Until the completion of the made-to-order capital at Canberra, the seat of the Australian federal government, remains at Melbourne, where the Commonwealth House and Senate meet every year.
Alexandra Gardens in the centre of Melbourne remind one somewhat of Boston Common and Central Park. A shack village when Chicago was incorporated, the city is now one of the fine capitals of the world.
One of the surprising things is the little account taken of drunkenness or drinking. No one seems ashamed of having contracted the habit, and many men refer as nonchalantly to having been drunk as you would to having had your dinner.
Not long ago I was on a train in company with three Australians who were evidently old friends. One of the men said: “You see how much fatter I look. That fat comes from temperance. I have taken on flesh since I stopped drinking. I used to drink five bottles of gin every week right along and often much more. About six months ago I tapered off and at once began to gain weight. Since then I have gained two stone in a month.”
The other gentlemen contributed like stories of themselves and their friends. They kept up the conversation until the train stopped at a station, when all went out for a glass of whisky and soda.
To me one of the worst features of the liquor traffic in Melbourne and other Australian cities is the fact that the drinks are dispensed by women. The Melbourne girls are especially beautiful, and the town has the reputation of having the prettiest barmaids of Australia. Some of them are witty and nearly all are charming, so that it is no wonder that the men like to come in for a chat and a drink.
CHAPTER XIII
IN THE MARTS OF THE CITY