The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-10-01
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
HELPED SPANISH WOMEN
{ Chicago Tribune.D

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it had suffered for more than a CEN
fury. Porto Rico experienced a SINH
lar change. and the Philippine islands
became a land for the United States
soldiery TO fight in instead of the Span
lsh hosts. But more wonderful and
unexpected than any event or series of
events that followed this war was the
effect that the war had upon the wo-
men of Spain.
The freeing of the down-trodden Gu
bans was not the only work cf mercy
which the war accomplished. It's cub
mination in the defeats suffered by
Spanish arms and the resulting loss of
the colonies to Spain proved the great
est boon to the Spanish women. 1t
emancipated them from a life of hard
labor. IT awakened Spain as a nation
Je new life. 1t brought about the reha-
bilitation and development of forsaken
industries. and, by bringing the men of
the nation home from the colonial pos
sessions in the western world to the
labor of the country. allowed the wo-
men to leave the hard work and devote
themselves exclusively to caring for
the home.
Men Continually Occupied in War.
The constant wars and instructions
which were the results of Spain's colo
NAL policy Slapped the blood and fin
ances of the country. 1t drew the flow
er. and strength of the nation away
from home and kindred TO fight and die
from wounds and fever in PARKWAY,
foreign lands, where there was always
war, nothing but war and trouble, and
from which there never came any reve-
nue. TO justify the expenditure of lives
and money. 1t drew the wealth of the
nation from its places Of security and
sent it across. the ocean to meet the OBJ
legations incurred in the colonies. and
left the country poverty stricken i'll
money and men.
Fathers. brothers and sons were
dragged away. leaving mothers. wives
and sisters alone. and with no one to
work for them or care for them While
the men were away. There were prac-
ticaliy no able-b bodied men left IN Spain
among the working classes. Then the
women, in order to maintain their
lands in crops, and in order to support
themselves were forced to take up the
mems work and do the heavy labor of
the field During the years just previ-
Gus to the war the greatest part of this
labor in Spain was being done by the
women. Wherever were to be found
laborers. the women were found to be
in the majority, the raising of the crops
Of the country depended almost eXclu-
s'ivCly upon their efforts.
Agriculture Dependent on Women.
They planted the wheat and cane
fields in the spring they followed the
pillow and made the land ready. In
the fall they went into the cane and
wheat fields with maChete and sickle
and reaped the fruits of their planting.
They gathered oranges, dates, olives
and pineapples from the orchards; they
gathered the grapes from the vineyards
and made the wine of the country, and
put il into the great casks for the mar
ket: in fact, all that had been the work
OF the men before now became the duty
Of the women The work of the coun-
try was in her hands. She not emily
cared for the home and the children,
but she did the hard work that enabled
the homes to exist and the children to
have plenty to eat
And to the Spanish woman this was
doubly a hardship, for never previous
~ even i'm the lower classes Of peas
ants. had the women there done any of
the labor allotted 10 the masculine
members of the family. The woman
Of Spain is accustomed to a more lux
urious. care free existence than is the
lot of women in many lands. SO when,
delicate and carefully shielded from
lllt Hal uSillJS VI llAt " VI ~ d. 'liN Nhf7'
circumstances decreed that she must
work, the blow fell upon her with. eH-
IRENE harshness.
But for years she ably proved her
right to be considered among the wo-
men OF the world who could do things
by being the man of work of a ma
ton.
Defeat Blessing to Spain.
Then came the war The Spanish |
hopes in the west were dashed to |
pieces. the colonies were lost, and there !
was nothing to do but bring the fever |
ridden battalions. or such part of them /
as the war and climate had spared, /
back home. Spain was stunned The /
WORKOUT regiments began pouring back !
from the Philippines and Cuba, many |
Of them sick and unable TO do a days |
work for months, but also many of /
them able and willing to take up the /
round Of labor where they had left 1t /
and begin to once more cultivate the ,
land Then there was d time of re-
5oiciHg among the women of the nation. /
despite the condition i'm which the !
troops returned and the reverses which
they had met with in the west. The
men were back
No longer Was it necessary for the
woman to leave the children at home
10 care FOR themselves while she Went
out into the fields to wrest a living
from the ground. Now she could de-
vote herself TO the duties that were
hers by right. the care Of the home,
While the men went into the fields and
lid the labor necessary TO the raising
of the crops. 1t WAS a welcome change.
once more are the men I'm the places
where the hard work is TO be done and
The women where the duties of women
take them.
Where before the country for years
had been a place of melancholy and
sorrow. it became a place of merriment
The laughter and music of the fan
dango resounds in every village. and
the JOY Of the land is everywhere vis-
ibe The Spaniard of today is firm in
his assertions that the war and its con
Sequent results We're beneficial in the /
extreme to their land. The contact
with American virility and methods of
doing things awoke the easy going
Spaniard as nothing had awakened
him before He saw that if his nation
was to hold its place among the ma
tons Of the earth it must be through
modern methods and energy.
Nation Awakens to New Life.
Freed from the incubus of a score of
Islands. each one a continual drain OF
the resources of the country, the Nd
ton has taken a newer and better view
OF itself. 1t has discovered that it can