Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/75

Protestant gymnasium in Turč. Sv. Martin. The school of Báňská Bystřice was now completely Magyarized. Similar procedure was applied to elementary schools, and particularly since the enactment of Apponyi’s law of 1907 the last non-Magyar elementary schools were endangered, nay doomed.

What language can characterize properly Magyar robbery of the funds collected by the Slovak Cultural Society? And what about the closed doors of the Budapest parliament against all non-Magyar deputies? As late as 1875 there were 24 deputies for nationalities elected. It was a ridiculously disproportionate number, for the House had 413 members (not including representatives for Croatia), and the Magyars were a minority in the country. But even a slight representation was not pleasing to the Magyars. In 1887 the elections were conducted under such pressure from the officials that only Magyar candidates were elected, and Slovaks and Roumanians decided on passive resistance, maintaining it till the elecsive resistance, maintaining it till the elections of 1896. In 1901 four Slovaks were elected, in 1905 only two, in 1906 seven; in proportion to their numbers they should have had about fifty. In 1910 the nationalities suffered a serious reverse; Slovaks lost three deputies, Serbians all and Roumanians ten.

History knows no other nation to oppress so barbarously citizens using a different tongue. The Magyars in their megalomania proclaimed as their mission the spreading of Magyar culture among the barbarous nationalities of central and southern Europe. The world asks in vain what the culture is, since it contains nothing original, but only elements borrowed from the more advanced European nations. But the Magyar was convinced that his nation is a nation of refinement and chivalry, chosen by God to play a great part in history; therefore a non-Magyar may count himself fortunate, if he is permitted to become a Magyar. This apotheosis of everything Magyar, this selfworship deprived the Magyars of all perception of truth and reality. From childhood on they were taught that Magyars are superior to non-Magyars, that they are born to rule and non-Magyars to serve. History of their pople was interpreted to them in a false light. And thus brought up the young man was sent out into the Magyar world which was filled with lies, injustice and oppression.

Magyar scholars take special pride in pointing to a thousand years of the Hungarian constitution or at least of the Hungarian state. To be a good Magyar you must believe it. And yet it is a historical lie, for even after their defeat in 955 the Magyars did not abandon their migratory life, and only since the reign of St. Stephen the beginnings of a settled life may be traced, due to severe measures of compulsion by the king. Where is the thousand year old constitution and state? But that never bothers a true Magyar; he has a different mentality than other Europeans, and it is useless to debate with him even the most elementary political questions. Although they have been nominally Christian for so many centuries, they have not got rid of their old paganism. They are still the same pagan nomads who in spite of their small number held in severe slavery the native population of their conquered territory. Like the Huns and Avars of old they are settled in the centre of Hungary and hold by terror, or rather did before the monarchy was broken up, the nations living around them. Nay, they even dreamed of “Nagymagyarorszag” (Greater Hungary) which would govern Balkan countries also. This was the plan of Paul Hoytszy and this was the policy pursued by the Magyars in the Balkans which shares responsibility with the Germans for the world war.

Magyar megalomania fed on results it achieved. At the beginning of the 19th century Magyars formed 30 per cent of the population, less than a third. This proportion was not changed until the introduction of dualism. Even in 1869, when the population of Hungary with Translvania was found to be 13,700,000, the number of Magyars was estimated at 4,000,000. Magyar census of that day did not ascertain nationality, because the ministry was well aware of the fact that the figures would not correspond with Magyar claims. But in 1900 Magyars numbered 8,600,000 or 45 per cent of the population. Even if this number is artificially boosted, there is no doubt that Magyarizing efforts have succeeded in increasing the Magyar total. That is specially true of the last census of 1910, according to which there were found in Hungary 9,944,627 Magyars or 54 per cent of the total.

No doubt this number is exaggerated, but nevertheless it must be admitted that Magyars did form at least 40 per cent of the