The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-19
LIFE IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA.

Delightful Picture of Trustful Rural
Community Free from Terror.
The most delightful thing in the life of
northern Australia is it's sans souci ap-
pearance. Existence is literally out doors,
and people live as if burglars were IN
known. have ridden past houses in the
early morning, and have seen the veran-
das Uttered with books, bric-a-brac, walk
ing sticks, hats, lamps and other articles,
and the doors wide open. Night after night
things are left So and they are not stolen.
Stealing is punished in Queensland with
the greatest rigor. A man might be guilty
of manslaughter and stand in better odor
with the authorities than the thief. 1 have
ridden to plantation late at night, turned
my horse into the horse paddock, entered
the house, struck match, found sofa,
lay down, and awoke in the morning to
find life bustling about me, my breakfast
ready, and an utter stranger!
Such is the freedom of the life. was a
traveller. 7 suppose did not look like a
vagabond; they appreciated the desire on
my part to not disturb their rest, and they
apologized for the hardness of the sofa!
Every planter has not merely one room
in his house which is called the strangers
room, but several, and they are seldom
empty. In the days that l visited Pride,
the planter, there were six guests besides
myself there. Imagine house through
which the warm air will blow from side to
side and from end to end, with a group OF
buildings as dormitories at the left, and
another group as kitchens and stores at
the right; and graced with all the comforts
and with little Of the conventional stiffness
of metropolitan life; which has dignity
without show, and elegance without heavi-
ness-and you have the planters home.
Put roses and bamboos, oleanders and
camellias, lines and oranges laurestinus
and Jasmine, pineapple and bongainvillia,
the glorious pawpaw and granadilla, a ten
mis- court, and perhaps an observatory, and
you have planters garden. Then put in
side the house and garden healthy gen.
crosby, great self reliance, mind given
to insisting bluntly on the wisdom of its
connections, a hand ready to pour you out
glass of sherry, or indite a philippe
against government or Sir Samuel Grit
fifth, who has opposed Polynesian labor,
and that is Pride, the planter.
What you find of lightness and comfort
in the house of Pride, the planter, you find
in degree in all the north. Order and
cleanliness reign. You may miss at times
verdure and foliage, but never that. Vii
lagos and towns are swept and garnished,
and the people love flowers. And go
straight across the continent to Perth, AL
bany, York or Geraldton, and the same
thing may be found.
You will find coupled with this energy
self confidence, freshness, aggressive asser-
ton and generous warmth. because these
have always been difficult questions to
face, because unexpected circumstances
have called for immediate action. because
development has come by leaps and
bounds, and because there have been strug-
giles between class and class, there has
been produced an outstanding race of men,
irascible, yet hospitsble; strenuous and
stalwart, yet not robustious; explosive, yet
not troublesome; uncompromising, yet
generous. That is the true Australian.
The persistency and selfshness of the
trades unions are not Australian. 1t is
English, with sense of freedom borrowed
from easier conditions of life, and knowl-
edge of power gained from the forms of
American and English existence 1t is in
grated Australia-Australia in the cities
that is ultra democratic. Australia itself
moves in ample assertion, but it has also
sound sentiment or patriotism. It's natural
tendency is toward hero worship, but the
faculty has not scope, for want of heroes.
No great crisis has drawn the colonies to-
gether, and of late years but few of the
best men have gone into public life.-Gil-
bert Parker in Harper's Weekly.