The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-06-02
Gibraltar. March 70. 1922.

Gibraltar, March 10, 1922.
Gibraltar is not much, either as
scenery, or history. 1t is big rock
that looks bigger than it is, because
it rises Unexpectedly at the end of a
sand spit at the bottom of old Spain
As a threat, symbol and monument
of force it is not impressive, for force
is going out of fashion. So it stands
grim and truculent on the corner OF
the world, like an old prize fighter that
has gone stale and can not make a
match. 1t is almost pathetic. World
peace, elf-determnation, open diplo-
macy, Socialism, woman suffrage and
Prohibition sail past cheerfully and
call out to the beetlebrowed old chal-
lenger: Never mind your punch II
you have any soil grow something
If you have any sense start som ething
1t is new deall" 1t ought to be dis
mantled, like Heligo1and, and given
back to Spain for a gateway to Gren-
ada and Cordova and Toledo and the
Moorish wonderland about them
The most striking thing in its history
is not true. 1t was one of the pillars
of Hercules and was advertised as the
end of the earth But the earth did not
have any end and Ccnta the other pillar,
nine or ten miles away, looks like the
end of something, but it is only Africa
which itself is the end of the contin-
ents. Nelson's famous victory over
the French and Spanish armadas was
won at Trafalgar near Centa, and near
by also, in ancient days, the Moorish
proftcer named "Tarifa" built a for
tress, by means of which he levied
duties on the cargoes that came that
way. Our protective tariff is named
after this early freebooter and in some
features looks like its father.
There are now, about twenty thou
sand people in Gibratar-English,
Spanish, Jews and Moors, with a
sprinkling Of Arabs There is street
cut through the place, built solidly
as the British always build, lined will,
shops dealing in everything. There
is cemetery, race-track cricket
ground. and bull ring just across
the line in Andalusia. The rock it
self suppose is about fifteen hundred
feet high and is honeycombed with
tunnels and caverns for big guns and
stores. and the only apes in Europe
line the top and have lived there
throughout its history.
The bay is crowded with warships
still in their war paint drab, dingy
forlorn and mostly useless.
Everybody went ashore at Gibraltar
and everybody was glad to get back
on board. / heard one man ask an
other what he did on shore and he re-
piled: ooh, nothing but Glib" by which
he meant that he had simply done one
OF the things that the cruise calico
for.
I forget whether in former letters
I have said anything about my fellow
voyagers. They are mostly Ameri'
cans and mostly very quiet and
friendly. Other nationalities are not
wanting. There are seven people a.
my table One OF them holds her
knife as if it were fountain pen and
eats butter on her celery. Her hus-
band holds his the same way and
uses it to stow each forkful, and dex-
trously runs a dune of salt around the
edge OF his plate as the first process
in feeding, which things settle their
nationality. And the young lady next
me halls from some place where ladies
at table keep their little finger of the
right hand sticking straight out when
eating or drinking.