Magyar News, 2004. szeptember-2005. augusztus (15. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2005-07-01 / 11-12. szám
A Small Memento of Big Matters ERIKA PAPP FABER It's only two and a half inches long, half an inch wide. Meticulously carved, polished almost to a shine, a small memento of the tragedy of Trianon. It has survived the dismemberment of Hungary, a World War, the Communist deportations, 1956. Here it sits on my bookcase, a reminder of my Grandfather, Dr. Antal Papp, who carved it in a mental institution. No, Grandpa was of sound mind, very much so. As Director of the Internal Revenue Service in Kolozsvár, the capital of Transylvania before World War I, he had been keenly aware of the events that were swirling around him and the nation. He foresaw the Rumanian occupation of Transylvania, and transferred all available funds to Budapest before the blow fell. When the Rumanians occupied Transylvania, they immediately demanded that Grandpa hand over the monies to them. Of course he had nothing to give them by that time. Consequently, he was put on the list of people to be executed. Only the quick-witted action of the family doctor saved Grandpa's life. The doctor installed him in a mental hospital! To while away the time, Grandpa began to carve, and he carved this little salt spoon. I can imagine him sitting, whittling away at this small object in his hands, rubbing and polishing it, wondering all the while about the fate of his beloved Transylvania, his family and himself. A few months later, Grandpa was able to get out, and he and his family were reunited in Budapest. He is long since gone, of a stroke that spared him the further misery of the deportations. But his little salt spoon reminds me, even in 2005, of the great injustice perpetrated by the treaty of Trianon 85 years ago. . SOMETHI3VG MOnE ABOÜT TRIA3VOIV Over a thousand years ago the Conquest of the Carpathian Basin by the Hungarians took place. Here they established a strong nation helping out those in need around Hungary. This was interrupted by WW I. These artifacts you see on this page are from graves of Hungarians. Not people of today but those who were buried just about a thousand years ago. There is no question of who these silver and gold masterpieces belonged to. We specially picked these pieces from the many thousands, because these were unearthed in the lands that the Trianon Treaty took away from the Hungarian nation. This is just a sampling mostly found in Rumania, Slovakia, and at the southern countries. On the left, interestingly, is a silver cross that has a noticeable Christ figure on it. Though corrosion damaged it, one could even make out the halo above the head. At the bottom left are a pair of elaborate jewelry, unfortunately only a couple of gems are still in them. These are outstanding pieces of a culture the Hungarians enriched Europe with. Let us not forget also the sacrifice the Hungarians made protecting Europe from the Tartars and Turks.
