The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-08-10

bic. Its numerous wire strings are
stretched in groups OF threes crossing
tune it with a big iron key as a harp
Is tuned And they produce those pure
sweet tones by striking the wires with
two little wooden sticks on the ends of
which pieces OF cotton and cloth are
wound and tied on with spool thread,
just exactly like the unprofessional
bandaging of a chlld's cut finger
When the czgany music ceased and we
were about to go the gentleman from
Budapest asked use TO wait yet a little
for he had ordered the musicians to play
a special selection for us. 1t was Kos
suth's song" written by Peton, a great
musician, poet and patriot who fell In
tho revolution during the forties and
whose statue now stands on one of the
HungaMans call that revolution the
"Frelhe tskrieg," and | always want to
translate 1t literally, Freedoms war;
The music of "Kossuth's song afforded
me great pleasure, especially as j had
just heard the poem recited By my Hun
garlan friend while we were still on tho
upper deck had told him that looked
forward to listening TO the Magyar speech
hoping to see just how the peculiar
rhythmical markings in Hungarian music
arc the direct result of the syllolic ac-
centuation of the language as is claimed
He said II / wished / should have an
opportunity Immediately OF course.
was eager. so he beckoned TO several
other Hungarians and they came over
ana entered INTO Conversation Win my
friend; afterwards, at my request, he
repeated for me several Hungarian
hymns and other classic selections and 1
find that the sound of the Magyar speech
with its crisp consonants, marked
rhythm and peculiarly sweet falling ca
dences, is quite fascinating.
GETTING TO BUDAPEST.
But, goodness graclousl / started this
letter intending TO describe my stay in
Budapest and I'm only half way there.
If l don't look out somebody will think
that l am trying to do the same thing
Mark Twain did in the alleged descrip-
ton Of his ascent OF Vesuvius-and GER
tainly / have not the colossal conceit to
consciously set myself for comparison
as a writer alongside the American whom
/ hold to be in every way the best ex-
ponent of our highest national type.
At Pressburg, which Is beautifully sit
uated on the spurs OF the Carpathian
mountains, a crowd Of peasants. each
bearing a bundle of clumsy looking farm
ing Implements all made OF wood.
boarded the steamer and went down as
far as Kortyelyes.
Their costumes were uniquely pic
turesque. The brightness and variety
of the colors they wore reminded one
of the fact that the Magyars emigrated
into Hungary from Asia and In their
tastes are essentially an oriental people
All these peasants we're of fine physique
Though the men were but farm laborers
they carried themselves like kings, and
ali the women were quite comedy. The
men wore very funny-looklng hlgh-top-
ped boots, and though the women's feet
and limbs were bare up TO the knee
where their very run flaring sklrts
ended. they had small and shapely feet
And the sight OF these people suggests
only ideas of simple digni.s and grace
without any Of the thoughts OF theatri-
cal propertles and stage settings which
have beset me elsewhere in Europe.
I The further one drops down the stream
4 toward Budapest ever the more beauu-