Page:In defense of Harriet Shelley, and other essays.djvu/251

 STIRRING TIMES IN AUSTRIA

danger-line. Apparently they may call each other what they please, and go home unmutilated.

Now, in fact, they did have a scuffle on two occa sions, but it was not on account of names called. There has been no scuffle where that was the cause.

It is not to be inferred that the House lacks a sense of honor because it lacks delicacy. That would be an error. Iro was caught in a lie, and it profoundly disgraced him. The House cut him, turned its back upon him. He resigned his seat; otherwise he would have been expelled. But it was lenient with Gregorig, who had called Iro a cowardly blatherskite in debate. It merely went through the form of mildly censuring him. That did not trouble Gregorig.

The Viennese say of themselves that they are an easy-going, pleasure-loving community, making the best of life, and not taking it very seriously. Never theless, they are grieved about the ways of their parliament, and say quite frankly that they are ashamed. They claim that the low condition of the parliament s manners is new, not old. A gentleman who was at the head of the government twenty years ago confirms this, and says that in his time the par liament was orderly and well behaved. An English gentleman of long residence here indorses this, and and says that a low order of politicians originated the present forms of questionable speech on the stump some years ago, and imported them into the parliament. 1 However, some day there will be a

1 In that gracious bygone time when a mild and good-tempered spirit was the atmosphere of our House, when the manner of our

�� �