Fraternity-Testvériség, 1942 (20. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1942-02-01 / 2. szám
4 TESTVÉRISÉG AMERICA AND THE KOSSUTH ERA — Amerika és a Kossuth-korszak — LOUIS KOSSUTH’S VISIT TO PITTSBURGH - 1852 An address given at the 90th anniversary celebration, Stephen Foster Memorial Hall, University of Pittsburgh By DR. JOHN W. OLIVER Professor and Head of the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh Mr. Chairman, — and our distinguished guests. Your presence here tonight recalls to mind the visit that your distinguished patriot, Louis Kossuth, paid us 90 years ago this week. It is my privilege tonight to review for you, briefly, that visit of Louis Kossuth to this city. It occured 90 years ago this week, as I have said before. For ten days he was our guest; for ten days, Pittsburgh and Allegheny were stirred with excitement such as the people had not seen since the visit of the French General Lafayette, twenty-seven years before. It is well on an occasion like this, to remind ourselves briefly of the character of this great man. Our own Charles Sumner, in speaking of Kossuth, described him as “grandly historic, a living Wallace, a living Tell.” And Webster, in speaking of him said, “The world has waited for almost 1900 years to see his like.” Hungarian students are familiar with his life’s history. You recall his career. He grew up in the second quarter of the 19th century, when Europe was seething with political excitement. The absolute monarchs of central Europe were then waging their last wars. They were becoming desperate; democracy was in the air. The autocratic Metternich and his contemporaries knew that this period marked the beginning of the end. Then came the eventful year of 1848. In February, occured the French Revolution in Paris. In March the uprising in Vienna took place. Metternich was overthrown. The joy of the liberal Hungarians was unbounded. But it was only a moment. The following year Kossuth was captured while fleeing into Turkey. He was arrested and thrown into a Turkish prison. Here is where the United States found Kossuth in 1851. Can you picture a better setting for the dramatic entrance of Kossuth? His exploits had gripped the immagination of that day. A brilliant, dramatic liberal. A crusader for democracy, — now an exile, in a foreign land. He was lying in a prison in Turkey. Surely, if “Young America” ever had a Divine mission to perform, here was her opportunity. Kossuth must be liberated. The United States, acting with Great Britain, called upon the Sultan of Turkey, re-
