Title: The Mentor: Spain and Gibraltar, Vol. 1, Num. 31, Serial No. 31, September 15, 1913
Author: Elmendorf, Dwight L.
Language: English
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The Mentor 1913.09.15, No. 31, Spain and Gibraltar



                            LEARN ONE THING
                               EVERY DAY

                SEPTEMBER 15 1913        SERIAL NO. 31

                                  THE
                                MENTOR

                               SPAIN AND
                               GIBRALTAR

                        By DWIGHT L. ELMENDORF
                         Lecturer and Traveler

                DEPARTMENT OF                 VOLUME 1
                TRAVEL                       NUMBER 31

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THE MENTOR

“A Wise and Faithful Guide and Friend”

    Vol. 1       No. 31

SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR

    TOLEDO CATHEDRAL

    ROYAL PALACE, MADRID

    ALCÁZAR AT SEVILLE

    SEVILLE CATHEDRAL

    THE ALHAMBRA, GRANADA

    GIBRALTAR

[Illustration]

_A Trip Around the World with DWIGHT L. ELMENDORF, Lecturer and
Traveler_


Gone is the ancient glory of Spain. To the visitor it appeals chiefly
as a country of a splendid past. This is not true, of course, of
some of the more populous localities. Barcelona is full of life and
commercially enterprising, and Madrid is full of activity and is a
natural center of interest as the capital of the nation. But many
of the cities and towns of Spain attract chiefly as interesting and
picturesque survivals. They breathe the atmosphere of a former age. We
feel the influence of it wherever we turn. Spain is not much traveled
by tourists. More would go perhaps if they realized what splendid
scenery was there, and how rich in historic and romantic associations
the country was.

Since the days of the first inhabitants, the Iberians, and beginning
with the Celts who crossed the Pyrenees some five hundred years B.
C., Spain has been invaded by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans,
Vandals and Visigoths, Arabs and Moors, and each of these races has
left evidences of its dominion, in monuments of one kind or another, in
architectural forms, in roads and buildings, and in the language and
customs of communities. The interesting Basque people of the northern
provinces of Spain are declared by students of history to be almost
unmixed descendants of the original Iberians.

[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF TOLEDO

_Toledo is one of the most ancient cities in Spain. It was at its
zenith under the Moors. Later it became the residence of the kings of
Castile._]


THE GLORY THAT WAS SPAIN’S

And in these many years what glory has been Spain’s! She has been aptly
called an “eddy of tribes and races.” Under Moorish rule she commanded
the Mediterranean. Then as a Christian kingdom, beginning with Rodrigo
the Cid and Alfonso VI in the eleventh century, and extending through
several hundred years under such famous rulers as Ferdinand and
Isabella and later Charles V and Philip II, Spain acquired the whole
peninsula and rose to be a great world power. In war she was a dreaded
foe of France, England, and the Netherlands. Her armada for years
swept the seas. In search of treasure and to extend Spain’s power and
possessions, Vasco da Gama discovered India and Columbus opened up the
new continents of the western world.

All the achievements of Spain in the brilliant past are brought home
to the visitor who spends even a few weeks in that country. So many
things in Spain are interesting for what they _were_! The visitor soon
comes to know the mood of Washington Irving, who dwelt for a time in
the Alhambra. His impressions are like those of a beautiful dream.
Irving withdrew from the world of his day and immersed himself in the
romance of the past. That is the mood in which the traveler will enjoy
himself most when visiting many places in Spain.


THE LAND OF THE DONS

[Illustration: Puente de Toledo, Madrid

_The bridge of Toledo at Madrid was completed in 1872. The banks of
the stream are continually rising, and the piers are therefore partly
buried in the ground._]

The very entrance to Spain is a fit preparation for the strange,
interesting and beautiful things to be seen there. No one can forget
the day that he crosses the impressive boundary between France and
Spain, winding about and tunneling through the majestic Pyrenees.
Once this superb mountain range is passed, the traveler feels as if
he had come upon a different world from any that he has seen before.
His attention turns first, most naturally, to the great cities, which
differ essentially from one another. Perhaps no two more contrasting
cities could be selected than Toledo and Madrid. Toledo was from the
earliest times a capital city. The Romans, Goths, Moors, and finally
the Christians, made it the headquarters of authority. It was the scene
of the triumph of that world-admired hero of the eleventh century,
Rodrigo the Cid. Toledo is in all respects an impressive relic of
bygone splendor. Madrid, on the other hand, is a modern city. In the
days when Toledo was most magnificent and had a population of over
200,000, Madrid was a little town. Today Madrid numbers over 500,000
inhabitants, while Toledo’s population has dwindled to less than
30,000. In Toledo we find many things as they have been for hundreds
of years. The city is still famous for its swords. The Toledo blade is
known the world over today as it was in Roman times.

The traveler does well to visit Toledo first. Its very situation is
extraordinary. The river Tagus flows about it and almost binds it in
like a rope. The banks of the river are rocky and steep, and spanned by
several interesting old stone bridges.


A CITY OF THE PAST

The effect of Toledo viewed from the south and looking across the gorge
through which the river flows is remarkable. The city is inclosed
within ancient Moorish and Gothic fortifications, and presents an
aspect of a jumble of housetops dominated by two great structures, the
cathedral and the Alcázar.

[Illustration: PUERTA DEL SOL, MADRID

_The “Gate of the Sun,” the big square in the center of Madrid and the
busiest spot in the city, has long been the real political arena of
Spanish history._]

Enter Toledo, and you find novelty and picturesqueness on every side.
The streets are narrow and crooked. The houses are blind and forbidding
on the outside, reserving their attractions for their inner courts.
Everything about you is strange and curious, and full of historic
significance. If you wish to get the history of Spain in condensed
form, you will find it in Toledo.

The cathedral is the most important feature of the city, and one of
the finest and most interesting in Europe. The religious life of Spain
centered there for centuries. On that site a Christian temple stood in
the sixth century. When the Moors came they made a mosque of it. Then
Alfonso VI took possession in 1085, and the Moors were driven out. In
the thirteenth century the old building was torn down and the present
edifice was begun. During 265 years it was in course of construction--a
lifework for many architects and artisans. And there the great
archbishops of Toledo controlled the government and civilization of
Spain for years. Everything of importance that made Spanish history
was then in their hands. You are made to realize this when you visit
the cathedral. It contains many valuable relics of history and art
treasures. When you have seen these go to the tower. The view will
repay you. The most prominent object to be seen from there is the
Alcázar, standing on the highest ground of the city. This building is
the phoenix that has risen over conflagrations of former structures
on that site. The original building was a Roman citadel. When the Cid
reigned supreme, in the eleventh century, he resided there. Afterward
fires consumed the building, and it was rebuilt several times. It has
been in turn a castle, a palace, a cadet academy, and now it stands
there a stately and imposing monument to the past.

[Illustration: THE ESCORIAL

_This immense building was constructed at the great cost of over
$3,000,000, by Philip II of Spain. It was the result of a vow made by
the king to build a monastery to Saint Lawrence._]


MADRID, THE CAPITAL OF SPAIN

Madrid was made the capital by Philip II in 1560. It was not by
nature attractive. The winter winds are cruel, and the summer heat
is intense. The country roundabout is bleak, and for years after it
became the capital it remained a city of small buildings and unimposing
appearance. But the court being there, it was the center of all
political and religious activities. Arts and letters received their
greatest stimulus under the patronage of church and court. Cervantes
lived there, and it was in Madrid that he finished his immortal “Don
Quixote.” The Bourbons came into power in the eighteenth century, and
then the great royal palace was built. After that Madrid increased
rapidly in population and improved in appearance. Today it is a city
of great activity, full of life, gaiety, and fashion; in short, the
Spanish Paris.

The two things that command most interest in Madrid are the palace and
the museum. The palace, which stands on high land on the site of the
old Moorish Alcázar, was erected between 1738 and 1764, and is a most
imposing structure, no matter from what side it is viewed. Some idea
of its immensity may be gathered from the statement that it covers
26,900 square yards of ground and its sides are 500 feet long. Like
many great structures in Spain, it is built of native granite. It is
not easy to gain access to the interior of the palace. Sometimes in the
absence of the royal family permission may be obtained, and those who
have the privilege of being admitted find there many relics of historic
value, a priceless collection of tapestry, a number of most interesting
old works of art, and a library containing many volumes of unique worth.

[Illustration: THE ESCORIAL

_One of the monks of the monastery on the balcony, overlooking the
formal gardens._]

[Illustration: LIBRARY OF THE ESCORIAL

_This splendid room contains many rare and valuable works. The older
books stand with their fronts toward the spectator and have their
titles stamped on the gilt edges._]

The collection of paintings in the art museum is one of the finest
in all Europe. There is a magnificent representation of the Spanish
school, and especially of the great painter Velasquez. There are sixty
pictures of his, including some of his most brilliant works. There are
also many splendid examples of the art of Murillo, and many paintings
by Rubens and Van Dyck.


THE ESCORIAL

Situated twenty-seven miles from Madrid is the village and palace of
Escorial. The Escorial is a most extraordinary building. Many of the
Spanish people regard it as the eighth wonder of the world. It is
a fitting memorial of the cold, cruel monarch who built it. It is
related that Philip II constructed the Escorial in fulfilment of a
vow, made during the battle of St. Quentin, which took place on Saint
Lawrence’s day, August 10, 1557. King Philip declared that he would, in
case of victory, erect a memorial building to Saint Lawrence that would
transcend any structure of its kind that had ever been built before.

[Illustration: THE LEANING TOWER OF SARAGOSSA]

[Illustration: GRANADA AND THE ALHAMBRA

_The Alhambra occupies the plateau of the Monte de la Assabria. This
wonderful building was begun by Mohammed I, who was the originator of
the motto “Walâ ghâliba ill’ Allâhta âlà” (there is no conqueror but
the Most High God), which is so conspicuous among the inscriptions of
the Alhambra._]

Saint Lawrence, it will be remembered, was burned to death on a
gridiron, and it is said that, in memorial of this, the structure of
the Escorial was planned to resemble a gridiron in form. There is
nothing authoritative to substantiate this tradition, however. It is
simply the story that goes with the place. This monstrous building was
begun in 1563 and was completed in 1584. It is a monastery and a palace
at the same time. Its vastness overwhelms the mind. At first sight you
are awed by the solemn, stern, and forbidding aspect of the building,
and this first impression is deepened after going through the immense
courts, corridors, and chambers. It has but little ornament to relieve
its severity. It is the work of a morbid and superstitious man. As one
visitor has put it, “Philip was the proudest among kings and the most
bigoted among devotees. What wonder that he should build a convent and
palace and make its costliest room his sepulcher!”

The Escorial staggers description. Perhaps an adequate idea of it may
be had from a brief statement of facts. It cost three and one-quarter
million dollars, and covers 500,000 square feet. It is 700 feet long,
580 feet wide, and is divided into sixteen courts. The great towers at
the corners rise 200 feet. The main cupola or tower above the church,
in the center, is 320 feet in height. When we add that there are 86
staircases, 89 fountains, 15 cloisters, 1,200 doors, 2,600 windows, and
miles of corridors, we sum up in a measure the astounding dimensions of
this wonderful structure.

[Illustration: PALACIO DE GENERALIFE, GRANADA

_The Palace of the Generalife was the summer residence of the Moorish
kings. This interior view shows the Patio de la Acequia._]

The Escorial is well kept by the Augustinian brothers who are in
charge. The surrounding terrace and gardens are carefully cultivated,
and these outer adornments help a little to soften the austerity of the
stupendous pile of granite buildings.

[Illustration: BELL TOWER, CORDOVA CATHEDRAL

_This tower is three hundred feet high, and was built on the
foundations of the Moorish minaret. At the top is a figure of Saint
Raphael with a weather vane._]

In this country of contrasts there is no more striking contrast than
that between the cruel Escorial and the romantic Alhambra. It is
pleasant to turn south to Granada; for the greatest treat of all for a
visitor in Spain awaits him there. Granada is picturesquely situated in
a valley, on ground that rises toward the hill of the Alhambra. The
view from the highest points is beautiful.


THE ALHAMBRA

    NOTE.--Further information concerning the Alhambra will be
    printed in a future number of The Mentor, devoted to “Beautiful
    Buildings of the World.”

[Illustration: A SEVILLE INTERIOR

_The private life of Seville is focused in the inner courts of the
houses. This picture shows the beauty of one of these courts._]

Granada is not especially attractive in itself. It is chiefly a city
of the past. It is the Alhambra that draws the visitor there. This
celebrated building is a dream of Moorish magnificence made real.
It is impossible to do justice to its wondrous beauties in brief
space. An extensive literature has been written in description and
in appreciation of its architectural splendors and of its romantic
interest. Washington Irving has done most for the subject in his “Tales
of the Alhambra.” He lived there for a time, and wrote there during his
stay. You will find his name registered in the visitors’ book under
date of 1829. The Alhambra, like many Moorish buildings, is severely
simple on the outside; but when you enter your senses are captivated by
the exquisite beauty of design and decoration that stretches out before
you as you go through the courts and halls of this wonder palace. While
in the whole it presents an effect of uniformity, there is infinite
variety in detail, and there are countless forms of beauty about you
that captivate the mind and fill the soul with delight.

[Illustration: THE GARDENS OF THE ALCÁZAR, SEVILLE

_The plants and flowers of these gardens are very beautiful._]

Aside from the Alhambra there are two buildings in Granada that
command special attention,--the Palace of Charles V, which adjoins the
Alhambra, and the Palace of the Generalife. Both of them have features
of great architectural beauty. The former building was never completed.
The palace of the Generalife is situated to the east of the Alhambra
and 165 feet higher. It was the summer residence of the Moorish kings.
From there the finest view about Granada can be had, covering the
Alhambra below and stretching far across the _vega_ (plain) to the
distant mountains. The interior of the Generalife in its time must have
been as beautiful as that of the Alhambra. The most beautiful spot
is the garden of the Generalife, with its terraces, pools, grottoes,
hedges, and overhanging trees.


SEVILLE

It is a great relief to turn from the squalor in Granada to the
comforts and delights of Seville. There is no town or city in Spain
that can compare in charm with Seville. By its snow-white cleanliness,
its fragrant fruit and flowers, its luxurious foliage, its gay and
harmonious life, it invites the traveler to stay--and few can resist
the invitation. Once introduced to the home life of the inhabitants,
the visitor is apt to renounce gladly for a time all thought of
departure. Everywhere about him is competence, comfort, and content.
It seems as if families vie with one another in making their homes
attractive. The family life is in the inner court or _patio_. That
is the summer parlor, and there in the midst of flowers, plants, and
beautiful birds friendly parties gather in happy companionship. It is
in Seville, it seems to me, that the life of the native Spaniard may be
seen in its most attractive light.

[Illustration: THE HARBOR AT BARCELONA

_Through Barcelona passes almost one-fourth of the entire foreign
commerce of Spain. This city is the most important commercial and
industrial town in Spain, and has a population of 530,000._]

The two most notable sights in Seville are the Alcázar, which was the
palace of the Moorish kings and afterward the home of Spanish rulers,
and the cathedral, which is one of the finest, largest, and most
beautiful Gothic churches to be found anywhere.

The Alcázar has much of the beauty that is to be found in the
Alhambra. Many of the interior decorations are not of the original
building, but were the result of a restoration, and in this work many
of the designs were frankly borrowed from the Alhambra.

The cathedral is one of the largest and most beautiful in Europe.
Within this great building there are so many interesting and valuable
works of historic and art interest that it might fairly be called a
museum. One feature of the exterior of the cathedral arrests the eye of
a New Yorker at once,--the tower. He is apt to exclaim on sight of it,
“The Madison Square Tower!” The similarity is close. When the plans of
the Madison Square building were made the tower of Seville was copied.

We have gone now far to the south. A few miles brings us to Cádiz, on
the ocean coast, or Malaga on the Mediterranean. The distance from
either of these two attractive cities to Gibraltar is short.


GIBRALTAR, THE IMPREGNABLE

[Illustration: FORTIFICATIONS AT GIBRALTAR

_This, the key to the Mediterranean, is one of the most important coast
fortresses in the world. It has been in possession of Great Britain
since 1704._]

And when we reach Gibraltar the change of scene and life is abrupt and
almost startling. If we go to Gibraltar by the road from Spain, we
cross a narrow strip called Neutral Ground. It is arbitrarily fixed
territory between Spanish and British ground. It is so low that it can
hardly be seen from a distance. The effect is to make Gibraltar seem
like an island. In case of emergency it would not be difficult to blow
up this neutral strip and make an actual separation.

The rock of Gibraltar has been for years the symbol of stability and
of strength. It is in a military sense the “key to the Mediterranean.”
It was taken by the British in 1704, during the war of the Spanish
Succession, by Admiral George Rooke, who commanded the British fleet.
It has been fortified by the English government in a manner that is
most discouraging to anyone contemplating a hostile advance through the
straits.

[Illustration: VIEW ACROSS THE NEUTRAL GROUND BETWEEN GIBRALTAR AND
SPAIN

_In the distance is seen the misty outline of the Rock_]

The shape of Gibraltar is that of an enormous lion. As Thackeray says,
“It crouches there, to guard the passage for its British mistress.” At
the base of the rock are batteries; up on the summit are guns of heavy
caliber, and over its face are holes through which cannon muzzles look
out across the water like sullen and malignant eyes.

Gibraltar is over 1,400 feet high and is composed of limestone.
Under its present conditions of fortification it is declared to be
impregnable. It looks it. At the foot of the great rock is a town
of 30,000 inhabitants, of whom 6,500 are soldiers, composing the
British garrison. In this town is to be found a cosmopolitan mixture
of men, and the character of it shifts from time to time according to
conditions of traffic through the straits. There is enough to entertain
a visitor for a day. Life there for a long time must grow monotonous.
The impressions, however, of a single day at Gibraltar are not
forgotten. You carry away the conviction that, whatever might happen to
anything else in this world, Gibraltar is likely to stay.


SUPPLEMENTARY READING

    Spanish Cities                               _C. A. Stoddard_
    Spain and Morocco                            _Henry T. Finck_
    Castilian Days                                     _John Hay_
    Tales of the Alhambra                     _Washington Irving_
    Spain                                     _Edmondo De Amicis_
    The Story of Spain                     _E. E. and Susan Hale_
    Spain: Its Greatness and Decay (1479-1788)      _Martin Hume_
    Modern Spain (1788-1898)                        _Martin Hume_
    A Record of Spanish Painting                  _C. G. Hartley_
    Gibraltar and Its Sieges                         _J. H. Mann_
    Gibraltar                                       _H. M. Field_



[Illustration: CATHEDRAL OF TOLEDO, SPAIN]



_SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR_

_Toledo, the Ancient Capital_

ONE


Rodrigo, last of the Gothic Kings of Spain, heard in his palace at
Toledo that the Moors had crossed from Africa to Gibraltar. A little
army led by Tarik landed in 711 and marched northward, conquering as
it went. King Rodrigo, with a great force of Spaniards, met them in
Andalusia. He commanded the center. The wings were led by King Witiza’s
sons, who, hoping to recover the country that Rodrigo had taken from
their father, joined the Moors, and pressed with them into battle.
Rodrigo was surrounded and cut down. The Moors marched northward,
taking city after city in the name of Mohammed, till all Spain was
theirs. The last of the Gothic kings had fallen.

From that day to this Toledo has never regained her position as the
capital of Spain. In the royal palace Tarik found twenty-five crowns of
the old Gothic kings, golden and richly jeweled; the Psalms of David
written on goldleaf with dissolved rubies, and the emerald table of
Solomon. Those crowns may still be seen; but no one has ever seen the
other treasures.

The Moorish kings, though they ruled Toledo mildly, had no end of
trouble from the haughty nobility, who, robbed of their high position,
were always in revolt against the conquerors. At last Sultan Hakim
decided to punish his unruly subjects. He gave them a governor of their
own race, who pretended to hate the foreigners, but was secretly in
league with Hakim.

Amron soon won the hearts of his people and built a great castle in the
middle of the city. There he held a reception for Prince Abd-er-Rahman,
to which all the nobles and rich citizens of Toledo were invited.
Feeling the honor of royal presence, which their city had not enjoyed
for many years, the Toledans went by thousands to the castle. Told to
enter one by one, noble and grandee went in--but not to feast. Five
thousand lost their heads in the trap. Amron thought, no doubt, that it
was a good joke; but he had not much time to enjoy it. When the people
realized what he had done a mob gathered and burned his castle, with
Amron in it.

Toledo was early freed from Moorish rule, and the greatest of those
who helped to maintain her independence was Rodrigo Diaz the Cid, who,
next to Napoleon, is held by many to be the foremost heroic figure in
European history. He held important court offices under Alfonso, living
in the Alcázar at Toledo. Many poems and stories have been written
about the Cid. He belonged to a noble family, married the granddaughter
of Alfonso V, and later made himself a king. The fate of a battle
was never in doubt if the Cid was fighting; for his side was sure of
victory. Toward the end of his life, after hundreds of battles and
duels, he made his most famous conquest, the taking of Valencia from
the Moors, in 1094. He ruled well and justly for the next five years
over Valencia and Murcia, and in 1099 died of anger over the defeat of
his favorite lieutenant. The Cid is Spain’s hero and saint, familiar to
all in legend and in song.

    PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
    ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 31
    COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.



[Illustration: ROYAL PALACE, MADRID, SPAIN]



_SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR_

_Madrid, the Capital_

TWO


Standing on the grand stairway of the Royal Palace, his hand upon the
balustrade, and looking at the splendor about him, Napoleon Bonaparte
said to his brother Joseph, to whom he had given the throne of Spain,
“You are better housed than I am.” That was the emperor’s opinion of
the royal residence in Madrid. To Napoleon the conquest of this ancient
and famous land of Spain was one of his greatest victories.

Many people, when they first see the country around Madrid, are
surprised at the lack of trees there. It is known that the mountains
of that region were once covered with a heavy growth of forest which
has since been cut away. The trees were felled to put money into the
royal treasury. One reason they were never replanted is that many of
the Castilians have a strong dislike for trees. They think only of
the birds that nest among the branches and feed in grain fields; they
forget that trees are both useful and beautiful in themselves, giving
shade and moisture and beautifying the scenery.

In later years a wise government has come to see that the slight loss
of farmland is not nearly so important as the effect woodlands have on
climate. Groves now dot the landscape with patches of refreshing green,
and the climate about Madrid is already improving. It is hoped that the
bleak country, which now grows only a spare crop of corn, will become
fertile and fruitful again when new forests have influenced a more
regular rainfall and a steadier temperature. Scientific forestry can
probably redeem the error that was committed centuries ago.

Madrid, though a modern city, has been from the beginning a center of
art and literature. Velasquez went there from Seville to spend the
greater part of his life. It was there that Cervantes, author of “Don
Quixote,” lived and died. More important, perhaps, than any other
figure in the Spanish drama was Lope de Vega, a native of the city.
He led an eventful life while writing poems and plays with wonderful
readiness. According to his own statement, more than a hundred of his
plays were written so quickly that it took only twenty-four hours from
the time he started to compose each one of them until it had been
produced on the stage. He wrote 1,800 plays. He is said to have printed
21,300,000 lines, which, if we can believe his own account, was only a
part of all that he wrote. To do this he must have written nearly nine
hundred lines a day all through his life.

Many other artists and writers have worked in Madrid, and the Spanish
capital is still a well known center of culture.

    PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
    ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 31
    COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.



[Illustration: ALCÁZAR AT SEVILLE, SPAIN]



_SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR_

_Alcázar at Seville_

THREE


Tranquilly amid its gardens that glow with roses and orange blossoms,
the Alcázar of Seville, palace of the old Castilian kings, stands
now as it stood in the days of the Moors. Here and there a ceiling,
a stairway, or a colonnade, damaged by fire or earthquake, has been
repaired according to architectural ideas of more modern times; but
in the main those Moorish kings who built it could sleep, if they
were there today, in their own rooms undisturbed by any feeling of
strangeness.

The site on which the Alcázar was built is probably the oldest in
Seville. The palace replaces an old Gothic castle, which had been
erected on the foundations of a Roman villa. Uncertain traditions and
the imagination of historical writers have pictured the houses of
shepherds on the same spot before history began.

There are many stories about the Alcázar, both true and fabulous.
The Court of Maidens took its name from one of these. It was said
that a tribute of a hundred maidens paid to the Mohammedan ruler had
been lodged in that part of the Alcázar. History does not show that
the calif ever asked for such a tribute, and it is probable that the
Court of Maidens had not been built at the time when this incident is
supposed to have taken place. Nevertheless, such a story has grown up,
and has given the court a name that it will doubtless bear for all time.

After Castile had thrown off Moorish rule Seville was made the capital
of Spain. For several centuries Christian kings lived in the Alcázar,
adding somewhat to the original structure as the Moors had left it. The
name of Pedro is more closely connected than any other Spanish ruler
with the history and fiction of the building. He was called Pedro the
Cruel. A grim sense of humor and a habit of going through the streets
of Seville in disguise have made him the subject of many odd tales and
rumors. Some of these stories are merely whimsical. He is said to have
met four candidates for a judge’s position beside a pool in the gardens
where they had gone to find him. Pedro, turning to the first, asked him
what was floating in the pool.

“An orange,” replied the candidate without hesitation.

The second and third gave him the same answer.

The fourth fished out the piece of fruit with his staff, examined it,
and replied more accurately, “Half an orange.”

Pedro immediately gave him the appointment.

    PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
    ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 31
    COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.



[Illustration: CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE, SPAIN]



_SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR_

_Cathedral of Seville_

FOUR


There is a Spanish proverb that says, “Whom God favors he gives a
house in Seville.” The privilege of living in that bright, gay city is
considered by a Spaniard to be the height of happiness. Other cities
are larger, wealthier, or more important politically than Seville; but
none holds a higher place in the hearts of the Spanish people. When in
the beginning of the fifteenth century the old cathedral was damaged
by an earthquake, a meeting was held to discuss what should be done
to restore it. Then one proposed that, instead of repairing the old
church, they should build a new edifice, larger and more magnificent
than had ever been imagined. They planned a cathedral that should make
all who saw it wonder at the daring of those who began it. What the
public funds would not supply they agreed to furnish out of their own
purses.

Only 117 years were consumed in the erection of this wondrous
structure, which is a short time as old cathedrals go. After St.
Peter’s at Rome and the Mezquita at Cordova, it is the largest church
in the world. It is 414 feet long, 271 feet wide, and 100 feet high to
the top of the nave. The immense pillars, as you look down the church
between them, seem to diminish in the distance to the thickness of
reeds. Many another cathedral could stand inside the nave of this one.

There are numerous churches in the city; most of the older ones are
built on the foundations of mosques. The church of La Caridad has a
strange legend connected with it. Don Miguel de Manara, the founder,
had been a profligate in his youth, a sort of Don Juan, and was known
far and wide for his excesses. One night when he was returning home
alone he lost his way, and wandered about in a daze, unable to find his
home. In imagination he met a funeral procession, and stopping one of
the bearers inquired who it was that they were taking to eternal rest
at such an hour.

“Don Miguel de Manara,” he replied.

Greatly surprised at hearing his own name, Don Miguel uncovered the
face and saw there his own features. The procession immediately
vanished; but left him so deeply impressed that he was converted and
built a church and a hospital.

    PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
    ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 31
    COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.



[Illustration: VIEW OF ALHAMBRA. GRANADA, SPAIN]



_SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR_

_Siege of Granada_

FIVE


The city of Granada was the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. The
usurpers had been driven from province after province, while the power
of Castile increased in all the country round. Only the province of
Granada held firm. Even there, losses in war had so weakened the Moors
that their kings paid tribute to the Christian rulers, down to the
time of Muley Hassan. He was a proud and cruel monarch, so fond of the
dignity his fathers had held that he not only withheld the tribute, but
even made inroads into Spanish territory.

A ten years’ war followed. Spain determined to drive her enemy out of
Europe once and for all. In battle after battle the Christians narrowed
Hassan’s kingdom, till the people of Granada rose in revolt against
the ruler whose bad luck and tyranny made him so unpopular. He was
dethroned, and the kingdom given to Boabdil, his son. Boabdil was if
anything more unfortunate than his father; for Ferdinand and Isabella
pushed their conquest little by little up to the very walls of Granada.

A long siege followed. The Moors, as they lost the power they had held
so long over the rich and delightful lands of Spain, tried every trick
of warfare without effect. Ferdinand had given orders not to attack
the city. He intended to win by starving his enemies rather than by
fighting, while the Moors did all they could to provoke a battle.
One daring knight named Yarfe rode out of the gates; unexpectedly he
made his way to the Christian camp, and threw a spear into the ground
close by the royal pavilion as an insult to Queen Isabella. In return
Hernando del Pulgar, disregarding the order of Ferdinand, broke through
the gates of Granada with a few followers and pinned a tablet on the
door of a mosque with his dagger. Upon the tablet were the words, “Ave
Maria.” Thus the knights of both sides showed their recklessness under
the long siege.

The Spanish army lay so long encamped on the vega (plain) within view
of the city walls and the magnificent buildings of the Alhambra that at
last, after the tents had been accidentally burned, Ferdinand ordered a
city to be built for the soldiers. Each of the towns of Spain sent its
share of materials and in a remarkably short time Santa Fé, as it was
called, stood side by side with Granada.

When all the vega was laid waste, when the Moors were starving and
discontented, and a hostile walled city frowned in sight of the
Alhambra, Boabdil at length made terms of peace. He said farewell to
the palace of Moorish kings and all the luxuries he had enjoyed as its
ruler, surrendered the keys of the city to Ferdinand, and went away
greatly humbled. Never afterward did the Moors hold power in Spain.

    PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
    ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 31
    COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.



[Illustration: ROCK OF GIBRALTAR]



_SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR_

_Rock of Gibraltar_

SIX


One night over two centuries ago a band of Spaniards, led by a
goatherd, crept up the rock of Gibraltar to St. Michael’s cave, where
dawn overtook them, and where they remained all through the next day.
As soon as darkness had fallen again they scaled the wall, surrounded
the signal house, and in a few moments overpowered the guard. The
British in the fortress never dreamed of danger so close at hand.
Ropes and ladders were lowered stealthily over the precipice, and the
Spaniards, feeling sure of victory, brought up several hundred men for
the attack. If all had gone well, Gibraltar might have been in the
hands of Spain again before sunrise; but some part of the work was
clumsily done, for British sentries caught the alarm, and a body of
grenadiers, hastily called together, rushed out upon their midnight
assailants. Gibraltar was saved for the British. Some of the Spaniards
they hurled over the cliff; the rest surrendered and were taken
prisoners.

The history of Gibraltar was for many centuries one of sieges and
captures. The rock was first known to the Greeks and Romans as one
of the pillars of Hercules; the other, Mt. Abyla, stands on the
African shore. But at that period, when ships rarely sailed out of the
Mediterranean, the “pillar” was unimportant to any great nation in
war. It fell into the hands of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians and
Visigoths at different periods in history. Tarik, landing there when
he crossed from Africa into Spain, built a castle on the rock, which
was therefore called Gebel-al-Tarik (Hill of Tarik), the original form
of the name Gibraltar. It fell into the hands of England after the
Spaniards and Moors had fought over it for centuries.

Once again, in the great siege that began in 1779 and lasted more than
three years, England came dangerously near losing the fortress. Spain
and France took advantage of British losses in America to open fire
on the Mediterranean stronghold. After the garrison of over 5,000 men
had been reduced to starvation, and only the bravery of General Eliott
could keep them together, Gibraltar was bombarded from the mainland.
Just when his command seemed lost under the strain of attack and of
hardships endured so long, the Scotsman led his troops to the attack,
and, taking the much larger Spanish army by surprise, drove them back
and burned their fortifications. Again Spain and France attacked from
the sea; but Eliott burned their ships with redhot cannonballs. The
struggle was renewed from time to time all during the siege, until at
last peace was proclaimed. General Eliott, returning home, was received
with the highest military honors for his courage.

England has been offered all of Spain’s possessions in Africa in
exchange for the one great sterile rock; yet nothing will induce her to
give up that hold on the gate of the Mediterranean.

    PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
    ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 31
    COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.



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*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Mentor: Spain and Gibraltar, Vol. 1, Num. 31, Serial No. 31, September 15, 1913" ***

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