Hungarian Church Press, 1949 (1. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)

1949-10-16 / 13. szám

ue 13.

Neglecting the lower classes, serfs, gentries, united all their forces towards the conversion of the noblemen. Religious disputes were carried on with Protestant preachers and very many polemic essays were published, Similarly to the Protestants they established printing-presses. They did not merely put up with regaining the noblemen but they were also anxious to keep them. To that and excellent schools were started for the youth of the lords and the nobilities. As serfs were compelled to follow the religion of their squires, public instruction was also neglected."

In connection with the religious war of Gábor Bethlen the book writes the following:

"In xhe Western European countries of Europe the Reformed Church did not stand under the leadership of a bishop, but of elders chosen from among the church-members. Even a poor could become an elder. In Transylvania they refrained frpm introducing the system of elders,lest some serfs might also have a share in the management of the village congregation. Whát would have it led to?!

"Our serfs would be our teachers: and even more than that, they would be our judges at the Ecclesia and we would have to follow them*

The serf-elder would even proclaim the transgressions of his master, and a nobleman would be rebuked or preached against. Then again the nobleman would reproach the serf-elder and deal with him that even others might learn by it, - many awkward confusions might ensue of it I - declared the noblemen.

The Transylvanian adherents of the system of elders, John Apáczai Cseri, the first Hungarian philosopher, who'worked his way up from serfdom, was banished from Gyulafehérvár by emperor George Rákoczy II*

/1648-1660/ because ox his democratic ideas. Apáczai taught at the academy of Kolozsvár. He proclaimed, that a poor has just as much right to learn as the rich, and he wanted to introduce free schooling without charge, from public schools up to high schools. He suffered many persecutions and slightings, and died as a young man in great misery.

To close with, let us bring the following part about the Catholic Erancis Rákoczy II.:

"Rákoczy though being a faithful Catholio did not spare those teachers, who wanted to make use of the school in order to break the unity of the Hungarian nation by inciting religious differences in the interest of the Court of Vienna. In his memoirs he turned most sharply against the priests, under German influence. He' writes of them:

"Our chaplains gave up instucting the youth, especially since the Viennese Government, for the Hungarian Jesuits, being under their Austrian masters, were eager to poison the youth with hatred against the adherents of Luther and Galvin.*,, Even the better part of the priest were in the wrong belief, thinking that the Austrian Government is the only safegard for the Catholic religion..."

Otherwise the mohistic orders mostly sympathised with the war of independence and many monks took an active part in the fight of the Hungarian people. The Hungarians of the Benedictines, Eranciscans, Premonstrants, jdined the national cause and the Paulicians were even represented at the parliament of Onod /June 1707/. It was at that parliament where the Kurucz declared the dethronement of the Habsburg dynasty

Hungarian Church Press