Evening star., 1926-06-20
CATALANS JEALOUS
OF ANCIENT TONGUE
People of Spain's Industrial
Section SCOrn CaStiIian
Rule.

Accept a position with the govern
ment Mhen the government offers it,
or have your lands confiscated and
your citizenship Cancelled. Spain
recently posted that edict in the Prov
ince of Catalonia.
The odd spectacle of men being
compelled to take lucrative govern
ment positions has an explanation in
the peculiar relation of Catalonia to
Spain" says a bulletin of the National
Geographic Society from it's head
quarters here.
THE geography of Spain is better
known in terms of its cities than its
sections. Catalonia can be placed
readily by calling it the province of
which Barcelona is the head city
Lil1ened to Spanish Ireland
Politically, it can be located by
calling it Spanish Ireland. Still, Cata-
tonia might resent this label as much
as she chafes at Madrid rule, because
her history of independence. running
back to the ninth century at least. Is
uuite ancient enough to warrant Ire
land being called instead the English
Catalonia To make ireland proper
parallel it would be necessary to move
from England across the Irish Sea
most of EnSland's factories and mines
and most of her Industrious workmen.
There would be left in England (now
playing the role of SPAIN the govern
ing classes and the military.
Catalonia is the workshop OF
Spain. 1t claims to pay nearly so
per cent Of the nations tax bill. The
annual income produced by this single
province is reported to be two-thirds
that of the entire nation. Although
Catalonia covers only one-sixteenth
of the area of Spain, it appears one-
tenth OF the population
There is an old Spanish proverb
hat "A Catalan can turn stone into
bread
Galatians Proud of Progress.
"A Catalan is proud of that proverh.
Work is raised to high dignity in
Catalonia. The Catalan does not envy
Madrid or Seville their reputation with
tourists as quaint spots where the
middle ages linger unashamed. He
lives in the present. He is proud of
Barcelona'S rows of workingmen's
houses and smokestacks. Modern ma
chinery can be found on Barcelona's
docks AT the Catalan mines the
latest advances in mining engineering
are in evidence The Ebro, which
drains the whole south flank of the
Pyrenees, is dwindling to a creek be-
cause of the rapid increase of irriga-
ton. 1t is the Catalan's close link
with the progressive world that has
made Barcelona Spain's glass of fash
ion and the second city of the nation.
Cling to Their Language.
"Castilian Spanish is official Span
ish. 1t is standard, like Partisan
French. But once away from Madrid
one hears all sorts of variations of
Castilian. Go into Catalonia and you
will hear another language entirely
The Catalans have spent much time
and effort conserving their own lam
guage. Newspapers are printed in
Catalan. While il is a romance Ian
guage, the tourist equipped with both
French and Spanish might as well
stop up his ears when he crosses the
border. He will be deaf to Catalan.
IF the traveller comes from the
north he will run into Catalan lam
guage before he crosses the border.
For many centuries before Spain and
France became we'll knit states Cata-
lonla was saddle over the AIediter-
fanean end of the Pyrenees Noun
tains. On the French side the Cata-
lanS nave not clung to their heritage
with the passion of their Spanish
brethren, Most of them. like Marshal
Joffre, himself a Catalan. are deeply
loyal to France. But in Roussillon, in
French Catalonia. one may hear in a
short walk through the narrow
streets Spanish, French with a Span
ish accent, French with a Catalan ac-
cent. Spanish with a Catalan accent.
Spanish with French accent, Catalan
with French accent and Catalan
with a Spanish accent
Catalonia has flag, too. It is n
yellow banner with four diagonal red
stripes. There is fine story to the
design A dying Catalan hero drew
his bloody fingers across his yellow
scarf and gave it to his countrymen
for standard. While the banner
does not appear often in public. it is
introduced in coat lapels, automobile
radiator caps and insignia for athletic
teams"