BULLFIGHTING

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

I was happy to see that the CRIMSON has attempted to analyze bullfighting, a spectacle that has provided so much excitement for American tourists in recent years. It is a pity, however, that Ensign Taub's interesting article fails to convey a true understanding of the spirit and purpose of the art.

In the first place, a bullfight is not a game, or a contest in the sense which Grantland Rice suggests. There is never any question of win or lose, because the outcome is never in doubt. The bull always dies. A bullfight is rather a sacrifice. It is high tragedy. If there is a contest, in Mr. Taub's sense of the word, it is not between the man and the bull. It is between the man and the crowd. The crowd tries to be passive or hostile, and the man tries to rouse them. This is the essence of his theatrical domination of the scene.

There is no conscious effort to overwhelm the bull with pain. In a good bullfight, the bull must be tired but still dangerous right up to the kill.

The "agitator" whom Mr. Taub describes as "harassing the bull" is not an agitator and is not in the ring for the purpose of harassment. He is there to test the bull's eyesight, his manner of charging, his use of the horns. He deserves no sympathy if he gets caught, since he is practically forbidden to put himself in any danger. If he works close to the bull and looks good, he detracts from the maestro's performance. If he gets caught, he may spoil the bullfight: the bull often becomes too dangerous after he has tossed a man once.

There are a few errors of less significance. Not all bullfighters are "slim, tanned, and young." Rafael Ortega, still going strong in Bilbao and Barcelona, is fat, pasty, and forty-five. The ear and tail awards have nothing to do with crowd reaction. They are awarded by the President and judges. To the crowd, the President and Judges often seem deliberately perverse.

It is not sugrprising, however, that Mr. Taub (no relation to Mulehaas) missed these points, since what he saw at "La Linea" was not a bullfight at all. It was a novillada, an apprentice fight in a small town, and with very bad, very small bulls.

I hope that Mr. Taub's naval travels will keep him in the area long enough to gain a fuller insight into the subtleties of the sport. Alan R. Trustman '52 1L