The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-03
MAURUS JOkAI.
ADVENTUROUS CAREER OF THE
HUNGARIAN WRITER.
A Revolutionist, A Journalist, "A
Politician and a Novehst--das
Personal characteristics.

Maurus Jokai, the famous Hungar-
ian novelist whose works are only now
beginning to be fairly we'll known IN
English, is a striking example OF
man who has not to look beyond the
borders of his own country to ma thou-
sands who hold him in affection ana
honor and the intensely patrlotlc
people Of Hungary, whose enthusiasm
for great man of their own race
whether he be revolutonlSt, ike
Kossuth; a musician, like Franz Llszt'
a painter, like Munkacsy; a poet, IKE
Alexander Petofi, or writer Oh prose-
as in this instance, is always quickly
aroused and loyalty maintained nave
unusual and abundant reason 1or loFe
and gratitude to Jokai. His daring
and self sacrificing services TO MS
struggling country in its revolution OIL
.1S4S and 1919, and his political acnleVe-
ments during the last forty years III
which he has been continuously a mem
Der of the Hungarian Parliament, nave
alone been sufficient to appeal power
fully to the nation, while as q WRITER
in which capacity he is best KNOWN 10
the outside world, he stands with the
record of having almost alone hdVihS
practically created new literature ioi
Hungary at a time when us GU oiie
had. through the turbulent years Wnlcn
followed the revolution and the dlsIaVor
which the Magyar tongue founo Win
the Austrian Government, become ID
most extinct. -,
MauruS Jokai, as he IS geheraliy
called. or Jokai Nor. according 10 the
Hungarian custom of placing the sur
name first was born in 1870 at NJ
morn, a town on the Danube, ABOUT
fifty miles northwest of Budapest. HIS
father, a lawyer, was a strict GAVIN
list. and came of an old ana exceiieh'
family The name, it may pc interest,"
ing to note was originally spelleu 1o-
kay, but Maurus, when he became loeii-
titled as he did when still very young
with a party which stood Tor iipertS
and equality, dropped the mai
mark of nobility in Hungary
substituted "i'' in its place. BEFORE ne
was II years old he was left an or
phan. and the change in his clrcum :
stances obliged him to leave schooi al
fPresburg, where he had been STUDYING
German, and to be his own teachei
itbaresfter for about three years. In
1910. when Is, he went to the Hlgn
school at Papa. and two years later to
that at Keckskemet- At both Oh 'hese
institutions he had for schoolmate
and constant companion AieAaiiuei
Petofi. destined soon to become the I'M
passioned young poet as well as SUI
.dier of the revolution, and to lose MS
life before that conflict was ended
AT FIRST A LAWYER.
After leaving the High School Joha,
studied law. but although he completed
his course ard was admitted to the par
lie never cared for the profession aile
practiced only a short time. HIS tastes
were strongly literary, and even before
the breaking out of the war he had De
cunle editor of weekly newspaper III
Rucapest Early in 1913 ne was oiie
or the prominent leaders or the reVoiu
ticnary party. On March 10Th Oh INA
year he and Petofi took their first actlVe
rart in the struggle by putting them-
selves at the head of force composer
chiefly Of newspaper men ana stuushts
AMI pushing their way into the IortresS
Of Puda Their purpose in THIS was tii'7
liberation of John Tancsics, a journal
list. who had been imprisoned TOT MS
POLITICAL articles in behalf of HunSari al
independence, and who. While in prison
had become ccnsumptive and pllho.
.IOisai the frSL 10 eIlti tiiC NaPei'c
cell broke his chains and carried MN
out in triumph. Once outside, Jokaa
took Tancsics by the hand, and, 1ol-
lowed by the enthusiastic crowd, leo
him to- the Grand Square in front OF
the Muse UNI of Budapest. There, upon
a temporary platform, Jokai read the
famous Twelve Paragraphs" These
emnooied the demands of the Magyar
nation for the restoration of their an
Gent constitution. and called upon the
Austrian Government to grant them al
once the liberty which was their r1ght.
The proclamation created intense ex-
citement and Jokai, carried through the
streets en- the shoulders of his followers,
reeited aloud the lines of Petofi's finest
revolutionary song, 'Talpra Magyar
UTp. TIP, MagyarD This outbreak was
the real beginning of the revolution.
A FOLLOWER OF KOSSUTH.
In the same year, 1S4S. Jokai married
Rosa Laborfalvi, who was then famous
and is still remembered as the greatest
actress of tragedy that Hungary has
PRODUCED. She was thirteen years
older than her younger husband, who
was lust twenty three at the time of