Technikatörténeti szemle 19. (1992)

KÖNYVISMERTETÉS - Papers of the First „MINERALKONTOR” International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Veszprém, 12-16 August, 1991)

Hungarian freemasonry. A very important and long part of the declaration deals with etnic minorities. It sais that the majority has to honour and assure the rights of minorities, but minorities have to learn the language of the state, too. In those epoch the vice chief master of the lodge was already dr. Rudolph Fabinyi. This declaration already reflects the new mentality of the lodge. This was connected with the name of dr. Rudolph Fabinyi, who became the chief master in 1903, on the 9th of February. He held this task until 1918. Dr. Rudolph Fabinyi came from a religious evangelic family from the Northern part of Hungary (belonging now to Czecho-Slovakia). His father was a landowner and merchant. Rudolph Fabinyi was born is Jolsva on the 30th of May, 1849. He finished his studies in chemistry at the university of Budapest. After some studytours in West he began to work in the university of Budapest. Fabinyi was appointed professor of chemistry to the new university of Kolozsvár in 1878. He founded there the first chemical journal in Hungarian language. He iniciated the building of chemistry of the university of Kolozsvár. The building was constructed after his plans and he designed also its equipments. Rudolph Fabinyi announced himself at the lodge „Unió" in the year of its foundation, in 1887. He had several friends among the members of the lodge. They voted about his acceptance on the 7th of January, 1888 and organized a special festival for recepting Fabinyi as a new member of the lodge. The great master of Hungarian freemasonry appeared to make the ceremony. He traveled very often to the capital, being the founder and first president of the Association of Hungarian Chemists (1907). On the other hand his person heightened the reputation of the lodge, so they elected him to represent the lodge in the land-assembly of Hungarian freemasonry. Freemasons used to be conferred into some ..degrees", depending on their deeds and knowledge about freemasonry. Fabinyi was conferred into 2nd degree on the 9th of February, 1889 and into the 3rd one, being the highest in the 13th of January 1892. He was elected vice-chief master on the 27th of February, 1892. He got this job several times, when Count Ladislaus Teleki was the chief master. He became the chief master on the 9th of February, 1903. Fabinyi had a special oratorical talent. He was one of the most eminent orators in Hungary. The members of the lodge knew it as well, as the students of the university. It was always a solemn occasion, when he held a speach. He never made any affort to play a chief role. He prefered to direct his companions in the. lodge from the background, with his lordly behaviour. He was the chief master of the lodge for 15 years. The working motor of the lodge was not himself. He was helped by Stephen Apáthys, world famous hystologian, enthusiasm, and by other well-known persons of Hungarian science. They continued the humanitarian activity of the lodge, but a special atmosphere of protestantism, that of Rudolph Fabinyi's convinction determined this period of the lodge. The later chief master of the lodge, the literature historian: Elemér Jancsó named this period of the lodge „the most substantial one". One of his first deeds as the chief master, was to give a big sum for supporting the Hungarian reformated church and school, which was situated in the town of Braila in old Roumania. The lodge helped the national and religious ambitions. In those days the protestant priests and teachers of the protestant schools