Mrs. A. B. — 28 years old; American; not a horsewoman; finishing-school education; studied to sing in opera; does not care for games, or gaming. Does not wager. Attended bullfights — was moderately horrified. Did not like them. Did not go again.
Mrs. E. R. — 30 years old; American; school and college education; ridden horses and owned pony as child; musician; favorite author Henry James; favorite sport, tennis; never seen either boxing or bullfighting until after her marriage. Enjoyed good prizefights. Did not want her to see horses in bullfight, but believed she would enjoy rest of corrida. Had her look away when bull charged horse. Told her when not to look. Did not want to shock or horrify her. Found she was not shocked nor horrified by horses and enjoyed it as a part of bullfight which she enjoyed greatly first time and became great admirer and partizan of. Developed almost unerring judgment for telling a matador’s class, sincerity and possibilities as soon as she saw him work once. Was very much moved at one time by a certain matador. Matador was certainly much moved by her. Was fortunate enough to be away from the fights during this matador’s moral debacle.
Mrs. S. T. — 30 years old; English; private school and convent education; ridden horses; alcoholic nymphomaniac. Done some painting. Spent money much too fast to be able to gamble with it — gambled occasionally with borrowed money. Loved drinking more than excitement — rather shocked by horses, but so excited by bullfighters and general strong emotion that she became a partizan of the spectacle. Drunk herself out of any remembrance of it shortly after.
W. G. — 27 years old; American; male; college education; excellent baseball player; very good sportsman, keen intelligence and good esthetic appreciation; only experience with horses on farm; recently recovered from manic depression which followed nervous breakdown; shocked and horrified by horses. Unable to see anything else in fight. Put everything on moral basis. Suffered sincerely and truly at pain being inflicted. Took violent dislike to picadors. Felt they were to blame personally. After he was away from Spain, horror died out and he remembered parts of fight he liked, but he truly and sincerely disliked bullfighting.
R. S. — 28 years old; American; male; successful writer without private means; college education; enjoyed bullfights greatly; fond of music of fashionable composers, but not a musician; little esthetic appreciation other than music; no horseman; was not at all distressed by horses; went into amateur fights in the morning and was a great crowd pleaser: came to Pamplona two years. Seemed very fond of the fights, but has not followed them since his marriage although he often says he would like to. May possibly go to them again some time. Seemed genuinely fond of them, but has no time now for non-social or non-money-making manifestations. Is genuinely fond of golf. Does very little gambling, but makes a few bets on questions of veracity, opinion, college loyalty, etc.
P. M. — 28 years old; American; convent and college graduate; not a musician; no musical ability or appreciation; intelligent appreciation of painting and letters; rode horses and owned pony as child. Saw first fight in Madrid in which three men were gored. Did not like it, and left before end. Saw fairly good fight second time and liked it. Completely unaffected by the horses. Came to understand fights and enjoyed them more than any other spectacle. Has attended them steadily. Does not care for boxing or football — enjoys bicycle-racing. Likes shooting, fishing. Does not like to gamble.
V. R. — 25 years old; American; convent and college education; good horsewoman; liked fights tremendously from start; completely unaffected by horses; has attended fights whenever possible ever since seeing her first one. Enjoys boxing very much — enjoys horse-racing — does not care for bicycle-racing — likes to gamble.
A. U. — 32 years old; American; college education; poet; great sensitivity; all-around athlete; keen esthetic appreciation, of music, painting, letters; rode horses in the army; not a horseman. Does not care for gambling — deeply affected by seeing bulls charge horses in first fight, but this did not prevent his enjoyment of bullfight. Appreciated matadors’ work intensely and was ready to row with spectators who were hooting them. Has not been where he could see bullfights since that fall.
S. A. — Internationally famous novelist writing in Yiddish. Had luck to see excellent bullfight his first time in Madrid — declared there was no emotion comparable in intensity except first sexual intercourse.
Mrs. M. W. — 40 years old; American; education, private schools; not good at sports; has ridden horses; keen esthetic appreciation of music, painting, writing; generous, intelligent, loyal, attractive; very good mother. Did not look at horses — kept her eyes away — enjoyed rest of bullfight, but would not care to see many. Very fond of having a good time and very intelligent about knowing what it consists in.
W. A. — 29 years old; American; male; successful journalist; college education; no horseman; very civilized appreciation of food and drink; well read and wide experience; was disappointed in first fight, but not at all shocked by horses; in fact enjoyed horse part, but tended to be bored by the rest of fight; became rather interested in fights finally and brought wife to Spain, but she disliked them and the next year W. A. no longer followed them. Had bad luck nearly always to see bad fights — was close follower of boxing for a time, but no longer goes to fights. Does little gambling — loves food, drink and good conversation. Extremely intelligent.
In these few reactions of individuals I have tried to be completely accurate as to their first and ultimate impressions of the bullfight. The only conclusion I draw from these reactions is that some people will like the fights and others will not. Because I had never seen her before I could not chronicle the history of an Englishwoman who looked to be about thirty-five I saw once at San Sebastian who was attending the bullfight with her husband and was so overcome by the horses being charged by the bulls that she cried as though they were her own horses or her own children who were being gored. She left the ring crying but urging her husband to stay. She had not meant to make a demonstration, it had only been too horrible for her to stand. She looked a very fine and pleasant woman and I felt very sorry for her. Nor have I described the reactions of a Spanish girl who attended a fight at La Coruña with either her young husband or fiancé and who cried very much and suffered all through the corrida but remained in her seat. These are, speaking absolutely truthfully, the only women I have seen cry at over three hundred bullfights. It is to be understood, of course, that at these fights I could only observe my very immediate neighbors.
A SHORT ESTIMATE OF THE AMERICAN, SIDNEY FRANKLIN, AS A MATADOR
Most Spaniards do not go to bull fights, only a small proportion do, and of those who attend, the competent aficionados are limited in number. Yet many times I have heard people say that they asked a Spaniard, an actual Spaniard, mind you, what sort of bullfighter Sidney Franklin was, and the Spaniard said he was very brave but very awkward and did not know what it was all about. If you asked that Spaniard if he had seen Franklin fight he would say no; what has happened is that he has told the way, from national pride, the Spaniards hoped he would fight. He does not fight that way at all.
Franklin is brave with a cold, serene, and intelligent valor but instead of being awkward and ignorant he is one of the most skillful, graceful, and slow manipulators of a cape fighting to-day. His repertoire with the cape is enormous but he does not attempt by a varied repertoire to escape from the performance of the veronica as the base of his cape work and his veronicas are classical, very emotional, and beautifully timed and executed. You will find no Spaniard who ever saw him fight who will deny his artistry and excellence with the cape.
He does not place banderillas, never having studied or practiced this properly, and this is a serious omission since, with his physique, judgment of distance, and coolness, he could have been a very good banderillero.
Franklin manages the muleta well with his right hand but uses his left hand far too little. He kills easily and well. He does not give the importance to killing that it merits, since it is easy for him and because he ignores the danger. Profiling with more style his kills would gain greatly in emotion.
He is a better, more
