The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-29
(Copyrigl

po himself heart and soul Unto k<z&xsy feminism That is his latest Sport. He has been moved to this by accident and by his Queen, Victoria. When Alfonso last month went to San lander to talk to the mayor about his new palace, he said to welcoming group of pretty maids from the Bay of Bis cay's coast that "Spain's schools need first and last system of practical train- ing for girls in order that these may become workers and citizens as well as wives and mothers" This amazed the pretty Biscay maids, whose chief tion of being workers and citizens is sit <. ting for hours at time up to their < .necks, in the neighboring sea baths of 'Sardinero.
 Alfonsos conversion to feminism's sa- cred cause started Loyalty with his own family. Until lately Alfonso regarded his knswomen in true Moorish spirit and he made a fuss when even his el-' derly mother, the Queen Dowager. dru<e down the Prado without duenna He made a bigger fuss when his aunt the Infanta Eulalie, adopted the feminist 4cupation of authorship. Now with an- 'other aunt Alfonso has done just the opposite. He has actually changed the statutes of the Alfonso XII order so as to admit this aunt the Infanta Maria de la Paz the second siNer of the late Alfonso XII, who is married to Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria. and re- sides at Munich. Princess Ludwig Ferdi- nand has thrown herself boldly into the feminist cause. In particular she aims at spreading the knowledge of Spain. and helping Spanish students in south Ger many. With this aim she endowed in Munich the Pedagogium Espanol. At first people said that Alfonso was much annoyed at his aunt's feminist propa- Yda ha his mind that he sent her the gold cross of the Alfonso XII order. This order was founded 10 years age to distinguish scholars and artists; and the statutes de- clare categorically that no woman may !. be decorated. Alfonso has changed the eakatutes In a rescript he says: "The oAAtutes need amendment because Spain is full of distinguished women who are striving, creating and reforming; and these have the same right to be encour- aged by the state as men have
 Alfonso's next feminist step was to dis tinguish two famous Spanish women. One Is an actress. who is also a feminist phi- q 4Nanthropist, the other famous authoress. The actress is Senota Tebau, leader or the Spanish comic stage. Senor Tebau has made successful efforts to improve the material and moral position of women on the Spanish stage. She founded in 1909 juristic institute for actresses de- fense; and she fought through three ju- diical instances lending up in Madrid supreme courD a lawsuit to break the claim of impresaros to make life con tracts at low salaries with young &C., tresses of talent who are thereby kept in state of slavery Alfonso sent for Sonora Tubau ard congratulated her < saying: T should like to have given lt5udgment myself but I am not an au- tocrat." He put down the actress's name on the list of persons to get the Alfonso XII order next year. This is the first ' time a Spanish actress has ever got Spanish decoration. The other lady whom Alfonsoe singled out for distinction is the novel writer and literary historian, Sonora Emilia Pardo Bazan, the most talented and indefatigabie of Spain women writers. whose works fill A vol umes. She lectures as professor in the School for Higher Studies of the Madrid Athenaeum. When Alfonso was told of the efforts which are being made by the ministry of education to improve schools for girls he said: Why don't you call 6 ~Annga -Baxanr' Soon. afterwards the