Oyarzábal_Carmen Becomes a Citizen

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CARMEN BECOMES A CITIZEN

BY ISABEL DE PALENCIA

T H A T a ny thin g so progressive an d, to cer ta in m inds, prosaic as

"Women's Rights" should exist in Spain , even theoret ical ly , may

seem l i t t le^hort of t ragedy and contrary to al l well establ ished

principles and notions regarding the idiosyncrasy of the land of

the Cid, of Ce rvan tes, and of Christopher Colum bus. Ro m antic

souls will perhaps regret that such modern views as come within

the limits of feminine emancipation should have taken root in a

country considered by poets as the birthplace of Love with a

capital L; where women have long been supposed to cherish no

other aim in life than to set men's hearts on fire—supposing this

to be still a possible accomplishment^—^with their flashing eyes,

lissome figures and dainty feet, and where maidens had no ambi

tion beyond that of l istening to the impassioned love songs of

handsom e br igands and daunt less to readors . "A la s " these

sentimental is ts wil l say, "Can i t be t rue that women wil l prefer

voting to playing the role of 'Carmen' in everyday life. '*"

Judging from all outward appearances, i t certainly does look as

tho ugh Spain ha d banished Ro m ance from her precincts , f rom this

special point of view, for many women have succumbed to the

wish or the necessity of taking part in the struggle for existence

which they had been led to bel ieve was man 's patr imony alone.

It is interesting to observe that in the field of feminine inde

penden ce, as in every othe r phase of nat io nal developm ent , Spain

ha s no t followed th e example of oth er countries bu t has ke pt faith

ful to the trad ition al me tho ds of evolution which ha ve differen

tia ted he r grow th from th a t of oth er na tion s. Spain in the race

forward has not tr ied to run abreast of her competitors; she has

never cared to cover the ground at the same level pace, but loved

to tarry and saunter by the wayside, at t imes even to fall into a

rut, blissfully unconscious of the winks and nudges provoked by

her delay, and then suddenly to surprise her r ivals by giving a



184 T H E N O R T H A M E R I C A N R E V I E W

spur t or a jump and landing ahead of many more cons is tent

run ners . Such is her system , an d the reason wh y we see her pass ,

unex pectedly a nd with a pp ar en t ease, f rom ox carts and diligences

to motor t rac t ion , wi thout the need of the in termediary ra i lway

lines; from the old Ro m an oil an d w ick lam p to electr ic bulbs , a nd

from mediaeval customs and dances into bobbed hair and jazz.

T h e same thin g ha s occurred in feminism. F or centuries men

kept their womenfolk apart , not only from the wear and tear of

public s tr ife but even from the usual not to say conventional as

sociation w ith th e ou ter wo rld. H ow else could th e old say ing

La mujer con la pierna quebradayen casa" (For wom an a broken

leg an d th e home ) h av e ever become a password .f* U nd er w ha t

other circumstances could the idea of giving the fair sex this only

possible alternative have arisen.?

Yet of a sudden those women who were supposed to keep

strictly within bounds according to the national usage, brcdce

through the excessive res traint and invaded the men's terr i tory

with a vengeance; enter ing into open competi t ion with the

masculine forces in colleges and universities, hospitals and law

cour ts , l i te rary and ar t i s t ic pursui ts and, jus t la te ly , tak ing par t

in municipal adm inis t ra t ion . Such a rapid ons laught na tura l ly

took the men by surprise, and whether they were too poli te to

refuse to share their privileges with the ladies or they thought it

useless to oppose the new and forceful current, the results are one

and the same; for women have ini t iated their economic inde

pende nce and are on th e eve of obtaining a sat isfactory answ er to

their oth er dem and s. I t is only fair to say th a t the new at t i t ud e

adopted by the weaker sex has often provoked indulgent amuse

ment but never harsh cr i t icism from the other s ide.

Althou gh qu ite in ha rm on y with Spanish peculiar i t ies , th e

speed with which feminism has grown and spread is really ex

tra ord ina ry. In fact i t ha s tak en the bre ath aw ay from some of

the women themselves , and one feels tempted to search for a

secret propell ing power capable of moving the machinery of na

t ional development a t a quicker ra te than i t was ever made to

work before. T he answer to this question can be found in an

oth er Spanish idio sync rasy: th a t of long nourishe d indiv idua l effort

or ambit ion suddenly blossoming into a collect ive requirement.



C A R M E N B E C O M E S A C I T I Z E N 185

The dispar i ty of character found among Spaniards who belong

to different regions is perhaps responsible for this delay and

in the case of women's enfranchisement an excuse for i t may be

found in the fact that Oriental influence is sti l l strong in many

provinces; eight centuries of Moorish domination having left

end uring m ar ks in th e custom s an d opinions of th e people. T h e

faintest knowledge of Spanish history and li terature, the most

summary examinat ion of the past , wil l however show that in

Sp ain, as elsewhere, wom en hav e ever been conscious of their pos

sibili t ies and proved their capacity whenever circumstances

proved favorable to that end.

After all i t was a woman, the Catholic Queen Isabella, who,

set t ing aside convention and with a t rue democrat ic spir i t , held

courts of justice in the public squares of the towns she entered.

I t was a woman, Saint Theresa, most dar ing of reformers, who

put an end to the abuses and scandals in the monasteries of her

order . I t was a wo ma n, Ca tal ina de Arauso, th e "nu n-l ieu ten

ant" , who def ied public opinion and, led by her adventurous

spirit, visited America,^—^no mean feat for a woman to achieve in

the Sixteenth Century,—disguised as a sailor lad or as a soldier,

travelle d, served in the ra nk s, shot down me n as well as big gam e,

gambled an d d ran k un ti l , moved by spir i tual grace, she ret i red

into a convent to end her days.

These and many others paved the way for present emancipa

tion, but we should add that most of the women who in olden

times obtained success in the world of politics, literature or social

dev elopm ent were m em bers of religious com m unities. T he

reason for th is is obvious. Before the N inete enth C en tury th e

monasteries of Spain, even more than those of other Catholic

coun tries, were th e cen tre of every na tion al ac tivit y. T he leisure

and peace of religious life favored the growth and development of

cul ture , to such an ex tent th at one m ay co unt hund reds of nuns

who have done some literary work, in olden times, for every lay-

woman who has achieved something in the same way.

Little by li t t le, however, the convents lost their power and

with it m uch of the ir att ra cti on . W om en were forced to solve

their economical problem as best they might in the world, and

this brou ght abo ut a desire to asser t their independence. T he




love of adventure , which had led the "Bun-l ieutenant" to cross

the ocean dressed in men's clothes,—^a vagary for which she ob

ta ined a specia l perm it from H is Holiness the Pop e Urba nus V II I ,

— l̂ed o th er wo m en to striv e after th eir libe rty . T h e first at

tempts were met with deris ion, and a l l through the Nineteenth

C en tur y feminism gave no serious cause for anx iety. A few

ind ivid ual eflForts amaz ed th e pu blic , bu t were no t followed up in

any considerable degree, al though they inspired general respect.

Before the first half of the Nineteenth Century had expired two

wom en ha d efi iciently helped to m ain tain Lib eral ideals, th en at

their ver y lowest ebb in Sp ain. T h e first of these , D on a M ar ian a

de Pineda, who was a woman of great beauty and belonged to a

dist inguished family, was executed for hav ing d ared t o express he r

sympathy toward the cause and for helping those interested by

em broide ring a flag which i t was hop ed w ould lead th e Liberals t o

vic tory . T he other , D on a Concepcion Arenal , was a lso for ma ny

a long year looked upon with suspicion and exiled froifi her native

tow n on accou nt of her defense of l iberty an d w ha t were the n con

sidered extremely adv ance d ideas . Fo rtun ate l y she persevered

in her work and helped to develop the new ideals which had been

acce pted by othe r cou ntrie s. An xious to fulfil her m ission in as

wide a sense as possible, Concepcion de Arenal increased her

knowledge as far as she was able . She was adm it ted in to th e

Universi ty under the bel ief tha t she was a man, having donned

ma sculine at t ir e w ith this object some tim e before. Once in

possession of her degree she specialized in social questions and

very soon became absorbed in prison welfare, and her methods

are st i l l in force in various European countries.

One m ay say t h at the lives of both these women were th e s ta r t

ing po int for feminism in Spa in. U p to th at t im e th e e duc ation

of th e fair sex ha d been som ew hat neglected, an d a ltho ug h i t was

long before more women dared to enter the universit ies as schol

a r s , a good many schools for girls began to adopt a broader view

an d to reform their curriculum . I t was no t however un t i l the

Twent ie th Century tha t the woman 's movement as a co l lec t ive

effort came into existence.

Firs t in Madrid, and in Barcelona la ter , the world 's news

referring to feminine em ancip ation g ave rise to hea ted discussion.



C A R M E N B E C O M E S A C I T I Z E N 187

The English miHtant suffragists were in the midst of their gigan

tic struggle an d t he S panish pa per s followed th e ups and downs of

th e fight with gre at inter est and seriousness. In 1913, after a

several days ' public deba te on wom en's r ights , a l i t t le ban d of en

lightened women formed an association for the defense of these

principles and all problems connected with them, primarily of

course th e ob tain ing of suffrage. T his was th e first ste p in or

ganized feminism m ad e in Sp ain. I t was soon followed u p by

oth ers. In mo st of th e large Span ish tow ns eithe r suffrage as

sociations were formed or the organizations already in existence

for the protection of women's work and the forwarding of other

social problems incorporated the demand for the vote in their

program m e. M en of high stand ing seconded the mo vem ent ,

and the European war with i ts upheaval of t radi t ional customs

and the enforcement of feminine labor in every possible capacity

helped th e new ideas . T he fear of being left economically de

pendent in the new and difficult world, which was expected to

arise out of the general commotion, pushed girls by hundreds into

colleges and universities, and soon it was no longer considered a

novelty for a woman to have a degree or to study a profession.

Farsighted people in terested in the movement were however

far from satisfied, and the inequality of the sexes still pre

vailed before the law . T he first congress held after th e w ar by

the International Suffrage Alliance saw Spain incorporated in the

world m ovem ent . Fiv e years la ter , a t the Par is Congress, she was

able to boast of being the first Latin country where women had

been granted the r ight to vote and to be elected to public repre

sentat ion with no other restr ic t ions than those imposed by the

nat ional laws.

Woman 's pos i t ion today in Spain may be thus summed up:

As regards e duc ationa l and professional r igh ts she is on a pa r with

men, no field having been closed to her excepting the military,

naval and diplomatic services.

In pol i t ical r ights she has la te ly been granted the same that

are extended to m en, except in the case of ma rriage w hich legally

makes her dependent on her husband and bound to his wishes.

Unmarried or divorced women—^the former if of age—as well as

widows, may vote and be elected to office since the advent of the




new polit ical regime, and in fact several ladies are at present oc

cupying public posts as mayors, municipal councillors and repre

sentat ives in the National Assembly.

The si tuat ion of the marr ied woman is made harder by con

tr as t, for no t only is she deprived of such rights of cit izenship b u t

also is prevented by law from working, opening a banking

account in her own name, or absenting herself from home

w ithout her hus ban d 's consen t . W omen ado pt the i r hus ban ds '

names and nat ional i ty , and mothers have no control over their

children unless they become widows or, in the case of unmarried

women, when the children have not been recognized legally by

the father .

Divorce does not exist in Spain , but a separat ion may be ob

tained if the woman is able to prove that she has been il l treated

or aba ndo ned . In olden time s, an d even now in rem ote villages,

m arr iage in Spain was a real bondag e for wom en. Tra di t ion al

customs, at times, obliged her to cut her hair—^not in a becoming

bob—and keep str ic t ly to the house except on Sundays, when

she was allowed to go to M as s. A t prese nt, how ever, m arr ied

women generally are in a similar position to what is usual in

other European countr ies .

The woman 's movement nowadays has many en thusias t ic

supporters, principally among Conservative groups, as i t is

hoped that the granting of polit ical r ights to them will favor

react iona ry m etho ds. T he same idea ma kes progressive people

afraid of feminine emancipation, although theoretically they are

of course absolutely in sy m pa thy . W omen of th e aristoc racy are

not, as a rule, interested in the cause.

The right of suffrage has been granted in Spain almost without

a struggle, a fact which is not altogether fortunate, since it

preve nts women from realiz ing why the y wan t the vote and from

stud yin g th e problem s the y are called upo n to solve. On th e

oth er han d, the re are so m an y things sti l l to be gained for th e

movement that i t is as well that feminism should have some sort

of arms with which to defend and strengthen i ts arguments.

Meantime the women who lead the different groups are str iving

to direct th e ideals of one an d all tow ards a higher mora l stan ding

and the finest form of culture.



NEWSPAPER PARALYSIS

BY GEORGE H. SPARGO

N E W S P A P E R canniba l i sm or Mal thusian ism, Mr . John Hunter

Sedgwick calls i t . N ew spap er m ass pro duc tion an d stabilization ,

superimposing of professional effort upon a sound business foun

dat ion , is M r. R oy W . H ow ard 's defense. New spaper paralysis—

that is my conception of chain journalism.

I, perhaps, have no right to a conception, or at least to expres

sion of it, in the face of the expert opinions of Mr. Howard and

M r. Sedgwick. T he y are journal is ts , em inently capable and suc

cessful far bey ond my fondest dre am s. I , on th e othe r ha nd , am

a plain newspaper man, holding a fairly good editorial position

at a characteristically poor salary on a representative paper of a

mediocre, albeit well and favorably known, chain.

It is not for me, nor is i t my intention, to dispute Mr. Howard

or to champion Mr. Sedgwick 's arraignment of chain journal ism.

T o do ei ther would be r id iculous. R ath er , i t is m y aim hu m bly

to beg an ear for the opinion of one m an in the m ill wh o performs

but one act , however t r iv ial or important that act may be, in the

complex process of manufactur ing a modern newspaper , a man

who has performed that function for both individual employers

and for an organization.

Th e indepe ndent newspaper has a soul . I t is a l iv ing, bre ath

ing, think ing, tho ug h oft-times blun derin g, being. B u t i t l ives

I ts features ma y be jun k, "boile r p l at e , " so m uch " p i " fit only

for the "he l lbo x." I t s edi toria ls m ay be weak, i ts typ og rap hy

poor, i ts headlines ou t of balan ce, und er- or ov erw ritten . I t s

reporters may be cubs incapable of ever a t ta ining any stage

higher tha n cubhood. Th ere is no t a m an on th e

staff

perhaps ,

who knows how to w ri te a good lead parag rap h, or how to w ri te a

good story even if a good lead be w ritte n for him . I t s style m ay

be antedi luv ian. I t s columns m ay br istle with errors . B ut the

indepen dent newspap er is hu m an . I t has a he ar t .

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Oyarzábal_Carmen Becomes a Citizen