Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-31

An especial charm is given to social
| life In Spain by the fact that snobbish-
| ness has no part in It. No man is
prouder Of his nationality than Span
lard and no one is prouder Of his ped1-
gree than a Spaniard OF arfstocratie
breeding, but it is said that there is nc
equivalent for the English word "snob
in the Spanish tongue. Pride exists with
out a desire to make others feel their
lack Of distinction. Spanish society Is
agreeably informal in the larger cities.
In the country society" in the sense
that the term is commonly used does not
exist. There is no counterpart OF the
smart country life of England, France or
other European countries. Every one who
has wealth enough to belong to smart
life in Madrid. the national capital. or
in town. The really wealthy go to Paris
and London in the season.
The court, once much more brilliant
than it is now, is of course the eXemplar
in social life. During the brief reign OF
Alfonso XII it was a scene of continual
gayety, but his early death plunged 1t
into mourning and left Queen Maria
at the royal palace. She was not in
clined to revive the gayeties OF the court
after the period of mourning and it was
not until Alfonso XIII brought an Eng
fish princess to Madrid as his queen that
the court resumed even the appearance
of liveliness. Even since the young
queens advent it has not been up to its
former standard of gayety. but, Queen
Ena has striven to populariZe herself
with the Spaniards by showing an as
ballroom, and King Alfonso's democratic
ideas and personal popularity Shave done
much to make the palace the mecca OF
the socially ambitious.
The etiquette of the Spanish court used
to be extremely formal. King Alfonso
XII was somewhat of an iconoclast and
smashed a few presidents. He allowed
audiences at the theater to applaud the
actors in his presence. His predecessors
had never allowed so much interest in
other than their royal selves to be shown
during performances they attended. He
also dispensed with some of the more
annoying red tape within the palace, but
the court still retains peculiar dignity
and abounds in lackeys and ladies-in-
waiting, whose numerical strength and
formal dress correspond with their inn
portance as factors in the maintenance
OF the degree of stateliness that Is
deemed necessary.
Formerly palace receptions were called
little less heavy
King Is Genial formality. but it is
when one secures
anu OVAnoSAo'A0 the honor of an
audience with King Alfonso when no
court function is in progress that he
meets a genial and democratic young
man who likes to talk about horses and
dogs and hunting, and can do Sc fuently
in several languages. The fullest dignity
of the Spanish court is seen when the
royal carriage appears in gala pro-
cession. 1t Is drawn by four pairs Of
horses, whose heads are adorned by huge
ostrich plumes in the royal colors.
Gorgeous hangings of velvet, trimmed in
gold, reach almost to the ground, and the
harness is richly ornamented. Grooms
magnificiently clad in garments of vel
vet, richly embroidered in gold, lead the
horses. Military guards. equerries and
outriders surround the carriage. Such a
cavalcade is seen nowhere else save in
the orient.
of the court is the informality of social
life in the aristocratic circles. The en-
PERTAINING at the foreign ministries and
legations in Madrid brings Spanish and
foreigners together under circumstances
that do not reveal much Of Spanish life.
1t Is when one Is admitted to the set
Of some we'll established family in one
of the provincial towns that good idea
of the native customs is gained.
From the drawing room of q Madrid
LADY of social prominence to court So
ciety is but a step. The step may be
direct or through some of the great
houses that is to say the homes of the
noblemen of high rank. Usually an in
PRODUCTION to any good family means an
early invitation to one of these homes
and the climb TO the top runE of the ladder
is then almost accomplished by the visitor
who is ambitious for prominence or a
glimpse at Spanish high life" They
now call 1t eel high life" by the way.
The term high life has been borrowed
by the French from America. and has
found it's way to Madrid to be incorpo-
rated into the native tongue untranslated.
1t ls often pronounced zig leaf" as If to
rhyme with 'fig leaf"
The forms of social advertisement in
Spain are not greatly different from
hose in