The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 49, October 14, 1897 by Various
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Various >> The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 49, October 14, 1897
For certain reasons, which we will explain later, the Premier is at
present very unpopular with the parliament, and so the members greeted
him in this shameful manner, and finally one of the members, becoming
more excited than the others, advanced toward the Premier, and began
calling him names.
The result has been a duel between the member, Dr. Wolff, and the
Premier, and the occurrence has raised a storm throughout the country,
for that a Prime Minister should fight a duel with another member of the
Government is an unheard-of thing.
Austria is a very difficult nation to govern, and the position of
premier is by no means a bed of roses.
The reason of the difficulty is that Austria is composed of so many
different states which have very little in common with each other.
In all, there are three great divisions: the Austrians proper, who are
Germans in their leaning and language; the Hungarians, or Magyars, who
are a haughty, fierce people, speaking their own tongue, proud of their
traditions, and who look down on the more modern Austrians as upstarts.
Besides these there are the Bohemians or Czechs (cheks), who speak still
another language, and are a wild and quickly irritated people,
obstinate, and as a rule slow-witted.
It is but natural that one or other of these people should be constantly
offended at the course of the Government, and see in every new law an
attempt to rob them of their rights and privileges.
The great trouble at present is the variety of the languages spoken. An
attempt has been made by the Government to enforce the speaking of
German throughout Austria. A law was passed making German the language
in which all official business must be carried on; but to make it
perfectly fair for the Hungarians and Bohemians as well as for the
Austrians, the law provided that all officers of the Government who were
stationed in districts where Czech or Magyar was spoken must be able to
speak these tongues as well as German.
This law is intensely unpopular.
The Austrians want one language throughout the country, and are
indignant at having to learn the Czech and Magyar, which are both
frightfully difficult; some people laughingly declare that Czech is as
hard to learn as Chinese. The Bohemians and Hungarians, on the other
hand, do not wish their languages to die out, and they think that it
would be only right to allow them to use their own tongue for official
business throughout Bohemia and Hungary.
They have become so violently opposed to the law, that they have been
making a great effort to revive their language, and have established a
literature of their own, and are having the Czech language taught in
the schools. In Prague and many of the cities of Bohemia, no other
language is spoken.
Now Count Badeni, who has the difficult task of handling all these fiery
people, has got into disgrace all around.
The Austrians are angry with him because in a certain place, and for a
certain occasion, he allowed the Bohemians to use their own language for
official business. The Bohemians are angry with him for having forbidden
a certain public meeting; and others are again incensed against the
Prime Minister for having offended them in various, apparently
unimportant ways.
It was on account of his unpopularity and the various quarrels with him
that he was so badly treated by the members of the parliament, and was
finally so exasperated that he determined to fight a duel.
In Austria it is a criminal offence to fight a duel, and all the persons
engaged in an affair of the kind can be imprisoned for from one to five
years.
The Prime Minister, however, felt that he had been so terribly insulted
that nothing but a duel could satisfy his sense of honor.
He therefore telegraphed to the Emperor, asking his permission to fight.
Duelling used to be a very common practice in Europe, and was considered
the only means of avenging an insult. It was, however, carried to such
an extent, that men would call one another out, as it was termed, for
the most trifling offence. So many good and brave men were killed in
this unreasonable manner, that one country after another began to make
laws forbidding the practice. These laws have only been in force for a
very few years, and in cases where men are terribly provoked, they still
turn to duelling as a means of settling their disputes.
The Emperor of Austria, when he learnt of the shameful things that had
been said to the Count, felt that, were he in the Premier's place,
nothing but a duel could satisfy his honor, and so he gave his
permission, and the duel took place.
Count Badeni was shot in the arm, and severely wounded; Dr. Wolff
escaped unhurt.
Immediately the duel had taken place the Premier's enemies seized upon
it as a means of disgracing him.
They raised a tumult about it, and declared that a man who would break
the law by fighting a duel was not fit to manage the affairs of
Government, and begged that the Count be dismissed from office, and
arrested.
The Premier was, however, well aware of the serious nature of the act he
contemplated, and that duelling was not a becoming occupation for a
Prime Minister, so, when he asked the Emperor's permission to fight, he
also sent in his resignation as Prime Minister.
The Emperor of Austria appears to be a very fair-minded man. Having
given his permission for the duel, he was not going to desert the Count.
He refused to accept the Count's resignation, and, as a reply to the
enemies of his Prime Minister, issued a decree forbidding the courts
from prosecuting the Count for breaking the law.
Such a decree would not do for us in America, where the law is the
highest power in the state, and even the President is bound to obey it;
but in Austria, where such a thing was possible, it was certainly very
considerate of the Emperor to stand so bravely by his minister.
Duelling is also against the laws of the Church, and the Count might
have got into fresh trouble with his bishop if kind friends had not
helped him in this direction also.
His case was represented to the Pope, who also recognized that he had
been terribly tried and provoked, and graciously pardoned him.
Despite the efforts of his enemies, he has been able to make peace with
both his emperor and his bishop, and though he will not have a pleasant
time of it with such a parliament against him, he ought to be able to
overcome his difficulties with two such powerful friends behind him.
* * * * *
There was a delightful celebration the other afternoon in New York at
East River and Twenty-fourth Street.
It was the occasion of the opening of a new Recreation Pier, and the
children were out in force to take possession of their newly acquired
property.
When the present dock commissioners came into office they found an old
law on the books of the city which had never been put in force.
It provided that the dock commissioners could build an upper deck to any
of the piers which jutted out into the river, and arrange it for the use
of the people as a recreation pier, a place where the children could
walk and run and romp and play, and the mothers could take the babies
for a breath of fresh air on the summer nights, when their work was
done.
Finding the law on the books, these kindly men determined to carry it
out, and so they built the pier at the foot of Third Street; and, when
that was finished, began work on the one at East Twenty-fourth Street,
which was opened the other day.
[Illustration: RECREATION PIER]
There are to be five of these piers in all--two on the west side, and
three on the east.
The pier was opened by the Mayor, amid much merry music and general good
feeling.
At the head of the pier a wooden band-stand had been erected. This was
gaily decked with flags, and filled with chairs for the city fathers,
who were to come and make speeches and give the pier to the people.
Seats had been set aside for the children, and the little ones flocked
to them in hundreds, seeming to feel that this pier was for their
especial benefit. They crowded every entrance, eagerly waiting for the
moment when the city should give the new building to the people.
Presently the Mayor, Colonel O'Brien, and several others walked down the
pier. Colonel O'Brien is the chief of the dock commissioners who have
worked so faithfully to give the people this pleasure.
As the Mayor came down the aisle the little ones cheered and cheered,
and the big people joined them, and waved their handkerchiefs, and it
was quite an exciting moment.
Then the party mounted the decorated stand, and in a few pleasant words
the Mayor presented the gift of the city to the people.
He was followed by several other speakers, among them Mr. John Proctor
Clarke, who said some very nice things to the children.
He began by leaving the benches where the guests were seated, and
walking across the stand until he was as near to the children as
possible, for he said that what he had to say was intended for them, and
not for the grown-ups, and so he wanted them to hear him clearly.
"The Mayor," he said, "has given this pier to you; but do not think he
has given it as a charity. He has given it to me as well as to you, he
has given it to all the people who are here to-day, and all the people
in the city of New York, not as a charity to us, but because now that
the city has finished it, it belongs to us by right as citizens of this
town.
"The city has given us the use of this pier, and promises to keep it
swept and clean, and in good repair for us, but it is ours; we own it,
it belongs to us as citizens.
"Now what do we do with the things that belong to us? Do we throw them
away, or destroy them? We take care of them so that they may last, don't
we?
"Yes. Well, that's all I have to say to you about this pier. It is
yours. Take care of it."
The new pier is one of the largest of the five that are to surround the
city. It is roofed over, so that those who wish to enjoy it are
sheltered from the sun.
It is seven hundred and twenty feet long, and fifty feet wide. Plenty
large enough for crowds of people to use it in comfort.
The pier juts farther out into the river than any of the neighboring
docks, and at its end there is a fine view up and down the river.
Mayor Strong made a suggestion during the ceremonies that met with great
favor.
He said that he thought it would be a very nice thing to put glass sides
into the pier, and heat it. He thought it would make a grand hall for
the people of the district to use for meetings in winter, as well as
promenading in summer.
These five recreation piers are likely to prove a great blessing to the
city. The people who know most about such things have learned that to
keep boys and girls good they must be made happy. One of the easiest
ways to make them happy is to give them plenty of places where they can
romp and play in the fresh air and sunshine.
G.H. ROSENFELD.
INVENTION AND DISCOVERY.
STORM FRONT FOR VEHICLES.--For those who live in the country and do much
driving in the winter, this storm front is a capital scheme.
It is made on the same plan as the glass front of the new hansom cabs
which have been introduced into this country within the last few years.
The front is made in one solid piece. There are two little glass windows
in it, to enable the occupants of the buggy to see out. When it is not
in use it is pulled up over the heads of the riders, and when the storm
comes on a cord lets it down in front of them.
It is so adjusted that the driver can handle the reins under it, and
while it might not be safe to drive a skittish horse with it down, still
for the ordinary use in the country it will be a great comfort.
COMBINED PURSE, PARCEL-CARRIER, AND BUCKLE.--This is an ingenious
device. Arranged in the form of a buckle for a waist-belt, it answers
the several purposes of purse, parcel-carrier, and buckle.
[Illustration]
The picture you see represents the back of the buckle; the front being
in the form of a pretty butterfly.
From the lower side of the clasp a strong hook is suspended. This hook
is a patent hook, opening to catch the strings of parcels, and snapping
tightly together again.
A little snap on the under side of one of the wings opens, and the body
of the butterfly turns back and reveals a neat little purse, large
enough for car fare or railroad tickets.
The buckle is principally intended for the use of bicyclists who need to
utilize every scrap of space, but for ordinary wear it is neat and
attractive as well as useful. G.H.R.
FIRST PRIZE CONTEST.
It has been difficult to separate carefully the best two lists from
among the two hundred and odd received in the FIRST PRIZE COMPETITION.
However, a very careful canvass of them has been made, and it has been
found that as many as ten were complete lists. Naturally, those who sent
in first receive the prizes, and we are pleased to announce that the
first prize goes to Miss Marguerite Metivier, Greenwood Ave., Waltham,
Mass., and the second prize to Walter L. Solomon, 344 West 145th Street.
If they will write us their choice of the prizes, we will send them
immediately.