TYPES AND TRAITS
It is the fashion to-day to minimise the influence of the Goths on the
national characteristics of the Spaniard. We are told by some modern
writers that their very existence is little more than a myth, and that
the name of their last King, Roderick, is all that is really known about
them. The castle of Wamba, or at least the hill on which it stood, is
still pointed out to the visitor in Toledo, perched high above the red
torrent of the rushing Tagus; but little seems to be certainly known of
this hardy Northern race which, for some three hundred years, occupied
the country after the Romans had withdrawn their protecting legions. On
the approach of the all-conquering Moor, many of the inhabitants of
Spain took refuge in the inaccessible mountains of the north, and were
the ancestors of that invincible people known in Spain as "los
Montañeses," from whom almost all that is best in literature, as well as
in business capacity, has sprung in later years.
How much of the Celt-Iberian, or original inhabitant of the Peninsula,
and how much of Gothic or of Teuton blood runs in the veins of the
people of the mountains, it is more than difficult now to determine. It
had been impossible, despite laws and penalties, to prevent the
intermingling of the races: all that we certainly know is that the
inhabitants of Galicia, Asturias, Viscaya, Navarro, and Aragon have
always exhibited the characteristics of a hardy, fighting, pushing race,
as distinguished from the Andaluces, the Valencianos, the Murcianos, and
people of Granada, in whom the languid blood of a Southern people and
the more marked trace of Arabic heritage are apparent.
The Catalans would appear, again, to be descendants of the old
Provençals, at one time settled on both sides of the Pyrenees, though
forming, at that time, part of Spain. Their language is almost pure
Provençal, and they differ, as history shows in a hundred ways, from the
inhabitants of the rest of Spain. The Castilians, occupying the centre
of the country, are what we know as "Spaniards," and may be taken to
hold a middle place among these widely differing nationalities, modified
by their contact with all. Their language is that of cultivated Spain.
No one dreams of asking if you speak Spanish; it is always: _Habla v
Castellano?_ And it is certainly a remnant of the old Roman, which, as
we know, its emperors spoke "with a difference," albeit there are many
traces of Arabic about it.
Even at the present day, when Spain is rapidly becoming homogeneous, the
people of the different provinces are almost as well known by their
trades as by their special characteristics. A _Gallego_--really a native
of Galicia--means, in the common parlance, a porter, a water-carrier,
almost a beast of burden, and the Galicians are as well known for this
purpose in Portugal as in Spain, great numbers finding ready employment
in the former country, where manual labour is looked upon as impossible
for a native. The men of the lowest class emigrate to more favoured
provinces, since their own is too poor to support them; they work hard,
and return with their savings to their native hills. Their
fellow-countrymen consider them boorish in manners, uneducated, and of a
low class; but they are good-natured and docile, hard-working,
temperate, and honest. "In your life," wrote the Duke of Wellington,
"you never saw anything so bad as the Galicians; and yet they are the
finest body of men and the best movers I have ever seen." There is a
greater similarity between Galicia and Portugal than between the former
and any other province of Spain.
Although they lie so close together, Asturias differs widely from its
sister province both in the character of its people and its scenery. The
Romans took two hundred years to subdue it, and the Moors never obtained
a footing there. The Asturians are a hardy, independent race, proud of
giving the title to the heir-apparent of the Spanish throne. The people
of this province, like their neighbours the Basques, are handsome and
robust in appearance; they are always to be recognised in Madrid by
their fresh appearance and excellent physique. For the most part they
are to be found engaged in the fish trade, while their women, gorgeously
dressed in their native costume by their employers, are the nurses of
the upper classes.
[Illustration: VALENCIANOS]
The ladies of Madrid do not think it "good style" to bring up their own
children, and the Asturian wet nurse is as much a part of the ordinary
household as the coachman or _mayordomo_. They are singularly handsome,
well-grown women, and become great favourites in the houses of their
employers; but, like their menkind, they go back to spend their savings
among their beloved hills. Many of these young women come to Madrid on
the chance of finding situations, leaving their own babies behind to be
fed by hand, or Heaven knows how; they bring with them a young puppy to
act as substitute until the nurse-child is found, and may be seen in the
registry offices waiting to be hired, with their little canine
foster-children. It is said that the Asturian women never part from the
puppies that they have fed from their own breasts.
The Basque Provinces are, perhaps, the best known to English travellers,
since they generally enter Spain by that route, and those staying in the
south of France are fond of running across to have at least a look at
Spain, and to be able to say they have been there. The people pride
themselves on being "the oldest race in Europe," and are, no doubt, the
direct descendants of the original and unconquered inhabitants of the
Iberian Peninsula. In Guipuzcoa, the Basque may still be seen living in
his flat-roofed stone house, of which he is sure to be proprietor, using
a mattock in place of plough, and leading his oxen--for _bueyes_ are
never driven--attached to one of the heavy, solid-wheeled carts by an
elaborately carved yoke, covered with a sheepskin. He clings tenaciously
to his unintelligible language, and is quite certain that he is superior
to the whole human race.
The _fueros_, or special rights, already spoken of, for which the
Basques have fought so passionately for five hundred years, might
possibly have been theirs for some time longer if they had not unwisely
thrown in their lot with the Carlist Pretender. They practically formed
a republic within the monarchy; but in 1876, when the young Alfonso XII.
finally conquered the provinces, all differences between them and the
other parts of the kingdom were abolished, and they had to submit to the
abhorred conscription. With all the burning indignation which still
makes some of them say, "I am not a Spaniard; I am a Basque," the
extraordinary advance made in this part of Spain seems to show that the
hereditary energy and talent of the people are on the side of national
progress.
The distinctive dress of the Basques is now almost a thing of the past;
the bright kerchiefs of the women and the dark-blue cap (_bóina_) of the
men alone remain. The Viscayan _bóina_ has been lately introduced into
the French army as the headgear of the Chasseurs and some other
regiments.
"Aragon is not ours; we ought to conquer it!" Isabel la Católica is said
to have remarked to her husband; and, indeed, the history of this little
province is wonderfully interesting and amusing. It alone seems to have
had the good sense always to secure its rights before it would vote
supplies for the Austrian kings; whereas the other provinces usually
gave their money without any security, except the word of the King,
which was usually broken. Among the provisions of the _fueros_ of the
Aragonese was one that ran thus: _"Que siempre que el rey quebrantose
sus fueros, pudiessen eligir otro rey encora que sea pagano"_ (If ever
the King should infringe our _fueros_, we can elect another King, even
though he might be a pagan), and the preamble of the election ran thus:
"We, who are as good as you, and are more powerful than you (_podemos
mas que vos_) elect you King in order that you may protect our rights
and liberties, and also we elect one between us and you (_el justicia_),
who has more power than you: _y si no, no!_" which may be taken to mean,
"otherwise you are not our King."
Somewhat of this spirit still abides in the Aragonese. The costume is
one of the most picturesque in Spain. The men wear short black velvet
breeches, open at the knees and slashed at the sides, adorned with rows
of buttons, and showing white drawers underneath; _alpargatas_, or the
plaited hempen sandals, which, with the stockings, are black; a black
velvet jacket, with slashed and button-trimmed sleeves, and the
gaily-coloured _faja_, or silk sash, worn over an elaborate shirt.
In the old days, when one entered Spain by diligence from Bayonne to
Pampeluna over the Pyrenees, one learned something of the beauty of the
scenery and the healthy, hardy characteristics of the people, as one
whirled along through the chestnut groves, over the leaping streams,
always at full gallop, up hill and down dale, with a precipice on one
side of the road and the overhanging mountains on the other. Below lay a
fertile country with comfortable little homesteads and villages
clustering round their church, and the like dotted the hillsides and the
valleys wherever there seemed a foothold. As the diligence, with its
team of ten or twelve mules, dashed through these villages or past the
isolated farms, the people stood at their doors and shouted; it was
evidently the event of the day. The mules were changed every hour, or
rather more, according to the road, and as the ascent became steeper
more were added to their number; sometimes six or eight starting from
Bayonne where twelve or fourteen were needed for the top of the Pass. At
least half the journey was always made at night, and if there were a
moon the scenery became magically beautiful; but, in any case, the
stars, in that clear atmosphere, made it almost as bright as day, while
a ruddy light streamed from the lamp over the driver's seat, far above
the coupé, along the string of hurrying mules, as they dashed round
precipitous corners, dangerous enough in broad daylight. If one of the
animals chanced to fall, it was dragged by its companions to the bottom
of the gorge, where it would get up, shake itself, and prepare to tear
up the next ascent as if nothing had happened.
A good idea could be formed of these hardy mountaineers in passing
through their village homes. They are tall and good-looking, and seem to
be simply overflowing with animal spirits. If it chanced to be on a
Sunday afternoon, the priest, with his _sotana_ tucked up round his
waist, would be found playing the national game of _pelota_ with his
flock, using the blank wall of the church as a court.
One is apt to forget that Old Castile is one of the provinces having a
northern seaboard. The inhabitants of this borderland are, to judge by
appearance, superior to the people of the plains, who certainly strike
the casual observer as being dirty and somewhat dull. The Castilian and
Aragonese, however, may be said to constitute the heart of the nation.
Leon and Estremadura form a part of the same raised plateau, but their
people are very different. In speaking of the national characteristics,
one must be taken to mean, not by any means the Madrileño, but the
countrymen, whose homes are not to be judged by the _posadas_, or inns,
which exist mainly for the muleteer and his animals, and are neither
clean nor savoury.
"All the forces of Europe would not be sufficient to subdue the
Castiles--_with the people against it_," was Peterborough's remark, and
our Iron Duke never despaired "while the country was with him." He bore
with the generals and the _Juntas_ of the upper classes, in spite of his
indignation against them, and, "cheered by the _people's support_," as
Napier says, carried out his campaign of victory.
The ancient qualities of which the Castilians are proud are _gravedad,
lealtad, y amor de Dios_--"dignity, loyalty, and love of God." No wonder
that when the nation arises, it carries a matter through.
Estremadura, after the expulsion of the Moors, in whose days it was a
fruitful garden, seems to have been forgotten by the rest of Spain; it
became the pasturage for the wandering flocks of merino sheep, the
direct descendants of the Bedouin herds, and of the pigs, which almost
overrun it. Yet the remains of the Romans in Estremadura are the most
interesting in Spain, and bear witness to the flourishing condition of
the province in their day; moreover, Pizarro and Cortes owe their birth
to this forgotten land. The inhabitants of the southern provinces of
Spain differ wholly from those of Castile and the north--they have much
more of the Eastern type; in fact, the Valenciano or the Murciano of the
_huerta_, the well-watered soil which the Moors left in such a high
state of cultivation, in manners and appearance are often little
different from the Arab as we know him to-day.
From the gay Andaluz we derive most of our ideas of the Spanish peasant;
but he is a complete contrast to the dignified Castilian or the brusque
Montañese. From this province, given over to song, dancing, and outdoor
life, come--almost without exception--the bull-fighters, whose graceful
carriage, full of power, and whose picturesque costume, make them
remarkable wherever seen. Lively audacity is their special
characteristic. _Sal_ (salt) is their ideal; we have no word which
carries the same meaning. Smart repartee, grace, charm, all are
expressed in the word _Salada_; and _Saléro_ (literally, salt-cellar) is
an expression met with in every second song one hears.
Olé Saléro! Sin vanidad,
Soy muy bonita, Soy muy Sala!
is the refrain of one of their most characteristic songs, _La moza é
rumbo_, and may be taken as a sample:--
Listen, Saléro! without vanity,
I am lovely--I am Salada!
During the _Feria_ at Seville, the upper classes camp out in tents or
huts, and the girls pass their time in singing and dancing, like the
peasantry.
The Valencians are very different, being slow, quiet, almost stupid to
the eye of the stranger, extremely industrious, and wrapped up in their
agricultural pursuits. They fully understand and appreciate the system
of irrigation left by the Moors, which has made their province the most
densely populated and the most prosperous in appearance of all Spain.
A curious survival exists in Valencia in the _Tribunal de las Aguas_,
which is presided over by three of the oldest men in the city; it is a
direct inheritance from the Moors, and from its verdict there is no
appeal.
Every Thursday the old men take their seats on a bench outside one of
the doors of the cathedral, and to them come all those who have disputes
about irrigation, marshalled by two beadles in strange, Old-World
uniforms. When both sides have been heard, the old men put their heads
together under a cloak or _manta_, and agree upon their judgment. The
covering is then withdrawn, and the decision is announced. On one
occasion they decreed that a certain man whom they considered in fault
was to pay a fine. The unwary litigant, thinking that his case had not
been properly heard, began to try to address the judges in mitigation of
the sentence.
"But, Señores--" he began.
[Illustration: THE WATER TRIBUNAL IN VALENCIA. SHOWING VALENCIAN
COSTUMES]
"Pay another peseta for speaking!" solemnly said the spokesman of the
elders.
"_Pero, Señores_--"
"_Una peseta mas!_" solemnly returned the judge; and at last, finding
that each time he opened his lips cost him one more peseta, he soon gave
up and retired.
The Valencian costume for men consists of wide white cotton drawers to
the knees, looking almost like petticoats, sandals of hemp, with gaiters
left open between the knee and the ankle, a red sash, or _faja_, a short
velvet jacket, and a handkerchief twisted turban-fashion round the head.
The _hidalgos_ wear the long cloak and wide sombrero common to all the
country districts of Spain.
In speaking of Spaniards and their characteristics, as I have already
said, we have to take into account the presence of all these widely
differing races under one crown, and to remember that to-day there is no
hard-and-fast line among the cultivated classes: intermarriage has fused
the conflicting elements, very much for the good of the country, and
rapid intercommunication by rail and telegraph has brought all parts of
the kingdom together, as they have never been before. Education is now
placed within reach of all, and even long-forgotten Estremadura is
brought to share in the impulse towards national life and commercial
progress. Comte Paul Vasili, in his charming _Lettres inédites_ to a
young diplomatist, first published in the pages of _La Nouvelle Revue_,
gives such an exact picture of the Spanish people, of whom he had so
wide an experience and such intimate knowledge, that I am tempted to
quote it in full.
"The famous phrase, _Á la disposition de V._, has no meaning in the
upper ranks, is a fiction with the _bourgeoisie_, but is simple truth in
the mouth of the people. The pure-blooded Spaniard is the most
hospitable, the most ready giver in the world. He offers with his whole
heart, and is hurt when one does not accept what he offers. He does not
pretend to know anything beyond his own country ... he exaggerates the
dignity of humanity in his own person.... Even in asking alms of you he
says: _Hermanito, una limosna, por el amor de Dios._ He does not beg;
no, he asks, demands; and, miserable and in rags as he may be, he treats
you as a brother--he does you the honour of accepting you as his equal.
The Spaniard who has a _novia_, a guitar, a _cigarillo_, and the
knowledge that he has enough to pay for a seat at the bull-fight,
possesses all that he can possibly need. He will eat a plateful of
_gazpacho_ or _puchero_, a sardine, half a roll of bread, and drink
clear water as often as wine. Food is always of secondary importance: he
ranks it after his _novia_, after his _cigarillo_, after the bulls.
Sleep? He can sleep anywhere, even on the ground. Dress? He has always
his _capa_, and _la capa todo lo tapa_. The Spaniard is, above all
things, _rumboso_; that is to say, he has a large, generous, and sound
heart.... The masses in Spain are perfectly contented, believing
themselves sincerely to be the most heroic of people. The Spaniard is
naturally happy, because his wants are almost _nil_, and he has the
fixed idea that kings--his own or those of other nations--are all, at
least, his cousins."
This is not the place to speak at large of the religion of the people;
but one remark one cannot fail to make, and that is, the place which the
Virgin holds in the life and affections of the masses. The name of the
Deity is rarely heard, except as an exclamation, and the Christ is
spoken of rather as a familiar friend than as the Second Person in the
Trinity; but the deep-seated love for the Virgin, and absolute belief in
her power to help in all the joys and sorrows of life is one of the
strongest characteristics of this naturally religious people. The names
given at baptism are almost all hers. Dolores, Amparo, Pilar, Trinidad,
Carmen, Concepcion,--abbreviated into Concha,--are, in full, Maria de
Dolores, del Pilar, and so forth, and are found among men almost as much
as among women. The idea of the ever-constant sympathy of the divine
Mother appeals perhaps even more strongly to the man, carrying with it
his worship of perfect womanhood, and awakening the natural chivalry of
his nature. Be this as it may, the influence of the Virgin, and the
sincerity of her worship in every stage of life, in all its dangers and
in all its woes, is a religion in itself.