Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-27
A HUNGARIAN'S
VIEW OF AMERICA
Curious Old-World Views Of Our
Democracy-Experience Here
Helps Returning Immigrants
Stand Against Tyranny
By JOSEPH REMENYI
Correspondent Of the ''Het" Of Budapest, and
other Hungarian Periodicals.

By JOSEPH REMENYI
Correspondent Of the ''Het," Of Budapest, and
other Hungarian Periodicals.
AFTER my stay Of almost two years in
"A Philadelphia, am convinced OF the fact
that European whose world view is al
ready confirmed changes his attitude by
simply stepping on the territory of the United
states. Anatole France says, somewhere,
that Il is possible to converse with our furni-
ture II we are surrounded by 1t for years.
This remark is the variation Of Taine's that
oven the strongest personality cannot escape
the effect OF his environment. So when ],
ttirsting and hungry for all America could
give, arrived in the harbor OF New York,
| could think of nothing else but this; that
now at last l should be able TO realize my
ideas of personal and political freedom.
And, moreover, believed that should find
the opportunity to succeed existing in such
profusion, on account Of human equality and
equal chances that my faith in the good
ness and greatness of humanity would be
strengthened by what I saw going on.
Personal experiences have confirmed these
Impressions, and I shall try to illustrate
what mean by practical examples which
indicate that American democracy is not
spurious, but is the real thing and means
opportunity for every one.
Pa, the Hungarians living there were cele-
brating a flag dedication, and in spite of the
fact that my country has one of the most
liberal constitutions in Europe, experienced
a wonderful softening at the following in
stance: The Hungarian peasant who has
done nothing else at home but till the soil,
but whose pride and dignity have not, how
ever, been broken, even in the time of servi-
tude, now as a factory worker in a strange
land mingled with complete nonchalance
with the city mayor and factory superin-
tendents and other industrial and social
leaders. A big banquet followed the dedica-
tion, where the superntendents of the fac
tory appeared ain honor OF their employees"
I positive that this instance seems nat
uIal enough for a real American, but in Eu-
rope if a factory superintendent forgot his
Nigh position and mingled spontaneously with
his employees, he would see to It that the
newspapers should publish his astonishing
democratic viewpoint.
Sailed Back to America
Another instance:
In one of Pennsylvania's large cities lives
a Rumanian-born dentist, who, as a plain
working man, emigrated about IS years ago
to America. This man took a night course
in dentistry and, after a few years of study,
he received his dentists diploma. He then
decided to go back to his native city for a
few months visit. And what did he expert
ence? The dentists over there did not con-
slider him their equal because previously he
a factory worker. This dentist remarked
bitterly that at the ball the dentists gave,
he was an unwelcome guest in their society.
The next day he sailed back to America.
That nearly a million of my countrymen
here in the United States appreciate that
here is a real democracy, I can prove best
by the fact that a few years ago in Cleve-
land they started a fund to erect a monu-
ment to George Washington, which has been
put up since in Budapest. Every American
Hungarian knows that in the war for in
dependence, in 1S4S-1s49, the United States
gave its sympathy to the Hungarian nation,
for they saw that they wished to shake off
the feudal fetters. Louis Kossuth, in 1851,
found such a sympathetic welcome from the
United States that the American -Hungarians
cannot forget it, even now, when they are
compelled, against their convictions to man.
ufacture ammunition for Russia, which is the
only enemy of the Independent Hungarian
nation.
The European immigrant, no matter OF
what nationality, who returns to his country
after a few years stay in America, has ac-
quired, a rule, such a sense of inde-
pendence that he, by reason of this, gets
better treatment from the home authorities.
They see he is a different man and they act
more humanely toward him. even II the
simple-minded man, through his ignorance,
cannot fully understand the ennobling demo-
cratic conception. The American democracy
ennobles many European workers as human
beings and they, on returning from America.
weaken the medieval spirit in Europe
No Plebeian Poor
Those circles of Europe which are much
afraid of every democratic movement nat
urally maintain an attitude of reserve to-
ward the claims of American democracy.
because in American democracy they pretend
to see analogies to the Roman democracy in
the matter Of the control of affairs by the
plutocracy They believe that the patrician
power, which had no bounds in Rome, finds
it's imitators in the American millionaires,
who, they believe, are contemptuous toward
the poorer people as the Roman patrician
was toward the plebeians. But they are wrong
in this They do not know America They
ask how can you have a democracy II the
plutocrats rule the people? But they over
look the fact that the rich and poor mingle
together in America in friendly relation
ship, since often those poor today are rich
tomorrow, and also they forget that no
human institution is perfect all have their
faults; but any one who knows America can
see 1t is impossible for the goth century
American millionaire to occupy the same
position toward the mass OF people as the
Roman patrician did toward the plebeian.
The fact Is in ancient Rome the nIahaiaDa