Guy Wood wrote a letter on 12 December 1912, one that has been handed down through generations as a record of the times. The story of the letter is told in an article* in "The Guardian" which outlines its content: the rise of Germany, the sinking of the Titanic, the war in the Balkans.
Had there been a Mallorcan Guy Wood who had left a letter for his descendants, what would he have spoken about? One imagines that a knowledgeable Mallorcan of the time wouldn't have been ignorant of events that Guy Wood detailed, but what would he have had to say about Mallorca specifically? This is what Guido Fusta might have written in 1912.
"How I wish I could see into the future. What is life like in 2012? What has happened during one hundred years? I cannot look into a crystal ball, but I would speculate that science has had a dramatic effect on our island. There have been more innovations this year. At the fiesta of Sant Jaume the electricity system in Sa Pobla was lit for the first time, and it had come about so quickly. Sr. Enric Ordines had only presented his plan for an electricity factory to the town council on 30 April!
"And this year the new train between Palma and Sóller has started. What a Godsend for Sóller and for those of us who love to visit its orange groves. It has been so difficult to travel by stagecoach along the steep road over the Coll de Sóller. Now there is a steam train, but you have to hold your breath when the train passes through all the tunnels. And now also in Sóller is a radiotelegraphy station. It opened earlier this year at Cap Gros.
"The train started to bring fruit into Palma this summer. There are many families in Sóller who have bought shares in Sr. Estades' railway company. It is a pity I have none myself. It is said that the orange trade will become greater than ever and it is also said that the train will help to bring more of what are called tourists to Mallorca. It is seven years since the Sociedad Fomento del Turismo de Palma was founded. They believe this "tourism" will become a grand trade in its own right. There is much publicity being given to the natural beauty of the island; the Archduke Louis Salvador has certainly helped this. Foreigners are coming to the island and new hotels are being built. Sr. Borras and Sra. Martínez have opened a grand one this year in Puerto Pollensa. It is called the Hotel Miramar.
"There is great excitement because of this new industry and because of moving pictures of the island made with what is called the Chronochrome system, Monsieur Léon Gaumont's invention. It has pictures in colour, and there had never been such pictures made in Spain before this summer here on Mallorca; pictures of the Roman bridge in Pollensa, the orange groves, the Cathedral in Palma, on which the famous architect Sr. Antoni Gaudi has finished his re-modelling work this year.
"There has been much that has been inspiring this year, but we are worried about events in Spain and Europe. Sometimes, I think we feel that in Mallorca we are cut off from such events, but we are not. The talk is that the crisis in the Balkans could lead to a greater war, though we cannot see how the Balkans affect us. If there is a war, we hope, God willing, that Spain can remain neutral. We have too many problems of our own to contend with.
"As Mallorcans we should be proud that Sr. Antoni Maura of Palma has been a Spanish prime minister, but can we be? I am certain we have not heard the last of Sr. Maura. We have not forgotten the Tragic Week of 1909 or the execution of Francesc Ferrer. God rest his soul, a man does not deserve such a fate, even an Anarchist. And now there is word of a new and violent movement, Maurism. These are deeply troubling times, and we are not immune in Mallorca. The Liberal prime minister, Sr. Canalejas, was assassinated only last month. Ferrer, Canalejas, Maura, who they say has designs on returning, but this time as a dictator; God save us from these men. With all the strains against the Church and Monarchy from Socialists, Liberals, Republicans, Anarchists, Catalans, I fear Spain faces catastrophe. If not through Sr. Maura, then someone else.
"You will, by 2012, know of whatever the consequences have been: of the violence and troubles we are experiencing and of the great developments that we are witnessing. I wish I could know for myself what they will be. Or perhaps it is better if I do not."
Guido Fusta i Bauzà
Marratxí, 12 December 1912
* http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/22/letter-from-a-century-ago
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