The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-04
AT roRauEMApA,s GRAVE.
And the Differing Attitudes of Men
 Who simultaneously Visited It.

And the Differing Attitudes of Men
 Who simultaneously Visited It.
 In a recent issue of the Saturday Review. of London. Edward Hutton writes thus of visit to the town where Torquemada, chief of the Inaui- sition, lies buried:
 After vespers I set out for Avila, scarcely more than mile away on her hill. In the sweet evening light she seemed a vision from some ancient missal, beautiful medieval city sur rounded by perfect rose colored gran ite walls. where the apse of the cathe- dral is just a bastion with the rest. Within there is the city. But its aspect upon those infinite stretches of sierra in country as stony as Judea can never forget. It Is impossible to con vey in words any thing of the immsns- ity of this land or its strength. IL IS like a passionate and difficult silence.
 As passed the great convent of En- carnacion, coming into the city at last' as I always preferred to do, by the Puerta S. Teresa, 1t was of that great saint I was thinking, and 1t seemed 10 me for a moment that it was easy to renounce the world in a land without trees, flowers, or birds; and yet every where there are hedges of sweetorlar' which, notwithstanding their sweet ness, as she would have reminded her self, hide thorns. I came to the inn at last to find 1t full of tourists, Ameri- cans, who, under the guidance of one of their number. had been doing the city as they informed me They seem ed to think I should be glad of their company. At dinner, which is an early meal in Avila. they told each other or their adventures. But he who was the leader and guide began to speak at l,. that we all might benefit by his knowledge. I did not hear the beginning of his dis course for I was talking with an old Spaniard who sat beside me; but my attention was caught when I heard him say and so l spat right there, on the Tomb, and monk didn dare say anything, but he just looked, I can't tell you easily how he looked. My Spanish friend moved in his seat and asked men. 'Is 1t of the Tomb of Torouemada that he speaks?" I did not know. but at his request I asked.
 "'Yes, sir, I'm telling you, aren't I? I spat right there on the tomb. I'm a free born American, a liberty-loving, educated, independent minister, and I'm glad to have the chance to show the Spanish idolaters what think of their man burning devils And so say all of us,' said young man across the table with laugh, while the others smiled and seemed to enter into the spirit of the thing.
 "A small part of this told my neigh bor; but alas, he had understood. But 1t IS too long ago. surely 1t is too long aso-to bear malice.' he said in a quiet hut apitated voice. We are Chris tians; it is very necessary to forgive, is 1t not so?'
 But that strident voice that was used to domineer over many congrega- tions would not have 1t so. And yet said my friend to me in the hubbub that followed, and yet 1t was us he burned; if we have forgiven. why should he remember?'
 Tt was night when I returned to Santo Tomas, but the father was wait ing for me in the sacristy. After minute he said, My son, you are trou- bled, you are angry, what has hap pened? It is not well to sleep when one Is angry" And somehow I told him all. Once or twice he smiled, but there were tears in his eyes as he led me to the bare slab of slate in the midst of that great room beneath which Torquemada sleeps. Tt Is true he said, we have forgiven him.. There was a long silence, and then with a great deference he turned toward me and said If you will, senor, we will pray for him and for us all because-is 1t not so?--wherever one who is in need is left unaided, there passes an executioner and where two or three are gathered together in unkindness, there Is the Inquisition." As we knelt saw him wipe away the mark of scorn from the grave, with the strap of his cloak.
 Tt Is said that when a certain wo- man collected for interment the insult ed remains of Nero, the pagan world surmiSed that she must be a Christian -only a Christian would have been likely to conceive so chivalrous a devo- tion toward mere wretchedness. Some- thing of this kind came into my mind as I knelt with the old father beside that rude slab of slate and tried to pray as of old that 1t might please Him to have mercy upon all men.