Magyar Hírek, 1988 (41. évfolyam, 1-22. szám)
1988-03-18 / 6. szám
1 “Encounters in Helvetia” by Ádám Balázs in our previous issue is of exceptional interest for two reasons. First of all because it clearly and logically elucidated how well the system of linguistic equality works in the Swiss practice: people speaking German, French, Italian or Rhaeto- Roman can not only freely use their native idiom, and study, better themselves and develop a culture closely linked with it, but every citizen of Switzerland also has the right to use any of these languages on official business. They can use their native language without any restriction in their dealings with administrative bodies and in the courts. I can personally vouch for that since in the course of collecting material for a book of mine, which is in the press, I paid particular attention to this subject and spent much time in the Canton of Graubünden, where the ratio of people speaking Rhaeto-Roman as their first language is the smallest— ánd therefore the most vulnerable. Having learnt of their anxieties and problems (for such things are present even in Switzerland) I reached the conclusion that the kind of linguistic pluralism realised in Switzerland was the best solution for all concerned in the intricate ethnic composition of Eastern Central Europe. It is best for the ethnic minorities, which are helped and supported in the use of their native language and ift the development of their culture with the result that their ties with their common country increase their consciousness of being Swiss. The Swiss practice is the living denial of the “obsession of one stateone language” Ádám Balázs argues. There are several other good examples to show that this linguistic pluralism which benefits everybody, can be achieved not only under the special Swiss conditions. Thus, for instance, the Canadian Mosaic Principle in the spirit of which the state assists in the preservation and development of the native language and cultural identity of minorities including immigrants. Unfortunately—I must add—there is an example of the opposite in neighbouring Rumania. In the rest of the article Ádám Balázs wrote about encounters with Hungarians in Switzerland. The head of the manuscripts department of the Zentralbibliothek of Zurich made possible for him to look at a letter written by a preacher from Hungary sent to the galleys who returned to Hungary with his fellow preachers after the Dutch Admiral de Ruyter of Holland freed them from captivity. Professor Szabolcs de Vajay, the genealogist and medievalist discussed the reason why the cross became titled on the Holy Crown of Hungary. He argues that the original cross was lost in the 16th century and the bore-hole of the new cross made then did not fit accurately into the place of the old one that is the reason for the tilt. Where stuffed cabbages are an exam question As many as three articles in our previous issue discussed Hungarian catering. The heading of László Garami’s article refers with gentle irony to the fact that students of the Catering college may be examined on the momentous question of stuffed cabbages. Dr Judit Szennyessy the head of the College, emphasises the practical character of training which produces sound results. Graduate students can be immediately employed in various specialised fields of the catering industry. In order to ensure versatility, students receive practice in food preparation, serving and other hotel jobs at the Budapest Erzsébet Hotel. They also learn foreign languages and add polish to their training in West German, Austrian and British hotels and restaurants. While young Hungarian people in the catering business get practice abroad about eight to ten young caterers from other countries are given similar opportunity in Hungary. “We would be particularly happy to have young people of Hungarian descent amongst these guest students” —says Dr Judit Szennyessy “so that they can learn Hungarian cooking on the spot”. Dr Károly Szerdahelyi, deputymanager of the Meat Industry Research Institute was interviewed by Domonkos Kabai about the flavour of Hungarian food. Being mildly hot and flavoured with some specific seasonings is part of the character of Hungarian dishes—said Dr Szerdahelyi—who also admitted that Hungarian cooks were traditionally more generous with the use of fats and sugar, than was usual in the Western world. Ancient customs, however, do not imply the absence of change. Serious efforts are made by Hungarian research institutes, food manufacturers and restaurateurs to offer food and drink conforming to the general standards of our days as well as to the requirements of modern hygiene. Balázs Draveczky, curator of the Hungarian Commercial and Catering Museum writes on the collection of the museum. This increased in time with documents, objects and a special library and has functioned in its current form since 1966. The poster collection of the museum in Fortuna utca, in the Castle district of Buda includes the best Hungarian posters from the turn of the century to our days. The exhibition “Hungarian commerce in the first half of our century” shows—among other things—an old general store complete with the original equipment. The museum obtains numerous objects and documents from other countries. Most recently a blue cake platter was donated by someone in Holland, and descendants of old trading and catering families now abroad send photos and various objets. On the recommendation of the museum the equipment of twentynine restaurants and eleven shops was partly or wholly declared a protected monument. The maintenance of these is the responsibility of the museum. Commemoration of the 15th of March 1848 Being published on the Ides oj March this issue endeavours to recall in articles and pictures the memory of events one hundred and forty years ago, which began on the 15th of March 1848 when the people of Budapest led by Sándor Petőfi, Mór Jókai, Dániel Irányi, Pál Vasvári and the other “young men of March” carried out—in spite of the censorship rules in force—the printing of the “Twelve Points” that summed up the demands of the nation, and of the National Song, a revolutionary poem by Petőfi. They also freed some political prisoners after which the king sanctioned the laws effecting a reform passed by the Hungarian Diet. Soon afterwards the nation was forced to take up arms to defend itself against the Emperor. The struggle led by Lajos Kossuth could only be broken by the overwhelming force of the Russian army called in by the Habsburgs. The Hungarians were forced to lay down their arms at Világos in August 1849. Klara Zika’s writing recalls Áron Gábor, one of the legendary personalities of the Revolution, the story of the joiner and Jack-of-all-trades, who became a gunsmith and the or-A book about Hungary. Louis Nagel—a famous Hungarian in Switzerland— whose guides are worldwide known THE YtGEL TRAVEL GLIDE SERIES HUNGARY IV - 172 pages I folding map of Hungary I folding map of Budapest ganizer of the Hungarian armaments industry. Áron Gábor started to cast ordnance, in spite of apprehensive military leaders, relying on an enthusiastic decision of a mass-meeting convened at Sepsiszentgyörgy. He established a whole chain of arms workshops in the towns and villages of Transylvania. The people of the Székely country supplied a total of three hundred and thirteen bells and the seventy guns cast from these enabled the Hungarian army to resist the superior forces of the enemy. The fact that the united Austro-Russian forces had a hundred and twenty field pieces in June 1849 places the feat of Áron Gábor in the proper perspective. The artillery of Áron Gábor forced back the enemy for the last time on the 2nd of June 1849 in the area of Uz and Kökös. The legendary gunsmith received a mortal wound in that battle. József Hegyi writes about the 1848—49 Red-Cap Batallion. He begins his article with a description of a relief on the wall of the Calvinist college of Sárospatak, the work of Ferenc Medgyessy. It shows studentsoldiers of Sárospatak loading a field gun without removing their calf-skin knapsacks, perhaps in preparation of the capture of Buda Castle. Having heard of the Pest revolution of the 15th of March the students of the Sárospatak College immediately began to organize and eventually formed a National Guard batallion headed by their teachers. Members of this batallion wore red caps, while other National Guardmen went blue-capped. The P,ed Caps fought right through the war and when they came under the command of General János Damjanich, one of the outstanding officers of the National Army, they played an important role in the decisive battles of the spring campaign of 1849 After the Russian intervention in the summer of 1849 student-soldiers of Sárospatak retreated to their homecounty, Zemplén. That was where they fought their last battle. They beat back the enemy, but that could not change the final tragic outcome. The past and the present meet in two articles of this issue: László Garami writes about Pákozd, how the township lives and remembers, in the outskirts of which one of the important battles of the early phase of the 1848/49 Revolution took place. It was there that the hastily organized Hungarian National Army stopped and put to flight the army of the Imperial General Schlick. Tibor Müller writes about the young people of today: how do they remember March 1848? Their words reveal that the great effort the nation produced to be free and European vividly influences and inspires them to action today. ZOLTÁN HALÁSZ 29
