The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-09-14
Fume, BUDAPEST the Immigrant.

u.
1t was a cold cloudy, windy, rainy
day when the little coasting vessel
that was to take US across the
Adriatic drew out from the gray and
misty harboh Of the ancient city of
Ancola and started in the direction
or Fiume, the single point at which
the KiDgdom Of Hungary touches tn ,
sea. / had read Of the hardships Of
the early immigrants, and l heard an
old colored man who had been carried
to America as slave, tell Of the long
Journey Of himself and some fifty
others, all crowded together in a lit
tie sailing vessel. 1t was not, how
ever, until this trip Of a few hours on
the Adriatic in dirty, illsmelling
little vessel that l began to under
stand, although / had crossed the
ocean several times, how uncomf0r-
table sea voyage might be.
Fortunately the journey was not a
long one, and after the vessel found
itself in the shelter of one Of the
beautiful green islands which are sta
toned like sentinels along the Dali
matain coast, it was possible to go on
deck and enjoy the view Of the rugged
and broken coast line. It was indeed
splendid sight, in the clear light Of
the late afternoon, to watch the great
blue-gray clouds roll up over the
green and glistening masses of the
islands, which lifted themselves on
every side out of the surrounding sea.
What, I had heard and read Of the
Dalmatian coast had lead me to look
for the signs Of an ancient civilization
not unlike that which l had left in
Italy. What impressed me at first
sight about Fiume, however, was the
brand new and modern characterize
everything in view. / do not mean
that the city had any of the loose
jointed and struggling newness of
some Of our western American towns
1t had rather the newness and COM
pleteness Of one Of those modern Ger
man cities, which seem to have been
planned and erected out of hand, at
the command of some higher aut.ior-
ity.. In that part Of Germany Which
l visited I noticed that nothing was
allowed to grow up naturally, in the
comfortable and haphazard disorder
that one finds in some parts Of Amer
lea. Phis is particularly true of the
cities. Everything is tagged and
labeled, and ordered with military
precision. Even the rose-bushes in the
gardens seem to show the effect of
military discipline Trimmed and
pruned, they stand up straight, in long
and regular rows, as if they were con
tinually presenting arms.
The impressiCl which I got of mod
ern Hungary at Fiume was confirmed
by what | saw a few days Tater at
BUDAPEST, the capital. There was the
same air Of neWness, and novelty, as
If the city had been erected over
night, and the people mad not yet
grown used to it.
A little further acq@ hintance with
the cities of Fiume and Buda-T" ccs:t
made 1t plain, however, in each case,
that the new city which filled the eye
Of the stranger, had been, as a matter
Of fact over, or rather added ON to
a more ancient one
In Fiume, for example, somewhat
hidden away behind the new builb.
ings which line the broad avenue of
the modern Magyar city, there is still
preserved the outlines of the ancient
Italian town, with its narrow, wind
Ing streets, crowded with all the
quaint f!ld vivid life, the petty traffic
and the varied human sights and
sounds with which had become famii-
lar during my journey through Italy.
SO in BUDAPEST, across the river
from the modern Hungarian or rather
Magyar city of Pest, there is the an
cient German city of Buda, with it's
castle and palace, which dates back
into the middle ages
What is still more interesting is
that in these two modern cities of
Fiune at1d-Pest; tim which -one-sees
and feels the impress Of strong and
masterful people, one meets every
where, in the midst Of this feverish
and artificial modern life, evidences of
the habits and manners which belong
to an older and simpler age.
For example, it struck me as cur
iOus that in a city which is so vol
provided with the latest type Of elc>
trio street cars, one should see peas
ant women trudging in from the co.'s
try with heavy loads Of vegetables O
their backs: and, in q city where H.
government is seeking to provide
modern houses for the laboring classc-
with all the convenience that oinven
ton can supply, one should see these