He who, being a foreigner, would attempt to understand Spanish politics, deserves to be classed with the bravest leaders of forlorn hopes.  In the first place, it is doubtful whether Spaniards understand them themselves, although they talk, for the most part, of nothing else—­except bulls.  Whenever and wherever two or three men or boys are gathered together, you may be quite certain as to the subject of their conversation—­that is, if they show signs of excitement and interest in the matter under discussion.  Each man you meet gives you the whole matter in a nut-shell:  he has studied politics ever since he was able to talk; all the other innumerable parties besides his own are nada! he can tell you exactly what is wrong with his country, and, what is more, exactly how it may all be made right.  The only thing which puzzles one is that all the nut-shells are different, and, as there are an unlimited number of them, all that one carefully learns to-day has to be as carefully unlearned to-morrow, and a fresh adjustment made of one’s political spectacles.  After all, however, this is very much what would happen in any country if we were in turn to sit at the feet of successive teachers, and try to bring their doctrines into any kind of accord.  The peculiarity in Spain lies rather in the multiplicity of private political opinions and the energy with which they are expressed, and in the fact that they are all honest.

Emerson has somewhere said that “inconsistency is the bugbear of little minds.”  The Spanish politician has evidently not a little mind, for he has no fear whatever of inconsistency, nor, in fact, of making a volte-face whenever he sees any reason for doing so.  There are Conservatives, Liberals, Republicans, Radicals, Socialists, as in other countries, but there are, besides all these, an infinite number of shades and tones of each political belief, each represented, as we have seen, by a newspaper of its own, and, for the most part, bearing the name of one man.  It would seem, then, that you have only to make yourself acquainted with the opinions, or rather with the political acts, of that one man, and there you are!  Vain and fond fancy!  He has been a rabid Republican, perhaps, or he has belonged, at least, to the party which put up in Madrid in conspicuous letters, “The bastard race of the Bourbons is for ever fallen.  Fit punishment of their obstinacy!” but you will find him to-day lending all the force of his paper to the support of the Queen Regent, and at the same time allying himself with the various classes of Republicans, even to the followers of Zorilla, who have, at any rate till now, been consistent enemies and haters of the Bourbon.