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Page 1: Hungary : a quarterly review of hungarian life, letters and affairs - …epa.oszk.hu/02500/02590/00001/pdf/EPA02590_hungary... · 2014-09-11 · budapest 1930 ist year hungary a quarterly

H U N G A R YQ U A R T E R L Y R E V I E W

B U D A P E S T

1 9 3 0

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H U N G A R Y

C O N T E N T S :

Dr. Janos Bogya: Foreword.

Countess Margit Bethlen: Short Sketches:a) The Card Castle.b) An Icelandic Tale.c) The Fairy’s Heart.

Karoly Horvath: Historical Links Between England and Hungary.

Sandor Petofi: The Orphan Maiden.

Victor Papp: The Latest Hungarian Operas 1923— 1929.

Gyula Vegh: The Book-marks of the Buda Booksellers and Publishers 1488— 1525.

Dr. Felix Pogranyi-Nagy: Old Hungarian Fortresses.

Janos Arany: The Legend of the Wondrous Hunt.

Dr. Ilona Berkovits: Two Codexes of the Budapest University Library and the Foundation-charter o f Pannonhalma.

Endre Ady: To Weep, To Weep, To Weep . . .

Ferenc Molnar: Stories:a) The Gaming Instinct.b) Talking About Hats.

Laszlo Koszegi: Imre Madach and „The Tragedy of Man” .

Klara Hedervary: Notable Hungarian Careers:a) Fulop Laszlo.b) Adolf Zuckor.c) Sir Mark Aurel Stein.

Mihaly Babits: The Danaides.

A Short Review of the Economic Position of Hungary in 1929.

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BUDAPEST 1930 Ist YEAR

HUNGARYA QUARTERLY REVIEW OF HUNGARIAN LIFE, LETTERS AND AFFAIRS

EDITED BY

DR. JANOS BOGYA M. P.EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ISTVAN GERSTERRESPONSIBLE EDITOR

SUBCRIPTIONS:

ONE YEAR FOR UNITED KINGDOM . . . . £ 2.o.o ONE YEAR FOR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA $ lO.oo ONE YEAR FOR H U N G A R Y .....................................P 48.—

OFFICES: IV., APPONYI-TER 1, BUDAPEST HUNGARY — TELEFON: AUT. 832— 60.

PUBLISHED BY FOVAROSI KONYVKIADO LTD.

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Printed in the Printing-works of the Fovarosi Nyomda Ltd. VI, Lovag ucca 18, Budapest,

with Bodoni letters.

The Plates are manufactured by A. W e i n w u r m Sen. IV, Kammermayer Karoly ucca

Budapest.

Printed in Hungary.

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FOREWORD

The history of mankind and the progress of civilization are analogous ideas. Life means progress and one who bars the way of progress is guilty of a crime. Also the life of peoples has its biology. The administrative life of a nation reflects the laws of nature.

Hungary is the oldest State of Europe. Among all the vicissitudes of history,under the most trying conditions, and pursued by bad luck, she maintained her original frontiers and territory for a thousand years. This millenarian past gives Hungary, and the Hungarian nation her title to her territory and other sovereign rights.

This millenarian past, nourished by the nation’s moral force, demonstrates to all the world the Hungarian people's governing and administrative capability and is anobvious proof of a national spirit which could not be broken either by the devas­tating hordes of the Tartars or by the Turkish occupation.

It was the Hungarian people who, risking and so often sacrificing their ownlife, checked the continuous attacks and invasions by the barbarian Asiatic peoples, and prevented their expansion beyond Hungary’ s frontiers, which would have been detrimental to European civilization and progress of humanity.

We have always been the bulwark of European civilization and culture.Europe begins with the frontiers of Hungary and the Balkans lie beyond its

eastern borders. Our country is the natural product of a thousand years development, and it was by human machination that in Trianon the ancient frontiers were broken into pieces. But the new situation created by human caprice is void of all vital force. Eastern Europe is ill and unable to recover, because its foundations are unsound and because Justice, the most sacred creed of life, is wounded, it expects Virtue to defeat cruelty and cold speculation.

Many million Hungarians were forced under foreign rule and yet it is Hungarian culture which fills the soul of the people living in the territories wrenched away.

Although the Hungarian language was not the mother tongue of every nationality of ancient Hungary, in heart and soul they were true children of this country. The national characteristics — as it is so obviously seen in America — do not manifest themselves in the means of expressing our thoughts, the language alone, but in the sentiment which produces the thought and lives in it.

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The aim and purpose of our journal is to introduce Hungarian culture, to make our readers acquainted with the treasures produced and accumulated by the Hungarian nation, to be a rich store of the most brilliant documents of Hungarian culture, although immense numbers of objects of art were annihilated during the Turkish occupation for over 150 years.

Hungary in her present desperate situation has to contend with the cruel provisions of the Peace Treaty and to endeavour to live up to them in the desire to make herself known to the world and to lay bare the injuries suffered by the treaty.

Providence, however, does not deprive the unfortunate of her grace and thus we, too, have illustrous friends among the great nations who have taken up the Hungarian cause and have found means to place it before the public opinion of the world.

Our most powerful friend is Lord Rothermere whose name in Hungary stands for an ideal and enjoys such reverence that it would seem impossible to inaugurate our periodical without expressing, in the most prominent place, the admiration and gratitude of the nation. Lord Rothermere is the greatest friend of the Hungarian Government and promoter of the revision endeavor.

Lord Rothermere is seeking for Hungary a place under the sun and Hungary hopes that with the aid of the noble Lord the sun of God’s Justice will yet dawn upon her.

The real greatness of the British and American peoples consist in the fact that they have respected Justice and opposed unrighteousness and despotism. The world's most unfortunate and most cruelly treated country: trunkated Hungary, puts all hope and confidence for the betterment of its situation in the great qualities of Anglo-Saxon mentality and character, their willpower and their world-political importance.

Budapest, May 1930.

Dr. Janos Bogya M. P.

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S H O R T S K E T C H E SBy COUNTESS MARGIT BETHLEN

The Card Castle

Two were sitting at the table: Laci and his mother. She wore a dark-green dress with long sleeves ending in white lace. Her head rested in her hands and she stared straight before her without speaking. Laci, a little boy in a blue sailor-suit, was building a card castle. Yesterday his mother had told him a wonderful tale about a robber knight, had even shown him a picture of the castle where the knight had lived; and now he was going to build just such another with cards. In the picture the castle stood on the crest o f a rock thrust out into the sea . . . That bundle of books would do for the rock. — But the sea? Ha! the very thing, the long lace o f mother’s sleeve spread out on the table; one could safely build on that while mother sat dreaming like this. Often she did not more for an hour. Lots o f time for Laci both to build a castle and to take it down again.

The mother is till gazing; but it is not the little room nor Laci that she sees. Her vision is o f something else.

There is a great ship in port on the point of casting off. A man is leaning over the deck-rail. He is waiting for her. There is still time, if she will start immediately. It is only a few minutes to the docks, and one hour later they would be out

An Icelandic Tale

Away far in the northland dwelt the Snow Queen, where the plains stretched endlessly from the foot o f lofty mountains, and on both lowland and high­land all life was buried deep in snow. There stood the Snow Queen, silent and white, for a thousand years. She did not laugh nor cry; she felt no pain and knew no joy. She had even no expectation. She only stood.

on the open sea, they two alone, and happy; and then none could ever part them from each other again.

And if she doesn’t go, then the ship will leave without her, carrying him away from her, him whom she loves and will never see more, neither to morrow, nor the next day, nor ever again. She moves to . . . But a sharp, imploring voice falls on her ears.

Oh mamma, nice mamma, please don’t move for a little, just for a little, else my castle will all fall down.

Raising her eyes, she looks into Laci’s and meets their anxious look. And the mother again returns head in hands to her staring. She sees the boat again and the man by the deck-rail waiting, hoping, knowing that she will come.

And time passes, passes. — She hears the signal for starting and sees the great ship get under way go, go till suddenly it has gone.

The door opens and a voice calls:— Laci, darling, come to bed.The little boy jumps up:— Coming, coming, but just wait a minute till

I knock down my card castle.But his mother raises her head:— Leave it Laci, it will fall o f itself.

Far beneath her, deep in the depths o f the earth, lived the Fire King.

An ocean of flame surrounded him, but he felt no scorching heat. Hotter than any fire, there burned in his heart the desire for something great, beautiful, but undefined and unknown. And one night he burst the doors o f his prison, and escaped into the upper air.

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On the crest o f a mountain he saw the sunlight; and then, as he looked down and around him, there before him stood the Snow Queen.

King Fire fell at her feet and addressed her;— Who are you, who are so different from me,

so cold and white and austere? I have never seen you till now, not even in my dreams, yet I love you. Love me in return.

Queen Snow replied:— If you love me, you die, — and I die too.

The Fire King and the Snow Queen may not kiss without disaster. Life is good, they say: Live then, and leave me.

The Fairy’s Heart

She was a fairy, lovely and young. As she set out on that journey which every fairy must do once in her life, her father, the fairy king spoke to her.

You are about to go among men. They will ask things from you and you will give; for you are a fairy and give you must. But don’t give everything away; give a mixture o f good and bad. Don’ t forget you have a long way to go; and till your period o f travelling is completed, you cannot re­turn home to us.

The fairiy set out and the first person she met was a man. He smiled on her and held out his hand for a gift. Suddenly she thought o f her father’s words and, startled, clutched at her breast:

— Not all, — she whispered.But the men just looked at her and said softly— I love you.And the fairy gave him all her heart.

But King Fire bent over her:— I love you! And if we must die . . . still

I love you.And he caught the Snow Queen in his arms

and kissed her lips with hot, burning kisses.She, on her part, had neither will nor desire to

resist him.And when the morning came, there was no Snow

Queen, while the flames o f King Fire had been extinguished for ever.

Poor things! Poor? Who knows? Perhaps it was better to pass away in the arms o f the Fire King, than to live for a thousand years cold and white and alone.

— My father didn’t understand: he didn’t know what men are. I shall get heart for heart, his for mine, for he said he loved me.

And when once the man held the fairy’s heart in his hand, he went o ff— to win another heart.

The fairy was left alone and went on her way tired to death, the light all gone out o f her eyes. But her face was fair, her body young, and the men she passed all stretched out imploring hands after her. She was a fairy and obliged to give; so she gave what she had in the place o f her heart; bitterness, pain, and sorrow.

So she went her way as she had to do; and none ever saw tears in her eyes, or a smile on her lips. And the men whose lives she poisoned, knelt before her and cried:

— Oh, have you no heart?To which she replied, lifting her head and

looking at them:— I had — once.

Translated by Alexander King

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LOUIS KOSSUTH

The earliest portrait of the great Hungarian patriot. The likeness is an enlargement from the daguerotype, which was contained in his wife’s bracelet

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Ancient Hungarian jewels, of the XVII. century

Silver-found at Fegyvernek, of the XV. century

From the recent acquisition of the National Museum

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THE MATYAS CHURCH IN THE CITIDAL OF BUD A

The Matyas Church in the citidal of Buda. Sometimes called the Coronation Church it being the traditional scene of the coronation of the Hungarian Kings. The first church built on this site was the work of the Arpad Kings (XI—XIII. centuries). It underwent several transfor­mations notably under King Matyas. The Turks used it as a mosque while they held Buda

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FRESCO PAINTING IN THE ST. JOHN HOSPITAL CHAPEL, By GYORGY LESZKOVSZKY

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HUNGARIAN PEASANTS,

with their characteristic coat, the beautiful ,,sziir“ f lu ng over their shoulders

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HISTORICAL LINKS BETWEEN ENGLAND AND HUNGARYBy KAROLY HORVATH

England and Hungary have frequently been compared and found to resemble each other in more ways than one. Both are notably liberty loving na­tions, both place loyalty high in the scale o f virtues and both are devoted to their national constitutions. The English Magna Carta has its counterpart in the Hungarian Magna Carta. It is not difficult to un­derstand, therefore, that in the course o f history the two countries have not infrequently entered into relations with each other.

The first occasion o f intercourse occurred quite early in the history o f both nations. When Edmund Ironside died in 1016, his successor Knut the Dane, or Canute the Great as he came to be called, wish­ing to get rid o f possible Saxon rivals, sent Ed­mund’s two sons to Olaf o f Sweden with instructions that they should be put out o f the way. Olaf, shrank from murder, but also in dread o f his half- brother’s wrath, compromised, and sent the two princes o ff to the court o f Stephen, King o f Hun­gary, who, according to one authority, was related to him.

The brothers were brought up at the Hungarian court, and in due time married Hungarian ladies. Edmund is said to have married one o f Stephen’s daughters, but he did not live long and dying left no issue. The younger prince, Edward, married a lady o f the Hungarian court, named Agatha, and three children were born o f this marriage, Edgar, Margaret, and Christiane. Who this Agatha was is not rightly known, but so much may be safely assumed, that she was in some way connected with the House o f Arpad.

Meanwhile Canute had died and great changes had taken place in England. In 1054 Edward the Confessor sent emissaries to Hungary to bring his kinsmen home to England. These ambassadors got no further than Cologne, and it was only in 1057 that Edward left the Hungarian court. At the death o f Edward the confessor, the three children born

in Hungary were minors and therefore passed over in the election of a successor to the throne, and any chance they may have had o f succeeding was finally destroyed by the Norman Conquest. William treated Edgar and his sisters with consideration after Hastings, and they were safe enough till, in 1068, a rebellion was raised in Northumbria in Edgar’s favour. After that, they had to flee. In their flight, it is said towards Hungary, storms blew their ship into the Firth o f Forth. There they landed and were hospitably received by Malcolm III, King o f Scotland, in his court at Dunfermline nearby. Not long afterwards, Malcolm married the Princess Margaret, one o f the most important events in the history o f Scotland. The marriage naturally brought Malcolm into conflict with W il­liam, and for the rest o f his reign he gave the north of England little peace. Edgar the Atheling, even before his sisters marriage had tried to raise the Northumbrian counties against the Norman, and when that effort failed he was forced to leave Scotland for two years. Later he fought against William in France and Flanders. Eventually how­ever, he was persuaded to make his peace with William and accept the favour that W illiam had always been willing to extend to him; In Rufus’s reign, he led an army into Scotland and set his nephew Edgar on the Scottish throne. Thereafter he attached himself to Rufus’s brother Robert of Normandy and accompanied that genial knight to the Holy Land in the First Crusade. Returned home again, he fought on Robert’s side at Tinchebrai and was taken prisoner with him. Henry I, however, treated him leniently and he ended his days quiet­ly in Normandy, apparently unmarried and child­less.

His sister, Margaret, by her marriage with Mal­colm Canmore, was able to play a much more im­portant part in history. Her husband adored her, and supported her in her schemes for the reforma­tion o f the social and ecclesiastical life o f Scot­

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land. The Abbey of Dunfermline was built for her, and her great work for the Church in general was recognised after her death in 1251, when she was canonised, and in 1693, when the Pope ordered June 10th to be held as a church feast in her honour.

She was buried in her own abbey o f Dunferm­line. Alexander III had her bones removed to a shrine richly ornamented with precious stones in 1250. According to the old chronicle, when the coffin was on its way to its new resting place, it suddenly brought the hearers to a standstill over a certain spot. On examination it was found that this was the exact place where Malcolm had been buried. His bones were exhumed also, accordingly,

Istvdn Parmenius of Buda

The son o f Protestant parents, he was born in the middle of the XVIth. century at Buda at that time in the possession o f the Turks. In the course of his studies he came to England, where he lived both at Oxford and London, and made numerous friends. One o f these was Richard Hakluyt, and through him he was introduced to Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who, in 1578, was commissioned by Eli­sabeth to occupy in her name all such territory as he might discover in America unpeopled by the subjects of any other Christian power.

Parmenius accompanied the expedition to New­foundland which Sir Humphrey led in 1583, as its historian and sent a Latin report about it to Hakluyt, the first and the last. It was written from St. John and describes the island as bare and uninhabited, with a large number o f polar bears;

Neither Sir Humphrey Gilbert nor Parmenius

Englishmen in the Siege of Buda 1686

An English diary written by James Richards Engineering officer, during the siege o f Buda in 1686, was discovered in the Harley manuscripts o f the British Museum by Ernest Simonyi in 1858, and another version of it in the autumn o f 1885 by the Hungarian Lewes Kropf, who this time found it among the Stow collection o f manuscripts. By re­quest o f the King, this diary was printed in Lon­don in 1887. This print and the texts o f the two manuscripts are in no small degree at variance.

and the two coffins deposited in the vault side by side.

The later history o f Margaret’s remains is in­teresting. They were given to Philip II o f Spain, about 1560, and interred by him in the Church o f San Lorenzo in the Escurial and in the Chapel of St. Margaret there. Thither also the remains of her husband accompanied her. At the end o f last century, the Scots asked for the return o f these relics. No obstacle was raised either by the Spanish or the Papal authorities, but on searching they were nowhere to be found.

The third o f this Anglo-Hungarian royal family, the Princess Christiane later entered a convent and became its prioress, taking no interest in the tumults o f the world.

ever returned home. Both perished in the ship­wrecks suffered by the „Squirrel” and the „Delight” , two of the ships o f the expedition. The third ship ,,The Golden Hind” reached England in safety and her captain makes the following generous reference to Parmenius in his report.

The loss o f our ships equipped and loaded with the greatest care and not sparing any fatigue, is a heavy and most deplorable blow to us. But still greater is the loss with regard to our men of whom no less than 100 perished. Among the drowned we mourn a great scholar, a Hungarian born in the town o f Buda. His desire to good prompted him to partake of the expedition, with the intent to immortalise in the Latin tongue, all deeds and matters referring to his voyage of discovery, in praise o f our nation and honouring it with his rare gifts and style.

According to Kropf, the Stow manuscript is the original draft by Richard while the Llarley is but a corrected copy o f it.

The author James Richards, is described as one of „His Majesty’s Engineers” . Lie was a younger brother o f General John Richards who, in 1709, so bravely held the Spanish town o f Alicante against Philip I’s assailing troops.

Richards had been sent to the scene o f the Tur­kish war for the sake o f technical studies by his

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Majesty’s Ordnance Office on October 7th 1685. In Hague the Prince of Orange supplied him with a letter of recommendation to the commander in chief o f the imperial armies, Duke Charles o f Lotha- ringia. The Emperor’s forces reached Buda on June 15th, and the diary is dated from that day up to September 9th — beyond the fall o f Buda — when Richards boarded a ship to return to Vienna.

From the pages o f this diary we learn the names of the English volunteers who were numbered among the casualities o f that fierce struggle.

Four of those who died fell in the assault of July 13th, directed by Duke Charles against the upper fortress, towards the site of the present Nador barracks in the Szena Square of to-day.

The first o f them was Captain Rupert, son of Rupert Duke of Cumberland and his consort Fran­ces, daughter o f the Irish Viscount o f Bellemont. Thus he was grandson to Frederik V, Duke of Ba­varia and King of Bohemia, whose wife Elisabeth was the only daughter of James I. o f England.

Among the others who were killed, we find M. Wiseman Captain Talbot and M. Moor, all of them members of distinguished English families.

Among those wounded in this engagement was the Hon. George Saville, son to the Earl of Halifax. The wound eventually proved fatal and he died in 1695.

On June 18th the Scotchman Mr. Kerr was killed by a stone flung from the fortress upon the assail­ing troops.

Six were wounded in the assault o f July 13th. Among them was Colonel Arthur Forbes, comman­der of His Majesty’s 18th Irish Regiment. He had suffered captivity in the Tower during the reign of William III. Later on he served with the French colours under Marshal Turenne and distinguished himself in the fight near Sassbach in 1675.

Viscount Mountjoy was twice wounded, once on June 26th, when a sentinel at the corner of to-day’s Vermezo (the Bloodfield) and Varfok Street, and again, on August 3rd. From Buda he returned to his home in Ireland. In 1688, when on a visit in Paris to the exiled James II, he was arrested and kept a prisoner in the Bastille till 1692. Not long after regaining his liberty, on August 24th, 1692, he met with his death in the battle o f Steinkirk.

The royal Home o f Stuart was represented by James Fitz-James, Duke o f Berwick, as natural son to the Duke o f York (later James III. of

England) and Lady Arabella Churchill, the Duke o f Malborough’s sister. At his father’s command, he abruptly terminated his studies in Paris and hastened to the scene o f the Buda siege, where he joined the ranks on his 16th birthday, and in several encounters with the enemy betrayed the greatest courage. For his bravery his father made him Duke o f Berwick and honorary colonel o f the Oxford cavalry regiment.

He spent the winter o f 1686— 87 in England, but in spring returned to Hungary to take further part in the fight against the Turks. Luitpold I. appointed him to the command o f six regiments, among them, that named after Count Taaffe. In this capacity he distinguished himself also in the second Mohacs battle, after which the Emperor Luitpold rewarded him with a still higher military rank.

Some years later, after his father’s defeat at the Boyne river (1690) he entered the service of Louis XIV. o f France and fought in many enga­gements. In 1706 he became a marshall o f France and in the following year Philip V. o f Spain appointed him one of his Grandees. In the siege o f Philippburg, during the Polish Succession war, a cannon ball terminated his life.

His diary, begun in 1702, relates briefly some interesting incidents o f his Hungarian campaigns. These have several times been published.

Names o f other English and Scottish volunteers were in the wounded lists.

The others reported wounded are:

On July 13th Mr. Vaudrey.On July 24th Mr. Neguss, most probably in the

disaster of the unsuccessful Borgsdorf explosion where all his luggage got lost.

Among those injured at the fort are the Scotch­man George Heary and Mr. Howard. (In the men­tioned number o f the Egyetertes.) Both families are still extant.

We must still mention Count Francis Taaffe who played an important part in the siege o f Buda, particulary on August 14th when the right wing of the besieging forces attacked the Grand Aizier Suleiman. In this skirmish also the English volun­teers fought heroically.

Count Taaffe was the descendant o f an old Irish family, and was himself born in the Emerald Isle. He studied at Olmutz and joined the imperial army, where he soon rose to the highest rank. His

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elder brother fell in the battle of the Boyne, thus leaving him heir to the title and estate o f the Earl o f Carlingford.

The news o f Buda’s fall reached London on September 12th, and the event was celebrated at Whitehall and Windsor, by solemn Te Deum ser­vices. The Spanish Minister in London, on hearing

the news gave a splendid display of fireworks the same evening and had wine distributed, among the people in honour o f the victory.

By way o f gratitude the merry crowd smashed some o f the embassy windows and order was re­stored and the crowd dispersed only by the interven­tion o f the Whitehall guardsmen.

THE ORPHAN MAIDENBy SANDOR PETOFI

Fairest blossoms have I scattered On my mother's lowly bed:

Rain, or dew, they need not; watered By the filial tears I shed.

Dear to her their budding beauty;All their varied scent and bloom:

Meetly, now, in grateful duty,As a veil they wrap her tomb.

Why she loved each fragrant blossom,Tenderly she told to me;

And a watchword in my bosom Her desire shall ever be.

„Keep,” said she, „the love of flowers In your heart of hearts, my child:

Cold the nature, dull its powers,Callous to their influence mild.

„Love of flow'rs and virtue's features Are in closest union bound:

In the highest, noblest natures Both are ever to be found.

„For, what else the floweret's sweetness,Than the earth's heart-goodness shown?

What is Virtue's fair completeness,But the soul's bud, fully blown?"

Flowers, from their stems fresh-riven,Lay I on the new-made grave:

Mother! haply, you, from heaven,See my sighs their petals wave.

Mother! from your home of blessing,See your weeping child, to-day,

From the grave, she has been dressing,Pale and trembling, turn away.

Translated by E. D. Butler

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THE LATEST HUNGARIAN OPERAS — 1923-1929By VICTOR PAPP

In recent years music in Hungary has flourished as it has never done before except in Ferenc Erkei’s most productive period. Since the war and the re­volutions Hungarian music has not only limped up with, but struck its roots deep into the world de­velopment of the art, winning respect and admiration everywhere for its great qualities. We might indeed be pardoned for thinking that at the pre­sent time, so far as musical culture is concerned, we are up with the first. The English themselves have declared that the four greatest modern com­posers are: Elgar, Delius, Strauss and Dohnanyi. It is moreover well known that among musicians who affect the fashionable so called ultra-modern style; following Stravinsky or rather side by side with him, the leader is now Bela Bartok. Then the quality of Jeno Hubay both as composer and teacher is recognised the world over. Zoltan Kodaly’s name is now known far beyond the boundaries of Hungary ond once Bela Szabados has received the „boosting” apparently indispensable in these days, his genius will get international re­cognition also. Where is there a nation in the world that can boast of five such man. And these mas­ters o f music are no idlers. Everyone o f them is a worker in the great cause of Hungarian and world progress in music.

Thus the Hungarian creative musical genius finds its place in the general history of music; but even greater distinction has been won by Hungarian performing talent. Just as in the 17th and 18th centuries it was the Italian musicians who were to be found everywhere, so now it is the Hungarians who are most general favourites. In recognition of the high levels o f music teaching here reached, „Hungarian musician” , has come to be regarded as the hall-mark o f value all over the world. An al­ready high reputation was considerably augmented by the Philharmonic Society on its foreign tour. In 1927 the society was invited to take part in the international musical festival at Frankfurt.

It gave two concerts conducted by Erno Doh­nanyi, and the success was such that it was asked to prolong its stay. In May o f the following year, the Philharmonic gave twelve con­certs in the larger cities o f North-Italy. These had a wonderful reception in the press and Dohnanyi was compared enthusiastically with Toscanini. After the triumphant Italian tour, there came an invita­tion from the Cologne „Pressa” to give a series of performances in some of the principal towns of Europa. This came o ff in 1928. The Philharmonic then held two concerts in Paris, two in London, and one in Scheweningen, Cologne, Heidelberg, Zurich and Munich respectively. The whole series was a triumph.

Up to now this tremendous success abroad crow­ning our orchestral performances has been our highest achievement. It has opened up the greatest prospects for us and will not be readily forgotten in the history o f Hungarian culture. Recognition has been accorded our representatives on all sides. „The Times” writes o f our orchestra with enthusi­asm specially mentioning the directness, refine­ment, power, nobility o f tone in its playing as well as the individual mastery o f instruments and the even tone in their grouping. „The Daily Telegraph” congratulates the Philharmonic on its possessing such a leader as Erno Dohnanyi. And so on . . .

Besides all this we must not forget the achieve­ment o f our singers. Never has the art o f singing been at such a level in Hungarians as it is to-day. We have never before been able to claim so many singers o f high repute. But not all o f these singers remain at home. Anna Gyenge, Maria Yvogiin, Maria Nemeth Piroska Anday, Margit Angerer, Gitta Alpar, Kalman Pataky and Zsigmond Pi- linszky add lustre to the Hungarian name abroad.

In addition to these successes won abroad and at home by Hungarian performers, our composers have been busy adding abundantly to their laurels. During the last six years the pick o f new Hungarian

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pieces may be considered to be the following: Ede Poldini’s opera. „A Carnival Wedding” ; Jeno Hubay’s opera, „Anna Karenina” ; Zoltan Kodaly’s Hungarian musical play „ Janos Hary” ; Bela Sza- bados’s „Fanni” ; and in symphonic music; Erno Dohnanyi’s „Festal Ouverture” ; Bela Bartok’s „Dance Suite” ; Zoltan Kodaly’s „Psalmus Hunga- ricus” ; Erno Dohnanyi's „Ruralia Hungarica” and his third „Quartette for Stomp” .

It is marvellous and almost inexplicable that just when we were so reduced by Trianon that almost nothing was left to us, our art and especi­ally our musical art should have developed such momentum and brought such distinction on itself both at home and abroad. The Hungarian genius found a free way for its triumphant affirmation of itself, and especially through its music has com­pelled the admiration o f the world.

Since 1923 the Royal Hungarian Opera has played 13 new Hungarian operas. The number it­self is imposing, especially so when we remember, that five, of the thirteen viz. Anna Karenina, A Car­nival Wedding, Janos Hary, Fanni and Moments Musicals have proved themselves fit to resist the changes brought by time and hold their place in the repertory of Hungarian operas.

One of the earliest and best o f these is Jeno Hubay’s „Anna Karenina” , first produced 10th November 1923. Sandor Goth wrote the libretto from Tolstoy’s novel. This is the best o f Hubay’s six ope­ras. It has not as yet attained the international fame of the thirty years older ,,The Yiolonist of Cre­mona” , but it is regularly played in Budapest and has already attracted notice abroad. The action,, in general lyrical, has its powerful dramatic moments, which are spendidly utilised by the composer. In „Anna Karenina” , Hubay is more dramatic, stern and grandiose. His art seems to have reached a new and higher stage.

Among the new pieces, two o f lesser importance made their first appearance on the same evening, a one-act musical drama by Jeno Zador, professor in the Vienna Conservatory, entitled „Diana” and Karoly Hentschel of Temesvar’s „Aphrodisia” , called by the composer a ,,symptonic panto- mine” . The libretto for the first was written by Jeno Mohacsi, that for the second by the composer himself.

The 16th February 1924 was a great day in the history of Hungarian opera; for that was the date

of the first night of Ede Poldini’s „A Carnival Wedding” .

This the first Hungarian light opera on the clas­sical level arrived suddenly as it were from no­where. It had no real predecessors. Before it tracks had been left by ,,The Fool” o f Szabados and „Ja- nos vitez” of Kacsoh but it really had to find and make its own way. When Bela Szabados introduced French ingenuity into our music reputed to be stiff and unbending; when Kacsoh handled the ancient and noble Hungarian melodie line as the ,.Csikos” does his long-lashed whip; when Arpad Szendy proved that, given the heart for it, a five Hungarian sonata could be written in the classical form; the artistic problem o f Hungarian music was all but solved. All that remained to be done was for someone, with the necessary ability, to assemble the results already won into one final racial work of art.

Poldini was the man who did it. His fine perception led him to see that the genial tale o f the Hungarian country-house o f a hundred years ago and its peculiar atmosphere should and could be pro­duced to-day; and at that not only for Hungarians but intelligibly for the whole world, so that it could be at once thoroughly enjoyable and thor­oughly Hungarian.

Erno Vajda was responsible for the libretto. The text has a charming and light-hearted gaiety about it. It is not pretentious, not literature but a model for its purpose.

We shall content ourselves with but a few ob­servations on the many beauties o f the score. The composer works with pregnant themes and motifs whose characteristing power is wonderful. With and through them he weaves and twists a variega­ted piece of Hungarian embroidery, the parti- tura. He touches old times and songs but adapts them by his musicianship to the demands of light opera, so that the result is dazzlingly beautiful. The score is composed of scarcely perceptible individual numbers and then splendidy built up finales. The music is on such a high level that from beginning to end it seems one long concert. The end o f one number is taken up by the following and with just a little artifice and consummate handling worked up to a musical climax. And all this is done simply in the very style of light opera and with perfect taste. The harmonic beauties flutter like gaudy butterflies among the flowers o f the instumenta- tion. The band cracks and crashes, laughs, guffaws, teases, jests, and flows on. The recitative is splen­

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did. No opera has ever been written with better Hungarian prosody. The singing parts could not be improved on. Take, for example, the quartette in the second act and the massed chorus, perhaps the very best of the whole composition.

„A Carnival Wedding” is one of the Hungarian public’s greatest favourites. It is played regularly. We know of several successes won by it abroad also. Resently during „The Hungarian week” in Nurenberg, it completely captivated the Gennans.

Proceeding in order o f time, we have next to mention the two new Hungarian pieces produced together: Zsigmond Vincze’s „The Stronger (one act), and Istvan Gajary’s „Prince Argirus’ (three act).

The libretto for „The Stronger” was written by Istvan Geczy, and was originally a peasant drama played in the Comedy Theatre. Vincze was probably influenced by ,,Cavalleria Rusticana” to transform the piece into an opera. There is no straining after modernity. The score is composed on simple lyrical lines strongly Hungarian in character. Its weakness lies in its lack of dramatic power.

„Prince Argirus” is a ballet the libretto of which was written by Frigyes Ferenczy. It can be praised as a spectacle and in Gajary’s music there is refinement, vigour and expressiveness.

„The Magic Babu” is a Christmas spectacle for children, the music of which is by Raoul Mader and the words by Jeno Kemendy.

1925 was a barren year for Hungarian operas. It was a time o f crisis in the Royal Hungarian Opera. The State’ s finances were low, so that for a time it was even necessary to close down.

Next year, with the Opera reorganised, there were three new pieces presented; „Typhoon” , an oratorio entitled ,,St. Francis of Assisi” and most important of all „Janos Hary” .

„Typhoon” is a „Japanese tragedy” in 3 acts. Its music is by Tivadar Szanto, the pianist, and its libretto by Menyhert Lengyel. It is a so-called „modern” opera. Modern as applied to music is a term which has many and even contradictory connotations. In the composition o f „Typhoon” all the newest tendencies in music are united: expressionist, impressionist, futurist, utramodern, neoprimitive, exotic and naturalistic.

Szanto began with making a mistake in the choice of libretto, for „Typhoon” is not suitable for musical composition. It is a matter o f surprise that such a good musician as Szanto did not perceive this.

Abroad, the realistic and exciting theme of „Typhoon” procured for it success as a drama. The mysteriousness o f the yellow race and its secret expansion caught the interest o f people, but little o f this interest could be transferred to a libretto; for in an opera you cannot carry on a discussion about the values, rights, struggles and the future of races. The love interest o f course is suitable for musical expression but the real body of the original decidedly is not. Words in any case lose half of their own innate power in operas, finding the music in important respects too much for them. „Typhoon’s” theme is Japan’s mission, duty and obedience. How could such abstractions be made the foundation o f an opera?

The „Janos Hary” o f Zoltan Kodaly is a peculiar opera occupying a peculiar position in Hungarian music. It is peculiar because more is spoken in it than sung and its position is peculiar inasmuch as it is most unusual for a piece o f this type to find its way on to the stage o f the Opera. The critics gave it a good reception. The public, instantly took it to its heart. Since its first appearance „Janos Hary” has always played to full and enthusiastic houses.

It is a welcome sign that in the last lew years, the audience in the Opera has become more Hun­garian. Now they love them and are proud o f them. It is, therefore, a happy circumstance that „Janos Hary” has found its way into the Opera House, to keep the Hungarian end up against over-represen­tation o f foreign works.

Everyone knows o f the classic lines ol Janos Hary, from the poem o f Janos Garay entitled „The Discharged Soldier” . It has been most skilfully adapted to the stage by the librettists Zsolt Harsanyi and Bela Paulini and perhaps the very good qualities o f the libretto provide the grounds o f a just criticism o f the piece as an opera; for the composer has paid so much respect to the intrinsic qualities o f the words that he has left them in large part untouched by music instead o f weaving a continuous web o f music in and through them. In deciding the old rival claims o f words and music he has decided for the words. He has sacrificed the unity o f the musical composition to preserve the native beauties o f the written text .It is true that where words are in themselves expressive, music should say, as little as possible; but according to Berlioz there is a note for every vowel and syllable and music does not recognize a higher art than itself. In Kodaly’s piece the music stops frequently.

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But in an operatic piece, music should not sur­render its claims so much as this, especially when from such an one as Kodaly everybody expected a real, fresh Hungarian recitative. An opera is not made by embroidering a play with music.

Kodaly’s score is made up o f songs, male, female and mixed quartettes, a grand finale-like mixed chorus and incidental music. It is all done in mas­terly fashion. In great part the material has been taken from the great quarries o f folk songs. The greatest o f all poets the populus has cooperated with the composer in this production. Kodaly has simply provided the golden coach in which the flowers called from the meadows o f folk-song might he brought in triumph on to the stage o f the Opera. He has renounced any claim to honour as an original melodist. The melodies are not his and therefore, he is not to be critised for them. It is as an adapter that he is to be judged. But the way in which the adaptation is made both for voice and orchestra is marvellous. For this, technique would not be enough; feeling is also necessary. Take for example the way in which that simple song, „ I ’m poor, and poor was I born” , emerges out o f the orchestral score. It grips the heart. And the recondite music, the belles, the minuet and the tune „Cis Tisza, trans Danube” — is all real Hun­garian music set forth so that scarcely anything more artistic novel Hungarian has ever been heard. The natural freshness and brightness o f the folk music is not only not lost in the orchestral trans­formation; it is heightened and enriched a hundred times.

In 1912, when the „Carnival Wedding” won the first prize in the competition for librettos set by the Opera, the second was awarded to ,,Fanni” Bela Szabados, who was one of the judges, immedia­tely set himself to write the music for it. Sza­bados is an old and illustrious member o f the world’s musical etat majeur. For forty years his has been an honoured name. He is the scrupulous artist among Hungarian composers. He would never send forth a bar which in his opinion offended in the least against the canons of his art. Erkel and Liszt are his forerunners and he sticks to the older musical traditions.

On the occassion o f the „Schubert Centenary” Dohnanyi took the six popular pianoforte pieces of Schubert entitled ,,Moments Musicals” scored them for an orchestra and so arranged the music that it should accompany an appropriate recitation com­posed by his gifted wife Elsa Galafres. Thus it became a beautiful and picturesque one-act ballet under the title of „The Muse’s Kiss” .

Rezso Lavotta is another Hungarian musician o f distinction whose ,,Carnival” was one o f the four original operatic works that must be noted as having been first performed in the City Theatre. Lavotte, like Szabados is a master o f the French style o f music and in France and abroad generally he is more honoured than he is at home.

Here then is the Hungarian operatic crop o f the last years. Five might he taken as representative: and taken altogether these show that music in Hun­gary from Erkel to Dohnanyi is on the up-grade.

HUNGARIAN FOLK-SONG

E’en the trees are wailing, Whither I am going;

From their trembling branche. Leafy burdens throwing.

Fall, ye leaves, around me, Hide me in your keeping;

For my mate, my darling, Sadly seeks me, weeping.

Fall, ye leaves, enshroud me, All my footsteps cover;

That my way be never Known unto my lover.

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PORTRAIT OF SIR EDWARD HUGHES BRITISH ADMIRAL, By JOSHUA REYNOLDS

Property of the Hungarian National Art-Gallery

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2 9

VIEW OF THE ST. GELLERT THERMAL BATH AND HOTEL

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3 1

PORTRAIT OF A GIRL, By BAREND VAN ORLEY

Property of the Gy orgy Rath Museum

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VIEW OF ROYAL CASTLE OF BUDA

Painting by Rudolf Alt 1828, guarded by Hungarian National Art-Gallery

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THE BOOK-MARKS OF THE BUDA BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS 1488— 1525By GYULA VEGH

President of the Hungarian Bibliophile Society

The copyists o f old manuscripts in the middle ages named themselves at the end o f the book; and also mentioned where and when they had finished the work. This practice was followed by the first printers also who tried to imitate the written books with their printing presses. But they were not satis­fied with immortalising in the printed text the time and place o f the printing, but sometimes in addition to this provided the books with conspicuous stamps and book-marks. As in the middle ages the hand- writers, stone-cutters, silver-smiths and draughts­men also sign their works with their special marks, the initials o f their names. In the last quarter of the XV. century the use o f book-marks was in general use.

These marks gave no protection against the copy­ing o f the books and engravings. There were printers who also imitated the marks o f celebrated workshops, in order to thereby procure an easy sale for their inferior productions. For this reason came into existence the privileges granted by the ecclesiastical and temporal authorities, which en­sured the exclusive right o f preparing and selling the books to certain printers and publishers.

Parallel with the book-marks of the printers there were in use publisher-marks, which were in every way similar to them. In the beginning the printer was a learned publisher, an artist and enterpriser, who laid great weight upon the internal and external value o f his publications. With the technical

development o f the press however the whole energy o f the printer is taken up by the work o f mass production, the cutting and casting o f the letters, the printing, decoration o f the books, illustrations and binding. The choice o f the text as well as the expense and risk o f publication is borne by the publisher, but to him also belongs the praise for the appearance o f the book. The publisher is usually the bookseller (librarius, bibliopola), mecenas, an Order, University, etc. etc. The press works to his order, his book-mark decorates the books printed in the different workshops.

At first the marks o f the printer and publisher were simple lines, then letters, — the initials o f the printer, or publisher, later heraldic drawings, symbolic pictures and at the time o f the renaissance such popular allegories as were real rebuses on account o f their hidden meaning.

The decay o f this art which began at the end o f the XVI. century made its influence felt on the terrain o f book decoration also. Engraving on wood was always more and more displaced by copper engraving and etching. The use o f book-marks be­came always more rare.

In Hungary printing began in 1473 and with the exception o f Italy is the oldest in Europe.

The Hungarian Bibliophil Society has collected the marks o f the Buda booksellers, publishers and printers. From this collection we show some on the next pages.

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O L D H U N G A R I A N F O R T R E S S E SBy DR. FELIX POGRANYI NAGY

Among high cliffs towering into the clouds stand the Fortresses o f Vajda-Hunyad in the East; Frakno in the West, and Arva in the North. They have different histories; Vajda-Hunyad is the cradle of the glorious dynasty o f the Hunyadys; Frakno the home o f noblemen loyal to the Royal House, whereas Arva was the nest o f the proud Oligarchs, the desperate opposition, protectors o f liberty.

In the end their fate was, however, the same. Once the bulwark o f the Nation, today. . . sad relics o f old glory.

At the foot o f the Retyezfit, the most phantastic o f all Hungarian mountains, among virgin forests o f beech and the murmuring pines and firs o f the Transylvanian Carpathian mountains stands on a height the Fortress o f V ajda-H unyad. Its origin is traced back to the second half o f the XHIth century.

In 1409 Zsigmond o f Luxemburg, King o f Hun­gary and German-Roman Emperor, rested at Vajda- Hunyad in his campaign against Dan, the Wallach Chieftain. During his stay there, he made the acquaintance o f the beautiful Erzsebet Marsinay. The acquaintance soon developed into love and when the expedition called him forth again he plighted his troth with an engagement ring. Later, however, Erzsebet married Janos Hollos, and after the death o f her husband her relatives forced her to relinquish the estate and the Castle. The unhappy widow, with her little son Janos, and the ring presented to her, went to the King in Buda to get justice; nor did she go in vain, for by the grace o f the King little Janos was made the owner o f the castle and estate o f Hunyad.

One o f the heroic chapters o f Hungarian history begins with Janos Hunyadi. Against the continually increasing attacks o f the Turks, Hunyadi, with the army recruited by himself alone, took up the fight repeatedly against the overwhelming Turkish force. During his whole life-time he continued the fight

against the spreading power o f the Turks, in defence o f the whole o f Europe. He lost one battle only, at Rigomezo, when George Brankovich the treacherous Serb Chieftain went over to the enemy and attacked his own allies in the flank.

Later he checked the expansion in the North of the Cech-Hussite marauders.

The victory at Belgrade — then called Nandor- fehervar, — which he won together with Janos Kapisztran and latter’s crusaders over the Turkish Sultan Mohamed II. the victorious concqueror of Constantinople, put the Crown on his long succession o f glorious deeds. By this victory he succeeded in saving Western culture and Christianity from the Osman invasion. The ringing o f the church bells at noon was instituted by the Pope as a perpetual reminder o f the victory at Nandorfehervar.

Hunyadi and his wife, Erzsebet Szilagyi, had two sons, Laszlo and Matyas. The elder son, Laszlo died young by a tragic death. After the death of Laszlo V. the gentry unanimously elected Matyas as King o f Hungary.

King Matyas during his reign resided at Buda. From here he led his army to glorious victories, here he gave hospitality to the promoters o f Art and Science. It was during his reign that the Art Renaissance was introduced into Hungary, first o f all in architecture, a generation earlier than, for instance, in France.

King Matyas had no children either by his first wife Katherine, or his second Beatrix d’Aragon, the daughter o f the King o f Naples.

After the extinction o f the House o f Hunyadi the Fortress o f Vajda-Hunyad passed into the possession o f Gabor Bethlen, Prince o f Transylvania, then to Imre Thokoly, the leader o f the national so-called „Kurutz” army. With the decline o f Thokoly’s lucky star, all immovable and movable assets o f this forerunner o f Hungarian liberty were seized by the Royal House.

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Vajda-Hunyad remained the property o f the Treasury. The proud fortress was converted to ordinary purposes. When in 1867 Hungary’s sun dawned again, with its regained freedom from Austrian opression the country, now in possession o f its constitutional liberty and self-governing rights, did not leave in oblivion the old home of the House o f Hunyadi. The Hungarian Government restored the ancient Royal Fortress to its old pomp and glory.

Since then, however, the Peace Treaty o f Trianon awarded Vajda-Hunyad to Roumania. We do not know whether the present owners, the Wallacks, are able or not to appreciate this glorious achieve­ment o f architecture, a reminder o f so many brilliant events o f Hungarian history.

On the Western frontier o f Trianon-Hungary, among low-lying hills, is situated the fortress of Frakno.

Also this fortress can look back at an ancient past, happier perhaps than that o f Vajda-Hunyad and Arva. According to tradition the land around the fortress was, about the year 1190, given to Gilet the Knight o f Gascogne, who came from the Court o f Alphonse I. King o f Asturia.

A hundred years later, by way o f inheritance and right o f pledge, Frakno became the possession o f the Emperor Frigyes Illrd, from whom it was reconquered by King Matyas, when he occupied most o f the Habsburg dominions. After the death of Matyas, during a whole century, the fortress had various owners.

In 1926 the Fortress was given by Emperor Fer­dinand II. to Miklos Esterhazy, in view o f the fact that one o f Gilet’s daughter was the great grandmother o f Esterhazy.

The Fortress o f Frakno during its existence of 700 years has never been subjected to the attack o f an enemy, although the House o f Esterhazy, an eminently warrior family, has supplied many soldiers to the King o f Hungary. The picture gallery at Frakno o f the ancestors o f the present Esterhazy family and the old flags and standards of their private batallions o f old, give a true picture o f the last three hundred years o f Hun­garian history.

Where the romantic river o f A rva in the extreme northern corner o f ancient Hungary turns towards

the south, on steep hills stood the Fortress o f Arva. The surrounding country with its huge pine-forests, barren cliffs and meagre alpine pastures is indeed bereft o f all gifts o f Nature.

The Fortress o f Arva was built at the beginning o f the XHIth century as a frontier fortification in the direction o f Poland. King Robert Karoly o f the House of Anjou needed this important fortification as a point support o f his far reaching political schemes in connection with Poland. After his death his son Lajos, known as Louis the Great, in fact succeeded in winning the throne o f Poland.

In 1398 King Zsigmond presented Chieftain Stibor as a reward for his faithful services, with immense properties along the river o f Vag. Stibor, a brave soldier and a gentleman with inflexible will-power, surrounded himself with a princely court generously rewarding or severely punishing his subjects as the case required. According to the legend when once his jester Betzko, questioning his power, said: „Look at that immense c liff o f dizzy height, if you are really so powerful have a castle built on the top o f it” , and Stibor to show that impossibility is not known to him, had the Castle o f Betzko built on the top o f the c liff pointed out by his clown.

The Fortress of Arva often changed masters in the course o f the following two centuries.

It was in 1618 when Gabor Bethlen the great Prince o f Transylvania went to war against the Habsburgs in order to force them to respect the constitution and observe the laws o f Hungary and the peace treaties concluded with her, and not to deprive the protestants o f their religious liberty. The Habsburg kings were reluctant to take notice of the unalterable fact that Hungary cannot be ruled otherwise but in her own constitutional way and in respecting her laws. Discontentment and despair was continually growing and resulted in a conspiracy o f Palatine Wesselenyi and some of the most distinguished aristocrates o f that time.

The conspirators were, however, betrayed and condemned to death and finished their life under the executioner’s axe in Wienerneustadt. Istvan Thokoly, one o f the conspirators, prepared to face and withstand the attacks o f the royal army in the Fortress o f Arva. He sent his only son Imre under the cover o f night through a secret tunnel of the fortress to his relatives that at least his life might be spared. The royal force soon appeared under the fortress and Istvan Thokoly lost his life in its defence. The invading army ransacking the place

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got hold o f the rich store o f silver, jewellery, pearls o f rare beauty, cash, precious silks and rugs the value of which amounted to three million gold florins, an immense fortune at that time, and transported it all to the royal court in Vienna.

Young Imre Thokoly later reconquered his father’s estate and castle and remained in their possession until 1683, when King Leopold with the aid o f German ruling princes and John Sobiesky, King o f Poland and their united armies drove him out o f the fortress.

The fortress, however, did not remain a long time in the possession o f the Habsburgs, Ferenc

Rakoczi II. after a hard fight, having taken possession o f it. Five years long has Arva been the headquarters o f the great prince until, in 1709, the royal army occupied it once more.

In 1800 fire broke out in the fortress and in five days consumed almost the whole o f it; only the chapel, the archives and a few smaller buildings could be saved.

Since the collapse o f the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy the Czech Agrarian Office is master of the Fortress o f Arva.

Sic transit gloria mundi!

In the year 1838 an Englishman named: G eorge H ering undertook a jour­ney through Hungary and Transylvania. During his travels in this land he made thirty litographic drawings o f different sceneries.

These sketches were published by

THOMAS M’LEAN26 Hay market, London

and

Mr. G. HERING26 Charles Street, Berner's Street

in1838,

under the title:

HERING’S SKETCHES.On the Danube

inHungary: and Transylvania

GEORGE HERING

Dedicated to Count Istvan Szechenyi, the great Hungarian patriot and reformer.

On the next pages we are showing three of his drawings.

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mm

45

FORTRESS OF VAJDA-HUNYAD

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FORTRESS OF FRAKNO

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/

FOKTRESS OF ARVA

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ROYAL HUNGARIAN OPERA, Drawing by ALADAR RICHTER

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&6 h e £ e g e n d o f t h e

6 V i } o n d r o u s T T u r ±By Janos Arany

From bough to bough the warbler flies;In song the voice to voice replies:Fresh verdure decks the time-worn grave; The tuneful lyre awakes the brave.

Away start forth to hunt the deer The gallant sons of Eneh fair; Twin heroes, Magyar and Hunor, Whom Eneh erst to Menrot bore.

A chosen train, the brothers own Each fifty knights of fair renown,W ith weapons for the chase arrayed, As though for bloody strife displayed.

Before them lies the stricken prey, Nor roe nor stag escapes away: Succumbed so soon the panting hart —

The hind ere long shall feel the dart.

In hot pursuit careers the band Along the salt sea’s desert strand;Wh ere never wolf, where never bear Hath strayed, behold the huntsmen there!

E’en where the pard and lion prowl, And o’er the desert fiercely howl; The tawny tigress casts her brood,But, starved, devours in frenzied mood.

As soars the bird, song rends the air In praise of sons of Eneh fair:From bough to bough the warbler flies; Harmonious, voice to voice replies.

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Now hastes the sun, declining low,To gild yon clouds with ardent glow, And yet the men their course pursue,Till twilight hides the prey from view.

The hunt by darksome eventide Hath reached the Kur's far-stretching side; Along the banks the pleasant meads Are grateful to the weary steeds.

Saith Hunor: „By this river's brink We'll camp, and let our horses drink;" Quoth Magyar: „Soon as breaks the morn We haply home shall all return."

„Ho, valiant knights; ho, warriors, stand! What wondrous spell affects this land, That eastwards here the sun descends, Whose wonted setting westwards tends?”

„Methought,” one hero made reply,„The sun drew near the southern sky."A second said: „ l rather deemed The northern heavens radiant gleamed."

Dismounting near the river's bank The men encamped, their horses drank, That early, waked by rosy morn,They haply all might home return.

It dawns; the zephyrs cool arise;A purple border streaks the skies. When, lo! beyond the flood appear The stags who sport devoid of fear.

As soars the bird, song rends the air In praise of sons of Eneli fair:From bough to bough the warbler flies; Harmonious, voice to voice replies.

„Rouse, comrades there! for, swift as wind, Must we pursue the fleeting hind."And — whether joy or grief it cause —

They needs must hunt, nor dare to pause.

Across the river Kur they swim;But now the wild grows drear and grim: No single grass-blade sprouteth here;No drop of water far or near.

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The barren soil shows rifts and cracks, Whence salt exudes in shining tracks;No draught springs fresh from bubbling well, But pools emit a sulph’rous smell.

From out the earth oil turbid flows, And here and there it lurid glows;As watch-fires flare by dismal night, The flames burst forth with fitful light.

Each eve they, rueful, shed a tear,That thus so far they’ve chased the deer; That still the prey they must pursue,With naught but desert sad in view.

And yet, when morning comes, they find No choice but still to hunt the hind;As breezes drive the chaff away,Or shadows follow birds by day.

As soar the birds, so breezes bear The praise of sons of Eneh fair:From bough to bough the warblers fly ; Melodious, lips to lips reply.

Beyond the Don the huntsmen flee Along the calm Macotian sea.An island fair to reach, they pass Through treacherous pool and deep morass.

Dense mists arise, behind, before;’ Tis vain the chase to follow more.Whilst, unaware, the men pursue,The prey hath vanished far from view.

„Holla! holla! where runs the deer?”One horseman shouts: ,,’ Tis here, ’tis here!” A second calls: „It there must be!”A third: , , / nowhere one can see!”

A search in every nook they make,Through tangled weed and thorny brake; Though fowl and lizard start in fear,The frighted hind doth not appear.

„Alas!” sailh Magyar, „who shall say How we may win our homeward way?No beacon in the heav’ns 1 see:My mother! this is death to thee.”

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Saith Hunor: „0n this pleasant isle We well may make our home awhile: Fresh grass and water clear I see,And honey drips from hollow tree.

,,Blue flows the stream, the fish is good; The fallow deer is choicest food;The bow is strung, the arrow swift,And spoil, to heroes, fortune’s gift.”

As soars the bird, song rends the air In praise of sons of Eneh fair:From bough to bough the warbler flies; Harmonious, voice to voice replies.

Now tired of snaring, day by day,The finny or the antlered prey,They feel impelled to nobler pains, And, venture-loving, seek the plains.

Across the waste now faintly come The sounds of distant fife and drum; In darksome loneliness they seem Like heavenly music in a dream.

Here mystic state the fairies keep,Or ’neath the cloudy vapour sleep; Along the wilderness they dance,And revel in the vast expanse.

No man is near, but there are seen Earth’s maids of fair and noble mien: The daughters of Belar and I)ul,Apt students in the fairy school.

Of Dul’s are two beyond compare,Belar has twelve of beauty rare:In all a hundred maids and twain The syren’s art will soon attain.

A test severe must they endure; - To hapless fate nine youths allure;Must hold enslav’d in amorous chains, While fancy-free each maid remains.

Tis thus they learn the fairy art,To wield false hope’s heart-piercing dart; Each eve recount the feats of day,Then dance the darksome hours away.

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As soars the bird, song rends the air In praise of sons of Eneh fair:From bough to bough the warbler flies; Harmonious, voice to voice replies.

The wind confronting, lightly speed The knights, whom sound and glimmer lead; Their stealthy movements darkness hides: —

The flutterer-seeker cautious glides.

Saith Magyar first: „The flute tones move My inmost heart to tender love.”Then Hunor: ,,Rather me entrance Yon sylph-like forms and shadowy dance.

,,Rouse, comrades there, and forward spring! Make captive all the dancing ring;Let every man a partner seize;Dispels all trace the northern breeze

Their steeds the horsemen goad arid lash; With loosened rein they onward dash; The maids, foreboding no alarms.Are, dancing, caught within their arms.

With sudden shriek and anguished cry, Away each startled maid would fly ;But, fire before and stream behind,No way of rescue can they find.

Now rise and melt in shades of night The fairies poised on pinions light,But woe these luckless nymphs betide!In earth’s deep caves they fain ivould hide.

The maids with meek resolve no more May hope to learn the fairy-lore.The coursers speed; o ’er all the plains, Forsaken now, dull silence reigns.

As soars the bird, song rends the air In praise of sons o f Eneh fair:From bough to bough the warbler flies; Harmonious, voice to voice replies.

Hunor and Magyar thus obtain As wives the Dul-sprung noble twain;The hundred knights have each their share Among the hundred maidens fair.

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Content their honoured lot to know,The wives no rancorous feeling show; Nor yearning homeward would remove, Restrained by strong maternal love.

The island now more lovely grew; Their tent alone as home they knew. Enjoying peace their rest was sure: What higher bliss could them allure!

Their sons grow up a warlike race;Their daughters famed for maiden grace: From warrior stem shoot branches green, While virgin flowers are round them seen

Of offspring every knight has twain,The leaders, two, and two again;They each become a tribal head,A proud and numerous host to lead.

In Hunor’s line the Huns we trace,From Magyar springs the Magyar race:Too many for their island home,They soon are forced again to roam.

O’er Scythian soil they spread, and gain Fair lands where Dul was wont to reign. Henceforth your fame, ye warrior pair! Exultant praise afar shall bear.

Translated by E. A. Butler

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TWO CODEXES OF THE BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND THE FOUNDATION-CHARTER OF PANNONHALMA

By DR. ILONA BERKOVITS

One of the chief measures of every national culture and one of the most important branches of its art is the codex literature and codex painting. In ancient times when printing was not known manuscripts written upon parchment representing decades of work, the codexes, took the place o f the painted books. The codexes were richly ornament­ed and this ornamentation carried in itself the individual stamp of the hand-wri Iter’s art and represented his culture.

The most valuable of the rich codex collection of the Budapest University Library are the so called: Dante and Pannonhalma codexes.

The Dante codex contains the „Divina Comedia,, of Alghieri Dante. In 1321 died Dante the great Italian visionary poet. Hardly a few years had elapsed before his magnificent work was im­mortalised in ornamented codexes by innumerable nimble hands. The Dante codex belonging to the Budapest University Library was prepared during the decade beginning with 1340. Its great impor­tance, apart from the many valuable miniatures it contains, is given by the fact, that is comprises all three parts o f the „Divina Comedia” . Its value is not diminished by the fact that the artist did not finish his decorative work, leaving 76 places for miniatures empty.

The coloured supplement on page 61. taken from the codex shows the cover of the second part of the work, the „Purgntono” . In the initial letter

Dante is depicted. He is also visible in the two miniatures, in the first with Vergilius and in the second before Cato of Utica.

The Dante codex together with 34 other codexes was presented by Abdul Hamid II. to the Library. In 1877 Abdul Hamid gave back to Hungary those codexes which were taken away to Constantinople by the Turks at the time of the Turkish occupation. The more considerable part o f these codexes were taken from the Library of the great Hungarian renaissance ruler King Matyas. These are called the Corvin codexes after King Matyas. (Mathias Corvinus.)

The Dante codex is also from the rich collection o f Matyas. Many trace its origin to the X V . century. Recent investigation however on the basis of a careful critical examination o f the style o f the miniatures have determined that the codex was prepared in the XIV. century. The circumstance that Dante’s immortal work was known in Hungary under the reign of King Lajos the Great in 1380 and that so many occupied themselves with it, - completes the cultural picture which we can create o f the intelligence and love o f art and science which existed in Hungary under this great King.

The Pannonhalma codex may be regarded as one of the worthiest representatives of the Hun­garian codex literature and miniature painting, it

.was prepared in the St. Marton Abbey of Pannon­halma. This work is in two parts, consisting of two separate codexes.

The first contains the Gospels, the second the

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Pannonhalma ceremonies connected with the vow of the Order.

The latter, as appears from the colophone from the beginning of the text, was prepared by Pal For- gach of Losoncz in 1515, in the Abbey of St. Mar- ton Pannonhalma.

The first band, the Gospels, was also drawn up here which is proved by many references in the text and by some of the miniatures. We can place the time of origin of the codex at about 1510. The Gospels are richly decorated. 26 pages are provided with ornamental decorations by an excellent miniature painter. We find in the codex 24 more artistic initials and 5 simpler ones.

The initials and miniatures depict scenes taken from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The coloured supplement shown on page 63. is the cover of the Gospels themselves. In the front is shown the birth of Christ, in the back ground the appearance o f the angel to the shepherds. Of the two smaller miniatures, one shows the Apostol Mate, the other the form of St. Marton. St. Marton appears before us as a knight sharing his cloak with a beggar.

On page 65. is to be seen four initials of this codex.

The miniature painter worked chiefly under the influence of the engravings of Diirer, who was also of Hungarian descent, and here and there some trace of Italian taste may be felt, — still the miniatures possess an absolutely individual Hun­garian character. The painter of the Pannonhalma Gospels is an eclectic artist. He constructs his art with a fresh receptive capacity with great know­ledge and feeling and connecting this into an har­monic whole, shows us his individuality and ex­presses the character of the Hungarian style.

On page 67. the foundation-charter of the Pan­nonhalma Abbey of the Benedictine-Order is show n, which was given by St. Istvan, the first Apostolic King of Hungary in 1001. In this document the same privilege is given to the Abbey as is en­joyed by the Monte-Cassino Abbey of the Benedic- tine-Order in respect of ecclesiastical autonomy.

The first Hungarian University was founded in the Abbey, which already in the time of St. Istvan produced celebrated preachers and scholars. Pan­nonhalma later played a great part in the cultural life of Hungary and became die center of science and art.

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THE FOUNDATION-CHARTER OF PANNONHALMA

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GRAPHIDIONA

Creation of Istvan Ferenczy the celebrated Hungarian sculptor of the year 1822. The statue depicts the legendary origin of art, as Graphidiona draws the profile of her lover

in the sand

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THE ERZSEBET BRIDGE, THE LARGEST SUSPENSON BRIDGE ON THE CONTINENT AND ACCORDING TO EDISON ..THE BOLDEST CONSTRUCTION OE EUROPE”

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Fox hunting in Hungary in the beginning of last century

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TO WEEP, TO WEEP, TO WEEP

By ANDREW ADY

W e have until the m idnight tarried,To see a passing co ffin carried.

W h om b u ry th e y ? neither ask nor tell: But join the train, and toll the bell.

Beneath black shrouding’s silver tent U pon a cross to swing be bent.

In m ourning’s w eigh ty silver cloak The fu m es o f burning torches choke.

Fight n oisy , ghastly shadoivs grim ,W ith vo ice subdued chant funeral hym n.

D eep , open graves pass o ver then W ith solem n priest and silent m en.

W ith trem bling fea r one can’t subdue A n unknown stranger’s corpse to view .

In spectral, m oonlit night to freeze , F rom stifling incense seek release.

D en y the past, bew itched, op pressed ,On bended knee beating the breast.

R epen t, con fess, atone, am end O ’er unknown dead ’s co ffin to bend.

A ppalling testam ent to w rite,To w eep , to w eep , to w eep contrite.

Translated by William N. Loew

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S T O R I E S

By FERENC MOLNAR

The Gaming Instinct

This is a story about a friend o f mine now f dead, with whom I had been much together in my younger days. He was an artist; painter, sculptor, \ architect; talented, temperamental, and with flashes o f genius. During those years when we were most intimate, he was a passionate gambler. In the Jour­nalists’ Club, at Ostende, Monte Carlo, everywhere, indeed, where he could, he would play. His game was bold and lucky. I have often spent a whole night sitting quietly beside him, watching with amazement his daring moves and the operations of an instinct sometimes perfectly uncanny. Like every other really good gambler, if, after the fluctu­ations o f the first quarter o f an hour, the luck tur­ned in his favour he never let it go, for the rest of the day.

One day he came to me with the proposal that I should accompany him on a visit to Vienna, for a few days. For some time before he had been complaining of stomach trouble.

Now I’m flush of money, — he said, — I have been very lucky lately; and so I’m going to have myself looked over by a specialist in Vienna.

We went to Vienna, and together paid a visit to Professor 0 . who was to examine him. He had prevailed on me to go with him to the specialist’s and witness the examination. The verdict was disturbing. According to the professor, there was, as a matter of fact, nothing wrong with the stomach; on the other hand, he advised him to see a nerve specialist right away. He mentioned a name, gave us the address, and promised to telephone to him while we made our way there. Neither o f us knew anything about medicine, and so we suspected the worst. Stomach trouble which made the doctors curious, not about the stomach, but about knee and pupil reflexes-that surely looked bad. Well we went to the nerve specialist’s, and once again I was compelled by my friend to follow him into

ithe consulting room. He had to strip and go through the usual ritual, walk with eyes shut and make the points of the middle fingers of both hands meet in the air. Then followed a kind of examination new to me. My friend had to lie face downward on a couch. The doctor took a hat-pin in his hand, an ordinary long hat-pin of the kind modern woman knew nothing about. This was the instrument with which, it seemed, nerve specialists examined the condition o f the nerves o f the back. The test was simple: the doctor touched the back of the prostrate patient lightly, sometimes with the point o f the hat­pin, sometimes with the head, and each time the patient had to declare which end it was that had been used. This was carefully explained by the doctor; and then the test began. The first time, he touched the patient’s back with the point.

— Point, — called out my friend.— Right, — said the doctor, and again touched

him with the point.— The point again, — said my friend.— Bravo! — said the doctor. — And now?— Again the point.— Bravo! And now?— Point again.— Splendid!— Now he used the other end o f the hat-pin.— Head, — the patient called out.— And now?— Point.— Very good.And so it went on. The doctor touched him eight

or nine times with the hat-pin, and each time he answered correctly, point or head. I sighed with relief. The feeling o f oppression which had been with me during the whole trip was lifted. I was almost cheerful when we came down the stairs, and was just about to make a remark about the stomach professor, when my friend spoke.

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— Ferry, I’m in a bad way.I could only stare at him in amazement.— Yes, yes, — he said. — There’s something

wrong with me.What do you mean? — I cried. — Wasn’t the

examination a great success? At first, I was appre­hensive too; but when I saw how accurately you answered when the hat-pin . . .

Ferry, — he said, with a sad smile, — I swear to you that I was not able even once to distinguish between the touch o f the head and the touch of the point of that hat-pin. When he began, I guessed that, where a man has to use a pin, it will be the point that will come into his head first o f all, for it is the point o f a pin that matters, not the head. And then the doctor made the mistake o f saying „Right” , when I guessed „Point” . At that, it flashed into my mind that I was really playing, and a simple double chance game at that; for there were two posibilities with the hat-pin, head and point, just like rouge-et noir at Monte Carlo. Now that is a game I know something about, and

Talking About Hats

An old fashioned composition exercise, much like those that are set in school. Theme: to express the average man’s view of marriage in terms of some common, everyday experience. Method: aconversation between two men, as follows.

-—- I am thinking a lot, these days, o f getting married. Tell me something worth knowing about marriage.

— Not so long ago I made up my mind to buy a hat.

— Don’t you want to talk about marriage?— While taking a walk I had seen the very

thing for me in H.-’s window; a beautiful, soft gray, with an olive-green band.

— Don’t be provoking. I asked you to speak o f marriage.

— I had already passed the shop five times, and every time I liked that hat better. In sober truth, I began to feel a craving for it. The sixth time I passed it, I turned cold with fright when it occured to me that someone else might buy it; so I determined to purchase the hat as soon as I could.

— I’ll repeat my request. Speak about marriage.— H. was’nt the only hatter in that street. There

are five or six good hat shops quite near each

for weeks my luck has been well in. When he used the pin the second time, I played „Point” again, and again he called out, „Bravo” . Then there came over me that feeling o f pleasurable excitement which grips a player when he feels that he has struck a vein of luck. Again and yet again, I came with „Point” ; and when I won with it for the fourth time, I felt that the series was finished and that „Head” would come next. Again I won. Then I moved according to the well-known rule: After a red series, the black comes up once and then back again the ball jumps to the red. This came o ff also. I simply played and won eight or nine times running, as if I had been sitting in at a game of rouge-et-noir. I have done it often, and it was not so very difficult for me. I have seen myself win eighteen to twenty times on end, at Monte Carlo. If the doctor had kept a still tongue in his head after each touch, he would have had me in a fix.

He smiled as he explained this to me, a smile I shall not easily forget ,any more than the inci­dent itself.

other down there. And it came into my mind that, before making my purchase in H’s, I might take a look round and see what these other places had to show. I did so, accordingly. There were good- looking hats in every window. In one there was a lovely nappy felt with a black band; in another I gazed long and intently at a fawn with a coffee- coloured band; and in a third I was particularly taken with a brown hat, the shade o f a fresh havanna; it was brown, but there lurked in the brownness a suggestion o f mysterious dark green.

— Am I to take it then, that I shall hear nothing about marriage from you?

— Imagine my dilemma. I tramped back and forward from one window to another, excited and irresolute. Still, I thought, after all, the grey in H’s has it. I compared them ten or a dozen times, however, before this became clear enough to me to be convincing. But in the end, that soft delicate, grey with the olive-green band enjoyed a complete triumph in my affections. With firm step and head held high I entered the shop. I had them look out my size for me and bought the lovely gray. There was a mirror in the shop. The sight o f myself wear­ing my new hat enchanted me. I looked downright handsome in it. So I paid and left the shop. Once

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in the street, some evil impulse prompted me, now that I was wearing my new hat, to take a look at the others that I had not bought. And then a terrible thing happened. The nappy felt all at once took on new beauty. It looked a better and a brighter hat than mine. The fawn had become more distinguish­ed, more elegant and discreet. And the havanna- coloured one beat them all; it was the hat o f hats. Up and down I walked before those windows and cursed myself for my stupid haste. If I had only waited two days more; and there was nothing to prevent me. It was the other I ought to have purchased. The fawn. No; the nappy one. No; the havanna coloured. Why had I been in such a hurry? Oh, that dreadful, passionate impetuousness with which I had charged into H ’s. Well, well, it was all one now. Nothing for it but to bear what could not be mended. Once at home, I took my new hat o ff and looked at it. It was a nice hat, but insignifi­cant. I marvelled that I could ever have desired just this hat so ardently. How I sighed as the con­viction grew that any other hat would have been better than this hat o f mine. But to find this out, of course, I had had first to buy it.

— Ah! Now I begin to see what you are driv­ing at. You are speaking o f marriage, arent’t you?

— I? Never entered my head. I was just telling you about buying a hat.

— Good. Carry on, then, talking about hats.— What are the points you would look for

in . . . yes let us say . . . in a hat? What would constitute a really good hat in your opinion?

— That ’s easy. First o f all, it must not fit too tight.

— You don’t like a tight fit?— No.— Well, — and then?— Then it should quickly conform to the shape

o f my head; in a day or two it should lie snugly along the line o f my forehead, temples and the little ins and outs o f the skull. When I put it on my head, I should feel that none could wear it but myself.

— What more?— It’s important that I should be able to doff

it easily. That’ s a bad hat which refuses to lift easily o ff the head at the first attempt. Heaven preserve me from the tight hat which a man has to wrench o ff by sheer force.

— And in wet weather what’s to be done?— Well, to begin with, a man will take care of

his hat and carry an umbrella. At the first few

drops, he will cry, „M y new hat! The rain will spoil it” , and he’ll hop into a taxi, or put up his umbrella. Later he will say; „This is a jolly good hat o f mine, the rain will do it no harm” ; and he’ll let it get soaking wet without bothering. In the end he will be saying: „A dirty day; I’ll put on that old weatherbeaten thing o f mine; I don’t need to care what happens to it.”

— Are you ever afraid o f having your hat taken away by someone else while at the theatre or in a restaurant?

— While it is new, yes; and then I’m very care­ful. If it is taken away, I’m in despair. But when the hat is old, sometimes I say in a joke that I wish somebody would take it by mistake and leave me a nice new one in its place. Experience teaches, however, that absent-minded strangers always decamp with handsome, new hats only.

— And how is that to be prevented?— By putting my name on my hat. I have my

monogram stamped on it, and for the rest o f its life it bears my name. But there are absent-minded fellows who don’t respect such a mark.

— Do you ever lose your hat?— Of course. In stormy weather, the wind

sometimes carries it away. This happens often when on board ship, on the open sea. A man will be sitting quite quietly on deck, suspecting nothing, and suddenly o ff flies his hat into the sea.

— And what do you do then?— When this happens, there’s only one thing

to be done.— And that is?— Never to clutch after it.— But why not?— First, because it’s no use. The hat’s o ff down

the wind more swiftly than a bird. And second, the bystanders all laugh at a man pawing the air in the wake o f a vanished hat. It looks ridiculous enough to have one’s hat blown off. No use making it worse by frantically grabbing after it.

— That’s unfortunate.— Unfortunate enough. But one must simply

put up with it. I ’ve seldom heard o f a case where a hat blown o ff by the wind has been caught in another gust and returned to the head it had so summarily quitted.

— Now another question: why do men greet each other by raising their hats?

— Oh that’s because they would have you to understand them to say, „See how well I used to look when I went hatless” .

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— You think it harmful to wear a hat, then?— Generally speaking, no. Minor troubles are

caused by it. Some men lose their hair and others grow prematurely grey, because they wear a hat.

— And what’s your opinion o f going about without a hat? It’s a fashion that is steadily growing.

— I think it a stupid craze.— But why?— Because all sorts o f dirt will lodge in a

man’s head, from which a good, faithful hat would surely protect him.

— And now what’s your opinion of the passing, for it has begun to pass, o f the summer-hat fashion, the light, airy straw that a man used to buy in summer and sport in the soft summer eve­nings at some holiday place, only to throw it away again in the autumn.

— I know this fashion is going out. Men are

now wearing their winter hats in summer also. To be quite frank with you, I regret it. It was so pleasant and refreshing when one went o f f for a summer holiday, say to the Balaton, or Venice, or Ostende, or Deauville, — to leave the old hat behind and make a rapid purchase o f some light straw thing which one knew would be discarded without a regret in September. It’s a pity the fashion is passing. But after all, it doesn’t do to forget that we don’t grow any younger; and these days it’s a mad kind of weather we are having in all parts o f the world. So a good, honest hat is something o f a comfort, a hat one has become used to, that stands sun as well as rain and goes home with us in the autumn . . . when the summer adventures are finished. There’s a power in habi­tuation. I, too, kicked a bit at the start. And now to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t part with that grey hat o f mine for anything.

Translated, by Alexander King

HUNGARIAN FOLK-SONG

A s a rose to wither, W ind-tost hither, thither: N on e, b y look , app rovin g ; N one, responsive, lovin g :

L et it not befa ll m e !R o se , nor V iolet, call m e ! V iolet, though it bloom eth, Sum m er's heat consum eth.

Rather, m ine forsaking,A n d the d o v e ’s fo rm taking; W hither, fluttering, sighing, W o u ld I not be f ly in g !

N o : b e ’ t not m y dow er To b e bird, or flo iv er :A ll excels the pleasure To be thine, m y treasure!

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IMRE MADACH AND „THE TRAGEDY OF MAN“

By LASZLO KOSZEGI

Many translations have familiarised the world with the name o f Madach and his great work, „The Tragedy o f Man” .

At the time o f the Liberty War o f 1848, our poet was still a young man in his twenty-fifth year, but already a youth handicapped by heart trouble and filled with laborious study was behind him, and he had been married for three years. Owing to illness, he had not been able to take an active part in the Liberty War, but after it he sheltered a politi­cal fugitive in his house. For this he was sent to prison for a year in 1852. On his release he discovered that his wife had been unfaithful to him in her relations with one o f his own friends, and he was constrained to divorce her.

The return to a broken home in a broken country deepened the gloom of pessimism already present in Madach’s soul. Slowly his pain came to demand expression in a great poem. From February, 1859 to March, 1860, in the castle o f Sztregova, he wrote his greatest work „The Tragedy o f Man” . Four years later, in 1864, he died.

It was about 1859 also that Victor Hugo began to work out the plan o f his great philosophical poem, „La Legende des Siecles” , the great cycle dealing with the destiny o f man as it is seen in the framework o f the destinies o f God and Satan. The unity o f this work, however, is broken up into a number o f loosely coordinated epic episodes. But Madach’ s genius and conception are quite different from Hugo’s. His theme receives a treatment which is at once more imposing powerful and more compact: the fate o f the human race in general as it is worked out in history, and the fates o f outstanding personalities who have played leading roles in history are set into the framework o f the dispute between God and Lucifer. The introduction o f the tragic further adds to the impressiveness of the theme, involving as it does the adoption o f the forms o f dramatic tragedy. And o f the various kinds o f drama Madach chose the highest o f all,

the dramatic poem. In this he was profoundly influenced by the „Faust” of Goethe and the „Cain” and „Manfred” of Byron.

But it is to Shakespeare more than either to Byron or Goethe that Madach is related, especially to the Shakespeare of fantasy. Madach’s Lucifer is akin not only to Goethe’s Mephistopheles but also to Ariel and Puck. „The Tragedy o f Man” , in fact is a wonderful complex o f fairy play and dramatic poem. Madach’s muse is sister not only to the muse of „Faust” , but also to that o f „The Tempest” and „A Midsummer Night’s Dream” .

Turning to the work itself it is important to remember that here we are dealing with a tragedy, the manifold tragedy o f man. The story o f man is what concerns him; it is history much more than religion that is the object o f his thought.

Like the complete Faust, the „Tragedy o f Man” has a religious setting. The first three scenes deal with the challenge made by the devil to God for the future possession o f man. Lucifer receives the apple tree in the Garden o f Eden, into whose primeval woods we are led in scene three. There comes the Fall and the third scene ends with the guilty pair speculating on the possible consequences for history o f their action. Lucifer, whose relation­ship to Puck and Ariel declares itself so unmistak­ably just at this point, lulls them to sleep with words like these:

Enchantm ent’s p ow er I lay on y o u ;B eh old the fu tu re’s distant view In fleetin g visions m ade known.But lest the madness o f the end The hardships that yo u r w ay attend Y ou r hearts should turn to stone A n d bid yo u craven flee ,A little light receive fro m m eF or com fort, h ope’s persistent beam,Persuading yo u ’ tis all a lying dream .

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Then through eleven scenes to the conclusion we are taken over the whole course ol history. Lucifer is a marvellous stage-manager. The great and complex theme of the chequered course of human life directed by a succession o f great personalities, is developed through one scene after another, Adam always playing the leading role. And the almost genial batan so orders the series o f changes in the fortunes o f man, as Adam views them in his dream, that one extreme provokes another. The leading spirit o f one time, becoming sick o f that which he stands for, is hurled into its opposite extreme, to represent and sicken o f that too, in turn. Adam is first o f all Pharaoh; then, tiring o f this, Miltiades; next, a debauched Roman of imperial times; then a crusader; and then Kepler, a Kepler disgusted with his humble lot as a scholar and dreaming himself into the character and career of Danton — a dream within a dream — only to awake disillusioned from that dream also. He is led on through the business world o f the XIX century to the communistic societly of later centuries. More sick of things than ever, he leaves the earth and launches himself into space. In this expedition, for the first time he is without the companionship of Eve; Lucifer alone is with him. The dizzy height becomes unbearable and once more he returns with Lucifer to the earth, where he finds the last remnants o f the human race, some Eskimos living at the equator. The shock o f this last discovery awakens him from his dream and so we are back to the reality o f the third scene.

It is a striking list of extremes through which the sleeping Adam has passed. From the tyranny of the one, he has passed to the tyranny o f the many; from the idle pleasures o f selfishness to the un­selfishness o f faith, a faith, however, stiffening into bigotry; from the quiet o f scientific pursuits to the unbridled destructiveness o f free thinking; from the disorder o f free competition to the loss o f all freedom in too much economic order; from the flight into space to the descent into the dephts o f human degradation.

And now in the fifteenth scene once more we are in the Garden o f Eden. Adam awake at first thinks of suicide that his successors might be spared the terrible and vain vicissitudes o f the centuries he has viewed. But Eve whispers to him that she is with child. Live on then he feels he must. But he presses God to reveal to him whether the struggle is worth while, and if, since the wordly life is vanity, justice will be done to him through an immortal soul. That

is to say Adam raises the question o f questions in religion, that of an unbroken eternal fellowship with God. And God gives him no decisive answer.

This brings us to a point in the poem where we are obliged to recall the words already quoted from Lucifer's lullaby ending in the promise of hope. That was generous on the part of the devil; but indeed in general, the spirit of denial shows himself to be more positive than God, who reveals nothing beyond indicating to man that he should have faith. Madach’s interesting pessimism changes the roles about.

To appreciate this poem it must be taken for what it is, an expression of pessimism. A poet of dejection here makes for himself a sad, beautiful game out o f all existence. Some touch o f fairy fancy is given to it by Lucifer’s Puck-like and Arief-like traits, but it is its pessimism that remains fundamental. Here is no theodicy as some critics both at home and abroad have tried to make out. ft is a tragedy and it ends tragically in darkness. And observe: other straightforward tragedies end with death, and poetic justice lowers ower the fatal conclusion like a black and silent sky. But the darkness o f the „Tragedy of Man s” conclusion is not the darkness of death. It is the darkness of a hidden God who will not declare himself and lighten the gloom of the poet’s gloomy soul. And yet one little ray o f light is permitted to pierce the thickly overhanging clouds with the concluding words of the Lord:

„O h man, fight on, and keep th y fa ith !

It is certainly a pessimistic poem; but it is poetry in the highest sense o f the word — and that is the main thing. Let us leave it then in its dark, magic beauty, and spare it the distortions o f an over­strained optimism, as it has not been spared by some whose zeal for the brighter cause has obscured their judgment of the plain facts o f the case. If it is a perfect piece o f pessimism, why pull it about to make it appear a very imperfect presentation of a point o f view to which it is really radically opposed. Who would want a happy end for Hamlet?

Madach’s life as a man and a patriot sufficiently explains his pessimism. And to-day, what the Hun­garian has had to suffer through the Treaty of Trianon gives fresh point to the black beauty of „The Tragedy of Man” . But on the other hand, the Hungarian, in the words o f this same poem, ’fights on and keeps his faith’ .

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Mihaly Zichy, the Hungarian Dore, called by Theophile Gautier a „monstre de genie” , drew twenty powerful illustrations for „The Tragedy o f Man” . They were done in chalk and charcoal, with some pencil-work to bring up the light effects. Zichy’s poetic feeling enabled him to enter into the spirit o f the poet, and give back his inner vision in line and tone so that it is set before our eyes with its features even emphasised. The human figures have a beauty entirely worthy o f the theme. The lands- scapes and architecture against which as back­grounds they move, are instinct with cosmic feeling and convey to us the spaciousness o f the poet’s imagination.

O f the pictures here shown, the first represents the dispute between God and Lucifer. The two principal figures are diagonally opposed. The Lord from the remote glory o f his exaltation stretches out his hand in command and rebuke towards the Devil, who boldly ascends from the depths towards the heights o f heaven, and supports his feet upon the shadows. The crossed wings eloquently express the turbulent discord o f his spirit. Yet the lower foot and the turning o f the back powerfully suggest his insecurity and the danger o f an ignominious repulse. On the other side, a kneeling angel expresses the horror o f inno­cence at his presence.

In the second picture, Lucifer is extolling the delights of knowledge and immortality to Adam and Eve. In the background a shining angel stands by the apple tree. The whole picture breathes the scented airs o f Eden. The play o f light brings out the sweet lines of the fair Mother o f All Mankind as she leans towards Lucifer as though yielding to the insidious power o f curiosity. Adam’s attitude shows more restraint, and in his expression one can read scrutiny in the face o f the dangerous unknown.

The third picture illustrates that incident in the Egyptian scene, where Eve a slave-girl throws herself between her prostrate slave-husband and the man who is beating him to death, while Adam the Pharaoh, sits upon his lofty throne pointing out the pyramids to Lucifer with a sweeping gesture that yet contains a hint of dissatisfaction. Through them, though he has found glory, he has not been able to find happiness. To right and left o f the throne are beautiful slave-girls, the one by the harp with her back to the spectator, markedly beautiful. Eve’s disordered hair and gleaming black eyes proclaim her deep despair, as she, boldly- glancing at the executioner, recklessly throws herself on the body o f her husband, who is obviously at his last gasp, with no more strength in him than is required to breathe out the words which form the motto of Scene IV: „Millions for one” .

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Dress used for High-mass, upon which is depicted the Virgin (the Lady Patroness of Hungary), St. Istvan and St. Laszlo. XVI. century Hungarian embroidery.

From the collection of the National Museum of Industrial-Art

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NOTABLE HUNGARIAN CAREERSBy KLARA HEDERVARY

F ii lo p L a sz lo

It would be in the latter years of the eighties that a modest young student, with remarkable brown eyes, was a frequent visitor at the house o f a certain patrician family in Budapest. The son of the house, who was about his own age, idolised him, and the smaller children shared in the idolatry. One day he was permitted to show the sketch­book, about which the children were always talking, to the elder members o f the household. The head o f the family, who was a man o f taste and knowledge, looked over the drawings, and then, patting the lad on the shoulder, said jokingly, „Why, my boy, you’ll be a second Munkacsy one of these days.” The brown eyes looked up at him, and the youth replied, „ I ’d rather be the first Laszlo.”

Some years later, in ’94, we find Laszlo at the court o f Prince Ferdinand o f Bulgaria, paint­ing the portraits o f the prince and his wife, and of the Metropolitan Gregorius. During the sittings Ferdinand threw o ff the restraint o f etiqette and conversed in a markedly free and familiar manner. „Have you seen Burian?” he asked on one occa­sion. (Burian, who later became Foreign Minister, at that time represented Austria-LIungary in Bul­garia.) „ I paid my respects to him,” replied the twenty-five year old artist, „but so far, he has not returned my visit.” The prince was greatly struck with the reply. Next day it was the talk of the town; and if rumour does not lie, the prince, himself, paid a visit to Laszlo in his lodging.

In the self-consciousness o f this reply, the pride of the artist is plainly revealed. And yet, only a few years before, in the student’s colony in Munich, he had had to live through all the romantic phases o f artistic poverty. The concierge, in a pained but respectful voice, would single him out for special mention, as the only man in the whole colony who never had to pay „door money” , — because he

returned home so early. He worked hard and spent little, finding his truest pleasure in his work. He was in Munich when he won the Friends o f Art Prize o f 1,500 forints, with his „A n Ancient Yarner” . That was an enormous sum o f money among the bohemians o f Munich; and when he heard the news, he could hardly believe in his good fortune. When he did realise that it was no joke, but the sober truth he was being told, he immedia­tely made over the whole sum to his sister for her dowry.

At that time Munich was the centre o f the artis­tic world. Great masters taught there, and brilliant pupils gathered round them. Piloty was at the height o f his fame both as an artist and a teacher. Lenbach, Kaulbach, Makart, Defregger, and Ben- czur the Hungarian, were all his pupils. He took a high view o f his calling as a teacher, refusing to exercise any restraint on his pupils’ artistic conceptions, but leaving them free to develope their own tastes according to their own convictions. Thus it was that his pupils came to make original perceptions and give them fresh interpretation; and so Munich came to take the lead in the newer artistic movements. Thus it was, also, that when the Bar- bizon school dominated all artistic Europe, and the fame o f the successes won by the Impressionists filled every studio on the Continent, a Hungarian painter was found who, alone and unsupported, chose to go his own artistic way. The influences surrounding him left him untouched at heart, though they contributed to the perfection o f his technique, whereby a maximum of meaning was conveyed by one masterly line, and the most complicated subject was made to appear the most simple and natural.

Among his contemporaries, the one with whom he is to be compared, and from whose influence he did not succeed in escaping, was Lenbach. The difference between the two is to be felt rather than

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described. Both had the distinction o f being com­missioned to paint the portrait o f Pope Leo XIII, and both portraits were masterpieces in their respective styles. The Munich artist showed us the man in the Pope, the priest who had won his way to the highest dignity in the Church. There is a fascinating mixture of Christian goodness and knowledge o f the world in the lines of the firmly closed mouth. In Laszlo’s picture we find the humble, consecrated servant o f God, who has freed himself from the trammels o f earthly interests and ambitions, and is entirely preoccupied with the things of the spirit. Cardinal Rampolla’s portrait makes an interesting contrast. The high priest, the grand seigneur, the diplomat, are all united in the figure of the priest o f St. Peter’s, who ranks next to the Pope, himself, as a dignitary of the Church. Whereas, in the portrait o f the Pope, the eyes are full of life, though otherwise he seems bodily weary; the Cardinal has tired eyes and a weary smile, though his physique is evidently splendid. Both o f these portraits are in the Budapest Art Galleries.

The excitement aroused by these commissions may be imagined. Artistic circles hummed with the news. A young Hungarian painter, without influence either of family or friends, to be so honoured! It was a sensation. All sorts o f intrigues were started against him; but he never betrayed by a word how much he suffered from them, except once. On the way to Rome, he stayed a few days at Pest with a friend. During the night the servants w7ere startled by cries proceeding from his bed­room. Thinking that he was being attacked by a burglar, they rushed to his assistance; and they found him asleep, but crying out in his dreams, „They will slander me; they will slander me.” In truth the intrigues did get as far as the Pope’s ear. Laszlo didn’t know it, but he sensed it. His bearing was refined and modest as always; and by the time the sittings came to an end, his mind and manner had so captivated the pontiff, that the latter showed him the libellous letter. And then something happened which is rare in history. Leo XIII rose and kissed him on the forehead and said, „Y ou are a true Christian, my son” . He has never been heard to boast o f this honour; he never called his enemy to account; it was enough that Provi­dence had been kind to him and given to him the satisfaction o f his soul.

It was about this time that he painted the portrait o f Count Albert Apponyi. Through it we

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are made to understand the place Count Apponyi had won in the political world o f that day. In the enthusiasm and intelligence of the face we see the great debater in full course towards his destined place in history. — It is said that in the near future the great statesman and the great artist will meet again to perpetuate the figure o f the Grand Old Man as he appears before the world to-day, de­voting all his great talents to the service o f his country’s just cause.

It may be imagined that the inspiration of woman’s beauty meant much to such an artist as Laszlo. Indeed, it was once said in criticism that he was exclusively a painter o f women. Irony ordained that on the very same day on which this criticism appeared, another appeared also, written about the same exhibition, in which he was set lorth as peculiarly a painter o f men. In face o f these contradictions, our attitude is that o f Sir Roger de Coverley; much may be said on both sides. On the one hand, even a child would recognise the prima donna in the picture o f Alice Barbi; while all the romantic depths o f the Irish character are revealed in the drawing o f the figure o f Peacock, the Archbishop o f Dublin. He never sacrificed character to aesthetics, but strove to reconcile the two in one artistic whole. Take, for example, his portrait of the Baroness d’Erlanger, one o f the most beautiful women o f her day. Here is no banal apotheosis o f female beauty, but the grande dame accustomed to order and be obeyed. She may be capricious and self-willed; but life, beauty, and happiness are hers. The same principle is to be observed in his „Portrait of a Woman with Red Hair” , where the contrast o f the green emerald jewel against the red hair is most effective. The conception and execution remind one of Titian. Refinement and intelligence shine through the keen eyes, and express themselves in the interes­ting irregular lines o f the drawing. The subject of this painting was Mme. de Hubay.

Laszlo is said to have the habit o f conversing pleasantly with his sitters, and this may explain why there is never any sign o f strain or stiffness in his portraits. Moreover he is thus able to become better acquainted with the nature o f his subject. It happens, therefore, that out o f the pleasant intimacy o f the sittings a lasting friendship is sometimes developed between the painter and the person he is painting. When Theodore Roosewelt visited Pest, one o f the first things he did was to ask for Laszlo, and when he caught sight o f him,

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he left the official reception committee standing and came over to greet his old friend.

Naturally, his pictures are not all o f them master­pieces. There are sitters that don’t interest him; but then his fine technique comes to his aid to help him over the barren stretches. In general his work betrays both acute observation and nobility o f mind. It is not o f every painter that a German jour­nal would write. „Lenbach moge zu Laszlo pilgern, um Hande malen zu lernen.”

Laszlo is a psychologist as well as an artist. His eyes seek to „tell the mind’s construction in the face” . There are painters who make a special point o f revealing the hidden things of the heart; and this is indeed a feature o f our times. But what makes Laszlo Laszlo is just what makes him dif­ferent from the other portrait-painters o f the day. He sees the little flaws, the peccadilloes that men like to hide, notes them — and overlooks them. He brings his unconscious religion to bear upon his- art. In every life there are painful experiences of which one could hardly be proud; and artists are no exception. Some are overcome by them; some display their wounds before the world clamorously, naively hoping for satisfaction. The man who would live his life artistically, recognises these for what they are and takes account o f them; and then he hides them away, from himself as well as from others. What is called decorum in every-day life is not something affected for the sake o f appear­ance and to impress others. Its purpose is rather to exalt our souls into higher regions whither we ourselves may follow them. This is the endea­vour and this is the harmoniousness in which Laszlo’s work is steeped and given unity o f char­acter. He may have learned this unconsciously in

Adolf Zuckor

It was when he was still in the employment of the Western Union Company that Thomas A. Edi­son invented the black box which, considering what came out o f it, would have been worthy o f honour­able mention even in the Arabian Nights. The first to be apprised o f its existence was his friend, Os­car King Davis o f the New York Sun, when he was summoned to Edison’s workshop one day by a laconic message scribbled on a scrap o f paper: „ I ’ve found something new” . He hurried over to his friend’s place and saw the new invention. It was a box covered with black cloth, containing an illumi-

his own life, when he left wrongs unavenged and refused to reply to the attacks made against him. It is an attitude which has helped him artistically, morally, and socially; and it has placed him among the foremost portrait painters o f the world.

His happy marriage has deepened this general harmoniousness o f his life. It is sometimes said that life is the sport o f chance; but it not in­frequently appears that there is a hidden logic in apparently chance happenings. It may be that his English marriage has helped to establish him in England; but apart from that, in his artistic tastes, personality, and ideas, he stands in the great Eng­lish tradition o f Reynolds, Romney and Raeburn.

The foreign-born painter is no rara avis in the history o f English art. Holbein and Herkomer were both absorbed by England and lived to adorn her annals. Laszlo’s art is from a certain point o f view international, and his work is o f value for the world. But the Hungarian genre paintings o f his youth breathe the genuine Hungarian spirit, the same as that which informs the music o f Liszt.

In 1927 he returned to Hungary, after a long absence, to paint the portraits o f the Regent and Mrs. Horthy, and o f the Prime Minister. Count Bethlen, and Countess Margit Bethlen, his wife. Thus he was enabled to realise his ambition and put his talent as a great painter o f historical portraits at the disposal o f his native land. It is not difficult to imagine the joy it gave him to think that his hand should be chosen to adorn some pages o f the story o f the people from whom he sprung, a great story, with it is fervently believed, many great chapters still to come. It was a worthy honour paid to a worthy man.

nated glass panel on which the picture o f a man was thrown. And this picture o f a man moved. The figure in it walked and danced and moved about as if it were alive.

Neither the inventor nor anyone else at that time dreamt of the significance o f this little discovery. Edison continued to work for the Western Union Company and turned his attention to moi'e useful things. He was only too willing to turn over the black box for exploitation to various enterprising individuals, who had it fitted with a cent-in the- slot contrivance and fixed up in a show-ground

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called the Penny Arcade. And there it stood, between the performing snakes and the distorting mirrors, another o f the wonders o f Eldorado, to be stared at and admired, by the newly arrived immigrants who lived in large numbers in the neighbouring districts.

Regularly every Saturday night, there was a long queue before the black box waiting to get their cent’s worth o f novelty. Among them stood a boy o f sixteen. He had but recently landed, and his English was still very broken. He had found a job with a furrier. His name was Adolph Zuckor, and he came from the hills which are covered with the famous vineyards of Tokay. About a hundred years previously another new arrival had landed in the States called John Jacob Astor. He also was modest is appearance, but great in conception, poor but ambitious, and like Zuckor started his marvellous career, in the fur trade. He bought the furs cheaply from Indian trappers and exported them to the Old World. Little by little he made so much money that he could buy ships to trans­port the furs and bring other merchandise back from Europe. By the end o f the ninteenth century, however, though there was still money to be made in the fur trade, there was better chance in working and trading the skins in the U. S., where fur fashions were getting individualised along this line there was still a possibility o f making a small fortune and it was this that young Zuckor set him­self to do.

And yet, sixteen years later, the same Adolph Zuckor stood on the corner o f Broadway with two hundred dollars in his pocket, considering a proposal to take a share in the ownership of the Penny Arcade. Those two hundred dollars re­presented the savings o f seventeen years. Only those have earned their bread by the sweat o f their brow and then denied themselves the satisfaction o f eating it, can guess what a feat of energy and abnegation this sum represented. Nobody may know what romantic dreams passed the mind of the lad as he worked at his furs. Two hundred dollars saved after seventeen years and here he was back again, geographically, at any rate, at his starting point in the Penny Arcade. There nothing had changed; the same silly backstairs stories as o f old. During all this years thousands and thous­ands o f people had peered into the little back box, and the name o f its inventor had become famous over the whole world; but it had occurred to nobody till it occurred to the young Hungarian from Tokay,

that both fame and fortune were contained in that ingenious little mechanical toy.

He had a hard fight. His capital, o f course, was all swept away with the failure o f the first ex­periment; but his native grit stood him in good stead, and he returned to the attack as often as he was beaten, again and again. He kept his aim steadily before his eyes. Perfectly produced connected narratives with an interesting plot told in pictures! The imperfections o f the invention as it then was, were obvious to him. At first its novelty had drawn crowds to see it; but a disconnected series o f inci­dents, such as were served up to the public by the original machines, had no power o f holding their interest apart from the technical wonder o f the moving pictures themselves. The projection, too, was bad; so that it hurt the eyes to watch the screen. Edison was occupied in other pursuits; and the perfecting o f the original invention was the work o f numerous unknown engineers who patented their improvements, so that the path o f progress along this line came to be marked by innumerable legal disputes about patent rights.

Adolph Zuckor had to call upon all his resource­fulness and fight battle after battle; while again and again he had to raise new capital. In the course o f one o f the many disputes, he met John Elek Ludwig, also a Hungarian, though born in the New World. He was a lawyer o f great reputa­tion, and a grandson o f that Ludwig who had been Kossuth’s Secretary o f State. The meeting was im­portant, not only because in Ludwig Zuckor later found a valuable collaborator (he is at present the legal adviser and financial expert o f the Paramount Company), but because through him he became acquainted with Daniel Frohmann.

The Frohmann brothers, Charles and Daniel, claim a chapter for themselves in the history o f the New York theatre. Without them, we can hardly see how the art o f the stage in that city could have risen to the height it has. Many a literary battle was settled by the opinions and tastes o f the two brothers, and not because they had the controlling interest in several theatres, but because their artistic judgment was generally respected.

Nothing is more expressive and more characteristic o f the unique place occupied by the brothers, than the world famous Frohmann studio on the top floor o f the Lyceum Theatre, which now, after thirty years, may be considered almost historical. The walls are covered with famous and valuable paintings and autographed photographs,

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from the aristocracy of intellect all the world over. An original contrivance is the little trap door which opens by pressing a button so that host and guests may watch unnoticed rehearsals and performances on the stage, sitting in their armchairs. The colour­ed butler stands on guard on the doorstep o f his master. He knows everybody who is worthy of entering the sanctum, and there was a time when only those who had the honour to be guests o f this famous studio could consider themselves as belonging to the upper fourhundred o f the literary- in New York.

In appearance, Zuckor is serious and unassuming and under middle height. He has no love for flowery speech. Indeed, he is sparing o f words till words are really necessary. When it comes to a dis­cussion, he is generally ready to let the other man talk first. He likes to see what the other has in his mind, before disclosing what is in his own. When the business in hand, however, is important, he becomes a formidable debater and tremendously convincing. It was only in the course o f several discussions that Frohmann became acquainted with the true character o f the cinematograph; but Zuckor’s personality so impressed him, backed as it was by enthusiasm and sound argument, that, as a result o f the discussions, he made an offer of partnership.

Zuckor had already been experimenting with films that treated o f long coherent narratives, travels in strange lands, and the exotic customs of remote peoples; but he lacked both the money and the influence to persuade either a writer or an actor o f established reputation to throw in his lot with him. All such would have considered it degrading to have their names projected on to the screen. Now the position was changed completely in the twinkling o f an eye. Frohmann’s name was an attraction for the best writers and artists. The moving pictures removed from the stuffy little halls down back streets to the big theatres on Broadway. First nights became social events. Clas­sical drama was shown on the screen.Even an artist like Sarah Bernhardt was persuaded to play for the camera. This was the greatest victory yet won in the fight for recognition. When she made her first entry in the film, there was a tremendous burst o f applause, just as if she had actually made her appearance in person. This is said to have been the first occasion when applause was heard in the picture theatre. Sarah, herself, declared the film

to be her true immortality. From that date there was no lack o f distinguished writers and actors in the service o f the screen. The slogan was: Famous Plays with Famous Players. But though the under­taking had now caught the full wind o f popular favour, its course still led through stormy waters; and it called for all the skill and energy which Zuckor possessed to bring it safely through. More than once during the twenty years that followed his investment in the Penny Arcade, a crash seemed inevitable; but when the time came, he was always able to meet his liabilities to the last cent, and none ever came to any harm through being involved in his affairs. To-day, as the president o f the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, he owns 1150 theatres and four studios. He has in­troduced a new and important cultural factor into the world, and established what is, from the finan­cial point of view, the fourth most important industry in the world.

From the social point o f view, he raised an un­recognized and underestimated caste — the actors — to the level of other professions. The subject of the artistic and scientific value o f the films is much too important for me to do more than merely mention it here; but if we think o f „The ten Commandments” or of „Chang” we can form some opinion o f their tremendous importance as factors in promoting civilisation.

With all the changes in his fortunes Adolph Zuckor has remained his own good-natured and temperate self. He lives on his New Jersey estate and comes into New York for business either by- motorboat or by car. The offices o f his company- are housed in one o f the most imposing sky-scrapers o f New York. He has altered little in his ways; even yet one can recognize in him something o f the shy, reticent and almost awkward boy. He likes to remember his past struggles; it is the only subject which draws him out a little from his customary- taciturnity. His fellow-workers have risen with him on the rising tide o f the new art and industry, whose influence is now world-wide, and which may claim to rival in importance the art and industry o f printing itself. It is this cultural significance of the cinematograph which distinguishes the career o f Adolf Zuckor from those o f the oil kings and iron kings and other commercial and industrial and industrial celebrities who have made themselves famous in America within the last sixty years or so. The power behind the man from Tokay is a power which is exerting an influence on the mind

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and heart o f men as yet difficult to guess, but hardly possible to overestimate. It is in America that it has been generated; but we are proud to think that the one man who more than any other

Sir Mark Aurel Stein

The Royal Society once gave a banquet to two o f its members, both o f whom had won world- renown, Sven Hedin and Sir Mark Aurel Stein; a brilliant company assembled to meet the two great travellers; and then, when they met, the guests of the evening entertained the company with an amu­sing little scene that was not without its impressi­veness. Stein drew a little package from his pocket and solemnly handed it over to Sven Hedin. The latter, to his amazement, recognised its contents to be his own measuring-tape that he had lost five years before among the high mountains o f Chinese Turkestan. He was quick to see the humour o f the situation, but he expressed his wonder at Stein’s knowing that it was his tape. He was easily enligh­tened. ,,Apart from us, no one had ever been there before” , said Stein; „and I accept responsibility for the things I find.”

The anecdote is characteristic o f that combina­tion o f speculative shrewdness, scientific exactness, and dry humour, to be found in Aurel Stein.

The bent o f the man’s mind was early dis­cernible. Once, when still a very young child at school, he took a Greek grammar with him on holiday to amuse himself with. His inclination for the study o f classical philology strengthened as he made his way through the upper school, and it was as a philologist and geographer that he pursued his studies at the universities o f Vienna, Tubingen, and Oxford. At twTenty-seven he was appointed to a chair in the Punjab University at Lahore; from there he went to Calcutta; and then, in 1904, he became Inspector-General o f Education for India. His brilliance was recognised. The government entrusted him with the organisation and command o f several exploring expeditions; and in order to give him more time for this kind o f work, he was made an officer on special duty in the Indian Archeological Survey. He was created a K. C. I. E. in 1912. He is also a fellow of the Punjab Univer­sity and o f the Royal Society, a Correspondent de L’lnstitute de France, and a member for the last thirtyfive years o f the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

deserves the credit for raising the films to the dominant place they now occupy, with a future out­look o f boundless possibilities, was born and brought up in Hungary.

In such a short sketch as this, it is obviously impossible to deal with Stein’s work in any detail; but two o f his expeditions may be singled out for brief description, because o f their peculiar interest and scientific importance.

In 1906, a scientific expedition set out for Chinese Turkestan, under the command o f Sir Aurel Stein, to explore that ancient home o f Budd­hism. The difficulties encountered by the party were extremely formidable; for where the country was not an uninhabited desolation, is was peopled by warlike savages among whom no white man had before appeared. These difficulties had their geological and geographical explanations. The territory in question consists o f a great stretch of fairly flat land whose soil is an evil mixture of salt, sand, and clay, on which nothing can grow. It is swept by fierce winds, which blow bitterly cold from the north and catch the loose soil into gigantic terrace-like formations. The general con­figuration leads one to believe that the whole region is the dried-up bed o f an ancient inland sea.

It was a bleak and inhospitable prospect which faced the explorers; but, as though to reward their temerity, fortune proved to be unusually kind. It seems that once in the far past, perhaps in the time of the Han emperors, a Chinese caravan must have passed over those dreary wastes, leaving a trail o f coins to mark its route. Probably there was a hole in some horseman’s wallet, through which the money was shaken with every stride o f a trotting horse. At any rate, there it was, and there it had lain undisturbed for nearly two thousand years, until a Hungarian scientist came and found it, and with it, confirmation of an hypothesis which certain o f the greatest scholars had con­sidered, it is true, hut proof o f which had up till then been completely lacking.

For that line o f old Chinese coins, strung out like the pebbles o f Tom Thumb, had an absorbingly interesting story to tell. They had value and inte­rest, not only because they pointed to a notable level of development in ancient Asiatic commer­cial life, but also because they proved to be the

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clue to the whole archaeology o f the region. First of all, it was easy to find out their date; and then the expedition was able to feel certain that it was on the right track, that it was following a road, in fact, which had been for centuries the link between the Far East and Central and Western Asia, along which free intercouse had been maintained in the past between the cultures o f the yellow and white peoples. The expedition proceeded further along this ancient highway and discovered abundant remains of wayside rest-houses, temples, and burial places. Statues, reliefs, frescoes, textiles, brocades, jewels and precious ornaments were found, all testifying to the mutual influence anciently exercised on each other by the civilisations of the East and o f the West. The statues and the reliefs clearly betray the influence o f Greece; wile Byzantine gold pieces were found in an unknown soldier’s grave, where they had been used to close the eyes o f the dead. And so it was proved, what some o f the greatest scholars had surmised, thai the white and yellow civilisations, now so far apart, were once one in the cradle o f the human race; and that, for long after the separation, they continued to act and react on each other. This was conclusively established by the great mass o f inscriptions in many languages and from many periods and dealing with all kinds o f subjects, military, commer­cial, political, postal, and literary, which Stein sent to Srinigar for examination.

The great highway thus discovered by Stein during his 1906— 1908 expedition, was probably used until the 4.-th century o f the Christian era. North o f it stretches a forgotten section of the Great Wall. Seven years later, Stein visited this part o f the Wall again; and it is significant of the character o f the country that, as he was walking along the top of the Wall, his attention was attracted by footprints which, upon being exami­ned, turned out to be his own and those o f his dog, made seven years earlier during his previous visit.

In these latter years, Aurel Stein has enriched the world with yet another interesting record o f exploration. For long he had cherished the project o f following in the footsteps o f Alexander and ferretting out his movements in the Indian cam­paign. These were not clear from the ancient re­cords, partly because o f the difficulty in idenli- fiing old geographical names (Arrianos, the prin­cipal source o f information, used the Greek names), and partly because the territory in question had been closed to Europeans for centuries. Stein,

however, is not a man who is easily deterred from his purpose, and he not only succeeded in persuad­ing the local potentate to grant him entry into his territory, but even induced him to place a party of bearers at his disposal. It was the first time since the withdrawal of Alexander’s troops that a Euro­pean had set foot in that land. He went carefully over the ground. Since the time when Arrianos had written, civilisation had sadly declined in many of the spots he mentions. He came across old ruins, all that remained of once important fortresses. The most interesting o f these was Aornos, the great fortified rock on the banks o f the Indus, which marked the eastern limit o f Alexander’s conquests. It was here that the native forces made their last stand. According to Arrianos, after capturing the stronghold, Alexander set a guard over its one vulnerable spot, under the command o f a man of Indian origin. The rock on which the castle was built rises precipitously on all sides except one, and on that side Stein observed a little eminence covered with trees and shaped like a sugar-loaf. It was due, not to nature, but to the greatest military genius of antiquity. There, Alexander’s men had mounted special guard.

And so, by his exploration o f the Pir-Sar region, Sir Aurel Stein has made a valuable contribution towards the solution o f the problem o f Alexander’s Indian campaigns.

Sir Aurel Stein is a man equally at home with nature as in history. Mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers have a meaning and appeal for him which they have not for every man. Long residence in a city is distasteful to him. The past also sings for him a special song. Though his calling has taken him much and far away from his native country, Hungary still keeps, with his profession, the first place in his heart; and whenever he is in Europe, he comes to visit his parents’ grave. He has Hun­garian newspapers sent him regularly, though he is interested neither in modern politics, nor mo­dern literature. The only modern he reads in any literature is Ferenc Herceg. This may seem trivial commentary on such a life, yet these little things have their significance; for Herceg’s pen enables him to feel more acutely his essential community of race with the Hungarian people. He was born and brought up as one o f them, and the ineradicable memories o f youth find a way for themselves through the accumulations o f the labour o f years and the honours with which the world has crowned them.

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T H E D A N A I D E S

By MIHALY BABITS

B elow , in silent hell, — w here there is not a spell o f breath, in d olefu l hell, — am idst the asphodel, — w h ere the daffod ils do not w ave, — the w illow w eep s not o 'er a grave, — w here p o p p y 's petals do not drop when d ry — because dow n there winds in sound sleep lie, — sleep on a d a ffod il m ade bed, — sleep soundly, m ute, fo rev er d ea d ; —

w here lakes, like m irrors m ade o f steel, — their m otionless expanse reveal, w here eyelid s drow sy turn with ease — because not fanned b y wakening breeze, — because the wind which took a rippling, surging course, is d ea d ; —

there in their giant am phores th ey, — in m arble am phores there fo r a ye, — f i f t y fem a les, sinful fem a les — water, water and a g a in — water draw and pour in vain, — f i f t y dam ned, d olefu l w ives, — each o f whom a cursed fa te drives — fo rever and fo rev er m ore — her urn to fill and then to pour — into a vessel which no bottom h ad ; —

f i f ty w om en dam ned and fated — fill and em p ty unabated — giant am phores o f alabaster, fill and em p ty fast and faster — with the precious Lethe's flo w , but n ever any progress show.

Giant w eepin g w illow s ever — quiescent are, n ever quiver, — the twigs and branches are poor souls, — suicidal, lost, old souls, — which on the m ute trees now thrivingly grow .

Quick, but unconsciously their crow ns, the calm trees' dark and g lo o m y crowns — hang over Lethe's dreadful d ow n s;

o ’er L eth e’s realm o f despair, — indeed the Lethe flow eth there, — and fou l and putrid is the air, — and in its water sin and crim e — have le ft their dirt and scum and slim e, — tainted, stagnant it remains— and not an outlet it obtains,

the course to sea it n ever gains, — sluggish, life less it remains, — seven tim es cyclin g round, it rolls — into its bed and f i f t y souls — are doom ed to fill with Lethe's flow , — m ingled with their tears o f w oe — all useless are their e ffor ts though,

because those f i f t y tanks below — are bottom less and thus in vain — those f i f t y sinful w om en strain— their sinews with all m ight and main, — to fill

the tanks o f alabaster, — fill with water fast and faster, an e ffo r t they can n ever m aster. —

F ifty w om en wondrous fair, — as if o f alabaster hewn and hair — like e b o n y ; naught does im pair— their sense o f feelin g , n e’ertheless — uncon­sciou sly amidst the stress — o f labor which they n ever could com plete, a but half understood song raise, — it is a plaintive air. —

F ifty sad w ives who their share — o f fate accursed C a lm ly bear, — with voices low a sing­song raise, a la y o f their once w orld ly days — and which their souls still su btly sw a ys : —

„O u r husbands, f i f t y m anly m en — w e b old ly killed and then, w ell, then, w e loved and loved , G od on ly knows — whom w e in lo v e ’s em brace held close, -— the cups which cheered w e drained and drained — when on the fa ir green earth w e reigned— w here bright sun-rays our lives sustained. — ”

„ W o r d s long forgotten , gone fro m the mind —their w ay back to our dark souls find , — as into a dark room at night — fro m lit up street cam e streaks o f light, what mean those w ord s? W hat can they m ea n ? In vain w e try their sense to glean, — ,,lo v e ” , „p assion ” and „em b ra ce“ , what m ight they b e ? W e ask in vain o f shades w e see .”

„ L e t us p roceed to sing „ w e killed” , — our thoughts have with our „husbands” filled , — w e know not what those w ords con vey , — w e sing and am phores fill fo r a ye. — It is our fate, w e m ust o b ey . — W e sing, or else the silence here — w ould fill our souls with aw ful fear, — the silent darkness which w e dread, — the m ute, dire darkness which is dead.”

This was the f i f ty w om en ’s strain, — the f i f ty w ives doom ed b y a bane, — all are so m uch alike and fair — with m arble like corpse and jet black hair — this was those w om en ’s d olefu l strain — th ey chanted on the L ethe’s plain, ’neath giant w eep ­ing w illow s’ shade, — ’m idst p o p p y plants which fill the glade, w hile th ey their giant am phores fill— and w here the winds are ever still; —

below , in silent hell, — w here there is not a spell— o f breath, in d olefu l hell — w h ere on a d affod il— m ade bed — the breezes are fo rev er dead.

Translated by William N. Loew

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Old Hungarian tin covered clay Vessels from the XVII. century. The collectionof Mr. Gyula Wolfner

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PORTRAIT OF A MAN, By SEBASTIAN!) DEL PIOMBO

One of the treasures of the Hungarian Art-Gallery

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EMBANKMENT ON THE PEST-SIDE IN 1820

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Alajos Strobl’s great group in bronze depicting hunting scene with King Matyasstandig by the slain deer

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PORTRAIT OF A LADY, By H. VAN RIJN REMBRANDT

Property of the Gyorgy Rath Museum

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HORSE-RACE IN PEST, in 1828

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A SHORT REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC POSITION OF HUNGARY IN 1929

By the courtesy of and, according to the ,,Economic Bulletin of the Central Corporation ofBanking Companies, Budapest

T H E S P H E R E O F A C T I V I T Y O F T H E C E N T R A L C O R P O R A T IO N O F B A N K IN G C O M P A N IE S

The Central Corporation o f Banking Companies, was called into being by the provisions o f Act XIV. of 1916: and, on June 1st o f that year, the Cor­poration was actually established in the form o f a co-operative society, the members of the same in­cluding both the bulk of the joint-stock banking institutes and the Treasury. The object o f the Cor­poration — as defined in the abovementioned Act, as also in Act XXXVII. o f 1920 — consists in the promotion and furtherance on the one hand o f the interests of the banking companies engaged in business in the territory of Hungary and through the same of the economic life o f the country, and on the other hand o f the financial interests o f the State (this to include the service of public credit), as also in co-operation by authorisation o f the Minister of Finance in undertakings established in the general interest.

In pursuance of this object the Central Cor­poration of Banking Companies examines the accounts of its members, permanently supervises the conduct o f business and management o f the Hungarian banking institutes, giving advice in such matters and duly elaborating the data thereby acquired, affords its members credit where the satisfaction o f their requirements in the ordinary way is attended with difficulties, and co-operates in the work o f the re-organisation on a sound basis or o f the amalgamation with other banking houses or o f the liquidation o f any banking institutes whose activity on examination appears to render any such procedure necessary. The Corporation co­operates in the work o f supplying the needs o f the State for credit; it may participate in public utility undertakings or in such other undertakings as are established in the general interest; and it may co­operate in the management o f the financial and

administrative affairs of economic institutions. It may undertake to audit the accounts o f under­takings, corporations or private persons or to do any similar work for the same, and may act as „trustee” in connection with the establishment o f commercial companies or with other transactions. Another very important provision o f the Act is that which stipulates that as from July 1st 1921, savings deposits may be accepted only by members o f the Central Corporation o f Banking Companies.

Any sums of money belonging to the State, a municipality, borough or parish, as well as any sums administered by orphans’ courts (public guardians) or other public authorities, may be en­trusted as either savings or current account deposits only to members o f the Central Corporation of Banking Companies. No State or other public authorities may accept any security given by a Hungarian banking company, unless that company be a member o f the Central Corporation o f Bank­ing Companies.

Securities of a negotiable character issued by banking companies, as well as savings bank books, may be declared — as prescribed by the existing legal regulations — suitable for use as fidelity guarantee or as bail or for the investment o f State, municipal, borough or parish funds as well as o f monies administered by public authorities, entail funds and public deposits, and the sums held in trust for public wards and persons under control of administrators, as also for acceptance as earnest money or forfeit, only where the banking com­panies issuing the same are members o f the Central Corporation o f Banking Companies.

Furthermore, the Corporation grants its mem­bers credit on current accounts or bills, and is pre­pared to give them advice and assistance in all

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business transactions (foreign drafts, Stock Ex­change business), without however in any way competing with its members.

The banking companies being members are divided into three sections or groups, the first (Group I.) comprising those companies possessing a capital exceeding 10 million Pengos, — the second (Group II.) comprising the companies with a share capital o f more than 5 hut not more than

10 million Pengos ,— and the third (Group III.) comprising the banking companies with a share capital not exceeding 5 millions Pengos.*

Act XXXVII. of 1920 provides for the obliga­tory auditing o f the accounts o f the companies belonging to Group III. — as from January 1st 1925 — at least once a year (and authorises the Minister o f Finance to extend the obligation of subjection to examination to the higher categories too).

Number of Members of the Central Corporation of Banking Companies.

In Budapest In the Provinces

G r O U p

I. II. III. i. ii. iii.

At the date of the establish­ment of the Corporation (in pre War Hungary) . 9 8 25 1.296

On Dec. 31, 1920 . . . 9 7 27 — — 556

On Dec. 31. 1929 . . . 16 9 32 — — 472

For the performance o f the highly important functions entrusted to it the Corporation possesses an efficient staff of accountants, who — apart from doing the auditing work connected with the business activity of the Corporation itself — at least once every year conduct an examination of the books and accounts of the banking companies subject to the supervision o f the Corporation. The Corporation exercises a control over certain manu­facturing establishments subject thereto as a con­sequence o f their receiving loans for the purpose o f production in the general interest. It further

A G R IC U L T U R E

The condition of Hungarian agriculture did not improve in the last quarter o f 1929 either, in fact, it deteriorated somewhat. The index-figure o f pur­chasing power based on the marketing of agrarian products, which was 90.2 at the beginning of the year and fell o ff to 89 by the end o f September, continued declining in the last quarter of the year and stood at 79.5 at the close o f December. To be sure, the exportation o f farm products grew brisker,

supervises the activity of the insurance companies, audits the accounts o f public charity institutions and other institutions acting in the public interest, and also acts as auditor in numerous cases on be­half of various authorities and private persons. The Central Corporation o f Banking Companies keeps closely in touch with its members, and by request provides the same with advice and information on questions of book-keeping, management, control and business transactions, as well as on various other questions of a technical character.

but it had to be done at greatly depressed prices.In regard to the raising and marketing of live

stock, the condition of the pig market was the most satisfactory. The low cost o f fodder enhanced the profitableness o f pig-fattening, the index-figure of which rose from 63.7 at the beginnig o f January to 89.5 at the end of December.

* One pound sterling equals about 27.80 pengos.

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The price of homed cattle followed a declining tendency during the last few months o f the year, though not to such an extent as the price o f forage. The exports of young cattle increased considerably

F O R E IG N T R A D E

Hungary’s balance o f trade for the year 1929 shows a great deal o f improvement as compared with the previous year. The value of the imports, namely, diminished from 1,189 millions o f pengos in 1928 to 1,062.8 millions in 1929, while the value o f the exports grew from 818.7 millions of pengos to 1,040.2 millions. The passive balance was, thus, reduced from 370.3 millions o f pengos to 22.6 millions. If we bear in mind that one o f the most important objects o f our economic policy was to wipe out the deficiency o f our external trade balance, the conspicuous improve­ment as shown above deserves to be classified as a very favourable result.

The favourableness o f the result is all the more important as the net amount of the interest and dividends paid to foreign investors last year ex­ceeded, according to reliable calculations, 150 millions o f pengos, viz. including the amortisation of foreign loans they nearly consumed the total imports o f capital.

The distribution o f our foreign trade by categories o f goods shows that in the imports the ratio o f raw materials increased from 32.05°/o to 37.48°/0, while that o f finished manufactures fell o ff from 45.02°/o to 40.06°/o. This seems to indicate that we have been importing more raw materials than before and converted them into manufactures. The drop in the proportion o f the finished manu­factures imported was due to the decreasing imports o f machinery and textile goods. As to the exports, the proportion o f raw materials grew from 57.72°/o to 59.88°/o, which may be ascribed to the extra­ordinary efforts made to export our agrarian products.

In regard to the distribution o f our external trade by goods, the following are the most important facts:

The quantity o f the wheat exports increased by 2 millions o f quintals, their value did so by 38.8 millions o f pengos. The increase o f the exports o f flour by 0.6 millions o f quintals resulted in an

towards the end of the year, while those o f fattened cattle fell off.

The returns as to the value o f the products of agriculture for 1929 are not yet available.

excess value o f 16 millions o f pengos. The un­favourable development o f prices made itself felt in the exports of both wheat and flour. The decline o f 10.7 millions o f pengos in the value o f rye exported can be accounted for only in part by the smaller quantity exported, for it was due partly also to the declining prices. O f maize we exported nearly twice as much as in the previous year, yet the value of the exports was hardly 3 millions of pengos, or 25°/o, more, which reflects likewise the unfavourable price development. There was a con­siderable increase in the exports o f live animals: the quantity doubled, and the value increased by 70 millions of pengos.

The exports o f wine increased by 7.5 millions of pengos and those o f spirit by 1 million. O f sugar we exported 14.7 millions o f pengos worth more than in the preceding year, since our sugar factories participated in supplying the demand o f the British Indian markets, where the failure o f the sugar­cane crop caused a shortage.

As to manufactures, the value o f the exports of machinery and apparatus grew 12 millions of pengos. We succeeded in placing a large number of steam-boilers in British India, and threshing machines, metalworking machines and pumps else­where.

Examining the imports, there was a striking decrease o f 13.8 millions o f pengos in the imports o f wood, due — no doubt — to the slackening o f building activity. The imports o f coal increased by 9.3 millions o f pengos. The greatest drop occurred in the imports o f textile halfmanufactures and finished textile goods, the same amounting in the value o f cotton and woollen cloth imported to 36 millions o f pengos. The imports o f machinery and apparatus fell o ff 13.5 millions o f pengos, since fewer soil-cultivators and tractors were im­ported than in the year before and the slower pace in the extension o f the textile industry made the reduction o f the importation o f textile machinery possible. The decline in the imports o f sewing machines seems to be the consequence o f the market having been saturated by former purchases.

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With regard to the distribution o f our foreign trade by countries an examination o f the returns reveals the fact that, while in 1928 our trade balance was active principally with Austria, Greece

C O M M E R C E

In regard to commerce, the year 1929 proved, on account of the declining purchasing capacity o f the populace and the decrease o f business, even more unfavourable than the previous years. According to reliable calculations, the purchasing capacity o f the farming population diminished by half a milliard pengos in 1929, and the effects of the reduction, or entire omission, o f purchases of that numerous class o f people were felt in the first place by commerce. The drop in the imports of merchandise from 1189 millions o f pengos in 1928 to 1062.8 millions in 1929 had also the effect of weakening the activities and reducing the earning possibilities of commerce. The bulk o f the insol­vencies, viz. 92°/0 o f the cases o f composition and 79°/o o f the liabilities involved, fell likewise to the share o f commerce.

The number o f all insolvencies grew 40°/o, while the amount of the liabilities involved was 31°/o in excess o f the figures o f the preceding year. The number of protested bills also increased, and the aggregate amount o f the bills protested in 1929, 122.2 millions o f pengos, exceeded that o f the bills protested in 1928 by nearly 47°/o. The number of bills protested in October was 74°/0 and in Novem-

M A N U F A C T U R IN G IN D U S T R Y

The great decline o f the purchasing power o f the farming population and the decrease o f the influx o f foreign capital could not fail to have their effects on industrial production, too, during the past year. The number o f the unemployed has grown as compared with the preceding year, and the activity o f the manufacturing industries has, during the last few months of the year, fallen below the level o f the former year.

According to the records o f the labour unions, by the end of December, 1929, the number of unemployed increased to 19,851, whereas in 1928 it had taken a downward turn, the same having been about 15,000 at the close o f that year.

The railway freight traffic shows that the traffic

and Turkey only, in 1929 we managed to reach an excess o f exports in our relations with Yugoslavia, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain and Belgium as well.

ber 67°/o more than in the same months o f 1928.The goods traffic to Budapest, which is of

importance in judging the condition o f commerce, fell o ff, too. For, while the average quantity of merchandise shipped to Budapest by rail and water was 5.4 millions o f quintals in 1928, the same amounted only to 5.1 millions o f quintals in 1929.

The hopes o f a great revival o f the transit- business were not realised, either. The transit- business is best reflected by the traffic o f the bonded warehouses. While the value o f the goods placed in bonded warehouses amounted to 21.5 millions o f pengos in 1927, the same declined to13.9 millions in 1928. The value o f the goods shipped abroad from the warehouses similarly fell o ff from 12.2 millions o f pengos in 1927 to 7.9 millions in 1928. The situation was even worse in 1929, as the value o f the goods placed in the bonded warehouses during the first six months of the year reached only 5.3 millions o f pengos as against 8.7 millions during the corresponding period o f the preceding year, while the value o f the goods exported from the warehouses during the same period dropped from 3.7 millions o f pengos to 2.5 millions.

in piece-goods, which experience has proved to be a sensitive indicator o f the trend o f business, and which had been growing in the last few years, stopped doing so in 1929 and even diminished. The diminution averaged only l°/o for the whole year, but during the three autumn months it reached 3°/o as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. There was a considerable de­crease in the traffic o f bricks, roofing tiles and slate, o f which in 1928 more than one million tons were carried by the railways, while the quantity shipped in 1929 did not reach quite 800,000 tons. The shipments of gravel, stone, sand and earth dropped from 3.9 millions o f tons in 1928 to 3.3 millions in 1929 and those o f mining and building

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timber and o f boards from 1.3 millions o f tons to 1 million.

The output of iron ore went up from 2,032,000 quintals in 1928 to 2,583.000 quintals in 1929. The consumption o f iron ore, however, moved on the same level as in 1928, having amounted to 5,827,000 quintals as against 5,821,000 in 1928. On the other hand, the consumption o f pig iron has grown from 2.7 millions o f quintals to 3.5 millions, and the production o f raw steel from 4.8 millions of quintals to 5.1 millions.

An analysis o f the various branches o f industry discloses the fact that, in addition to the heavy industries, only the collieries and the flour-mills were able to increase their output, while a decided reduction took place in the building trades, in some branches o f the textile and chemical industries, and in the shoe industry, i. e. just in the industries which were most directly affected by the stoppage of the importation o f capital and the decline o f the purchasing capacity o f the farming population.

The Budapest brick cartel has sold 117.8 millions o f bricks, i. e. less than in 1928 when its sales amounted to 126.8 millions. The index-figure o f the sales o f iron girders, which in January,1928, was 104.7 and, after some fluctuations, stopped at 104 in December, went down in January,1929, to 97.6 and stood at the close o f the year at 62.7 only.

The textile industry does not present a uniform appearance. The decreasing imports of textile goods are to be ascribed not exclusively to declining consumption but also to the growing participation o f Hungarian manufacturers in satisfying the home

demand. The cloth factories could utilise, at an average, 50— 60°/0 o f their capacity. The home demand for woollens has, however, declined, as a consequence o f which the utilisation o f the woollen cloth factories fell o ff about 10— 12°/o. The quantity o f raw cotton imported corresponded to about 2.25 million kilograms o f yarns, which means that the cotton spinning industry could employ about 50,000 spindles more than in the previous year. The cotton-weaving industry managed to increase its output by approximately 12 millions o f meters.

Our new paper industry, established only last year on the reduced territory o f the country, had an auspicious start and produced noteworthy results in the manufacture o f medium qualities, wrapping paper, thin paper, cardboards, etc.

The activity o f the artificial fertiliser industry has slackened, because the unfavourable situation o f agriculture had the effect o f curtailing the use o f artificial manure.

The output o f the victualling food stuffs industries moved on the same level as in the preceding year.

Among the agrarian industries, the output o f the sugar factories and the breweries was in the new campaign beginning September 1, 1929, up to the end o f January, 1930, as follows: The sugar factories produced 2,218,464 quintals o f beet- sugar, viz. 251.228 quintals more than in the corresponding period o f the previous campaign. The breweries brewed 187,849 hectoliters o f beer, viz. 22,657 hectoliters less than in the previous campaign.

A C T I V I T Y O F T H E N A T IO N A L B A N K O F H U N G A R Y IN T H E Y E A R 1 9 2 9

The metal and foreign exchanges stock o f the Bank grew in the past year from January 1 to February 7 from 263.6 millions o f pengos to270.8 millions, reaching thereby its highest level during the year 1929. After that a slow process of diminution set in, which became somewhat accelerated in March and April, resulting in a re­duction o f the stock to 219.8 millions by the end o f April. Considering the strong demands made on it for foreign exchanges, the Bank felt compelled to raise the rate o f discount from 7°/0 to 8°/o beginning April 24. While this measure did not accomplish a change in the direction o f the move­ment o f foreign exchanges, it had the effect of

slowing down the said process o f diminution. On July 15 the metal and foreign exchanges stock reached, with 197.1 millions o f pengos, its lowest stand during the past year. The Bank refrained, however, from another raise o f the rate o f discount, partly because it did not wish to burden the country with the effects o f a further rise at a time when general economic conditions could hardly be called favourable, and partly because there was a reason­able hope of increasing export with the commence­ment of the new grain campaign. After the middle o f August considerable amounts o f foreign ex­changes came into the country through foreign loans, particularly the discounting o f the second

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instalment o f the so-called Swedish match loan, but also through the excess o f our merchandise exports over the imports, as a consequence o f which the metal and foreign exchanges stock showed some increase in the months July to September and remained practically stationary for the rest o f the year. With regard to the improved condition of the international money market the Bank reduced the rate o f discount from 8°lo to 7.5°/o on November 4, which reduction, however, exerted no adverse influence on the development o f the metal and foreign exchanges stock. At the close o f the year the same amounted to 209.7 millions o f pengos, a decrease o f 53.9 millions as compared with the stock at the opening o f the year.

The actual and virtual circulation o f the Bank’s notes having followed an almost constantly

decreasing tendency during the past year, the diminution o f the metal and foreign exchanges stock had hardly any effect on the statutory pro­portion o f the cover.

The debt due by the State to the Bank diminished in the course o f the year 1929 from 97.2 millions o f pengos to 87.5 millions, viz. by 9.7 millions.

The demands for credit made on the Bank were in the first seven months o f the year stronger than in the same period o f the preceding year, but from August on they slackened, and the stock o f bills discounted was considerably below that o f the previous year.

The changes in the stock o f bills discounted and its proportion to the note circulation are shown in the following statement:

D a t e

Amou

nt o

f Bi

lls

in m

illio

ns o

f pe

ngos

Perc

enta

ge o

f Ag

greg

ate

(act

ual

and

virt

ual)

Not

e Ci

rcul

atio

n

Perc

enta

ge o

f Ac

tual

Not

e Ci

rcul

atio

nDecember 31, 1928 ........................... 417-4 55-3 81-3January 31, 1929 ........................... 357-8 51-3 73-8February 28, 1929 .......................... 313-8 47-0 69-6March 31, 1929 .......................... 345-4 52-6 75-3April 30, 1929 ........................... 370-2 57-9 76-3May 31, 1929 .......................... 380-7 59-8 85-3June 30, 1929 .......................... 381-4 60-7 82-4July 31, 1929 ........................... 326-1 55-8 665August 31, 1929 ........................... 293-4 49-1 61-2September 30, 1929 ........................... 315-5 53-5 66-0October 31, 1929 ........................... 344-9 56-7 65-6November 30, 1929 ........................... 321-7 54-6 68-1December 31, 1929 .......................... 329-5 55-0 65‘ 8

The aggregate amount o f the actual and virtual note circulation followed, with slight oscillations, a declining tendency all through ,which was mainly due to the constant decrease o f the liabilities payable on demand and, among them, particularly o f the State’s accounts. The amount o f the liabilities payable on demand dropped by 142.5 millions of pengos from 240.8 millions to 98.3 millions, while

the actual note circulation — which in the first four months of the year was higher and the rest of the year lower than in the corresponding months o f 1928 — decreased from 513.5 millions of pengos by 12.9 millions to 500.6 millions.

The 6th regular meeting o f the stockholders o f the National Bank o f Hungary, held in Buda­pest on February 3, 1930, decided that out of

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the net profit at the close of 1929 amounting to 10,242,039.98 pengos (inclusive of 465,937.91 pengos brought over from 1928), after applying 5°lo of it, or 512,101.99 pengos, as provided by the Statutes, to the Reserve Fund, 13.— gold crowns, equal to 15.06 pengos, (13°/o) per share, aggrega- ing 4,518,292.35 pengos, shall be paid as dividend

C O S T O F L IV IN G

The official wholesale trade index, after having taken an upward trend at the beginning o f last year, commenced to decline from April on, at first slowly, then at a faster pace, and stopped at 107 by the end of the year, while the highest points reached were 132 in January and 136 in February and March, respectively. The drop from the highest point was, thus, 29 points. The gradual but considerable crumbling-away of the wholesale trade index was due, in the first place, to the great drop in the prices of agricultural products, as the index-figure o f the latter, which at first rose from 130 in January to 137 in February, fell o ff from that date to the end o f December by 40 points to 97 points. On the other hand, the index-figure of industrial products declined from its culminating point o f 139 in March only by 7 points to 132. As

to the stockholders. The dividend for the preceding year was 12.5°/«.

The participation of the State in the net profit, as prescribed by the Statutes, amounts to 4,518,292.35 pengos, which was employed to reduce the debt of the State due the Bank.

a consequence, the so-called agrarian shares, showing the divergence between the development o f the indices of agrarian products and cattle­raising on the one hand and industrial materials and products on the other, represented a growing discrepancy to the detriment of the first mentioned group, the same having increased from 16.6°/o at the and o f July to 25.5°/o in August, 33°/o in September and 36°/o in December.

The cost of living index, including rent, reached its highest point in May with 122.4, having thus risen 4.8 points since January. After that it declined9.9 points to 112.5 by the end o f the year. The index exclusive o f rent was likewise the highest in May, when it stood at 133.7, i. e. 6.2 points higher than on January 1, and lost then 13 points to the end of December, closing at 120.7.

H U N G A R IA N E S T IM A T E S F O R T H E F IS C A L Y E A R 1930131

Dr. Alexander Wekerle, the Minister of Finance, has submitted to Parliament the Estimates for the fiscal year 1930/31 on March 18, the grand totals o f which are as follows:

State A dministration:

total expenditure . . . . 895‘ 7 millions ot pengostotal revenue ..................... 896‘7 ,, „ ,,

surplus . . 1*0 millions of pengos.

State Undertakings:

total expenditure . . . . 502'4 millions of pengostotal revenue ..................... 504'4 „ „ „

surplus . . 2-0 millions of pengos.

Together:

total expenditure . . . . 1,398’ 1 millions of pengostotal revenue ..................... 1,401*1 „ „ „

surplus . . 3‘0 millions of pengos.

The equilibrium of the Estimates has, thus, been maintained, as had been done in the preceding- years; in fact, the Estimates show a considerable excess o f revenue. O f the excess o f revenue amount­ing to 3 millions of pengos 1 millions appears in the Estimates o f the State administration and 2 millions in those o f the State undertakings. The former, however, include 24.8 millions o f pengos and the latter 22.6 millions for investments, making the total appropriation for investments amount to

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47.4 millions. Taking this into account, the surplus o f which 25.8 millions belong to the State administ- o f the Estimates is really 50.4 millons o f pengos, ration and 24.6 millions to the State undertakings.

Balance-Sheet.

Estimates for the Year 1930/31

Budget for the Year 1929/30

Increase (—}—} or Decrease (—)

for 1930/31p e n g o s

Expenditure..............................................................................................R e v e n u e ....................................................................................................

Surplus (-)-) . .

Expenditure..............................................................................................R e v e n u e ....................................................................................................

Surplus (-}-) . .

Total Expenditure of I and I I ..........................................................Total Revenue of I and 1 1 ...............................................................

Surplus (-)-) . .

I. State Administration

895.689.000896.659.000

920.800.400923.900.400

— 25,111-400— 26,341-400

970.000 + 2,200.000 1,230.000II. Slate Undertakings

502.441.000504.441.000

507.871.000509.171.000

— 5,430.000— 4,730.000

+ 2,000.000 - f 1,300.000 - f 700.000III. Total

1.398.130.0001.401.100.000

1.428.671.4001.432.171.400

— 30,541.400— 31,071.400

+ 2,970.000 + 3,500.000 530,000

It will be seen from the abore statement that, compared with the Budget o f the preceding fiscal year, there is a decrease o f

25'1 millions of pengos in the gross expenditure I of the State 26’3 „ „ „ in the gross revenue I administration

and of

5'4 millions of pengos in the gross expenditure 1 of the State 4‘7 „ „ „ in the gross revenue | undertakings.

The reduction o f the expenditure reveals the en­forcement o f far-reaching economy. To appreciate the full significance o f the reduction o f the ex­penditure, it is not sufficient merely to note the amount of the reduction, but the inner construction o f the Estimates is to be weighed as well. It is to be borne in mind in the first place that a consider­able part of the Estimates is made up o f items, the very nature o f which does not admit o f re­duction at will. Into this category belong, for instance, the amortisation and interest service of the public debt, pensions, peace treaty charges, and the like. There are again expenses, the maintenance o f which is dictated by social or humanitarian considerations, for instance the allowances o f war invalids, widows and orphans, the subsidies of hospitals, the contributions to the social insurance

fund, the charitative valorisation of war bonds, etc. There are items in the increase o f certain revenues and cannot be reduced on that account, for instance the expenses o f maintaining the high­ways to be defrayed from the automobile tax. It is not to be doubted, either, that among the personal expenses the legal emoluments o f public servants must be ensured and that among the material ex­penses care must be taken o f the payments required by existing contracts and among the investments of the continuation o f the work already begun. More­over, if we consider that the raising o f certain ex­penses was inevitable, as for instance the increase o f the pensions by further 5.6 millions o f pengos, the excess o f 3.5 millions caused by the new classification o f certain provincial towns as to the rent-allowances of public servants, the growth of the peace treaty charges by 1.2 millions, etc., it becomes evident that the economies effected in the Estimates are o f such extent, beyond which it was impossible to go before the effects o f the simplifi­cation o f the administration and the reduction o f the number o f public employees are more fully felt.

It is worth while noting that the amount to be repaid by the Treasury to the National Bank of Hungary underwent a further reduction in the new Estimates, for the principal o f the debt, originally amounting to 1,980 milliards o f paper crowns (158.4 millions of pengos), appears in the

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Estimates for 1930/31 with 82.8 millions o f pengos as against 92.2 millions in the Budget for 1929/30.

The charges under the P ea ce Treaty are regulat­ed by the agreement made with the Reparations Commission in 1924, which fixes the gradually growing amount o f the annuities to be paid. The annuity for the calendar year 1930 has been fixed at 7 millions o f gold crowns and that for 1931 at 8 millions. For the fiscal year 1930/31 the amount o f 7.5 millions o f gold crowns, or 8.7 millions of pengos, had to be appropriated.

The decrease o f the amount included in the Estimates for investm ents is due partly to the wish to economise and partly to the consideration that at a time when an effort is to be made to reduce the expenses o f the State’s household, in the course o f which the curtailment or even the entire abolition o f some institutions might be found necessary, it would not be well-advised — leaving certain ex­ceptions out o f account — to establish new in­stitutions.

As to the revenue o f the State administration taking account o f the unfavourable economic con­ditions prevailing throughout Europe it has been reduced in the same proportion as the expenditure.

The largest decrease, as compared with the pre-

R O Y A L H U N G A R I A N S T A T E R A I L W A Y S

I. Development o f the Passenger and Freight Traffic in the Fourth Quarter o f the Calendar Year 1929 on the State Railways and the Local Railways under their Management.

In the third quarter o f the calendar year 1929 the number o f passengers carried was

in J u l y ........ 7,706.952in A u g u s t .. 8,452.786in September . . . . 8,701.398

total 24,861.136

ceding year, appears in the custom s duties, for which not only the general economic situation, the effect o f the commercial treaties in reducing the duties, and the smaller amount o f foreign credits made use o f are responsible, but to a considerable degree the development o f our own manufacturing industries as well.

Of the reduction o f the direct taxes by 4.2 millions o f pengos 4 millions fall to the share of the land tax. Act XXIII of 1929, which reduced the land tax, went into force on January 1, 1930.

The decrease o f the turnover taxes is calculated on the basis o f the actual receipts o f the present fiscal year and as the result o f the commutation and single phase system.

The Estimates o f the revenue from stam ps and, dues were raised on the basis o f experience. Most o f the decrease o f the excise duties appears in the sugar tax, which, however, may be counterbalanced by the rise o f the tax on mineral oil.

The revenue from the saccharine and lottery m on op olies, the receipts of the salt and tobacco m on op olies and the charges on railw ay tra ffic were estimated in the same amount as last year, while the departm ental receipts are expected to be somewhat higher than the year before.

In the fourth quarter o f the calendar year 1929, the number o f the passengers carried was

in O c t o b e r ......................... 7,939.990in November . . . . 7,796.175in December . . . . 7,717.497

total 23,453.662

while the freight carried was

in October . . . 3,645.810 tonsin November . . . 3,151.817 nin December . . . 2,317.205 ,,

total 9,114.832 tonswhile the freight carried was

in July in August in September

2,455.488 tons 2,800.37o 3,002.416

tr

//total 8,258.274 tons

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Comparative Statement of the Combined Assets and Liabilities of the Central Corporation of Banking Companies and its Member Institutes as of December 31, 1913, 1925, 1926, 1927,

1928 and 1929, respectively

I. ASSETS(Millions of pengos)

Num

ber

ofM

embe

rIn

stitu

tes

e a rCash on

Hand and in Bank

Stocksand

Bonds

BillsDiscount­

ed

Debtors on Cur­rent Ac­counts

Mort­gage

LoansReal

EstateSundryAssets

NetLoss

Total

69 Budapest1913.

132-7 718-9 1,162-1 2,095-5 3,852-6 124-3 474-0 8,560 1530 Provinces . . . 57-2 208-7 1,227-7 338-3 813-1 78-1 21-8 0-2 2.745-1590 Total 189'9 927-6 2,389-8 2,433-8 4,665-7 202-4 495 8 0-2 11,305-2

62 Budapest1925.

6P2 90-4 388-7 660-8 5-2 68-0 11-9 o- i 1,286-3538 Provinces . . . 17-5 14-4 262-2 68-5 0-7 35-2 3-7 0-1 402-3600 Total 78-7 1048 650-9 729-3 5-9 103-2 15-6 0-2 4,688-6

64 Budapest1926.

101-2 92-6 525-2 765-0 92-4 74-5 27-1 1,678-9526 Provinces . * 22 0 13-4 3946 94 2 2-7 37-1 7-7 01 57P8590 Total 123-2 1060 919-8 860-1 95-1 111-6 34-8 o- i 2,250-7

61 Budapest1927.

140-9 117-4 767-8 1,065-2 22P3 803 46-0 30 2,441-9511 Provinces . . • 25-2 14-5 604-4 110-6 15-4 36-4 8-5 0-2 815-2572 Total 166-1 131-9 1,372-2 1,175-8 236-7 116-7 54-5 3-2 3,257-1

58 Budapest1928.

247-2 103-2 925-9 1,180-1 559-2 85-0 59-4 0-9 3,160-9492 Provinces . . . 28-4 17-4 780-4 125-9 24-3 36-4 5-4 05 1,018 7550 Total 275-6 120-6 1,706-3 1,306-0 583-5 121-4 64-8 1-4 4,179-6

57 Budapest1929.

270-8 106-1 1,004-3 1,202-2 618-5 81-7 64-0 0-2 3,347-8472 Provinces . 30-4 17-3 831-8 108-1 44-9 35-9 6-3 1-6 1,076 3529 Total 301-2 123-4 1,836-1 1,310-3 663-4 117-6 70-3 1-8 4,424-1

II. LIABILITIES(Millions of pengos)

Num

ber

ofM

embe

rIn

stitu

tes

Y e a r CapitalStock

Reserve Funds or Surplus

Savingsand

CurrentAccountDeposits

Re­discount

CreditorsOwnBondIssues

SundryLiabili­

tiesNet

ProfitTotal

691913.

Budapest . . . . 756-6 514-9 1,855-2 82-1 1,116-7 3,996-5 125-9 112-2 8,560-1530 Provinces . . . 329-0 144-1 1,710-7 430-1 56-2 — 27-8 47-2 2,745-1599 Total 1,085-6 659-0 3,565-9 512-2 1,472-9 3,996-5 153-7 159-4 11,305-2

621925.

Budapest . . . . 187-8 132-2 3783 24-4 535-4 0-4 11-0 16-8 1,286-3538 Provinces . . . 489 25-2 188-3 101-3 22-4 0-2 7-4 8-6 402-3600 Total 236-7 157-4 566-6 125-7 557-8 0-6 18-4 25-4 1,688-6

641926.

Budapest . . 199-5 137-6 648-9 47-1 532-2 75-1 14-7 23-8 1,678-9526 Provinces . . . 55-0 28 5 280-9 144.4 40-1 1-2 11-6 10-1 571-8590 Total 254-5 166-1 929-8 191-5 572-3 76-3 26-3 33-9 2,250-7

611927.

Budapest . . . . 253-5 173-2 1,043-3 72-0 646-7 201-8 17-8 33-6 2,441-9511 Provinces . . . 71-3 33-9 349-8 249-8 83‘2 — 14-2 13-0 815-2572 Total 3248 207-1 1,393 1 321-8 729-9 201‘8 32-0 46-6 3,257-1

581928.

Budapest . . . . 285-1 166-4 1,334-0 99-7 862-3 288-1 82-8 42-5 3,160-9492 Provinces . . . 83-6 33-8 401-4 354-5 105-7 — 22-9 16-8 1,018-7550 Total 368-7 200-2 1,735-4 454-2 968-0 288-1 105-7 59-3 4,179-6

571929.

Budapest . . . . 304-6 181-7 1,479-7 83-4 798-5 371-1 83-8 45-0 3,347-8472 Provinces . . . 89-7 37-3 431-9 363-6 110-0 — 25-4 18-4 1,076-3529 Total 394-3 2190 1,911-6 447-0 908-5 371-1 109-2 63-4 4,424-1

120

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OFFICIAL PROGRAMMEOF THE SOLEMNITIES IN HONOUR OF ST. EMERY, PRINCF OF HUNGARY,

AT THE 900™ ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH. BUDAPEST 1930

June 8 and 9 . Concert and celebration in com­memoration o f the Arpad dynasty, organised by the General Vocal Federation o f Hungary. Jubilee sessions o f Hungarian scientific and literary institutions.

July 1— 4. World Congress o f Catholic Pedagogues and Leaders o f Youth.

A ugu st 1 6 — 2 1 . World Congress o f Catholic Youth. International Meeting of Catholic Lsperantists.

A ugu st 1 7 — 1 9 . International Conference o f the „Unio Cleri pro Missionibus” .

A ugust 17th . F o ren o o n : Inauguration of the Statue o f St. Emery at Budapest. A ftern o o n : Great concert-performance by a band of 500 gipsies. Rendering o f 101 folksongs.

A ugu st 1 7 — 1 8 . International Conference of the Catholic Anti-Alcoholic Association.

A u gu st 1 8 . International Congress o f Catholic W o­men. — Celebration organised by the A m e ­ricana” Association o f University youth, in honour o f St. Emery, combined with conferen­ces of representatives of international Catholic Academic youth. — Children’s Day o f the „Pages o f the Sacred Heart” ; with the par­ticipation o f foreign children.

A ugust 19th . M o rn in g : Holy celebrated in the open air. F o ren o o n : Great Eucharistic Congress at the „Stadium” , with the participation o f our foreign guests, to be followed by special meetings o f eucharistic sections by nations, professions and pious organisations. A fte r ­n oo n : Procession on decorated steamboats on the Danube. The Papal Legate will carry the Blessed Sacrament on board a gala-boat, followed by those o f Hungarian and foreign pilgrims, and he will bestow his blessing upon the many thousands o f believers posted on both shores o f the Danube who will sing ecclesiastical hymns. Illumination o f the town, bridges, quays, and surrounding hills. — Rally of the Hungarian Athletic Club and of the Royal Hungarian Automobile Club.

A ugu st 20th . Consecrated to the m em o ry o f St. Stephen, first K in g o f H u ngary. — M o rn in g : General communion to the intention o f the Holy Father in every church o f Hungary. Plenary Indulgence is granted by the Holy

Father to all those who fu lfil the conditions prescribed. F o ren o o n : The traditional his­torical Procession, through the chief streets of the City, o f the „Holy Right Hand” , principal relic o f St. Stephen, first King o f Hungary. A t 1 2 a. m .: Celebration in honour o f St. Emery to be held by both Houses o f Par­liament. During these two days, on August 19th and 20th, the Holy Crown which is never shown to the public except on occasion o f the coronation ceremony, will be exposed in the Coronation Church in Buda.

A ugu st 2 0 — 2 3 . Meetings o f the Sodalities o f the Blessed Virgin with special sections for every foreign country.

A ugust 2 1 — 2 3 . World Conference o f Catholic Members o f Parliament, Students o f Inter­national Law and Editors.

A ugust 2 1 — 2 6 . International Catholic Social Week. International Catholic Literary Week. Each evening a conference will be held in a dif­ferent language.Holders o f „St. Emery Jubilee Tickets” are

entitled to exceptional facilities and great reducti­ons in visae, travelling expenses and hotel accom­modation. Visitors of the jubilee travelling in groups of at least 20 persons, will get the visa gratuitously; single travellers will have to pay one third of the usual visa-fee; holders of St. Emery Jubilee Tickets may pass the frontier without visa which they will ultimately get in Budapest, and they are also entitled to a reduction of 50J/o on the Hungarian railway- and steam ship-lines from the frontier to Budapest, and back, as well as from Bu­dapest to any two railway-stations in Hungary, and back. These tickets are available at the chief travell­ing Bureaus.

For detailed programmes and information apply to the Central Bureau: „E m ericu s-J u bileu m , ’ Buda­

pest.The official representatives o f the St. Emery

Committee for Great Britain are:The Catholic Association o f Great Britain, Buckingham Street, Strand,London, W. C. 2.,

who will be pleased to give any information re- ouired.x

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Royal Hungarian State Iron-, Steel andMachine Works

B u d a p e s t , X . , K o b a n y a i - u t 21 .

One of the most important factors of the iron industry of Hungary are the Royal Hungarian State Iron, Steel- and Machine Works, which comprise under one management the Royal Hungarian State Machine Factory of Budapest and the Royal Hungarian State Iron- and Steel Works of Diosgyor.

The Royal Hungarian State Machine Factory of Budapest, which since 1870 has been the property of the Hungarian Treasury and now employs about 3550 workmen, has four principal branches of manufacture, i. e. the construction of locomotives, the building of iron-bridge constructions, the manufacture of agricultural machines and the production of motor-cars. The factory is provided with a large iron- and metal foundry with modern equipment.

In the department for construction of locomotives there are made steam-locomotives and motor-locomotivcs of ordinary and narrow gauge, also steam-boilers, pressed frame-plates, wheel-pairs, wheel-frames and other locomotives, accessories, tenders and luggage-vans.

In the department of iron-bridge constructions there are made besides railway and ordinary bridges all sorts of iron constructions for cranes, bridge and over-ground work. The greater part of railway and high road bridges of Hungary were made in the Royal Hung. State Machine Factory at Budapest. To the most important manufactures belong the Danube-bridges in Budapest: „Erzsebet” and „Ferenc Jozsef” , the connecting railway- bridge of Budapest, and also several other railway and public bridges over the Danube and Tisza.

In the department for the manufacture of agricultural machines are made machines for agriculture which owing to their high quality have an excellent reputation not only our country but also in the Balkan states and in Italy, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, France, Russia and even in Asia and Africa.

In this department are made thrashing machines, steam, benzine, raw oil and sucking gaslocomobiles and motors, motorploughs ( ploughing-machines), street-rollers and road-sweepers, watering-cars and tractors.

In the department of motor-cars are manufactured motorbuses, camions, fire-brigade motorcars, motor watering-carts, road-sweeping carts and supplementary carts.

In the iron- and steel-foundry there are made various iron and metal castings: castiron tubes for aqueducts, „Jobbagy” stoves burning brown coal and other coal of inferior quality.

In the Royal Hungarian State Iron- and Steel Works at Diosgyor, the constructions of which was begun on its present site in 1868 and wdiich employs about 5400 workmen and 1300 miners, the most important works are the following: the Martinsteelworks, the rolling works, the blast fournace, the iron and steel foundry, the electro steelfournace, the forging and pressing works, the turning and tool works, the workshops for switches and crossing manufacture, the brick factory, the machine repairing and other auxiliary works.

In this factory are made all sorts of rolled articles, rails and their joining materia], switches, crossings and turn-tables, steel castings of Martin-, crucible and electro-steel, iron-castings, raw and worked, machines and shipsaccessories, pressed and forged, shafts, tires, rivets, screws, various steel tools and special tool and high speed steels of excellent quality, etc.

To the factory belong several browncoalmines and iron-mines and a sand-mine.The factories described above of the Royal Hungarian State Iron-Steel- and Machine Works are renowned

in distant countries, not only for the excellent quality of their products but also for the excellence of their institutions providing for the social wants of their employees.

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ROUND THEWORLDCRUISE

Countries of the six epochs that explain the world. . . Italy, Greece, Egypt, India, China, Japan. The four cities that round out the cosmopolite. .. Cairo, Calcutta, Shanghai, Peking. The two events that give the deepest thrill... Christmas in Bethle­hem, New Year’s Eve in Cairo, All made into a cruise so skilfully planned that you have 15 days in India and Ceylon, 16 days in China, 10 days through Japan. And still time for

Sumatra, Java, Siam, Formosa, and much else.AH the way in the best style the world affords. On land, de luxe special trains, finest available motor-cars, celebrated hotels. On sea, the Empress of Australia, a distinguished ship, 22,000 gross tons. . . with marble bath suited, spacious single rooms, Roman swimming pool. . . From Southampton, November 13.

From £ 448, including shore trips.

CANADIAN PACIFICW o r ld ’s G r e a t e s t T r a v e l S ys t emB A R O S S T ER 12 - B U D A P E S T — H U N G A R Y . 62 CHARING CROSS (TRAFALGAR SQUAREJ, LONDON, S. W.

BOOKING OFFICES IN ALL COUNTRIES.

Come for Three Days to Budapest

and you will stay here a fortnight.

Combined coupon booklets with reductions in the fares of the railway and steamer tickets and in the fees of the visas. — First

class services, throughout.

Board and lodging, according to choice, in any of the hotels and restaurants marked in the list. — Sightseeing. Bath.

All tickets of entry and all tips.

Price of the coupon-booklet: Pengos 80.—

(Hotels on the Danube Embankment: Pengos 100.—)

Issued :by the Official Ticket Office of the Royal Hungarians State

Railways,

BUDAP ES T , V„ VI GADO,and may be obtained at all travelling agencies of importance.

■iiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiimilliiiiiiimmiiiimiiiiimhiiiiii

I Dr. ERTL’s || Surgical and

E plastical Sanatorium E

1 THOKOLY-UT 86, BUDAPEST

1 ^ 1

| C h ief Surgeon:

f Dr. JOHN ERTL §= D ocent o f the University

I o f Budapest =

.. ..............................................................................a

1 2 3

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lecturers.June 1—28.: Representative Exhibition of all branches of Hungarian Plastic Art, in the Art-Gallery. June 3—9.: (Withsuntide.) International Congress of the Protection of Industrial Rights.June 4—8.: European Boxing-Championship.

June 8—9.: Congress of the International Football Association.June 8—9.: Championship Dog-Show.June 12—July 2.: Great International Polo-Meeting.June 18—20.: Congress of Bread-Factories.June 22.: Varosliget Motor-Cycle races; Grand Prix.June 29.: Guggerhegy Races (Automobiles and motor-cycles).In the second Half of June: The races of the Hungarian Jockey Club on the Budapest races-course:

Benjamino Gigli, Maria Jeritza, Marcel Journet, etc.Races of the Pest-District Racing-Club Megyer.Trotting-Races on the Budapest Trotting Race-Course.Spring-Meeting of the Hungarian Polo Club.National horse-races on the permanent race-course at the Stud-Market.International Golf Tournament on the Svabhegy golf-links.International and Championship Regattas.The Bathing Season begins in the Budapest Thermal Baths, in the Strand- and Wave-Baths, in the baths

on the Danube and at the Lake Balaton.

Continuation of the S. Emerich-Year Festivities.In the First Days of July: world Congress of Catholic Pedagogues and Popular Education.July 15.: (about): International Catholic Social week.July 17.: S. Ladislaus Celebration, at Gyor, Pilgrimage to Pannonhalma. National fair in Tihany, with

J U L Y .

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August 20.: S. Stephen’s Day: The procession of the Holy Right-Hand, in the Citadel, on the ring- boulevards, and the Andrassy-Road, attended by the notables of the country, in Hungarian gala-dress.

Placing of the Holy Right-Hand on the Memorial-Stone of Heroes, in front of the Millenium Monument. The Holy Hungarian Crown presented to the public gaze in the Budavar S. Mathew’s Church.August 20.: at noon, the S. Emeric Festival of the two Houses of the Hungarian Parliament in the

Cupola-Hall of the Parliament-Building.Patriotic festivities throughout the day, and in the evening a display of fire works on the Gellert mount. The City, the Buda mountains and the bridges will be illuminated, and on the Danube will be a proces­

sion of gala-ships and boats bearing Bengal lamps.August 20.: the Festival Meeting of the Hungarian Jockey-Club the S. Stephen’s Prize.International Sporting-events in Budapest: Athletic contests, International Water polo Matches, Polo-Matches

on the S. Margaret Isle, Horse-races.Gala performances in all the Budapest theatres.Popular festivals, attractive entertainments, processions, amusements, etc. everywhere within the bounds

of the city.Exhibition of the Products of Hungarian Industry.August 20.: Assembly of Catholic Farmers on the Vermezo, of Catholic Industrialists in the Hall-of

Industry, of Catholic Workmen in the Tattersall, and the Festival of Catholic Mothers on the S. Margaret Isle. August 20—23.: International Congresses of Missions.August 20—23.: International Gathering of Maria Congregations.August 20—23.: Assembly of the Unio Cleri pro Missionibus.August 31—23.: International Assembly of Catholic Physicians.August 21—23.: World-Convention of Catholic International Jurists, Politicians and Editors.August 22.: National Gathering of the Anti-Duel League.August 25—28.: International Catholic Literary Week.August 7— 13.: International Congress of Astronomers.Hungarian-German, Hungarian-American Swimming-Contests, European and American sprinting-relays, and

other international Swimming- and Waterpolo Matches.International Regattas on the Danube.

S E P T E M B E R .September 1—6.: Davis-Cup Matches and other International Tennis-Matches, on the S. Margaret Isle. Various International Congresses in Budapest:September 8—14.: Congress of Architects, etc., etc.September 21.: Svabhegy Automobile Races.After-Season in the Metropolitan Baths and at the Balaton.The Winter-Theatre Season begines in the Metropolis.Hungarian Championship-sports of the Hungarian Athletic Association.International Golf-Matches on the Svabhegy golfs-links.National Riding-Tournament on the permanent race-course at the Live-stock Market.Races of the Hungarian Jockey-Club, on the Budapest race-course.Great Obstacle- and Hurdle-Races of the Pest-District Racing Club, and the Amateur Riders’ Associ­

ation, at Megyer.Trotting Race, on the Budapest Trotting race-course.International Tennis-Tournaments.

O C T O B E R .Foreign players, acting as guests, in the Budapest theatres.Continuation of International Congresses.Autumn Race-Meeting in Budapest, great Obstacle- and Hurdle-Race in Megyer; Hound- and Hunting

Races in the vicinity of the Metropolis.International Football-Matches; Athletic Sports.Autumn Meeting of the Hungarian Polo Club.Trotting Races, on the Budapest Trotting Race-Course.

N O V E M B E R .Exhibitions of Pictures in the National Saloon and in the Ernst Museum.Theatre-Premieres and the beginning of the Budapest Concert-Season.Obstacle- and Hurdle-Races of the Pest-District Racing Club, in Megyer.Hound- and Hunting Races.International Football-Matches.Opening of the Budapest Artificial-Ice Skating-Rink.

D E C E M B E R .Interesting Theatre- and Opera-Performances.Concerts, Picture-Exhibitions and other Art-events.Beginning of the Winter Season on the Budapest Artificial-Ice and great skating-rinks; also Ski-ing and

Toboganning in the Budapest mountain district.The Winter Tennis-Season begins in the covered Tennis-Courts, in Budapest.Last Riding-Tournament of the year, in the Hall of the National Riding-Club.

125