2 Australian Life 



In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, 

 however, a new era was inaugurated, when the 

 importance of the many colonies Great Britain has 

 planted in America, Africa, and Australasia was 

 at last recognised. The problems of colonial life 

 are now engaging the attention of the most 

 thoughtful of British statesmen and public offi- 

 cials, and the study of colonial affairs has already 

 shown that in each of the great British colonies 

 different circumstances are producing an entirely 

 separate type of over-sea Briton. 



It is well that this fact should be recognised, if 

 the fabric of Empire now being created is ever to 

 be made complete. In a new country, events 

 move with a rapidity bewildering to those born 

 and brought up under settled and accepted con- 

 ditions. Ten years served to convert Australia 

 from a collection of separate provinces into a na- 

 tion. Not very long ago it was the custom to 

 write of the Australian as an exiled Briton, who 

 jealously maintained British customs and tradi- 

 tions in his new environment, and always spoke 

 of the British Isles as "home." Observers who 

 obtained their information concerning Australia 

 during visits paid to the chief Australian cities, 

 or while enjoying the delightful hospitality of 

 some large and prosperous Australian station, 

 were induced to regard this as an established state 

 of affairs, rather than an interesting phase in the 

 development of a new community. They lost 

 sight of the fact that a native-born race was grow- 



