St. Marc Girardin remarks, with no less piquancy of language than
accuracy of observation, that "no country is judged with less favour
than Austria; and none troubles herself less about misrepresentation.
Austria carries her repugnance to publicity so far as even to dislike
eulogium. Praise often offends her as much as blame; for he that
applauds to-day may condemn to-morrow; to set one's self up for
praise, is to set one's self up for discussion. Austria will have none
of it, for her political worship is the religion of silence, and her
worship of _that_ goes almost to excess. Her schools are worthy of the
highest admiration; we hear nothing about them. She is, after England,
the first country in Europe for railways; and we hear nothing of them,
except by a stray paragraph in the Augsburg Gazette."
The national railroad scheme of Austria is certainly the most splendid
effort of the _tout pour le peuple--rien par le peuple_ system that
has been hitherto seen; the scheme is the first of its class: but its
class is not the first, not the best in the abstract, but the best in
an absolute country, where the spirit of association is scarcely in
embryo.
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