The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-14


Crescent, wars that had the nature "
crusade. therefore gave the Church
authorities supcrexalt"d influence and
made the Spanish kings champions of
eCclesiasticism rather than defenders
of the temporal interests Of the pc, pie.
And these long wars were followed by
disastrous reaction. The LANE WAS fun
of men whose training and occupation
had been Almost entirely military. TIL"
people were n~eglcctful uf agriculture
and were inferior to the NJ urs in Il
especially in respect of necessary
irrigation. Instead of agriculture be-
ing encouraged by the rulers. their
acts added new obstacles to- the nat
ural ones already existing. Large
tracts Of land were reserved for hunt
ing by the MOBILES. The forests were
not conserved. Natural resources
were plundcrcd where they should
have been husbanded.
Tho silk and wool trade that pros
percd in the first part of the sixteenth
century declined. Here. too, there waS
obstructively opetant a combination Of
natural and artificial restraining in
fiucnces. Where the Moors had brought
from their African habitat skill in cul-
tivatinc just such land aS they found
In spain. they brought also that ia
difference to the construction OF roads
which was the natural result Of n no.
inadic life In an easy" country. Ther"
were no adequate transportation ia
%cilities In Spain, and there was no ade-
quate commercial organization; while
49,. nAa,.. . ,.V..HAtN. yYauta1G fl.rn
the transatlantic dependencies played
havoc with prices. Philip II. was a
"waster." his extravagances plunged
the nation ever deeper into debt. Ma
tional poverty and ruinOus foreign
wars went hand in hand.
The discovery of America was on
temporary with the fail Of Granada
To each OF the two major character
lstic elements Of Spanish manhood the
New World opened mp of ac-
tivity continuing those which were
closed by the cessation Of the strug-
gle with the MoorS. Ecclesiastical!
fanaticlsm saw in the Western Indies
new opportunity for the spread Of
the Catholic religion. Adventures
perceived a new field for their en-
lA'sAtAAS q va s'fs met kNp 'NNaa
assorted motives are the forces that
determined the course OF history in
the South American dependencies of
Spain. They may be s~ymboi!zed, Gold
and God. The unhappy ahor igines
suffered as much at the hands Of the
emissaries of the white mans Deity
as at those of the searchers for T..
Dorado: Heredia's men pillaginS the
graves at Zenu. the InquiSition har-
rowing Cartagena.
OF the origin and development Of
democracy in South America the au-
thor says:
In the Spanish colonies the forcAs pre-.
venting the rise and dominance II the
democrats spirit were stronger than IN
the English colonies. They were The
product Of a peculiar Spanish inheri-
tance and Of the conscious erort o: the
spanish authorities to make spanish
colonial society Ike tho society Of spain.
The creation OF a titled aristocrscy. tho
discrimination against tho creol. with re-.
spect to all the important offices Of gov.
eminent and the Church. and the personal
concessions made 10 powerful leaders who
established colonies o. resided in Amer
lea. introducing a form OF 'eudalisiu.
were all h~ipdrances TO the development
OF the democratic spirit. The existence
OF extensive mining and Industrial under
takings where she employment OF large
numbers OF dependent Indians brought
laborers as a class into disrepute .mpha-
sized the lines OF class distinction and
made practical democracy for the time
being impossible. But IN tn" course Of
time the exclusive policy Of the spanish
Government with respect 20 p~oli'icai Of
fces and economic privileges created an
opposition party. a party Of the urprivi-
legged. within which .h- essential equality
Of 80 members provided conditions favor
able 90 the rise OF the democratic spi.it.
The dependencies advanced toward
independence as the Creoles, mest!Zos
and more cultivated Indians smaiga-
mated and as the class" thus cstah-
lished rose TO power. II the eighteenth
century the titled nobility and high
officers of Church and STATE stood on
one side of the dividing line. with the
creoles and mestizos on the other, and
Il was the latter class that shaped
what there was OF pubic opinion. opin-
ion hat solidifed, through painful
process. into the creation II the South
American republics.