The Hungarian and Tralsylvanian Unitarians
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THE HUNGARIAN AND TRANSY LVANIAN UNITARIANS. SOME ACCOUNT OF THEIR COMPILED FROM VARICUS SOURCES BY M. LUCY TRGART. C LONDON : UNITARIAN CHRISTIAN FUBLISHING OFFICE, 5, FURNIVALSTREET, HOLBORX, E.C. =903* PREFACE. __e_ Unitarians of England and Transylvania have been contributed by those who took part in the Tour of 1901, with the exception of those by '- W Miss Fangh, Professor KovAcs, Mr. Erodi, Mr. :*" A Marshall, and an extract from The Inquirer. d P "t: G.. Some apology is needed for the order in which :.I 6% the articles occur, and also for the omission of any I detailed account of Mr. Steinthal's, Mr. J. J. Tayler's, l:! m. * rc I Messrs. Gordon and Chalmer's, Mr. Ierson's, and '7 vi PREFACE. b '.z' which might well be included in any subsequent publication. I must also acknowledge the great help I have received from my kind friend, Miss Emily Sharpe, " CONTENTS. at whose suggestion this compilation was under- and completed. M. L. TAGART. Preface . .. .. v * Visit of Rev. E. Tagart and his Daughter to Transyl- vania (M. L. Tagart) . ., .. Y Visit of Messrs. Ferencz and BuzogAny to England HAMPSTEAD,N.W. (Rev. T. L. Marshall) . .. 7 April 13th, 1903. Visit of Rev. J. J. Tayler to Transylvania (From The Inquirer) . .. 8 The Hungarian Tour (T. P. Spedding) The Fortress at D6va (T. Ward) . Torda (C. Ginever) . Toroczk6 (E. M. Davies) The Unitarian College at Kolozsvir . Professor KovAcs' Account of ditto . CONTENTS. I -' _ - i , S'8. PAGB' The Hungarian Tour (M. L. Tagart) . 38 ~ecdllections :ungarian Stud ents (Rev. T. List of Students . .. t gu~garian %nit arims, Hungarian Lady Students . .. Hungarian Music (Rev. W. Jenkin Davies) . Edited by MISS TAGART. , Hungarian ~ational.~nthems(Rev. E. Ceredig Jones) Opening of New Unitarian College at Kolozsvir Recollections of a Ksit to Tranylvania with my Father, the (E. Fangh) . Rev. E. TAGART,in I8,58. Letter from Toroczk6 (Five Signatures) . .. Geography, &C., of Hungary (Dr. Bela Erodi) . HE disturbed state of Europe and the Revolutions Approximate List of Dates, showing the Struggles for that took place in r 848 are still fresh in the recol- Religious Liberty . , . .. .. lection of some living persons, and not unknown to those of this generation. But it may be well to recall the reaction the after effects of the revolt against the petty tyranny of some of these governments, and the oppression of the aristocratic and privileged classes on the tillers of the soil, condemning them to a condition of serfdom. This was essentially the condition of Hungary at the time my father ,and I set out to visit it. Although the agitation of ICossuth, when he made such a profound impression on England, had ceased-he had retired to Italy an exile, and so had Pulszky, whom I so well remem- ber *in England-yet the fire still smouldered, the riven heart of the country still bled with unhealed wounds. On every side the civil war between the Hungarian races and B T'HUNGARUN UNITARIANS. Ic'El? E. TAGAKT'S VISIT. the Wallachs and Slovacs, incited by Austria and aided by 'By the advice of Mr. Paget my father arranged with his Russia, had left evidences of ravages, buildings unrestored, colleagues to take out thd money himself (about ~z,ooo), homes destroyed, fields untilled, roads unmended, and and parted from them early in August, 1858, never to meet the countenances of men were anxious and depressed ; them face to face again. One of the questions which but the spirit of the Hungarians was still unsubdued. interested my father the most was how to enable Hungarian Especially was this the case with the Unitarians of Tran- students to come over to Manchester College. He was sylvania, in their retired mountain valleys, in the towns prepared on his return to diess this, and to enable it to where dwelt the Szeklers, a proud race with ancestral privi- b3 carried out immediately. Bishop Ferencz and Mr. leges of equality, and in Klausenburg (now known by its Buzogany were the first to visit England in the following Hungarian name of I<olozsvAr), where the possession of year, but did not stay long enough to study at Manchester Unitarian college and church, with its bishop or president, College. At the time of our visit to Klausenburg hard.1~any date back to the Reformation. one could speak English or German, and the Latin used was "7g so different in pronunciation, and so unusual, that it was im- Mr. Paget, an old York college friend of my father's, . - who had married a lady of property, a Hungarian Baroness, possible to sustain a conversation. Class distinctions were "13 and had settled in Transylvania, kept writing to him about also very apparent, and the bishop and Unitarian ministers the exactions of the Austrian Government. From I 856 to did not take the position which they now maintain by superior I 858 these letters kept coming, describing how the Austrians culture, and hard work, and power to lead in the church, the hoped to suppress Unitarianism. He told of the continued town, and the neighbourhood. The powerful but elastic attempts that were made to oblige the Unitarian college 'organization of the Unitarian state-aided Church in Transyl- to increase the number of Professors and to raise their vania has enabled it to withstand persecution-all feeling salaries, under pain of extinction of the theological faculty. themselves members one of another, and answerable for the In this event the College would pass to secular purposes, triumph of what they believe to be truth, freedom of con- Roman Catholic doctrines would be taught, and the German science, and a living progressive faith. The devotion of language would be substituted for Hungarian. l ' &id')' such earnest men has not failed, and will have its effect on My father roused the Bri;tish and Foreign Unitarian Europe ; and the last act of my father's life was not in vain, Association to appeal throughout England and Ireland, but remains an unseen, indestructible inonument to his and America; in response there came in very handsome mzmory : " Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, contributions. In the meantime, the Unitarians of Hungary where moth and rust shall corrupt."-. '* were straining every resource to meet the demands ; they Travelling in 1858 was very arduous and slow, and had collected £1 3,000 ; peasants mortgaging their farms although the railway was open as far as Gross Wardein, up to one-eighth of their value tohontribute. the train would stop half-an-hour at each wayside station, THE NUNGARIAN UNITARIANS. MR. JOHN PAGET. 5 and all the passengers alight and converse. The heat was found Mr. Paget waiting for us with a cordial welcome. ' very great ; but the marvels of.the great. plain, the mirage, Once arrived at Mr. Paget'~house,. we were entertained illusions, water and villages on the horizon, disappearing for ten days in the most hospitable manner. The greatest as we .approached ; the great wells,. with L balanced pole contrast presented itself between the refined house, the standing high in the air, with long rope and bucket varied cultured talk, the wide, dusty streets, and the attached ; the herds of cattle and ponies, and, above all, almost savage-looking population of various races. the patient white oxen plodding along.with their enormous Mr. Paget was the best talker I have ever met, and horns and beautiful eyes, attracted our attention ; but most he laid himself out to entertain us. He seemed to have of all were we amused at the peasants and shepherds, lived three or four careers in one life-time-medical, grouped picturesquely at the stations, wearing the loose scientific, military, and now that of a landed proprietor. white trousers., hardly to be distinguished from petticoats. Mr. Paget and my father went over college experiences But, oh ! how tired me were, and how hungry before we at together, with stories of tutors, Dr. Wellbeloved, Mr. last reached Gross Wardein ! Entering the crouded inn, Xenrick, and fellow-students, amongst others James we were at first refused rooms, but: after a time we were bIartineau. I had llever seen my father more animated, shown to small, dirty rooms, the doors of which would not. or seeming in better health. He was full of interest, loclc. Then, asking in our best German for food, we were taking notes for a detailed reprt on his return. told we could not be served for hours. Almost fainting Mr. Paget told us much about the gipsies and his plan and in despair, .suddenly the music of a gipsy band broke for teaching and educating them. He told of all that he upon our ears. Instantly thrilled and revived, the music. hoped from the construction of the railway, the improved roused and electrified us, and all troubles were easily agriculture tending to bring the gentry together to strive borne. for a nobler state of society, and what an important part The night journey over the mountains to Klausenburp he thought Unitarians might play if they were better had to be made in a diligence-the scenery was weird and educated and stronger. All public meetings had been picturesque. Men and women, carrying their precious red suppressed, with the exception of those in connection with - boots, walked barefoot in their beautifully embroidered horse-racing, and liberals made use of this opportunity for , , white sheepskit? clothes. ~dreand there were grouped the discussioll of reform and progress. He loved to dilate family parties round the camp fire, resting for the night, upon the rich mineral resources of the country still un- l' with waggon and oxen alongside.