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Show THE BEE 4: OUR FRIENDS, THE ENEMY. Everybody wants to know something about Spain, now that a war with that country Is Inevitable. Spanish soldiers at tlio opening of American history worn generally conceded to be tho most daring and Ncnturesome In tho world. Their bold and reckless disposition was manifest in every voyage of exploration and discovery, while their cruelty and treachery made of every land they invaded a vast necropolis. It was Sir Richard Greenville of Devon who said: No man is braver than a Spaniard." And in his day this estimate was justified by tho conduct and achievements of tho armored knight of Spain. cased in glittering mail from head to foot, equipped with sword and battle-ax- o and blunderbuss, he defied odds, laughed at the crude weapons of the aboriginees and mowed them down without regard to ago or sex. It was in tho days of steel uniforms, in time of wars with naked savages that Spain was at her best. Rut Spanl-- ernqreds wero tho wonder of tho world. They began with the discovery of the American continent, followed by Cortez conquering Mexico and Fizarro taking possession of almost tho whole of South America in the name of Spain. These possessions poured a steady stream of weath into the coffers of tho conquering country. Spanish navigators and explorers male of h Spain tho greatest empire that the world had ever known. The reign of Ferdinand and Isabella was the dawn of the glory of Spain. Her wealth, her prestige, her influence, her ability to buy whatever she needed, whether soldiers or statesmen, made her most potential. And in that reign wero other achivements which reflected her might and ilor. Then the Moors wero driven out: the inquisition was established and the power of the Pope was equal to that of the King; the Jews wero expatriated, and every wish of royalty became the deed of empire: there were wars in Italy and Africa and one with France, and many victories for the valorous Cordova; there were tho wars of Ho Holy League, and tho utter rout of the French on Italian soil. These were some of the achievements of the Spanish army. And the soldiers fought like demons, encouraged by success and frenz'ed by relieioS fervor. The rule of the church was in its infancy and men obeyed its every percept and went wherever the finger of the Pope pointed. Put the glory of Spain is gone. The demands of the government were exami orbitant. the claims of the clergy out of reason. priest-riddethe energy the pride and the ambition of the masses were gradually crushed out. Ignorance and superstition the footprints of priestcraft have bowed and bent and degraded the middle and lower classes of Spain. tho crown at tho age of 2ft, and went to war. Ho fought the Pope; fought France; fought long wars with tho Protestant Netherlands; fought tho Turk; made one of tho Holy Leaguo which fought the great sea fight at Lepanto, which forever shattered tho Turkish dream of an ompiro in Africa, and in which Cervantes, a privato soldier, lost the. usr of his left hand; fought Henry of Navarre; maintained a perpetual sea war with England after tho accession of Elizabeth. Ho sent the imincihlo armada in 15SS, and of tho 30.000 men who manned his ships Mexico only 10,000 returned. Ho sent another armada In was and so wero all the colonies by these wars. He lived and breathed murder. He attempted to assasinato Elizabeth, Henry of Navarre and John of tho great burgher, and ho did assassinate Egmont, Hoorne, William the Silent, Don Carlos, at that time his only son, Don Juan, millions by one edict in tho Netherlands, and his private secretary, Escovedo. who knew too much. For many years of Philip's reign the skull of tho Chief Justice of Aragon adorned a Spanish market place. Hero is what ho governed: Peru, Mexico, Brazil, tho Antilles, seventeen Netherland provinces, twelve kingdoms of Spain and Portugal, the two Sicilies. Milan, parts of Tuscany, Bar1596-150- 7. tax-ridde- n, Olden-IIarnevel- d, bary. Guinea, tho African coast southwest, the Indian sea peninsulas and archipelagoes, tho Philippino and Malacca islands, the Grand Duchy of Florence and the Republic of Geneva. He was titular King of England, through his marriage with Mary, and a claimant to the throne of France through his daughter. Philip was a power in the premises, and his premises were unenclosed. Then disintegration began. The empire rapidly retrograded undef succeeding kings and queens. The Spanish army continued to lose until its soldiers became as fearful as they nad Icon hitherto been fearless. Losses in the Netherlands. Italy and France told upon them. When tho English took Havana in 1762. with fifteen miU;ons of dollars in plunder, when the same power took Trinidad from Spain it was a serious blow' to the latter, which recovered them at great expense and humiliation. Tn 1795 France sliced off and appropriated great areas from Spanish territory. In 1797 the English raw practically swept the Spanish marine from the sea and broke her pow'er forever. Then came her war with France, when England under Wellington sought to protect her from Napoleon. The allied Fngibh Spanish forces were meeting with but moderate success. The cowardice of the Spanish soldiers was demoralizing. Wellington requeued their withdrawal and preferred to fight the battles of Spain without the aid of the Spanish army. The pride of Castile" not only fled from danger, but sold out and deserted, not individually or singly, but in even whole regiments. The revolutions of Spanish During the reign of Charles V., which began when the Frankfort companies and diet placed that Hapsburg on the throne, Spain reached the zenith of colonies have been continuous, like the spinning of a wheel of forture. its glory. For more than a half century it dominated the nations of or misfortune, for Spain. Freed from the Spanish yoke, one American been set up and maintained, until Cuba, Europe, always quarreling, always fighting, always conquerirg. Arro- republic after another has gant and immoral, it never sought for provocation: rich, cruel and the last, is ready now' to assert its independence. vicious, it never showed mercy or spared an enemy: dissolute and tySo much for Spanish history. A few figures concerning the presrannical, the rulers knew no mercy. The din of war was incessant in the reign of this monarch. For thirty years he was engaged in what ent power and condition of the kingdom mav be of interest. Soain are called the Italian wars. He was behind the sacking of Pome in has an area of 197.670 square miles, and a population of 17,565 632. 1527. because Pope Clement had absolved Francis from a truce, and Texas has an area of 274.356 square miles, while the States of New the French King had immediately begun fighting again. In the eight York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Alabama together have more far more w'ealth and a hundred fold more resources. Thev years between 1527 and 1525 he had this war with Francis, a war with the Florentines, assailed the Barbary pirates and captured Tunis. Tn could borrow more money, raise and equip a bigger army. Thee four 1536 he invaded Provence, and in that year whipped the rebelh'ous States could exist if cut off from the rest of the world. Spain could other States in this Union to draw draw burghers of Ghent. He had an African war in 1541, and another war not: and there are forty-on- e with France from 1542 to 1544. Tn 1543 he began his savage attacks on from. In the days of savage warfare Spain wras a great nation. She Protestanism. In 1547 he took Maurice of Saxony prboner, and fought was the greatest of all the barbarians the most powerful savage him again in 1552. He followed this with one more war wPh his old tribe of all. With civilization, the power cf the savage is sure to foeman of France. At this time Spain was mistress of Mexico. Peru, w'ane. When other peoples were applying themselves to sciences ard Francbe Comte, the Netherlands. Naples, parts of Germany and a arts. Spain was swaggering in her arrogance and pride. When educadozen of other principalities. During his reign Charles rolled back the tion took progress by the hand. Spain sat in her castle doors and Turks from Europe, fought for Christians in Tunis and Algiers, had sneered. With education came pow'er to others. With ignorance retraveled over Italy. France, Fngland, Germany and Flanders forty mained the savage. But one nation in Europe is lower in enlightentimes in war and peace. He had fought every one who disagreed with ment than Spain. That is Italy. Of all the population of Spain onlv him on any subiect. and when he resigned his crown to Philip and re- 23 per cent can read and write, 4 percent can read only and 68 nor tired to a monastery, was the most potent and dreaded monarch of his cent can neither read nor write. There is an argument in this fact. Think of it. Here is a nation in the heart of civilisation, and 63 ner day. rent of its people have no conception whatever of the marvels of the Philip was a fighter, too. Charles would never have given up af- printing press or of the letters that Oadmus brought to Europe. And fairs to him if he hadnt been a bulldozer after his own heart. He took so the people clamor for wrar against fate itself. Look at the difference King-cpnre-s- ed ad n, popu-Jatio- n. |