The Foundations of Culture in Australia (P. R. Stephensen 1936)

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 55 The true Australian creed In his New Year message to his fellow-Australians, speaking at 59 minutes to 1 a.m. on the first day of January, 1936, the respected … [Read more...] about Section 55 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 54 A New Britannia When the English finally conquered Scotland, in the reign of George the Second, they did so in order to find some land, on the bleak boggy … [Read more...] about Section 54 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 53 One place is enough Population remains the paramount question, in any consideration of Australia’s future. “We must populate or perish.” A population greater than … [Read more...] about Section 53 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 52 The bone-pointers The technique of modern business, with its morality of dog eat dog, which used to be called “free competition,” has led to the formation of … [Read more...] about Section 52 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 51 Wardens of the future Our Australian mode, let me here repeat, is democratic and egalitarian. We can never expect to establish a national culture on “Aristocratic” … [Read more...] about Section 51 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 50 Noblesse oblige Aristocracy, throughout a hundred centuries or more of organised human endeavour, and for twenty centuries or so in Europe, has patronised the fine … [Read more...] about Section 50 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 49 Commerce and culture Throughout this “political” digression, I have been concerned with the fact that the development of culture in Australia, as a … [Read more...] about Section 49 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 48 Chauvinism and culture Once again, I feel that it is necessary to apologise, at least to my more civilised readers, fro what may appear to be a chauvinistic … [Read more...] about Section 48 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 47 Australia is an island History frequently makes attempts to repeat itself, but never quite succeeds in the attempt. If the British Navy, concentrated in the North … [Read more...] about Section 47 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 46 Sires to the slaughter Let us state the proposition in crude terms, from the point of view of Antipodeans, who dwell as far away from Europe as it is possible … [Read more...] about Section 46 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 45 Bloodstained Europe Europe is the world’s storm-centre of war-danger. With an area not much greater than that of the continent of Australia, Europe is divided into … [Read more...] about Section 45 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 44 No need for a protector Defence is also a prime national question. On the practical need of defending Australia against the possibility of a Japanese invasion, all … [Read more...] about Section 44 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 43 “Populate or perish” All parties agree that population is Australia’s paramount need. Australian is perhaps the only country in the world which has actually a need … [Read more...] about Section 43 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 42 Loyalty and disloyalty If Imperial Federation were a fact, instead of being merely a juristic fiction, and if all the “Nations” within the Federation were of equal … [Read more...] about Section 42 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 41 “Equal status” This unbearable dilemma, of divided loyalty as between English and Australian interests, wherever these happen to conflict, may be solved quite … [Read more...] about Section 41 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 40 Politics and culture Six months have gone by since the foregoing portions of this Essay were written, originally with a view to serial publication. Sections 1 to … [Read more...] about Section 40 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 39 Talismanic books Our destiny, and our history; the terms are inseparable. If we really had no history (as the Europe-minded think), we should have to invent some: … [Read more...] about Section 39 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 38 Freedom of the press The first precondition of a genuine culture in Australia is to establish, or re-establish, facilities for the free discussion of ideas, and of … [Read more...] about Section 38 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 36 The forces deployed In the absence of facilities for publishing sophisticated or even moderately intelligent books; in the absence of any critical magazines or … [Read more...] about Section 36 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 35 Intellectual shirkers What of the intellectuals who have remained in Australia? They are numerous enough, as I know, having had occasion, in the course of my … [Read more...] about Section 35 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 34 Export of genius Sheep-culture, agriculture, physical culture, have reached high standards in Australia, but intellectual culture has been neglected. We require … [Read more...] about Section 34 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 33 The sheep and the goats The situation, then, which requires thought, analysis, and some kind of remedial action is that Australia is in danger of becoming … [Read more...] about Section 33 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 32 The “Norman” Conquest It may be urged, by those who are more anxious to refute my thesis than to profit from its sincerity as an enquiry, that I am rebutted in the … [Read more...] about Section 32 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]

[Editor: This is a chapter from The Foundations of Culture in Australia (1936) by P. R. Stephensen.] § 31 Booksellers and publishers A nation culturally passive — culturally self-classified as second-rate — culturally dependent on another nation — in brief, culturally … [Read more...] about Section 31 [The Foundations of Culture in Australia, by P. R. Stephensen, 1936]