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Mary Tomasi
EL CLUB ESPANOL
Recorded in
Writers' Section Filo
-•-rr,
The Spanish Club rooms breathe Old Spain, and from the far mall a
poster proolaima Weirs El Fasoissiet Fascism Will Die, Beneath the
words a crude, hand -.knitted figure extends right arm up, the other down.
Beside it a padlocked contribution box makes the pleas, Salvemes El Nino
135110nol. Bright Loyalist posters cover the east malls Ayuda Al Pueblo
Espanol' Ayuda a Espana' Crus Raja Espanol. A long, handwritten list of
Barre subscribers hangs from the Spanish Red Cross Certificate.
El Club overlooks North Main Street, just above Barrels 'deadline.'
The furnishings are simple, practical. Benches line the malls. Sturdy
card tables are scattered the length and breadth of the main room. Limp,
red.and.yellow streamers brighten the ceiling, their crispness lost to the
June heat.
John Bavine, born Juan Bavine some sixty-five years ago in Santander,
Spain, is the secretary. Manuel Teral, his young Barre -born companion,
has been secretary of the Barre branch of the Stonecutters' union for six
years.
Joe Luiz, a seoond companion, sits at a table nearby. His English is
better than Bavine 'a yet he makes no move to help his friend when he falters
and gropes for a word. It is Manuel who picks up the sentence, twists it
into a bolder expression of his ben.
"This Club was start' back in 1926." Sevin* said. "There were few
Spanish here before 1900. It is funny, they start to oome over fast after
the Spanish.American Var. /t is funny, too, that ninety percent in Barre,
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ant in all of Vermont, come from one province in Spain milled Santander. It
is a place with as many people as Vermont. There is granite in that province*
hard ant soft* but not all who came to Barre learned the trade over there.
Neybe a half of them. Nysolf, I WA a farmer* ant my father* too. learn
the stonecutting here. I still work in the sheds. For fifteen years I work
in the Iornassi sheds in Montpelier. New I work in Barre. In Santander
the sheds are built in the opens like in Italy: The pay is pretty good* better
than other skilled work like carpentering or plumbing. Over there it was
cheaper to live* the money went further. The stonecutters did not try to
fill their homes with the fine,expensive furniture they get over here. They
were satisfied with plain, strong chairs* and nototoom comfortable beds. In
Santander they do not use nuohmaeh/nory* everything is handwork* so with
the fresh air ant all there is little danger for the lungs.
"Most of the Spanish in Barre are in the granite business. Louis Ada*
who now lives in Montpelier* vas the first Spanish baby born in Barre. That
as only rorty.tOres years ago. At South End there are ten Spanistoowned
sheds. At the North Dnd* al'ost as nem. Spanish non-union men? No, I do
not know of any hero."
Young Uanuells eyes flashed angrily. "Spanish non.unian men: I should
say not* It is the French! I know. A bunch of squawkers and suokors. They've
cone up to ne and pulled their sob stories. 'Look,' they complain. tit, work
is as good as So.and.Sols. Be gets his 18.60 a diy, I got only 06.00. That
oan do about it?' Ihinersi I should toll than to go to hell. I should
says you wore satisfied to sneak up to sone shed boss behind the Union's
hack and beg your miserable $6.00 or 16.00 a day. You've got no right to
belly -ache now. I should till them that. But the Union has rules. I have to
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stick to thee. 04., I tell then, you've been working for $6.00 a day for a
year, huh? 0.4 then, pay pp the Union dues for that period and you'll get
your Union "ages."
Bovine spoke. "Some of these French, they are good Union -men. I know
a few of the, fine fellows —a
Luis, the silent one, noddod agreeably.
"Fine fellows:" Manuel mimicked. "Those French spoiled everything for
us book in '22. Meld have a lot more today if it hadn't been for those strike
brooking rats. Farmers, bakers, won* who had hands to work with. I bet
some of tem had never soon granite boforel
"Mayb• we should have stop' then," Bovine suggested mildly. "You were
pretty young then, Manuel."
*Not too young, Bovine. Not too young. Don't forget I've been cutting
stone sixteen years. You know what wo should have dons? 14 should have
massed together, all of us, down at the Yontpelior railroad station, and the
Barrio station. We should have met them at the train. Warned 'ma to keep out.
We have kept lea out. It wouldn't have clone to a good fight. They were
too yellow for that. But the Union wasn't so strong then, it wasn't what it
is today. Today it would be easy."
"Eh, well Manuel, that in over, no?" Bovine said. "Let us speak of the
Club... In the winter sometimes forty or fifty Spaniards gather here at
night. That in when we have the good time. 14 talk about the sheds, ant
politics, about everything, an' if a for get what you call 'too hot under
the collarolthey go in that little roost over theme. They shut the door. There
they can yell all they want without disturb' the card players out here. 14
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play all kinds of games: hriscola,,tr,isette, tu.itisitmis. But it is our rule
that never we should play for money. We play for wine or a beer. That we
sell with no profit to the Club, they per just what're pay for it. Twice a
month we have ladies, nights. Than the hall is for the,' us men, we keep
out.
"We Spanish are good Loyalists se you see by the walls." Davin*
indicated the vivid posters. "Cur Club has dens geed work for the victims
of Fascism. In Frame there are 600,000 refugees in concentration *amps.
That war in Spain it did not take us in Americo long to lend a hand in it."
Devine took a Club Ledger from the shelf. Be ran a stubby* eallouse6 finger
down a page filled with fine Spanish writing. "See, hers is the record. It
wive start' to take in contributions in August. That is fast work, no?
Since then, up to date, we have taken in $16,000. Just here in Barre. There
are many ways we raise money. Pestivals, dances, pia:ties. Noir we even have
little stamps, like the doublepeross ones you see at Christmas. Um, they say:
Sociedades aspens. Confederades. Ayuda a !name.
"In the United States there are 176 clubs like this one that raise
money for our suffering countrymen. It is what you *all a big congraternity„
the.. Clubs. The money we send to the Spanish Confederated Society in Bee
York, and to the Medical Bureau to save Spanish remooreoy."
Manuel interrupted, "That ship that arrived in iera Cruz, Mexico, two
weeks ago with 1,900 refugees aboard. It was money from our Spanish.
American Clubs that got them here."
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Bovine pursued his own thoughts. "I do not understand it,* he said
held to himself. *The Spain I know years ago was a quiet country, she love'
peace. Bar farmers work' the rich fields. Her artists were proud to make
beautiful our big cities an' cathedrals. We were 22,000,000 people who
want only to be loft alone an' now what. You see beautiful cathedrals all
smash' en' buried; the cities in ruin. A friend of mine, he say the other
day that one Spaniard he is killed every nine minutes. Every nine minutes.
God, that is terrible* More than one million of them lay dead from this
war."
*Prancer Manuel scoffed. "General Frame. Putty in Mussolini 'a
hands, that's vbat he is. And what is that damn Mussolini? His owe country-
men hate him and his Fascism. Most every one of our older Sarre Italians
hate him. Only the young ones speak well of him. Ble Because they know
no better. Because he is a grabber and a go.eetter, they're proud te be of
his blood. lie's a conqueror, and it's gone to their heads.
*I have a wife any three *Children in Spain,* Devine said. "Vivito,
she took the children there just before the vier to see their grandmother.
They stay' too long. After the war is stet' they are not allow' to ocme
home. It is my mistake, a foolish mistake. Always it has been in mv heart
to boom* the Amerioan citizen. Always I say, tomorrow I will take out the
papers. But always there is smoothing else to do, an' so limit. But now
I have take them out like that. An' just as soon as I have them,
I feel safer here. It makes me siek an' afraid to have them over there. :1
wits, she writes, an, I write to her, but what good is that? The letters,
they have been open'. She cannot say what is in her heart, she cannot tell
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the truth about wh t is go' on. An' my letters to her, they are open', too."
Manuel stoppee across the room and to k from the wall a photograph of a
group of young men. he po nted out two in the front row. "These are two of a
our :;.arre Loyalists who went over to fight for a just cause. This older one
was born in Spain but he'd lived here for a 2e'd ten years. he was wounded,
be got away, he told us what vas grin on in Spain. He salt. that I* they hear
you belong to a bakers' Union or a tailors' Union, your life is not safe over-
night. This younger fel ow was born here in narre. He was a ol& friend
mine. A brave fellow. he was killed. Held never seen Spain, but he packs
up ri ht away, and goes over to fi,hte he oian't come back. We're going to
have a -ood 'iloture of him, of him alone. We'll put i there between those
windows, Devine?"
Eavne smiled. "iue, I don't care. Wherever you want." lie hunched him.
self in his chair. "Father Leocadio Lobo does the good work for our cause.
he is a very intelligent priest, an' good. he cane to America to find help
for the Spanish peple. ior twenty.five years he said Mass every day in a
o thedral in Liadrid. be was well liked by the
op
Manuel continued zealously, "lie's been making t-urs all over the United
States in behalf of the refugees. He Game here to -4rre April twenty-fourth, and
spoke in Scampini Hall. The place was packed. Lx -mayor Jordou was one of the
committee to get him here, he got in trouble for it. Father Lobo had spoken
to the Spanish in uhiwo a oouple of days before, his next stop. was Bostoh.
he was goo. he stood up there in his Roman colar. Sure, I'm a Catholic,
he said, but this killing is not necessary. It is against the commani, of the
Church. A short tme after the priest left iv- had an Ambulance Lrive. 4do
4656.00 in one night. Last week we had a Spanish issta in the Armory hall.
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There was a crowd that night. And not only Spanish people. How much did we
make, Bovine?"
"I canLot say for sure, all the expenses, they have not yet been figure'.
But I guess there will be about 4250.00V more for our poor Spanish."