FRANZ FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1963, 21 January 1914, Page 5

FRANZ FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA.

IMPRESSIONS OP AUSTRALIA;:

In the "Fortnightly*Rcvicw'^r/lli'sß , Edith Sellers gives a* very, interesting, account of the "Archduke I , ran?. I'Vdin-and—-what manner of man he is, The life ho leads, his aspirations and ideals. The archduke is a man in whom we are all now more or less interested, and of whom we none of us know much..... In the ordinary cosirse of events he'.will before long bo the ruler of the great Auetro-Hungafian Empire, with ; two million soldiers at his back. As Em-peror-King lie will hold the wop, if not the weal, of the world in his grasp, and bis personal feeling tor or against any nation may some <lny be the all-import-, ant factor in deciding whether there shall bo peace or war. '■■■ Some eighteen yt-ars ago Franz Ferdinand made a tour of the world, eager to learn, eager to see for himself, the different parts .of the gfoba, io watch the working of foreign States, and to get into touch with foreign nations and foreign culture. Austria is for hint the most beautiful of all lands, the finest and the noblest. And next to Austria —Australia! The fact that lie was treated "scandalously" at Ihursday Island over a glass of beer on Sunday did not prevent him from liking Australia. We read:—"Oa Thursday Island the fa:t was first brought home to him that, Imperial Highness though, he is, he is no match for a Scotch woman in what concerns the keeping of the Sabbath; While enjoying the view from the balcony of. an inn there, one hot Sunday evening, he ordered a glass of beer, whereupon, the landlady informed him sternly that if he wished to drink he must go indoors, as to drink in public on a Sunday would be scandalous. She stuck.to her point, too; and as he was very thirsty, go in he must, into a dark, stuffy little hole of a parlour. In spite of ttiis experience, slowever, which he confesses he found very trying, lie was delighted with Australia. In all his life ho had never seen anything quite eo beautiful as Sydney Bay. As. for the Blue Mountains, so marvellous are they in their loveliness that it is worth going half round the world to seo them, he declares. And he is as lavish with his admiration of the people as of the land. Of all the people he came acros:, while on his travels, the Australians' are hie "Lieblinge," he affirms; and Lieblinge is a very strong term. Never were there suoli kindly folk as the Sydney folk, never fol't so good-tempered pleasant,, and hospitable.' All tho men are intelligent; all the women beautiful —superlatively beautiful, according t« him. He, who is himself so reserved and silent, was quite charmed by their light-hearted unconventioiiality, tlieir somewhat free-and-easy ways. For the first time in 3iis life he had found ladies to whom it wan quite easy to talk, nay, even quite pleasant. He was charmed, too, by their family life, by tho simple, homely fasbsion in which even the rich among them live. For he is always in sympathy with wliat smacks of the patriarchal. "What is much more significant than the Archduke's liking for the Australians, is the fact that he found nothing to jar on him in Australia, although it is a now country, newer even than his 'betc-noire,' America, and democratic to boot. This is a proof, surely, that when ho looks askance on democrats, it is not because they aro. democrats, but lor some other reason. Far from taking exception to the government in force there, ho seems to think tho country weli governed, and he speaks in appreciative terms of its lulcrs, especially of that thorough-going old democrat, Sir George Dibbs, whom ho depicts in llattering terms, and whom ho regarded .ind treated as a friend, He was much struck by the lines on which business is conducted in Australia; for with all his loathing of puehf ulncss, he is a great admirer of energy. He spoilt seme'quite delightful days, with a squatter, being initiated into, the mysteries of farming on a colossal scale. He was kept busy the whole- time he was there, what with pleasure, what with work; and ho enjoyed it all thoroughly. He was- quite unhappy, indeed, when he had to say good-bye to his Australian friends.

"Franz Ferdinand's enthusiasm for iho Australians is the more remarkable, as he is evidently not very much in sympathy with the Anglo-Saxons as a race." Ho has, however, great admiration fsr British enterprise, wo arc told, especailly' in India, "India is often called the land of wonders, 'but I should call it rather the land of puzzles." he says; and the greatest puzzle of all is how England can, with so small a display i-f force, hold its huge population in subjection. The Arckluko counts it as merit to tho Australians that they have learnt to cook properly, and as righteousness unto tho Japanese that- their dinners are "a la Francaise," not "a l'Anglaise." With regard to tho -Japanese-ho disapproves of thorn fundamentally on the ono side, and admires thorn heartily on tho other. They are a power,with which Europe will have to reckon m mere ways than one, and sooner or later, ho holds. Europe will have to pay heavily for hiving taught them all she knows. He does not like the prospect. ~ For the Americans Franz Ferdinand has a profound disgust. In America "the almighty dollar % reigns supreme through tho land. No one can eseapo its spoil." It is the land of humbug and corruption. Tho only people lie dislikes more are the .Chinese. Most significant of all are his ledums towards the Germans and the I'rench. tie admires the French. "Austrian* have much in common with tho French; there is something in the one race that responds harmoniously to something in the other," he says. But* for the Germans ho is said to have no pattering epithets, ao sympathy—and Germany is Austria's chief ally. "Thus a new stato of things may he expected in Austro-Hunpary when Franz Ferdinand is Emperor-Kme, writes Miss Sellers. "Ho will rule as well as "overn, and in ruling will make the welfare of the masses his first considers; tion . • Tito Christian Socialists or Austria count him as one of themselves, an dhopc for tjreat things from him in the way of righting wrongs. ■■