The Beginning of the End.

Observer, Volume XIV, Issue 793, 10 March 1894, Page 2

The Beginning of the End.

'Do what you can to dissuade anyone from following in our very misguided footsteps.' Thus a ' New Australia ' emir grant in reference to the land of promise, the Paraguayian Paradise, the model settlement wherein, for the 500 th time or so in the world's history, a little band of adventurous spirits have sought to solve

some of the Booial problems that have puzzled the world for centuries and will continue to puzzle it so long as it shall exist. How will Peter McNaaght, now in Maoriland on a proselytising mission, explain away the very disquieting reports from Paraguay which are constantly appearing in the papers? The new settlement, as I predicted when it was formed would be the case, is a house divided against itself.

'There is no denying there are two distinct parties in the settlement, and feeling is growing more bitter every day.' Thus the same writer in a letter to an Adelaide paper. Of course. What else was to be expected ? Men may agree to club their funds together, to share and share alike, to work together for the common good. But there are bsund to be some drones in the hive. New and fanciful ' social experiments ' like that at Paraguay invariably attract drones. The prospect of living by other people's labour, enjoying the fruits of other people's industry, is an attractive prospect for the lazy loafers who won't work, and for the hopeless failures who haven't brains or energy enough to ' get od.'

If the New Australia people were all on a dead level so far as brains were concerned, if one man was as good as another mentally— but no better— there would be some hope for the success of schemes such as that devised by the enthusiastic Lane, the founder of this movement. But some men are born to command, to dictate, while others are only fitted by nature to do as they are told. When they won't do as they are told, when they resent being • bossed ' — the trouble begins. Hence the inevitable split in the camp. Twelve months' hence I predict that 'New Australia' will have ceased to exist, and that the people who went there will have found their way back to Old Australia completely disillusioned, and full up of ' social exexperiments.'