Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-11-19
IN THE DAYS NEWS
Barcelona.

Barcelona.
= While the United States is coping
with the coal miners strike Spain has
industrial troubles of an opposite sort
"a national lockout of workers.
Barcelona, meeting place of the en-
ployers congress which ordered this
drastic action, is the subject of the
following bulletin from the National
Geographic society:
Barcelona is the chameleon CITY of
Spain. In some quarters streets are
narrower and more crooked than
those of old London; in others are
avenues, boulevards, shops and cafes
Which vie with those, of Paris. The
city has an aristocracy which lives so
Tar in the past that it's scions still de-
plore the discovery of America, These
gentle patricians are undisturbed BY
the agitators for all sorts of political
and economic, novelties.
+, Until 1892 Barcelona was the New
York of the editerranean. It's posi-
ton in the northeastern coast of
Spain actually at about the same
latitude as New York city, relatively
is to the Mediterranean world what
the western city is to Atlantic trade
routes. Columbus voyage was con-
sidered a bit of impertinence on the
part Of the Castilan government TO
upset the balance of trade in fayorof
cities of western and southern Spain.
Soon a movement swept the Cata-
Ian provinces, of which Barcelona is
the center, for annexation to France.
In 1910 Catalonia did rebel against
Philip ", gave, itself over to French
protection. but its old allegiance was
renewed in 1852. and cemented by the
peace of Ryswick before the close of
the seventeenth century.
In four centuries this resentment
had ameliorated enough to permit the
placing of a statue of Christopher Co.
lumbus in the Ranlbla, Fifth Ave-
hue of Barcelona. After the Spanish
American war mobs of Barcelona
citizens stoned and egged the explor-
er's statue as punishment for his
having yentured to find SO trouble
some a new world for Spain
| Despite its commercial subsistence
when the Atlantic replaced the Medi-
| terranean as the y-1jor water route
of civilization, Barcelona fourished
A year after the late war between
George Dewey and Spain. as O.. Hen
~ put it. Barcelona paid more than a
tenth of the Kingdoms entire reve-
| nue. from industrial Before the world
1 dustrial taxation. Before the world
1
4 ping companies had made it a port 81
regular CALL and today the city has
a population exceeding half q mil
lion
I'm respect to publicity Barcelona
has hardly put its best foot forward
since it is heard Of most often as &
center of riots, strikes and rebel
lions. Though one traveller found this
citizens pleasantly surprised that .Kins
Alfonso, who had just visited there
had escaped with his life, he conclud
ed after staying time that, with al
her reputation for turbulence BARGE
Iona seemed an enlightened ant
4 thoroughly progressive city Have
lock Ellis paid a more glowing trib
ute, after admitting the city's fault
| by saying, Barcelona is a revelation
of. what a great commercial city ma,
be when humanely and harmonious.
organized. In a beautiful and ex
quisitely tempered climate. a robust
ly independent and clear-eyed pop
ulation has here freely expanded It
, self loving work and loving play, an
. combining these two fundamental ilu
| man impulses more completely an
. more admirably than in. any othe
j equally great city
- Despite is disorders and its mod
J erniSTn Barcelona retains many relic
; of those mellow times when Vercante
made it the setting for Don Quixote'
later adventures. There still ar
: churches. lottery ticket: seNers,e police
I men. with red coats and helmet
flower stalls and Gagged birds vendor
= Folk lore embeIlishes the story of tn
: giriish: martyr, Saint Eularia, who's
ashes lie in the Barcelona cathedra