The Young Men’s Christian Association has a very flourishing society in Buenos Aires which is doing a great work. At present they are hampered by poor quarters, but a campaign had just been ended at the time of the writer’s visit and two hundred thousand dollars had been secured for a new building. A site was purchased in a central location and work was to start at once on a fine new building. With these new quarters and enlarged equipment, the work of this great world-wide organization ought to be increased many fold, and there is room for all the effort it is able to put forth. The Young Men’s Christian Association forms a rallying place for young men who have broken away from home ties and started life in a foreign country. The extension of the work among the Spanish-speaking people also brings about a fraternizing between the two races which is exceedingly beneficial. CHAPTER XV THE STRUGGLE AGAINST OPPRESSION The reign of Ferdinand and Isabella is perhaps the most noteworthy epoch in Spanish history. It resounded with the clash of arms and with the thirst for discovery. It was also an era of intolerance. A distinctive tendency toward cruelty has ever been a prominent trait of the Spanish character. The driving out of the Moors and the elimination of the Moorish civilization, the harsh treatment of the Jews and, finally, the establishment of the Inquisition are all indicative of that tendency. These traits were carried with them into the New World in their worst forms. The Spanish expeditions to South America were marked by ferocious cruelty, unlimited bloodshed, and an unquenchable lust for treasure. A low standard of personal relations as well as a narrow conception of public morality prevailed. It was from the very worst of the population of Spain that the early colonists to Spanish South America came. Most of them were adventurers who had nothing to lose, and who were quite willing to risk their lives for the possibility of treasure. It is not unnatural that the worst characteristics of the Spanish character should early be developed, and to an abnormal degree. One quality they had to aid them—there was no lack of personal courage. Ignorant they might be, but of personal bravery there was no question, as their deeds bear witness.