leaves, and they present a curious appearance when at intervals in such
a row plants send up their huge flowering stems from nine to twelve feet
high, looking at a little distance like telegraph poles.
Despite the squalid clothes of the peasants, there are many picturesque
aspects of rural life. The driving of large herds of cattle by mounted
men, armed with long goads, is an interesting as well as an artistic
sight, and the same may be said of the primitive agricultural
occupations. The crops are harvested with a sickle, and you may wake up
some morning to see the field opposite your house invaded by some twenty
to thirty reapers, men and women, boys and girls, patiently sawing their
way through the wheat or barley, or whatever it is. The corn is threshed
out with the flail, or trodden out by the oxen - all operations fair to
look upon. Forms of cultivation interesting to watch are the very
primitive ploughing, the hoeing of the maize, and all those connected
with the culture of the vines and the orange and other fruit trees, and
especially the irrigation, which is so important to these latter. In
fact, one of the most charming of rural sights is the old water-wheel,
groaning and creaking as it is turned by the patient ox or mule or pony,
splashing the cool water from the well out of its earthen pots - each
with a hole in the bottom - and discharging it into the trough leading to
the irrigation channels or to the reservoir from which the water may
afterwards be let off in the required direction.
But agriculture is not always so backward and primitive. There are great
landowners and large farmers who use the newest and best agricultural
implements. The Government does what it can to encourage the use of
artificial manures, and there are societies which render important
services to agriculturists and to fruit-growers. Amid such labours live
the quiet country-folk. They have no thought of anything; they have no
special amusements beyond an occasional _festa_ and a dance. They sit
round the village well in the evening, and when not talking scandal,
tell stories about - "Once upon a time there was a poor widow with one or
more daughters," or "There was once a king's son" - often a Moorish
king. The old well-known tales reappear, modified to the Portuguese
character and morality.
The following is a story taken from Braga's excellent book: "There was,
once upon a time, a poor widow that had only one daughter. This girl,
going out to bathe in the river with her companions on St. John's eve,
at the advice of one of her friends, placed her ear-rings on the top of
a stone, lest she should lose them in the water. While she was playing
about in the river an old man passed along, who, seeing the ear-rings,
took them and placed them in a leather bag he was carrying. The poor
child was much grieved at this, and ran after the old man, who consented
to restore her belongings if she would search for them inside his sack.
This the girl did, and forthwith the artful old man closed the mouth of
the bag and carried her off therein. He subsequently told her that she
must help him to gain a living, and that whenever he recited -
'Sing, sack,
Else thou wilt be beaten with a stick!'
she was to sing lustily. Wherever they came he placed his sack on the
ground, and addressed the above formula to it, when the poor girl sang
as loud as she could:
'I am placed in this sack,
Where my life I shall lose,
For love of my ear-rings,
Which I left in the stream.'
The old man obtained much money from the audiences attracted by his
singing leather bag. The authorities of one town, however, became
suspicious, and, examining the sack while its owner was asleep, found
and released the child. They filled up the bag with all the filth they
could pick up, and left it where they had found it. The little girl was
sent back to her mother. When the old man woke next morning, and took
out the sack to earn his breakfast, the usual incantation had no effect,
and when he applied the threatened stick the bag burst, and all the
filth came out, which he was compelled to lick up by the enraged
populace." At the close of the story the cigarettes glow, the white
teeth gleam, the bushy whiskers wag, the old women chuckle, the girls
giggle, and the youths snigger, and as the short twilight is now over,
the group breaks up, and each vanishes into his or her own
vermin-pasture to sleep until _amanhã_ has actually become to-day, and
the sun shines on another exact repetition of yesterday.
The Portuguese are superstitious, and are devout up to a certain point,
and the clerics are exceedingly intolerant. In the morning one sees, as
in all Roman Catholic countries, devout worshippers kneeling about in
the churches before their favourite shrines, but, unlike the practice of
most Roman Catholic countries, the churches are closed at or about noon
for the most part, and are only open for special masses after that time.
The procession of the Host is greeted with most extreme reverence, and
whether it be in the fashionable Chiado at Lisbon or along a country
lane, all uncover and make the sign of the cross, and many, even
fashionably dressed ladies and gentlemen, kneel down and bow themselves
humbly as the sacred wafer passes by, borne by the gorgeously vested
priest; at least, in the cities the vestments are gorgeous, and a long
train of acolytes and attendants makes the procession imposing, but in
the country the vestments are often mildewed and decayed, and the one or
two rustic attendants are not dignified in appearance. Still, the sacred
symbol is the same, and the reverence and the devotion are the same.
There is an excessive hierarchy for the size of the country, there being
in Portugal proper three ecclesiastical provinces, ruled respectively by
the Patriarch of Lisbon and by the Archbishops of Braga and Evora.
Besides these, there is the colonial province which is ruled by the
Archbishop of Goa, Archpriests and other dignitaries abound, so that a
priest has something to look forward to in the way of promotion; and
yet, as a rule, the priests perform their duties without zeal and in a
slovenly manner. One often hears it said that their behaviour and their
morality leave much to be desired. There are among them gentlemen of
blameless life and even of ascetic practices, but it is commonly
reported that, as a whole, they are of inferior birth and education. It
is not easy for a stranger to form any opinion on these points, but it
must be conceded that their appearance is generally suggestive of the
truth of the statement, and it may be admitted that there is an undue
proportion of ignoble and sensuous faces amongst them.
Funerals are occasions of great pomp, and are often picturesque enough,
while the masses for the dead at intervals after and on the anniversary
are, no doubt, profitable to the Church. By attending these one has a
good opportunity of testifying to the esteem in which the deceased was
held, or to one's good will towards the family or representatives. These
masses are generally advertised in the papers, with thanks to those
friends who have attended funeral masses. As there is scarcely any
intellectual activity in Portugal, there is practically no religious
thought. A dull acquiescence in the dictates of the Church may be
crossed by an occasional gleam of rebellion against sacerdotalism,
roused by some temporary stirring up of the hatred felt against the
Jesuits. But it in no way alters the habitual attitude of the people
towards religion and its outward manifestations. One thing is certain,
and that is that in town or country a man or a woman must be in the
lowest depths of poverty and distress to refuse to throw a few _reis_
into the bags of the licensed mendicants who, bareheaded, and clad in
scarlet or white gowns, go round soliciting alms for the support of the
churches on whose behalf they are sent out.
As is customary in most countries, the women are more amenable to
religious influences than the men, and are more under the dominion of
the priest. This is not likely to be altered yet awhile, for, under the
present system of education and bringing up, the female portion of the
community is not only not intellectual, but may even be described as
being unintelligent. They are slovenly, and cannot be described as good
housewives. They are pleasure-loving and garrulous, though this latter
trait is not, I suppose, a specially national characteristic. They do
much hard work, especially in the fields. In the classes above (if
_above_ be the proper word) the hand-workers, the young girls are still
kept very strictly, and are not allowed to go out alone. Their knowledge
of life is limited to the view from the windows of their homes, where
they may be seen looking out on the street scenes below whenever the
shade allows them to stand at the window or on the balcony. No "new
woman" movement of any importance has yet taken place, and though there
are modifications in woman's position in the national life, it is
probable that it will take one if not more generations before women in
Portugal achieve the emancipation which their sisters have attained in
more progressive countries.
In one circumstance, however, woman does take her place by the side of
man, and that is in the bull-ring - not, indeed, in the arena, but in
every part of the amphitheatre, from the worst seats on the sunny side
to the costly boxes in the shade. She takes as great an interest in the
bull-fight as the man, and if she does not shout and swear, or fling her
hat into the ring in her enthusiasm, she delights probably more than the
man in the beauty of the spectacle, and appreciates almost as fully the
feats of skill and daring which give such special attraction to the
national pastime. This is a right royal sport, and as in Portugal the
horrid cruelty which defaces it in Spain is absent, there is no
overwhelming reason why the women should not sit and applaud the
picturesque scene and the exhibitions of pluck and agility shown by the
performers.
The scene is really magnificent, and the enthusiasm of the audience must
be witnessed in order to understand the underlying potentialities of the
Portuguese character. The vile abuse of a bull who will not show fight
is comical to listen to. Probably, in such a case, the bull has been
through it all before, and he does not care to make wild rushes at
cloaks which have nothing substantial behind them. So he paws up the
sand and looks theatrical, but refuses to budge. Then a nimble
_bandarilhero_ faces him, and fixes a pair of _bandarilhas_ in his
neck - one on each side if he can manage it. This is unpleasant, no
doubt, but the bull's former experience tells him that it is not
serious, and not even very painful. It was irritating the first time,
but no well-bred bull should condescend to be upset by such a trifle.
Another pair of _bandarilhas_, and yet another, are fixed into his
shoulders by their barbed points - or the attempt is made to fix them.
Then the bull begins to play the game in a condescending sort of way.
Then the great man, the _espada_ himself, comes on the scene, and
arranges and waves his scarlet flag, and walks up to the obstinate
animal, perhaps flicks him in the nostrils with his pocket-handkerchief
and calls him _vacca_ (cow)! At last, seemingly out of good nature, the
bull rushes at the red flag, has the highly decorated dart stuck between
his shoulders, by the daring _espada_ who may perform some other feat,
listens to the applause, and laughs to himself when he hears the
bugle-call and sees the trained oxen rush in with their long bells and
their attendant herdsmen, and with more or less of a frolicsome air he
trots out of the arena in their company and, having had his sore
shoulders attended to, and having had a good feed, chews the cud with a
pleasant reminiscence of the afternoon's work. It is a mistake not to
kill the bull, which is not cruel in itself, but which would prevent
some rather tiresome interludes when a knowing old bull refuses to be
coaxed into playing his part of the game.
Far different, however, is the scene when a really spirited bull comes
in with a rush and charges wildly at the brightly attired performers,
and makes them skip over the barrier, often leaving their cloaks behind
them. Sometimes the bull skips over too, and then there is a most
amusing scene, as performers, attendants, and all vault back over the
barrier into the ring itself. When the _espada_ finally performs his
courageous feat under such conditions, he obtains such an ovation as his
skill deserves. Hats of all sorts and shapes are cast to him in the
arena, which he has to pick up and throw or hand back to the admirers
who testify their satisfaction in this curious manner. Cigars, also, are
thrown at the successful bull-fighter's feet, and these he keeps. The
most famous _espadas_ are all Spaniards, and they all wear the
traditional dress of their calling. If, on the one hand, there is not
the thrill of the actual killing of the bull, on the other there are no
miserable old horses to be ripped up, and no smell of blood. Next to the
actual bull-fights come the selections of the young bulls from the
herds, when the members of the Tauromachian Societies exhibit their
skill, and where many a gay young fellow gets much knocked about in
exhibiting his agility or the want of it.
Other sports cannot be said to have any marked existence. Dancing is a
national amusement, and a few of the Anglicised Portuguese go in for
cricket and lawn-tennis. Cycling, though not unknown, is far from
common, the roads being, as a rule, much too bad for comfortable or even
for safe riding.
Local and provincial government leaves much to be desired in Portugal.
The keeping up of the roads is inconceivably bad. A royal road (_estrada
real_) is generally the worst of all, and, with such an example before
them, it is not to be wondered at that local authorities neglect their
duties in this matter.
"No capital city in Europe suffers so much as Lisbon from the want of
good police regulations." This quotation from Napier might very well be
written to-day, and extended to include all Portuguese towns. Perhaps it
is fair to say that it is not so much the regulations that are at fault
as the incompetence and indifference of each local authority, which
irresistibly suggest that corruption alone can account for such a mass
of evil. The administrative machine is elaborate, and ought to be more
effective. First, there is the district, ruled by the Civil Governor, an
officer somewhat resembling a French prefect, with its corporate body
known as the District Commission. There are seventeen districts, which
are subdivided into two hundred and sixty-two communes. The head of a
commune is the Administrator, and the corporation is known as the
Municipal Chamber. The last subdivision is that of the communes into
parishes, of which there are three thousand seven hundred and
thirty-five. Each of these has as its head an officer called a
_regedor_, and occupies the attention of a _junta de parochia_, or
parish council.
The scavenging, sanitation, watering, paving, and all the other works
which fall within the sphere of the municipality or local authority are
defective and neglected. The one bright point, both in Oporto and
Lisbon, is the care, skill, and attention with which the public gardens
and squares are tended. The palms, tree-ferns, cacti, and other
semi-tropical and sub-tropical plants are beautiful in themselves, and
are arranged and intermingled with other trees and shrubs in a most
artistic manner. The grass (upon which no one, of course, may walk) is
kept green by constant watering, and affords a delightful contrast to
the generally dry and dusty aspect of the city. Another organisation
which is generally efficient and well conducted is that of the fire
brigades. The municipal firemen - the _bombeiros_ - are often stimulated
by a healthy rivalry with the volunteer brigades, which are numerous,
well found, and, as a rule, well managed. The latter are often centres
of good charitable work outside their actual fire service, and they are
valuable as offering a fair and worthy opportunity for the display of
sound public spirit and good feeling.
Though Portuguese laws are, as a rule, admirable in themselves, the
administration thereof is bad in the extreme, and the judiciary have a
reputation for turpitude remarkable even amongst the recognised
corruption of all officials. In Portugal proper there are two judicial
districts - that of Lisbon and that of Oporto. Each has a high court
known as a _Relação_, and there are inferior courts of various styles
and titles. Above all is the Supreme Tribunal of Justice at Lisbon,
which is the final court of appeal, and the reputation of which is
somewhat better than that of any other tribunal. The administration of
criminal justice is naturally amongst the worst. According to common
repute, the only consideration with the judges is how they are to get
the costs paid - whether they are more likely to obtain them through an
acquittal, which throws them on the prosecutor, or by a conviction.
Also, it is generally said that the police themselves are recruited from
amongst the very lowest classes.
The prisons are described as being something awful, only to be equalled
in Morocco and savage countries. In the market-place of beautiful Cintra
stands the prison, against the barred windows of which crowd the
prisoners, begging for money, cigarettes, and food, which are supplied
to them through the prison bars by their friends and sympathisers, and
by soft-hearted people. Those who are incarcerated in the upper story
have baskets, which they lower by means of strings, so that they may be
supplied in the same manner. This seems to have amused Miss Leck
(_Iberian Sketches_, Chap. VI.), but it assumes a much more serious
aspect when one considers that in those filthy dens all the prisoners
are huddled together - old men and boys, the murderer and the petty
thief, habitual criminals and unfortunate persons taken into custody on
mere suspicion, or charged with an alleged breach of some police or
even railway regulation; for it must be remembered that a station-master
has nearly the same power as a policeman in taking a person into
custody. "No one shall be put in prison," says the Portuguese code,
"except under special circumstances"; but when the exceptions are
considered, they are found to cover nearly every abuse of authority on
the part of the pettiest official which can be conceived. Hence, all
persons are obliged to submit to gross injustice and to a certain amount
of blackmail if they wish to avoid the noisome experiences of a
Portuguese gaol.
The Portuguese must be undoubtedly "of a docile and orderly
disposition," as Napier says, or the crying injustices to which they
submit with such patience would lead them to revolt; and if this were to
happen, who could attempt to predict what excesses would be left
uncommitted by a violent southron mob whose passions had been roused to
such a pitch of activity? Perhaps _paciencia_ and _amanhã_ have their
utility, and enable the people to bear the ills they have. They can even
joke and caricature themselves, and though the comic journals are
neither brilliant nor artistic, they show, at least, that a sense of
humour is still left in our Lusitanian friends.
INDEX
Academies, 238, 243
Actors, 242
Agriculture, 167 _et seq._
Alfonso XII., 28, 104, 144, 268, 273
Alfonso XIII., 98, 272
Amadeo, King, 143
American War, 192 _et seq._
Amusements, 111 _et seq._
Andaluces, 33
Andalucia, 33
Apostolic party, 9
Aragon, 29
Army, 183 _et seq._
Art, 236 _et seq._
Artillery, 187
Artistic furniture, 176
Arts and crafts, 175, 176
Asturian nurses, 27
Asturias, 26
Asturias, Princess of, 103, 219
Austrian kings, 15, 21, 22
_Autos-da-fé_, 18, 200, 201
Bank of Spain, 265
Barcelona, 266
Basque Provinces, 26, 27, 188
Basques, 28
Beggars, 226
Berwick y Alva, Duke of, 184
Bilbao, 11, 161, 177, 178, 266
_Boletin de la Cámara de Comercio_, 163, 265
_Bueyes_, 28
Bull-fighters, 126 _et seq._
Bulls, 95 _et seq._
Bureaucracy, 148, 156
_Cabestros_, 95
Caciqueism, 145, 148 _et seq._
Cæsars, Spanish, 11, 12
_Camarilla_, 6
Campoamor, 61
Cánovas del Castillo, 136
Capital, 174, 175
Carlos, Don, 7, 9, 10
Carriages, 88-90
Casa de Campo, 84, 85
Castelar, 139 _et seq._
_Castellano_, 266
Castile, 31
Castilians, 11, 25, 32
Catalans, 25
Cataluña, 17, 175, 266
Cats, 79 _et seq._
Cervantes, 47, 48
Cervera, Admiral, 47, 190, 193
_Cesantes_, 145-147
Characteristics, 38 _et seq._, 260
Charitable institutions, 227
Charles III., 22
Charles V., 14
Children, 233
Church, the, 9, 199
Cigar industry, 177
Clerical question, 21, 221, 272
Climate of Madrid, 65 _et seq._
Climates of Spain, 167, 170
Cock-fighting, 112
Colonies, 147
Commerce, 156 _et seq._
Concas Palan, 190
Confessional, 218, 222, 223
Conscription, 188
Constitution, 154
Consumption, 67, 68
Costume, national, 78, 79
Courage, 42 _et seq._
Court, 97 _et seq._
Cristina, Queen, 9, 98
Cuba, 147, 195
Dance and song, 113 _et seq._
Dances, modern, 58, 59
Dances, national, 112 _et seq._
Dances, religious, 208
Daoiz y Valarde, 46
Democratic feeling, 6, 39
Dignity, 38
Donkeys, 90, 92
_Dos de Mayo_, 45
Drama, modern, 209, 240 _et seq._
Dramas, religious, 209-212
Dress of Spanish women, 62
Echegaray, 241
Education, 159, 213
Electra, 219, 242
Electrical science, 214
Elephant and bull, 126
Emperors, Roman, 12
_Empleomania_, 145, 146, 152
Engineers, 214
Espinosa, Monteros de, 102
Estremadura, 32
Etiquette of Spanish Court, 100 _et seq._
Exports, 177
Factories, 175, 176, 266
Ferdinand and Isabella, 5, 13, 15
Ferdinand VII., 8, 22
_Feria_ of Seville, 34
Fertility of soil, 73
_Fiestas_, 116, 206
Flowers, 73
Folklore, 253 _et seq._
Ford, 51
French influence, 173
Fuente Castellana, 78
_Fueros_, 10, 28, 188
_Fueros_ of Aragon, 29
Gala procession, 108, 109
Galdós, 219, 248
Galicia, 25, 26
Gallegos, 26, 87
Games, national, 111
Gayangos, 246
Geographical features, 178
Gloriosa, La, 10, 262
Goths, 12, 24
Government, 142 _et seq._
Government, local, 153
Grandes of Spain, 100
Guitar, 113, 238
Hippodrome, 62
Horse-racing, 125
Horses, 91 _et seq._
Iberian rejon, 118
Iberian unity, 251
Incas, 18
Independence, War of, 45
Industries, 161, 263 _et seq._
Infantas, 54, 103, 106
Influence of the Press, 129
Inquisition, 19, 199, 200, 271
Irrigated land, 172
Irrigation, 171 _et seq._
Isabel II., 6, 53, 107, 207
Isabel la Católica, 5, 8, 15, 29, 270
Jaime, Don, 8
_Jota Aragonesa_, 114
Jesuits, 199, 213, 217, 218, 220 _et seq._, 272
Journalists, 130
King Alfonso XIII., 272, 273
Kings, Austrian, 21, 22
Kings, Bourbon, 8, 22, 118
Labour, 174
Lace, 165
Lagartijo, 122 _et seq._
Land and people, 1
Land laws, 173
Landscape round Madrid, 71, 72
Land value, 172
Language, 266 _et seq._
Literature, modern, 246 _et seq._
Madrazo, 239, 244
Madrid, modern, 77
Madrid, old, 77
_Mañana_, 52, 74, 195, 197
Manners, 40
Mantilla, 79
Manufactures, 164, 165, 175 _et seq._
Manzanares, 83
Marriage customs, 229 _et seq._
Medical science, 215
Meetings, political, 138
Mendizábal, 9, 23
Metal work, 176
Military system, 183 _et seq._
Mineral wealth, 160 _et seq._
Montpensier, Duke of, 104 _et seq._
Moors, 17 _et seq._
Mules, 90, 188, 255
Music, 81, 236
Narvaez, 249
National feeling, 184, 185, 193