Magyar News, 1990. november-1991. augusztus (1. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
1991-05-01 / 7. szám
COUNT STEPHEN SZÉCHÉNYI Recently our Hungarian community remembered theeventsofl848.We heard the stirring words of Sándor Petőfi. We sang the Kossuth notak. But one name is usually overlooked-Count Stephen Széchényi. The following short piece is an attempt to introduce or reintroduce our readers to this Hungarian patriot. “Many think that Hungary is a thing of the past; I like to believe its greatest achievements lie in the future.” Count Stephen Széchényi. One of the least known of the Hungarian patriots associated with the 1848 Hungarian Freedom Fight is Stephen Széchényi. We have all heard of Louis Kossuth and Sándor Petőfi, but very few people have even a minor knowledge of the man that Kossuth himself called the “Greatest among the Magyars.” This is a pity because he was truly an important character in the drama leading up to the events of 1848. To know why, we have to go back and look at his life. Stephen Széchényi was descended from a family that was raised to the nobility in the 17th century by Ferdinand II, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary. One would expect that once attaining such a status the family would disappear into the sheltered lifestyle of the nobility. On the contrary, from the start, the Széchényi family has provided the nation with leaders both religious and secular; bishops and court officials. Stephen Széchényi inherited a sense of service and duty from his forefathers. In him, however, theseattributes reach their zenith. One of the outstanding points about Széchényi is that he was active in the life of Hungary in significant ways long before his more famous contemporaries. Having grown up in the shadow of the court in Vienna, at first he did not have a very high opinion of Hungary. In his youth he thought Hungary was backward and old. He went so far as to actually think that it was a dying nation. Yet he came to love Hungary and its people. Actually, it was while he was still a young man, during the 1820s, that his lovehate relationship with Hungary began. This attitude was to stay with him throughout his life. In fact, this was the motivating force behind much of what he tried to do for the nation. For example, at the age of 34 he founded the Academy of Sciences because he despised Hungary's backwardness. He wished to bring it into the family of enlightened nations. It was because he traveled so extensively through Europe that he was able to focus on what was wrong with Hungary. He did not necessarily love Hungary for what it was. Rather, he loved Hungary for what he believed it could become. Therefore, as a member of one of the leading Hungarian families, which had branches in Austrian, Italian and other noble European families, he worked for change which was considered by many truly radical. While still a great landowner he spoke out for the serfs. In fact, he argued that all privileges be eliminated. Stephen Széchényi was a citizen of the world. Most of his life, before age 30, was spent abroad. He developed the habit of keeping a diary. His pages were written in German, sometimes Italian, French and even English. Surprisingly, very few of his thoughts were penned in Hungarian. Yet, when he became a member of the upper chamber of the Hungarian Diet, he was the first to deliver a speech in Hungarian. Further, we can mark the beginning of modem Hungarian political writing with his books. Szechenyi's remedy for Hungary was a mixture of reality and idealism. He was one of the first to recognize, as early as the Diets of 1825-27, that Hungary's salvation with not only the establishment of the Academy of Sciences, but also with pushing for shipping and navigation on the lower Danube river. He was instrumental in the building of the Suspension bridge which linked the two cities of Buda and Pest. This bridge, built by the Englishmen Adam and Tierney Clark, was a forerunner of many others like our own Brooklyn Bridge in New York. But it was Szechenyi's books which assure his place in Hungarian history. The poet John Arany in 1860 called Szechenyi's three major works, Hitel (Credit), Világ (Light), and Stadium (Stage), “a triple pyramid.” Not only did these works, written in the decades before the 1848 revolution, put into the Magyar idiom new political thoughts, they sounded the call to action for the Hungarian nation. These works also outlined the differences between Széchényi and his political rival Louis Kossuth. Kossuth was the first to admit the debt that the Hungarian nation owed to Széchényi, whose books raised up for the first time the idea that Hungary would have to be responsible for its own destiny. Kossuth did not disagree with this assessment The point of disagreement between the two patriots was in how this would have to be done. Széchényi saw Hungary's future closely tied to Austria. He advocated that Hungary take its future into its own hands but as a partner within the Austrian sphere of influence. He recognized the interdependence of Hungary's future with Austria's monarchy. He based this argument on the fact that Hungary was too weak and backward to achieve the needed reforms by itself. He felt that being cut off from the economic and political support of Austria would bring ruin to the nation. Széchényi was as fervent as Kossuth in his desire that Hungary fulfill its destiny. Whereas Kossuth searched for it apart from Austria, Széchényi advocated working from within the system. Kossuth's remedy was to discard the old system and form a new one, completely politically and economically separate from Austria. There is an irony and tragedy to be found in Stephen Szechenyi’s life. He was part of the establishment, yet he did not hesitate to ridicule both Francis Joseph and Austrian rule in the 1850s. He would be the hero of the newly emerging Hungarian political thinkers, and later be accused by these same people of holding on to outdated ideas and approaches. The tone of his writing, especially in his book Kelet Nepe, became ever more pessimistic. He warned against the disaster that he thought Kossuth's programs would bring. Perhaps the true tragedy of Szechenyi's life was that he was more admired and respected than loved. In a time when a man like Kossuth could inspire the people with his ideas, Széchényi mistrusted popular enthusiasm. He was a patriot, serving in the newly established government of CountLouis Batthyány in 1848, yet he was always the aristocrat at heart. I hope that I have shed some light on this interesting and complex man. Stephen Szechenyi's contributions to his nation were substantial and far-reaching. No one who wishes to truly understand the events of 1848 can ignore this patriot and national figure. Perhaps someday he will also be remembered in this country along with Kossuth and Petőfi! Rev. Dr. Anthony Szilágyi EUROPEAN NAIL SALON Judith Racz Anikó Kiss 16 Fiske St.Fairfield, CT 06430 Tel: 333-1468 William Penn Association Founded 1886 Fraternal Life Insurance and Annuities • 856 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 203/368-1851
