OCR Text |
Show i The Spanish Race. On the Isthmus the President made urgent inquiry in-quiry of what race of mcn made the best workers there. The answer was instant and unanimous: "The Spaniards," and the further explanation came because they were, the strongest men and I the most conscientious and faithful. That sets ones thoughts in motion and the history his-tory of old Spain passes In panorama before the mind's eye from the time when they fought for their homes against even the great' Julius with his trained and armored legions, down through the centuries until they practically controled Europe, Eu-rope, on and on until crossing the groat ocean they conquered two-thirds of the new world. In the meantime they had taught chivalry to Europe. Eu-rope. In arts and aims they were the world's foremost people; in law they made thejr own codes; in literature they led the world; in the graces of courtly life they had no equals. To this day, in obedience to an Inherited inborn in stinct they are tho most graceful of peoples; a peasant hoy has the walk of a cavalier thcugh he may be barefoot, a peasant girl with a fold of her Mantle and hitch of her skirt can put to Bhame the carriage of every other woman in Europe. The wealth of the new world unequally divided divid-ed among her people caused tho masses to succumb suc-cumb to nobles and priests and tho record for two hundred' years has been that of a nation in decline, but who knows? Maybe it has only been resting after 2,000 years of struggle and of triumph. On the Isthmus they are the bsst workers work-ers because "they are tho strongest and most faltli ful" of the workers there. In our northern stah t, are colonies from all the lands of Europe E&vo Spain. We wish some very rich man or syndicate of men would buy up three or four counties in Florida or Texas and going to Spain would induce 10,000 young Spaniard peasants, mai.. and female, to come and settle upon them. p'h them priests of their own faith from' New Oili jns, establishing for them American - free sclh ,iiB; placing them under American laws with l(a' 1 officers selected from their cwn company. a:i" -ee what two generations of that life would Three acres of grapes in Spain support a family. fam-ily. Could they have fifty acres in America on lands that are bettor than those at home, tell them that their taxes would be merely nominal, that all they could raise would be theirs, and give premiums to those who did best, and who knows what would follow with tho old hope that was in the hearts of their ancestors awakened in their hearts. We would have more hopes of them than of either of half a dozen other races that are overflowing over-flowing our country, for it is not yet four hundred years since Cortez burned his ships on tho shores of Mexico and with his few followers, with a valor unparalleled, stormed those tremendous mountains and founded an empire. |