Austria is a very difficult nation to govern, and the position of premier is by no means a bed of roses.
The reason of the difficulty is that Austria is composed of so many different states which have very little in common with each other.
In all, there are three great divisions: the Austrians proper, who are Germans in their leaning and language; the Hungarians, or Magyars, who are a haughty, fierce people, speaking their own tongue, proud of their traditions, and who look down on the more modern Austrians as upstarts. Besides these there are the Bohemians or Czechs (cheks), who speak still another language, and are a wild and quickly irritated people, obstinate, and as a rule slow-witted.
It is but natural that one or other of these people should be constantly offended at the course of the Government, and see in every new law an attempt to rob them of their rights and privileges.
The great trouble at present is the variety of the languages spoken. An attempt has been made by the Government to enforce the speaking of German throughout Austria. A law was passed making German the language in which all official business must be carried on; but to make it perfectly fair for the Hungarians and Bohemians as well as for the Austrians, the law provided that all officers of the Government who were stationed in districts where Czech or Magyar was spoken must be able to speak these tongues as well as German.
This law is intensely unpopular.
The Austrians want one language throughout the country, and are indignant at having to learn the Czech and Magyar, which are both frightfully difficult; some people laughingly declare that Czech is as hard to learn as Chinese. The Bohemians and Hungarians, on the other hand, do not wish their languages to die out, and they think that it would be only right to allow them to use their own tongue for official business throughout Bohemia and Hungary.
They have become so violently opposed to the law, that they have been making a great effort to revive their language, and have established a literature of their own, and are having the Czech language taught in the schools. In Prague and many of the cities of Bohemia, no other language is spoken.
Now Count Badeni, who has the difficult task of handling all these fiery people, has got into disgrace all around.
The Austrians are angry with him because in a certain place, and for a certain occasion, he allowed the Bohemians to use their own language for official business. The Bohemians are angry with him for having forbidden a certain public meeting; and others are again incensed against the Prime Minister for having offended them in various, apparently unimportant ways.