AUSTRALIA 61 
apparent in the career he works out for his children. To 
them the learned professions are open, and he is not slow to 
take advantage of the fact that the State subsidised Uni- 
versity 1s at his very door. 
_ The pleasures of the workman are largely governed by 
the climatic conditions of the country, which means that he 
spends much of his leisure in the open air. There is no 
lack of space in the big cities if he has a desire to indulge 
in cricket or football ; or he can take his place as a spec- 
tator and watch these games played by the finest exponents. 
The number of whole holidays (in addition to the Sat- 
urday half holiday) is not small, and the Australian knows 
how to enjoy himself on these occasions. 
‘The worst slums of the Australian cities are undoubtedly 
those quarters given up to the occupation of the coloured 
aliens—especially the Chinese and Hindoos. 
The distinctive sights of the Australian streets include 
the Chinese vegetable merchant, with his two heavy baskets 
of vegetables, balanced on a bamboo pole, supported on his 
shoulders. A group of Hindoo or Syrian hawkers may be 
seen passing from house to house, pressing the sale of their 
cheap wares in the most imperfect English. More 
peeuharly Australian is the rabbit-man, with his stentorean 
“Wild rabbits, oh!’ and his cart with a frame on which 
dozens of pairs of slaughtered bunnies are hanging. One 
shilling a pair is the usual price, and the rabbit man does a 
thriving trade in the face of an expiring prejudice against 
the rabbit as food. Australian shops are much the same 
as shops anywhere else, but the fishmonger and game seller 
sometimes festoons his shop front with strings of bright 
plumaged parrots, useless as food, but attractive to the eye. 
The game includes wild duck, magpie, geese and black 
swan, with a wallaby or two and tails of the larger kan- 
garoos. ‘The game shop and the fruit shop serve best to 
remind the visitor that he is in an Australian city ; none of 
the others differ from the shop of a British city, 
