the Government's measures
for maintaining tranquillity. Everybody says it does not like to see any
individual attain to commanding influence in the country, since such a
man can become a disturber and an inconvenience. 'We have as much
talent as the other nations,' says the citizen, resignedly, and without
bitterness, 'but for the sake of the general good of the country, we are
discouraged from making it over-conspicuous; and not only discouraged,
but tactfully and skillfully prevented from doing it, if we show too
much persistence. Consequently we have no renowned men; in centuries
we have seldom produced one--that is, seldom allowed one to produce
himself. We can say to-day what no other nation of first importance
in the family of Christian civilisations can say--that there exists no
Austrian who has made an enduring name for himself which is familiar all
around the globe.

Another helper toward tranquillity is the army. It is as pervasive as
the atmosphere. It is everywhere. All the mentioned creators, promoters,
and preservers of the public tranquillity do their several shares in
the quieting work. They make a restful and comfortable serenity and
reposefulness. This is disturbed sometimes for a little while: a mob
assembles to protest against something; it gets noisy--noisier--still
noisier--finally too noisy; then the persuasive soldiery comes charging
down upon it, and in a few minutes all is quiet again, and there is no
mob.

There is a Constitution and there is a Parliament. The House draws its
membership of 425 deputies from the nineteen or twenty states heretofore
mentioned. These men represent peoples who speak eleven different
languages. That means eleven distinct varieties of jealousies,
hostilities, and warring interests. This could be expected to furnish
forth a parliament of a pretty inharmonious sort, and make legislation
difficult at times--and it does that. The Parliament is split up into
many parties--the Clericals, the Progressists, the German Nationalists,
the Young Czechs, the Social Democrats, the Christian Socialists, and
some others--and it is difficult to get up working combinations among
them. They prefer to fight apart sometimes.

The recent troubles have grown out of Count Badeni's necessities. He
could not carry on his Government without a majority vote in the House
at his back, and in order to secure it he had to make a trade of some
sort. He made it with the Czechs--the Bohemians. Th