﻿THE 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASQUES 
  

  

  71 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Casa 
  Lux 
  

   THE 
  MEN 
  OF 
  BASQUE 
  LAND 
  ENJOY 
  THEIR 
  CARD 
  GAME 
  IN 
  THE 
  OPEN 
  

  

  "What 
  did 
  you 
  folks 
  think 
  when 
  that 
  

   cruiser 
  sailed 
  forth 
  from 
  the 
  Nervion 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  Cuba 
  to 
  fight 
  the 
  Norte-Ameri- 
  

   canos?" 
  I 
  once 
  asked 
  an 
  old 
  Basque 
  

   peasant. 
  

  

  "Well, 
  hombre," 
  he 
  replied, 
  "we 
  were 
  

   all 
  about 
  to 
  pack 
  our 
  belongings 
  to 
  move 
  

   over 
  to 
  our 
  new 
  colony 
  north 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  

   Our 
  newspapers 
  led 
  us 
  to 
  believe 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  a 
  one-sided 
  affair, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  — 
  pero 
  al 
  

   otro 
  lado." 
  

  

  "I 
  don't 
  suppose 
  Yankees 
  are 
  very 
  

   popular 
  in 
  these 
  parts 
  on 
  that 
  account," 
  

   I 
  ventured, 
  having 
  known 
  the 
  old 
  fellow 
  

   for 
  some 
  time. 
  

  

  "Why 
  not? 
  You 
  really 
  did 
  Spain 
  a 
  

   great 
  favor 
  in 
  taking 
  away 
  Cuba 
  and 
  

   the 
  Philippines 
  — 
  millstones 
  around 
  our 
  

   necks." 
  

  

  I 
  thought 
  it 
  well 
  to 
  check 
  up 
  on 
  that 
  

   latter 
  statement, 
  and 
  found 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   general 
  opinion. 
  I 
  should 
  say 
  that 
  most 
  

   Spaniards 
  feel 
  today 
  that 
  the 
  country 
  has 
  

   a 
  better 
  chance 
  for 
  development 
  minus 
  its 
  

   colonial 
  possessions. 
  

  

  The 
  Nervion, 
  crossed 
  by 
  several 
  orna- 
  

   mental 
  bridges, 
  divides 
  Bilbao 
  into 
  two 
  

   almost 
  equal 
  parts, 
  leaving 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  

   the 
  old 
  town, 
  with 
  its 
  narrow 
  streets 
  — 
  so 
  

  

  narrow 
  that 
  wheeled 
  traffic 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  

   only 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  of 
  them 
  — 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   opposite 
  side 
  the 
  new 
  modern 
  town, 
  with 
  

   its 
  wide 
  Gran 
  Via 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  tree- 
  

   lined 
  avenues. 
  

  

  THE 
  ARENAE, 
  CENTER 
  OE 
  CAFE 
  LIFE 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  plaza 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  town 
  at 
  the 
  

   foot 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  bridge, 
  called 
  the 
  

   Arenal, 
  is 
  the 
  focus 
  of 
  the 
  city's 
  activity. 
  

   It 
  is 
  here 
  that 
  the 
  evening 
  promenades 
  

   take 
  place, 
  while 
  a 
  military 
  band 
  often 
  

   renders 
  real 
  music 
  for 
  the 
  occasion. 
  The 
  

   Arenal 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  cafe 
  life, 
  

   with 
  chairs 
  and 
  tables 
  taking 
  up 
  most 
  of 
  

   what 
  should 
  be 
  the 
  sidewalk. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  Basques 
  of 
  the 
  cities 
  and 
  

   towns 
  are 
  like 
  all 
  other 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  

   Peninsula 
  in 
  their 
  love 
  for 
  cafes; 
  but 
  in 
  

   Spain 
  this. 
  is 
  a 
  male 
  institution, 
  a 
  woman 
  

   being 
  seldom 
  seen 
  therein, 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  

   unlike 
  the 
  cafes 
  of 
  France. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  after 
  luncheon 
  and 
  again 
  

   immediately 
  after 
  dinner, 
  in 
  the 
  evening, 
  

   husbands, 
  fathers, 
  and 
  brothers 
  retire 
  

   post 
  haste 
  to 
  the 
  cafe, 
  meet 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   friends, 
  secure 
  a 
  marble-topped 
  table, 
  and 
  

   clap 
  their 
  hands 
  loudly 
  for 
  the 
  camarero. 
  

   He 
  hurries 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  table 
  in 
  shirt 
  sleeves 
  

  

  