tattered cloak, such as the peasants wear now, and which we see in Velasquez’s pictures.  His feet stuck out behind the cross, but his arms were tied in a position which must soon have become painful.  Around lay a cock tied by his legs, a ladder, a sponge tied on a stick, a sword, a lantern, and all the usual emblems of the Passion.  The holy women and the Roman soldiers with their spears were just coming out of the cottage near by to take up their positions in this strange and pathetic tableau.  The face of that peasant in the tattered brown cloak, not less than the spectacle of the people kneeling around in evident sorrow and worship, haunted me for many a day.

CHAPTER XIII

EDUCATION AND THE PRIESTHOOD

Education, especially that of the masses, has made great strides since the Revolution.  At that time perfect liberty of religion and of instruction was established, and in this particular the somewhat retrograde movement at the Restoration, in allowing the return of the religious orders banished in the early years of the century, has only resulted in a greater number of private schools being established by the Jesuits and other teaching orders.  With the public instruction they have never been allowed to interfere.

Every town and village has now its municipal and free schools, kept up by the Diputacion provincial.  In all the chief towns there are technical and arts and crafts schools, also free, the expenses being borne by the Ministry of Fomento.  Besides these are many private schools, taught by Jesuits and other teaching orders.  The Ministry of Fomento is at present trying to bring in a law making education compulsory, and bringing all schools under State control.  There are numerous girls’ schools, managed by committees of ladies, as well as the convent schools and other private establishments.  There are also normal schools, maintained by the Ministry of Fomento, where women and girls, as well as men, can take degrees and gain certificates for teaching purposes.  In every capital of Spain one of these schools is established.  There are ten universities, of which the principal is that of Madrid.  In some of these only medicine and law are studied, but others are open for every class of learning.  In all these numerous schools and colleges great advance has been made in late years; in the department of science, electricity has taken a very noticeable step forward, and in applied electricity Spain probably compares favourably with any of the European nations.  Even the small towns and some villages are lighted by electricity, having gone straight from petroleum to electric light.  Most of the large towns have, besides the light, electric tramways, telephones, etc., the engineers and artisans employed in these works being of a very high class.  Electrical engineers are not under Government control, as the civil and mechanical engineers are, and have therefore better chances of coming to the front and making a career for themselves.  The Government engineers, however, are kept up to the mark of other countries, and an attempt has been made by the present Minister to alter the system by which civil and mechanical engineers are compulsorily a body appointed and controlled by Government.