Life in the Cities 1 1 3 



a hard-working tradesman with a large family, 

 whose second son had shown remarkable ability 

 when attending the free State school. With 

 praiseworthy self-denial, this man paid the fees 

 for the boy's attendance at a secondary school 

 until he matriculated, and then, with the assist- 

 ance of his eldest son, also an artisan, entered 

 him at the university. The boy lived at home 

 humbly enough, but his parents were careful that 

 there should be nothing in his dress or in his cir- 

 cumstances that should mark him among his 

 fellow students. His university career was suc- 

 cessful, for he took a surgeon's degree, and he is 

 now a country doctor with a good practice. He 

 has been, moreover, able to help his younger 

 brothers and sisters to follow in his steps. Let 

 it be said again that this is no exceptional case, 

 but merely an instance of the possibilities for 

 advancement open to the working class in Aus- 

 tralia. 



The pleasures of the workman are largely gov- 

 erned by the climatic conditions of Australia, 

 which means that he spends a great deal of his 

 leisure in the open air. There is no lack of space 

 in the big cities if he has a mind to indulge in 

 cricket or football; or he can take his place as a 

 spectator and watch these games played by their 

 finest exponents. Cycle racing has never lost its 

 hold on the Australian public, and there are 

 many other pleasant ways of spending the Satur- 

 day half-holiday. The number of whole holidays 



