The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-03-04
AUSTRALIA.
Gray and Monotonous, but Vast, Pa
tient and Fascinating,

Gray and Monotonons, bGt vast, fa-
tient and Fascinating,
Australia is in itself Il mOnstrous
continent It is as large MS the United
States it's 4,001,000 Of people are scat
tered in narrow fringe along the
streams ana shores Of the southern
and eastern seaboard. The vast ihte
rior-"thc dead heart of Australia "A
region as large as the Mississippi val
7ey. is trackless, rainless waste OF
sand and alkali, while the intervening
hills. the bush and scrub, are scanuly
occupied by sheep stations and by min
ing camps. The vast north of Austria,
liza Is in part tropical jungle, in part
q blistering Sahara. The fates denied
to Australia the gift of high noun.
tans to catch the snow and hold the
water: hence her rivers are few and
precarious; hence at too frequent inter
walls the great drought comes, and the
desert spreads its smothering arms,
crowding man and his dependents
backward toward the sea 1t is mo-
notonous country in its physical as
poets. The forests on hill valley, rock
and swamp are all of one pattern
eucalyptus. eucalyptus, the gray trunks
of the gum trees Of many species-as
far as the eye can see. Without noun
tains and streams there is little room
for variety. 1t is monotonOus in its
induStres-ca cattle sheep, hOrses-its
one fine art the breeding of the per
feet Merino sheep. 1t is monotonous in
its towns. One story. light brown
with unpainted roof of corrugated IRON
is the description of nine-tenths of the
Australian homes. Corrugated iron
means clean rain water, and Australia
can afford to waste none of it. 1t Is
monotonous as to population. The Eng
lishmen came first to Australia, and
they are still holding it against all
comers. The way is made rough for
Immigrants who do not speak English,
and for well or ill-in many ways fol
each-the ruling minority. the laboi
vote, is sternly set on white Austria
la," with all which it implies. The
history of Australia is mOnotonous. II
contains the story Of hard struggles,
of bitter sufEerings, deserved and un.
deserved; of lawless courage and reck,
less bravery, but tie causes seNed
were Individual Australians never
had Il common enemy, and their rec.
ords show no glorious war and no up
rising of common feeling The achieve
ments Of Australia belong to the cate.
CORY of individual deeds of peace.
With all this the color of Australia
is gray; the land. the towns, the spirit
OF Eer people Her literature has Il
sober touch, and this difference in
tone shows itself in its way in the
fife of the universities. In America.
as in Browning's verse, 'the flower of
life is red" The American student
knows that ''the world is his oyster"
He knows that "he can get what IS
coming to him." that in proportion to
his talents, his training, his sobriety
and persistency of purpose will be his
success in any affair he undertakes.
But though Australia may be gray
and monotonous she is vast, patient,
fascinating. The mightiness of the
land to be conquered, the huge roomi-
ness Of the continent, the vistas of fu-
ture national greatness, all these grow
on one, and all these find their reflex
in the student life and in the rising
literature Of the commonwealth That
Australia will he the birthplace of
great men in the future no one can
doubt Their coming viii not he due
to the lopsided political administration
nor to-state ownership nor to the cod
ding Of the laborer. but 20 the persist.
ence of her fine old Engi.h stock un-
der man making G2d man inspiring
conGitions.--David Starr Jordan in Ap-
pleton's.