ell further and further behind other
countries, and even today she hasn't been able to catch up as far as
she would like.

All the unhappy years of fighting in Spain weren't in the long-ago past.
Just a while ago, in 1936, a Civil War broke out between the Spanish
people who wanted their king to come back to the throne he'd left in
1931, and the people who wanted Spain to set up a republic, like ours in
the United States. This war went on for three years, and in the end,
everybody lost. General Francisco Franco and his army defeated the
forces which wanted a republic, and also those who wanted to set up
Communism. He is now the head of the Spanish government. Because he is
considered a dictator, there are many Spanish people who disagree with
the way he runs the government and are hoping to change it. In 1947 a
new constitution was written in which General Franco agreed that Spain
would one day have a king again, but the person who becomes king must be
at least twenty-five years old. The old king is dead and there is nobody
for the job right now. But the king's grandson, young Prince Juan
Carlos, is taking special studies so he will be ready to be king when he
is old enough. And of course there are still people who would like to
see Spain become a democratic republic, like the United States, and not
have a king at all.

[Illustration]

In the meantime, the Spanish people and their government have a lot to
do to make their country stable and strong again. If you were to visit
Spain, you would see why the Spanish people love their country so much.
You could also understand why so many different nations wanted to
conquer Spain. Spain is a very beautiful country and also a country that
can produce many good things. It has minerals such as iron, lead, copper
and sulphur in the earth. In the south, it has a warm climate that helps
grow luscious crops of oranges, lemons, olives and grapes for wine.

[Illustration]

You might like to take a trip from one region to another by riding on a
little donkey as Spanish boys do, or in a little high-wheeled cart
pulled by a donkey, the way little Spanish girls might do. Your donkey
would probably not have a saddle, but just a rug or a straw mat folded
across his back, and he might wear a headband of bright red and blue
wool woven into a gay pattern to shade his eyes from the sun. You could
carry your food and clothes for the journey in a pair of straw bags hung
one on each side of