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ADELAIDE: -
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 1921
FOUNDATION DAY.
On January 28, 1788, the British. flag
was hoisted ' by Capt. -Arthur Philliy
at the head, of Sydney Cove, and. the
first page in the history of Australia
as a British possession lav ODen beneath
the hand of Fate. It was on . this
memorable day, now 136 years ago, that
the great and hitherto almost unknown
continent of New 'Holland ' actually
began .to issue1 'from the gloom of a
world forgotten to the light of a world
to'- be,'-, to re-employ the words which
Mr. Dunbabin has very aptly in
scribedupon the title page of his 'The
Making of Australasia.' For South Aus
tralians, -^hose- natural inclination is to
regard December 38, 1836, as marking
the beginning of the most important 'of
things sublunary , in this -part of, the
world, Foundation. Day* has not' tha
significance which attaches to it in New
South Wales, or even in Victoria, the
latter' a State with no very marked
sense of an independertt origin. But,
in spite of South Australia's pronounced
individuah'ty, her people realize that
shi% forms part of the vast territory an
nexed, to the British Crown at the
moment of the first formal display of
the flag by Governor Phillip on the
eastern shores of the continent. As
that fateful piece of bunting fluttered
over the site of what has since become
the most populous city of the southern
hemisphere, the dominion of Great
Britain over the whole .of Australia
was assured. It was inever the habit
of British enterprise to seize upon any
good thing with the intention of let
ting it go; and it was the fear of dis
puted possession which led directly to
the establishment of Victoria, and in
directly stimulated the founders of
Western Australia^ even if it h?d no
obvious influence upon the settlement
of South Australia, or the northern
extension of colonization on the eastern
coast. . . : ?.?'?..'??
Foundation Day would perhaps serve
its purpose best if its annual reappear
ance were' to induce Australians gener
ally to. devote a little more time to
the study of their own history. ' The
sentiments proper. to the celebration of
such an anniversary as fell on Saturday
and is honoured to-day, are most
likely to be found in perfection in a
mind Jn which the unrivalled romance
of Australian beginnings has contributed
to the growth of a due sense of our
indebtedness to the pioneers, and a
realization of the changes which have
been wrought since these men 'left .the
world behind them to enter on a state
unknown.' -To have some acquaintance
with these things is to be afforded a basis
for unbounded faith in the ''future, if
not to be placed in possession of an
incomparably stimulating means of
visualizing the splendour which, the
future holds. It would be fatal to the
true spirit of Australian progress if the
average citizen' of this young country
should -altogether neglect the study of
the ^past, with all its lessons for the
conduct of the affairs of the present
and all its 'promise for the years to
come. Even in the history of Austra
lia for 200 years before, the first Founda
tion Day, . scanty and confused as the
record is, there is a moral of everyday*
application. From the dawn of the
seventeenth century^ very -nearly to the
end of the eighteenth, Australia's story
is largely one of neglected opportuni
ties.. . While, in England, Catesby and
Faux were arranging the detail^ of the
Gunpowder Plot (1605), William Jans
zoon, in his little ship, the Duyfken, was
between Batavia and our North coast,
about to make -the first deliberate af
tempt at Australian exploration. In
the year of the commencement of ,.thc
struggle between Charles I. and his Par
liament 0642) Tasman came to anchor
on the. coast of Tasmania. The'' trend
of British exploration -had 'been ; West
erly, and the Dutch had had the East
very much* to themselves; but despite
the fact that' the accumulated discoveries
of their sea captains, extending over a
period of 100 years, ultimately placed
them in possession of fairly accurate
knowledge, at least of the vast extent
of the southern continent, they allowed
Wytfliet's 'fifth part of the world' to
remain /exactly as they had found it.
-. . - ? . - :- .. - ? -. .\ . ? ?
In' the J|ight'. of our. knowledge^ of; what
wijs involved in this neglect, the Dutch
seem to have been extraordinarily lack
ing in enterprise; but equally surprising
in the fact that .nearly' a century elapsed
between' the Dutch EaW 'India '-''Com-
pany's virtual abandonment' of, and the
establishment 'of Great' Britain's .first
settlement in, New Holland, a magnifi
cent country which had too long 'gone
a-tbegging.' . (Q-3a-.^ ,
' To observe Foundation? Day?6n Satur
day, itself already ;half a 'holiday, ; would
have been to. undervalue -the, accasion
and to underrate the Australian demand
for national festivals. The circumstances
and the public alike demanded a 'full
holiday,' and' we celebrate our 136th
birthday, accordingly, on the one day
of the week which is clearly most accept
able for such a purpose, since it affords
an excellent opportunity for tne en
joyment of a 'week end' comprehend
ing almost lalf .a week. ..Public holi
days which 'fall on Monday' are
astonishingly numerous in this; part of
the world,, to the obvious satisfaction
of all for whom such festivals mean ease
and leisure; but; in'ourinodern civiliza
tion, so dependent 'are.'. , some - . people
upon others, that the majority of the
'others' are compelled to go. on work
ing, through birthdays and high-days of
every description. .' 'Among those who
epend their public holidays in harness
these constant outbreaks of popular .re
joicing must. appear excessive.' They dis
locate the normal course of affairs; they
mean more work; forihose'who are
dispassionately martyred in the cause
of general enjoyment. TheV- thought
might be almost a painful one, if it
were not for the consolation discover
able in the fact that ' certain adjust
ments in wages have been made to salve
the: wounded feelings, of. most '-of., those
who- serve the temporarily free. To' the
housewife only^-her domestic economy
deranged by unexpected*' and ill-timed
reminders from the butcher and baker
that 'Monday is a holiday'— is a really
practical 'solatium -denied. -.Phillip, of
course, could not forsee the conse
quences of his choice of January 26 as
the day for the hoisting of the flag at
his encampment; but there are some of
his descendants wnb- would be ready to
forgive him if he had allowed Australia
to remain nationally nascent for a few
weeks longer, in! which case Foundation
Day would not tread quite so closely
upon the heels of the generous vacation
of the Christina's and. New Year season,
and we should- have -time to ? recover
more effectively from the one festival
before being involved in the other. '
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