Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-06-11
FREELAND, PENN'A, JUNE IL, 1896
Hungary's Millennium.

Inasmuch as the Hungarian residents
of Freeland, through one of their organ
izations, have taken up the question
of appropriately celebrating the one
thouSandth anniversary of the eStab-
liShmcnt of their native country as
nation, the following editorial, from
Tuesdays Philadelphia Inquirer, may
enlightcn many of our other citizens in
regard to this matter. Americans, as a
whole, are prone to look upon this race
as lowly and despsed people, but the
communication published today on our
first page, with the information contain
ed below, should obtain for them in this
vicinity the respect and credit which is
due the MagyarS from every civilized
Christian country in the world. The
Inquirer says:
lit is estimated that twenty thousand
American tourists will this summer visit
the Mllennal Exposition of Hungary at
budapest. Nothing more interesting
and attractive could be visited in Eu-
rope, for the exposition is assuredly one
of the greatest displays of the triumphS
of human progress that have been made
in this century. 1t may, of course, be
said that nation with thousand years
of history should by this time have
reached high stage of development
but, on the other hand, it must not be
forgotten that for centuries the country
was torn and devastated by the fierce
wars waged over it by Austriaus and
Slavs, Turks and Poles. and that it had
hard and continuous struggle to main
tain its existence as Il buffer state be-
tween the Moslcm and the Christian
world
There is no people in Europe around
whom more romance clusters than the
MagyarS. For centuries they were bold
warriors, whose deeds of bravery llumin-
ed the pages Of history; they have had
their poets, their painters, their muSi-
clans and their statesmen; and yet when
they first sought refuge in Europe they
were ASiatic nOmadS rude and barbar-
Gus. But even then they showed their
forceful and masterful qualities. There
were races more numerous than theirs
around them, and yet their virlity was
such that they imposed upon their
neghbors their customs and language,
their authority and Institutions.
1T is true that when they fought for
Independence they were ovcrpowcrcd by
Austria and Russia. But although Kos
suth and his associates failed to achieve
their country's freedom the end of their
struggle left the realm Of Austria-lIun-
gary ruled by the House of IIapsburg SO
weak and torn asunder that the only
way by which it could be made strong
and enduring was by giving the Mag
yarS nearly all that they had fought for.
Today they number eight million peo-
pie; they are really the masters of an
equal and independent Kingdom, their
influence is yearly increasing and they
completely dominate country Of more
than seventeen million inhabitants.
"A millennial exposition such as that
of Hungary is an object lesson, not
simply to students of history. but to all
who are interested in human progress
and in the development of free insttu-
tions. The fact, too, as to the unccr-
tainty of the succession to the empire
over which Francis Joseph rules, makes
the progress of the Hungarian Kingdom
unusually interesting at this iuncturc.
A people like the Magyars may yet be-
come one of the greatest forces Of ciyili-
cation in Europe"