Evening star., 1935-03-24
HUNCARIANS STRUGGLE
TO REGAIN LOST GLORY
PEOPLE Consider Themselves Central
Europe's Bulwark Against
Tide of Communism.

amazing. Self-determiniSm having
been one Of the keys to the settle
ments under the treaties. we have now
between the Baltic and the Black Sea
some 20 linguistic-racial groups where
there were Gn active existence) barely
a fourth of that number before the
war.
There, doubtless. was much hatred
and oppression and violence through
out this area in equilibrating these
groups under the old system. That,
however, I have only read about. But
I have been passing through this
present-day Babel-world and I can
testify to its chaos, its economic end
social incongruities, and to its dis
similarity to the millennium. which
idealists with occasional sharp fel-
lows of the baser sort at their earS)
sought to create.
Treaties Affect 12o,000.o0O.
In the nations created by or under
restraint of the treaties there ere
fully 100000 people, approximately
the population of the United States,
with, roughly. less than a third of
its territory and not one-tenth of its
wealth. Their languages have been
multiplied. Their frontiers halt the
flow of trade. Their mercurial cur
rencies paralyze initiative. Their only
increasing product is hatred. In spite
Of herculean effort. they seem to
keep only few jumps ahead OF
actual starvation.
In Hungary this situation has fos-
tered a nationalism which puts all
local and even economic considerations
in the background. Yet where Is this
stout, tough little nation to find its
necessary allies? 1t seems to rely on
Italy and Poland. but from week to
week the strength of those alliances
fluctuates as the European scene
changes. and particularly as Franco
Italian relations vary. A proud, des-
perate and in many ways pitiful
peoplel
They are a stern people, too. For
instance, the government does not give
doles to the needy. What is done is
done by private charity. At the most
a man is given a bed and food for a
time. To meet the unemployment
situation the government restricts the
use of machinery wherever 1t seems
desirable to do so. An incredible
number of men harness themselves to
small wagons and haul heavy loads Of
brick, lumber, etc. The work horses
look half fed.
$4,000 Schools Erected.
Yet 10000 new schools have been
built here under the new system, and
all the usual trimmings OF civilization
theaters, libraries, art galleries. the
dansants. etc-are much in evidence.
and many large projects are under
way.
the attendants wear fur coats anu
fur-lined caps, with heavy ear-nops.
i,,st as If they had recently been calleo
in from the steppes and did not In
tend to be caught unprepared by any
blizzard which might sweep through
the uortraits of warm nudes which
surround them. But those same shag-
gy rufianly-looking fellows know
sonething about the treasures they
are guarding and are willing to ex-
nlain them in what sounds like Chi
nese or Patagonian to any American
who comes along.
Those treasures, by the way, are
not all from ancient days or alien
lands. Indeed, some OF the finest OF
modern art is to be found here and
much of it is Hungarian. Lazzlo, the
Hunoarian whose portrait work is in
great demand in America and Eng
land, has several of his finest works
here, including q portrait Of the Pope
and one of Horthy.
Hungary has certain unique and
philosophical electoral regulations.
For instance, every man OF "a years
and every spinster Of 80 must vote.
However a married woman Of only 20
is a voter. Does that mean that mat
rimony is the great educational insti-
tuition for women, or that \ ages them
10 years automatically? y