Austria

a country of Europe. In addition to upper and lower Austria resting snugly on the Danube, modern Austria includes Bohemia and its chief city, Prague, the home of Huss and Jerome; Moravia, native land of the Pennsylvania colonists; Silesia, once noted for the cloth of that name; Galicia, extending eastward 300 miles between Hungary and Russia; Austria's share of dismembered Poland; the coast land following the Adriatic as far as Montenegro; Carinthia, Where the rude Carinthian boor Against the houseless stranger shuts the door; mountainous Styria, in which Ruskin locates the scene of The King of the Golden River; Salzburg, noted for its deep mines of salt rock; and Alpine Tyrol, extending westward to Lake Constance and the head-waters of the Rhine.

The present territory of Austria was first known in history as parts of various Roman provinces. In 1791 Charlemagne made it the eastern part of his empire. The name, indeed, is derived from the German Oester Reich, or eastern empire. Under the rule of a famous family called the House of Hapsburg, which came to the throne in 1282, Austria became the first power in Europe, and may be so regarded until it was deposed by Napoleon. The house of Austria had sufficient influence to control the election of the old German, or Holy Roman, emperors for several centuries. By marriage and otherwise, Spain, Austria, and the Netherlands were brought, for a time, under one crowned head. Emperor Charles V inherited nearly the half of Europe. After Napoleon's day Austria became the leading power in a new German confederacy; but it was opposed at every turn, and was finally excluded by Prussia after the Seven Weeks' War of 1866. At the height of her power, Austria was a source of fear to all her neighbors. At one time or other, Austria has lost a large amount of territory, formerly held in Saxony, Bavaria, Switzerland, and Italy.

The provinces of upper and lower Austria occupy a fertile part of the Danube Valley, that river being navigable throughout the empire. They have an area of 12,285 square miles and a population (1900) of 3,447,630, not far from 300 to the square mile. In matters pertaining to village life, churches, schools, education both rural and university, forestry, agriculture, art, science, and social conditions, Austria proper is not only essentially like the most favored parts of Germany, but is one of the very cradles of Germanic thought and customs. The cereals, vegetables, vineyards, tobacco, hops, hemp, flax, and domestic animals are those of a temperate climate and require no special mention.

Austria still calls itself an empire. The government is, however, a constitutional monarchy. Vienna is the capital. The parliament, or Reichsrath, consists of an upper and a lower house. The upper house includes fifteen adult princes of the imperial family, seventy-four nobles, ten archbishops, eight bishops, and other members nominated for life by the emperor. The nominated members may not be fewer than 150 nor more than 170. They are appointed by reason of signal service in art, science, church, or state. The members of the lower house are elected by popular vote. All resident male citizens twenty-four years of age are entitled to the ballot. The emperor nominates the presiding officer of the upper house. The members of the lower house elect their own speaker. The Reichsrath assembles annually. The ministers nominated by the emperor correspond with our cabinet officers. There are also seventeen local or provincial legislatures, one each in Bohemia, Bavaria, Tyrol, Salzburg, etc. These diets have control of local matters. The emperor, Francis Joseph, who has ruled since 1848, is also king of the United Kingdom of Austria-Hungary. He is a devout Catholic and is much beloved by his people.

The land area of Austria is 115,903 square miles. The population in 1900 was 26,150,708, an average of 226 persons per square mile. Lower Austria, with an average of population of 405 per square mile, is the most densely populated province. Tyrol has a population of eighty-six per square mile. Of the 26,000,000 people only 9,000,000 are German; 6,000,000 are Bohemians, Moravians, and Slovacs; over 4,000,000 are Polish; and nearly 1,000,000 Italians. There are 500,000 foreigners resident in Austria. Agriculture is a leading occupation, about one-half of the population being engaged in farming. In 1907 over 177,000 Austrians emigrated to the United States. A few thousand go every year to Argentina.

The people enjoy religious liberty. Four-fifths of the population are Roman Catholics. Although elementary instruction is compulsory, there were, in 1900, over 9,000,000, infants included, who could neither read nor write. There are eight universities supported at public expense.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

Separate articles may be found on HUNGARY; BOHEMIA; MORAVIA; TYROL. See also PRAGUE; VIENNA; DANUBE; HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE; CHARLEMAGNE; CHARLES V; GERMANY; BISMARCK.

I have come across people who believed that "Austria" was one land inhabited by "Austrians," and that "Austrians" spoke the "Austrian" language.... People fancy that the inhabitants of those dominions have a common being, a common interest, like that of the people of England, France, or Italy.... There is no Austrian language, no Austrian nation... We must ever remember that the dominions of the House of Austria are simply a collection of kingdoms, duchies, etc., brought together by various accidental causes, but which have nothing really in common,--no common speech, no common feeling, no common interest.... The only bond among them all is that a series of marriages, wars, treaties and so forth, have given them a common sovereign. The same person is king of Hungary, Archduke of Austria, Count of Tyrol, Lord of Trieste, and a hundred other things. That is all.... The growth and the abiding dominion of the House of Austria is one of the most remarkable phenomena in European history.--E. A. Freeman.