Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-09-13
LAND OF THE DoNs
Fort Mill Man Tells Of Things he Saw

where I spent Is months a few years
ago in the employ of New York en-
gineering concern that had the con
tract for building large electric plant
near the French border, and he vill
imagine that time has been turned
back 500 years or more" said q night
or two ago John E. Jones, Of ort9Em.
in telling party of his friends OF some
of the conditions and customs he OBJ
served in that country, relates the Fort
Mill Times. ~ e. ~
II am not surprised he continue1,
ito learn that the Moors are get<tnk
the best OF the spaniards in their HEht
and that the Spanish government q
seeking army recruits in the United
States. Ny observations led me VI be-
lieve that the average SpaniardI
mean the class from which the private
soldiers must be recruited-is wholly
licking in courage and that the g0
ernment is doing the natural thing y
calling upon. other countries for tzcf
,diers. Indeed, there appeared TO be
little patriotism among the worksnB
classes in Spain, and that not witho4t
reason. The government does next -
nothing to improve the hard conditiQtfp
In which these people live, but is con-
tinualiy adding to their burdens y by
imposing fresh taxes upon them sf
There were hundreds Of day Labor
ers employed in building the dafnf
canal and power houses where ! wa
and 1 can testify to their general
worthlessness. Here in the South We
sometimes complain that the negro
does not do his work as well assh ne
should, but the average Southern negro
will do more work in one day than -
to be. expected Of the average Spaniar6
in four days Tosget any work atsqil
out of the Spanish laborer one m1sf
treat him like. q spoiled child. for they
will strike on the slightest pfovocatiop
and when there is no provocation they
frequently manage to trump up an ex-
cuse to quit work. Strikes and hoil-
days are the rule smong the laboring
classes in Spain. ",
There is large floating population
Of day laborers in Spair, many oe
them men past middle life. These MIN
have no homes and move about from
place to place wherever they can ~
work. carrying with them only the
blankets in which they sleep. mots tfe-
quently on the ground than in q build
ing, The weather is much more seTefe
in the Pyrenees mountains Of spain u
winter than Il Is In this sectIo1 eb1t
Notwithstanding the cold. I have many
times seen Spaniards after finishfnk
their days work wrap themselves II
their blankets and lie down on the
ground and apparently sleep In ccfnz
fort until almost time to go to1work
again. They are paid from 20 70 ~
cents a day for. their labor and 81
course have little with which, 20 buy
the comforts OF life.
Spain Is one Of the most beaighted
Of all the European countries. e0a9
would not suspect that the country
stood out few hundred years ago q
a leader among the nations OF the
earth. The glory that was Greece ana
the grandeur that was Rome, do NOT
abide in Spain. A very large per cent.
Of the people can neither read nor
write and there is a great deal Of pow
erty and suffering among the lower
classes. But whether of the better or
lower classes the Spaniards are strGhs
for sports and what they consider q
good time Sunday Is the principal
day Of the week for pleasure over
there. There is no Christian Sabbath
in Spain as we observe the day In thts
country. On the other hand, the day
is given over to dancing. wine drinks
ing, bull fighting and other forms 1of
amusement. . ,i<t
But fighting is the principal national
sport. have seen few bull hghts IN
Barcelona, and I am glad we have
nothing so brutal in this country
Thousands flock to see the tights Nin
which some well known toreador Is TO
take part and 30 excited do>the peop's
become in their wild rush for choices
seats when the event Is about to BEGIN
that one must be careful or he will be
trampled to death. Usually the torea-
dor is mounted on an old grey horse
too wellnigh exhausted from lack of
feed and overwork to escape tho
rushes Of the frenzied bull goaded to
desperation oy spear prodding ana tae
Haunting Of red flags. AS q conse-
quence the horse is nearly alTays
quickly disemboweled by the bull, but
If it is able to stand up It Is taker
from the arena, sewed up and then
brought back into the arena 10 under.
go further punishment by the bulk It
seldom happens that the bull kills, BE-
Injuries the toreador. "tts.s
Farming conditions are as back
ward in Spain as one eopld imagine.
There they plow with a crooked stick
as they did thousands Of years ago and
there is no modern farm machinery. in
use. Living conditions around the
homes of the farmers are the most
primitive. -,