The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-09-08

man, Meade and Thomas, and all
that crowd, but one day | got talk
ing with a veteran of the Spanish
American war, who promptly desert
ed after every pay day. and re-
enlisted after he had spent his money,
and he didn't do a thing to my ideas
of the Importance Of that battle. He
told me it was only u little skirmish,
like driving in a picket post, and that
there were not Spaniards enough there
to have a rel call, not SO many Span
ish soldiers as there were American
newspaper correspondents on our side,
that only a few were killed and wound
ed. and that a dozen soldiers in an army
wagon could have driven up San Juan
hill with f~recrackers and scared the
Spaniards out Of the country, and that
a part of a negro regiment did pretty
near all the shooting, while u OIL
GERS did the yelling, and had their pic
lures taken, caught in the act.
Gee, but dad got his foot in it by
talking about the blowing UP of the
Maine, and looking saucy, as though he
was going to get even with the Span
iards, but he found that every Spaniard
was as sorry for that accident as we
we're, and they would take off their hats
when the Maine was mentioned, and
look panied and heartsick. | tell you
the Spaniards are about as good peo-
pie rs you will find anywhere, and dad
has concluded to fall back on Christie
pber Columbus for a steady diet OF talk,
cause if 1t had not been for Chris. we
wouldn't have been discovered to this
day. which might have been a darn
good thing for us. But the people here
do not recall the fact that there ever
was a man named Christopher Column
bus. and they don't know what he ever
discovered, or where the country is
that he sailed away to find, unless they
are educated, and familiar with ancient
history. and only once in awhile VIII
you find anybody that is educated,
The children of America knoW more
about the history of Spain, thar the
Spanish children. This country re-
minds YOU of a Play on the stage. The
grandees, in their picturesque costumes,
though few in number compared to the
population. are the whole thing, and
the people you see on the stage with
the grandees, in peasant costume, ped
ding oranges and figs, you find here in
the life of Spain, looking up to the
erandees as though they were gods,
Every peasant carries a knife in some
Mace, concealed about him, and no two
carry their toad stabbers in the same
Mace. If you see a man reach his
finger under his collar to scratch his
neck the chances are his fingers touch
the handle of his dagger, and if he
bitches I'D his pants, his dagger is there.
and IL he pulls up his trouser leg, you
can bet your life his knife is right
handy. and if you have n trouble, you
don't know where the knife is COM
ing from, as you do about an American
revolver. when II Of our citizens
reaches for his pistol pocket.
Spaniards are nervous people on the
move all the time. and 1t is on account
~ aeas. Every man, woman and child
contains more than a million feas, and
a. they can't scratch all the time, they
reen On the move. hoping the leas will
ipran off on somebody else. When we
came here we we're fealess, but every
nerson we have come near to seems
Il have contributed some fieas to Us,
until now we are loaded down with