The state religion of Austria is the Roman Catholic, and next in numbers is the Greek Church. Calvinism and Lutheranism are also professed by a large body of the people; the former mostly in Hungary and Transylva nia, the latter in the German provinces and in Galicia. The civil power exercises supreme control in all ecclesiastical matters, the Emperor being, in everything but name, head of the Church; and as no sentence of excommunica tion, or other ecclesiastical edict, can be issued without the sanction of the Crown, the Pope's direct authority in Austria is somewhat limited. In 1910 there were in the Austrian portion of the monarchy 22,530,169 Roman Catholics, 3,417,223 Greek Catholics united to the Roman Church, 666,458 non-united, 430,900 Protestants and 1,313,687 Jews. In Hungary and Transyl vania there. were 9,010,305 Roman Catholics, 2,007,916 Greek united and 2,333,979 non-united, 1,306,384 Protestants and 911,227 Jews.
The intellectual culture of the people is at very different stages of advance ment among the different races. It is highest in the German provinces and lowest in the east. In Upper and Lower Austria, Salzburg, Tyrol, Moravia, Silesia and Bohemia, almost all the children of suitable age are in attendance on the public schools; while in Bukowina only about 34, and in Galicia about 59, per cent of them are at the schools. The educational has been entirely remodeled. The elementary schools, or those in which the common branches are taught, are designated national schools or schools for the people (Volksschulen), and there children have to attend from the end of their 6th to the end of their 14th (in some provinces only their 12th) year. A higher class of elementary schools are known as town schools (Blirgerschulen), in which a su perior education may be obtained. For the training of instructors for the people's schools, there are 43 normal schools for male teachers and 26 for female. As secondary schools or institutions of a more advanced grade, there are the gymnasia and the as they are called. The gymnasia resemble the best sort of our grammar schools, being intended chiefly to prepare pupils for the universities, great attention being paid in them to the classical languages and history, universal and literary. In the real-schools a more practical end is kept in view, and modern lan guages and physical science form the ground work of the educational course. A complete course in a gymnasium extends over four years, in a real-school either three or four. There are also schools of an intermediate stamp known as The higher education is provided for by the universities, the polytechnic institutes and the various institutions in which particular subjects are taught. There are 11 universities in the monarchy, namely, in Vienna, Prague (two—a German and a Bohemian), Pesth, Gratz, Cracow, Lemberg, Innsbruck, Klausenburg, Agram and Czernowitz. Most of these have four faculties— Catholic theol ogy, law and politics, medicine and philosophy. There are also several technical high schools in which mathematics, physics and natural science are the chief objects of study. Besides these there are theological institutions ; schools for jurisprudence and philosophy; schools of com merce, industrial arts, agriculture, arboriculture and mining; military schools, naval schools, art schools, conservatories of music, etc. The prin cipal libraries are the royal library at Vienna, and the university libraries of Vienna and Prague.
Constitution, As already men tioned, the Austrian dominions consist of a German or Slavo-Germanic or Cisleithan em pire, and a Transleithan or Hungarian kingdom, each with its own Parliament, ministers and government as established by the Pragmatic Sanction of 6 Dec. 1724. The same hereditary sovereign rules over both, and they have a com mon army and navy, and a common Parliament known as the Delegations. The Delegations consist of 120 members, one-half of whom are chosen by and represent the legislature of Ger man-Austria, and the other half that of Hun gary, the upper house of each legislature re turning 20 and the lower house 40 deputies.
In all matters affecting the common affairs of the monarchy the Delegations have a decisive vote, and their resolutions do not require the confirmation of the representative assemblies in which they have their source. The Delega tions meet alternately in Vienna and Budapest. Their ordinary mode of procedure is to sit and vote in two chambers, the 60 deputies of Cisleithan Austria forming the one, and the 60 of Hungary the other. But if no agree ment can be arrived at in this manner, the two bodies must meet together and without further debate give their final vote, which is binding for the whole empire. The jurisdiction of the Delegations extends specially to all mat ters affecting foreign affairs, war and finance. The Constitution of German-Austria was finally established in December 1867. The provinces have each a diet or legislature of their own for provincial affairs, these diets be ing 16 in number, one each for Bohemia, Dal matia, Galicia, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Bukowina, Moravia, Silesia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Gorz and Gradisca and Istria, the municipal council of Trieste having similar functions. The provin cial diets are composed of the archbishops and bishops, the rectors of the universities, the representatives of the great estates, of towns, of boards of commerce, of rural communes, etc. The laws passed in these diets have reference to provincial taxation, agricultural, educational and other matters. The national Parliament or legislature of German-Austria, called the Reichsrath (or council of the realm), consists of an upper house or House of Lords (Herrn haus), and a lower house or House of Deputies (Abgeordnetenhaus). The former is composed of princes of the Imperial family, of nobles whose families have a hereditary right to this dignity, of the archbishops, the bishops of princely rank, and of a certain number of life members nominated by the Emperor. The lower houses consist of 353• members, elected by all citizens above 24 possessing a small prop erty qualification. The rights belonging to the Reichsrath are: consent to all laws relating to military service; co-operation in the legislation on commercial matters, customs, railways, etc.; and examination of the estimates of the income and expenditure of the state, and other financial matters. The Constitution of Hungary, includ ing also Croatia, Slavonia and Transylvania, dates from the foundation of the kingdom, or about 895 ..n. It rests upon a number of statutes published at long intervals, the prin cipal of these being the Bulk: Aurea or Golden Bull of Andrew II, granted in 1222, by which the government was defined as an aristocratic monarchy. The legislative power is vested in the King and the Parliament (Reichstag) con jointly. The latter consists of an upper house or House of Magnates, and of a lower house or House of Representatives. The House of Mag nates consists of the archdukes of the Imperial family who have attained their majority, 54 ecclesiastical dignitaries, 151 counts and 36 barons as hereditary members, 84 life mem bers nominated by the sovereign, or elected by the chamber, etc. The lower house (of 453 members) is composed of elected representa tives. The Hungarian Reichstag corresponds to the Reichsrath of the Cisleithan provinces, and accordingly only deals with such matters as are common to the provinces belonging to the Hun garian Crown. Transylvania is, so far as legis lation and administration are concerned, en tirely incorporated with Hungary. Croatia and Slavonia, however, have a Landtag or diet of their own, which like the provincial diets of the Cisleithan portion of the empire, consists of only one chamber, and which as competent to deal with all matters belonging to the interior administration of the provinces, with religion and education, and with the administration of justice. Fiume, which was formerly associated with Croatia and Slavonia, and subject to the Landtag of these provinces, in August 1870, was put directly under the central Hungarian government.