The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-11-02

In Way il is Great but il il Always
Cruel

| then comes magnificent procession
of terrors. And the thousands and
| thousands applaud the bull fighters.
This immense arena, 1t is made
TO house some 5000 people. They
are here applauding the toreros-
those fighters Of the bulls. From all
classes they come. You have the
people who work with their hands.
and the people who keep the shops.
and the people who do the trading,
and the splendid people who do moth
ing The desire to see the bull fight
links them all together.
| a glorious spectacle under the
strong shining Of the sun of Spain.
Some $1,000 applauding people, and
the procession around the arena Of
the bull fighters, and a stirring march
from the band. Matadors and plea
dors and banderilleros and chulos
step out together around the immense
arena. Gallant, sturdy looking, fine
gladitors.
And The arena is now just bare
stretch of sand, half in the burning
sun and half in the shade. The peo-
pie VINO posses most money sit in the
shade. But all are eager and excited
| whether sitting in the shade or sun.
For a bull fight stirs the blood. II is a
spectacle at once glorious and cruel
Just a bare stretch of sand, this
arena. The bull fighters are waiting
outside the actual ring in the space
between it and the first row of seats
where sit the spectators.
There is hush, tense silence, and
suddenly something appears afar off.
A door has opened and shut quickly,
and behold the chief actor in the trag-
edy has appeared. The player that
plays but once in the scene has begun
his part
This black bull.
He is confused with the intense
light and the sounds and the strange
ness. For he has been suddenly forced
into the arena from out Of the dark
ness. And now he is here to fight for
his life. And perhaps i. is that he
knows it, for he suddenly gives forth
a below of rage
How splendid an animal-this fine
black bull! In him is embodied the
| fighting instinct. Before him would
fly a lion or tiger.
And suddenly rage has full posses
sion of him. For the bull fighters have
come up swiftly, and he is charging
and bellowing-now here, now there.
He moves with wonderful Quickness.
He goes forth after his foes, roaring
| with greap leaps and bounds. That
this great, black, fighting thing can
move so swiftly seems strange.
| But his foes are swift-and cum
| ming. They mislead him by their
cloaks and cloths, they delude him.
he is upon them, but they elude him
as fash Of light, they shout at him,
| and now barb is suddendly stuck
into him. He is galloping here and
galloping there, and bounding here
and bounding there roaring with
| rage. But always he is outwitted AL
ways he has to fight flashes of light.
No, not always. For now he has got
| man. He was just the shade of a
second too quick for this human flash
| of light. And the bull fighter is up in
the air. And if you are a spectator,
and you have the sporting instinct,
you feel pleased. l felt very pleased
when 1 saw it. My sympathies were
| with the bull
The bull fighter is lying prone
where the great, black bull pitched
him. And the surrounding thousands
of spectators are shouting. Some
thing that is living is being done to
death. The primal desire to see kill
ing is awakened and fiaring.
| The bull is bounding toward the
| prone figure. Death is near to the bull
fighter. But the cunning of man is too
| much for the bull. He is misled and
| deluded. a red cloth flashes across
his face. He follows that. And here
is man whom he follows. New
RACES come upon him. He has for
| gotten the enemy he was going to XII
the enemy that has since been car
ricd out OF the arena. They are
everywhere. They hover around him.
| He feels again the stab OF barb in
his neck. And he wheels round SO
suddenly and unexpectedly that he is
TO the ground. The fight is beginning
| tn elp1r A N Of h., l,,n 10, hoc