Siklódi Csilla szerk.: Sport Anno (A Sportmúzeum Kincsei 1. Budapest, 1993)

Vermes Lajos a „gáncsos lovag" (Siklóssy László)

L^jos Vermes, the blameworthy hnighí LAJOS VERMES, an allround athlete of the 1880ies was the most characteristic sportsman of his age. Though his activity is variegated by curious facts, he is the most enthusiastic propagandist of sports. If I have to characterize Lajos Vermes in three lines, though it is almost impossible to do it, I would describe him as follows: Who is this man, the most funny one among the funny people? Is he a character or a type? Is he Don Quijote or baron Munchausen, or János Háry? is he saint or mad? Is he a genious or a lunatic? Is he a hero or a clown? We have to increase the number of the comparisons but it will not do too much good for Lajos Vermes. In comparison with count Móric Sándor or the two ,,wandering patriots'', Wesselényi and Kendeffy, Vermes cannot keep up with them. Nevertheless the word „simile" can be used. There is no doubt that count Móric Sándor was Vermes's ancestor on horseback. From the two of them he is the hero. Vermes is the parody. Let us change Móric Sándor's horses with high rattling wheels and we can get Vermes. They both do not know impossibility and they are capable of doing everything mad in favour of their sports. As we mentioned above Vermes was the most enthusiastic propagandist of sports in Hungarian sportshistory. We have to prove this statement. But how could we do it knowing that among the canvassers of sports we can find count István Széchenyi, Tivadar Bakody, Elek Matolay, count Miksa Esterházy, Lajos Molnár? How can Vermes be the member of this company, where well-founded knowledge, a wide intellectual horizon, determined and great gestures, selfknowledge and modesty are the determining characteristics. And aoove all the ability to count with the reality of life. How can Saul get amongst the prophets? How can this confused and unrealistic person get to this company? The big difference between Vermes and these great personalities can be seen at the first sight. The latters wanted to obtain faithful for their ideas using their mind. Though sports played important role among their thoughts, they also dealt with other things, and they could enthuse over other things. Vermes was enthusiastic about only sports. Those grater and more healthy souls, above being a propagandist of sport, could become founders of them with less energy than Vermes used for the same goal. Lege artis they planted huge oak-tree, in the shadow of which we can relax. We can read about Vermes's foundations but we do not feel the same as thinking about the oak-trees. Lajos Vermes was an agitator who did not care about the reality of life. The whole man is a great enthusianism-hypertrophia, who is running along the roads of life as a flaming torch to propagate the glory of sports. And at the same time to propagate the glory of himself, the holder of the torch, his fatherland, in a wider sense Hungary and in a narrow sense Szabadka, Palics and Nagybudafalva. Here is the middle of the world. This is the place where world records fall while one is drinking coffee. He is successful personally and he is able to attract people. People are flocking to Palics. Thousands of people watch at the games. The newspapers report in big articles on the sports events. People go on pilgrimage to Vermes. Vermes is honoured. Vermes is invited and waited for. Sometimes eithout any result. When he appears, new sportsmen gather around him. He sets a good example. He has got more than a hundred medallions. And he uses the sparkle of the medals for new mass-suggestion. He must have told the old saying that „a sound mind in a sound body" many times, but we can hardly believe that his mind was healthy. The Vermes-mistery has to be written by a psychiatrist. Though Vermes did not have a ,,sound mind" he was the greatest propagandist of sports. So let us write some words about this sportsman of a hundred percent. Let us get acquainted with his virtue and his sins.