud of the terrible
treachery and cruelties that have been prac-
ticed here. One of the new buildings Is pe-
ing erected by the municipality for city
hall and 1t Is an interesting example OIL
modernized Gothic. The other Is TO De q
business block. and arises on the Aoco-
dover the Moorish square that l told you
Yesterday,
of place and injuries the effect OF the quaint
old buildings with their whitewashed walls,
their balconies hung with bird cages ana
Towering jessamine. And one cannot re-
cover from the shock of seeing THESE VEN
cradle old buildings illuminated by eieCtric
bulbs One resents such innovations They
are all right in modern hotel. Where you
need them to read your guide book IN the
evening and make notes for tomorro" ~
ter but they have no business around the
altar of the cathedral and In the old palace
of the inqusition. One resents this neon
gruous mixing up of the seventh century
with the twentieth.
The inuuisition building is as gloomy ana
solemn as anything you can imagine. Inc
solitary ClOisters and the stately quadransie
appear to he deserted. for the only Twins
thing we saw was a bakers boy stunning
along with tray of bread.
Electric Lighting.
The walls of the arcade are illuminated
by electric light. Just think OF 1t! Ana
what right have these modern Toledans TO
introduce telephones and typewriters into
these historic old buildings? What right
have they to hang arc lights from poles IN
the Zocodover? But there is no one to
complain to but the moon You see TINS
mixture of ancient and modern everywhere
If you will go into any of the old churcnes
at service time you will find barefooted
monks. cloaked and hooded singing from
ancient mssals by electric light. Inc
dungeons and even the tombs are illumi-
mated the same way for the benent oil tour
lists.
And what is the more extraordinary the
electricity is generated by the ancient mills
of the MuorS, down on the banks OF the
river. They are quaint old places. 400 ana
800 years old. The Romans built great
:tqueducts as they did everywhere to bring
water into the city but all traces of them
have disappeared: then the Moors. who
were skiilful engineers and famous for DO
ing things, hOisted their water from the
river with wheel, which was also de-
StTOyed.
Among the curious features of Toledo.
which unfortunately remain no longer. were
water clocks. devised by a Moorish genius
named Az-Zarcal who placed them on the
banks of the Tagus so that the people could
read the time. They were run by water
power and were so famous that Daniel
Merlac. an English astronomer, came all
the way from oxford in 11S5 to study
them.
Down by the old mills on the banks of
the river is the so-called BANJO de Ia Cava.
where. according to the story, Zoraide. the
daughter of Count Julian. used to go to
battle and from the windows of the pal
ace the great Roderick, the Goth king. saw
her one day. The result Of his passions
then inspired was a quarrel. and the out
r. ged father summoned the Moors. en-
abled them to invade the city. and so Rod
erick lost his kingdom The story Is told
in SCOTS Vision Of Don ROderick, the
Last Of the Gothic Kings"
Another romance. quite different in It's
results Is told q tae Castle Of San Ser
vandD. which played grea, part in the
history Of the thirteenth century II is
row used "a a powder magazine
Where Charlemagne Wooed-
Near by close to the bridge Of Alcan-
tara by which we enter the city. is the
ruin of the castle Of the Princess Galiana.
who entertained the great Charlemagne
when he came to Toledo He fell In love
with her and she with him. and for his
sake she accepted Christianity and returned
throne and became In every way good
wife and a good queen. Very little now
remains of this once magnificent fortress
and the walls and loose rubbish have been
utilized by some gypsy folks who have
made rude dwellings of them.
And while | am telling the romances of
Toledo there Is still another, quite as 10
t-resting as any, about the wife of the man
who built one of the great bridges over the
TaEUs. When he found that his work had
been defective and that if the false work
that sustained the arches were taken away
the bridge would fail. he went home in a
state of mind as you can imagine, and did
what every man ought to do-told his trou-
bile to his wife. With the wit of woman
she contrivcd plan TO protect her hus-
bands reputation. That night she went
out aud set the scaffolding fire, that
when the bridge came down in the ruins
the people attributed the calamity to the
fire and not to the carelesSness of the arch
iteCt But the good woman's conscience
troubled her. and after 4 new bridge was
built and had demonstrated its strengt h
aud security she went TO the cardinal and
confessed everything. and he instead of
sending her to prison and making her hus-
band refund to the church the cost of re-
building the bridge. merely congratulated
him upon having such loyal and inge-
Nous wife.
The Toledo Blades
Toledo blades are still made in the gov
eminent Weapon factory. but those of mod
"rn production do not compare with the
ancient work. 1t seems to be a lost art.
Ths genuine Toledo blades, made by the
Moors. were so elastic and tough that they
could be curled up ike n watch spring.
You can see them in the armory at Madrid
but only ordinary swords and bayonets for
the Spanish army are made here today
The secret seems to have been forgotten.
Tne steel came from England. 1t is tie