The troubles in Austria have not been brought to a close by the downfallof Count Badeni and the appointment of Baron von Gautsch.
Count Badeni was, as you will remember, particularly obnoxious to theGerman element in Austria, and many people thought that his dismissalwould restore harmony. Instead, it has given rise to some very seriousrioting in Bohemia.
We explained to you in a former number that Austro-Hungary is composedof a number of states and provinces.
The leading races in this much-disturbed country are the Germans, theSlavs, and the Magyars.
The Germans number about ten and a half millions; the Slavs, whocomprise about nine distinct races, about twenty millions; and theMagyars about seven and a half millions.
The most important of the Slavs are the Czechs, or Bohemians, who numberabout five and a half of the total twenty millions.
While, as you can readily see, the Slavonic races considerably outnumberthe Germans and the Magyars, the government is vested in these twolatter races, and therefore the Slavs are forced to obey the will of thegoverning people. They do so, as we have seen, with a very bad grace.
Between the Magyars and the Germans there is no great friendliness, butthe Hungarians have their own parliament, and are independent in manythings. Between the Austrians and the Czechs there is an intense andundying antipathy, which it seems impossible to overcome.
The Bohemians would like to be as independent as the Hungarians, buttheir desires are not heeded, and they are forced to submit to thegovernment of the Austrian Reichsrath or parliament.
In this assembly, however, they can show their true sentiments, and thefriction between the rival races is extraordinary. If the Bohemians wantany special laws made, the Germans oppose them. If the Germans try toget a measure through the parliament that is for their benefit alone,the Czechs combine to defeat it.
When, therefore, the German party succeeded in ousting Count Badeni, theCzechs were furious.
The German Austrians foolishly celebrated their victory with bonfiresand illuminations, making a fête of the success which was so hateful tothe Czechs.
The angry Bohemians sought revenge in riot.
In Prague, the capital of Bohemia, there were fierce anti-Germanrisings.
The houses of the Germans were bombarded with stones, the German theatreand German restaurants were attacked and damaged, and the GermanQuarter, or portion of the city where most of the Germans live, wasvisited by an angry mob which plundered the houses and shops.
All persons speaking the German language were subject to attack, and forthis reason the unfortunate and harmless Jews came in for their share ofthe popular hatred. The majority of them do not speak Czech, and many ofthe signs over their shops are in the hated German language. Many ofthem were therefore robbed, beaten, and cruelly ill-treated.
The riots grew so serious that they almost amounted to a rebellion.
Thousands of Czechs streamed into Prague to assist the rioters. Thestreets were filled with furious men, who attacked and beat any personusing words of German. The very women on their way to market were n