Evening star., 1940-05-17
Hungary, Once Called
Reactionary, Hailed
As Isle Of Democracy
Country Itself Hasn't
Changed, but Londs
Nearby Have
BY WILLIAM L. WHITE.

BY WILLIAM L. WHITE.
BUDAPEST.-It Is curious that
Hungary, once properly regarded
as the most reactionary state in
the Balkans, should today be an
island of democracy surrounded
by relationships. Hungary has
changed little, but the prevailing
political fashions in the Balkans
have changed much. Just after
the war, democracy was the vogue
in the Danube Valley: it is now
as outmoded as the hustle.
Admiral Horthy, regent of Hun
gary, rose to power when he put
down the short-lived Communist
regime of Bella Kun. He and the
landed aristocracy have ruled the
country ever since. In almost no
other country are conditions 80
feudal.
The country squires live out In
their manor houses, drinking, gus-
zling, shooting and praying CHun-
gary is a most pious land) while
the peasants are little better than
serfs.
Hungarians will explain to you
that the peasants like 1t this way.
They explain that once q we'll
meaning American lady who mar
ried Hungarian noble, was shock
ed by the conditions of the peasants
on her new estates, and spent q
good deal of money trying to i'm
prove their condition. But alas,
she met only misunderstanding and
ingratitude, the peasants preferring
their old ways. The Hungartans
didn't explain whether the rich
American lady gave them tile bath
rooms or Bibles, but the Hungarians
are quite firm on the point that
the peasants didn't like whatever
1t was.
Peasant Revolution Feared.
But, warn the Hungarians in the
next breath, you must be very care
full what you do for peasants, be-
cause If you do even a little, the
peasants will get ideas and 60 COM
pletely Bolshevik and want every
thing - absolutely everything so
you can't be too careful.
Today the Hungarian peasants
don't have everything. But they
have bellies full of potatoes and
plenty of lice, the rich soil Of the
Danube Valley being fertile enough
to produce great quantities Of both.
Once, just after the World War,
the Hungarian peasants did stand
in way to get everything, for
Bella Kun was dividing up the
big estates, only Admiral Horthy put
a stop to this. He came riding
into Budapest and shot prodigious
quantities of Reds, and the big
estates are right back where they
were. The peasants look very
quaint on Sundays on their way
to church in their picturesque cos
tunes with their hats of when the
local lord goes by.
A Second Hand Report.
Now I don't know any Of this
first hand, only what the Hun
garians tell mel have not been
out and talked to any peasants or
got any lice; have been staying
at a pleasant hotel overlooking the
beautiful Danube and eating my
head of Of gorgeous food and talk
ing to the Hungarian upper classes,
who are as charming and pleasant
and cultivated as any in the world.
And it may be true, as they say,
that If you gave the Hungarian
peasants an iron pump instead Of
the bucket and crude pole he uses
to draw his water now, he would
Immediately go Bolshevik and want
everything.
I would like to believe this be-
cause the Hungarian upper classes
believe it, and because their women
are the most beautiful in Europe
except the Swedish women, and
they are even more charming than
the Swedes and they have such
gorgeous food-have you ever eaten
the whole leg of a roast pig with
the nice crisp skin garnished with
sauerkraut, followed by dozen
mushrooms fried in batter, fol-
lowed by about four utterly delicious
little almond and chocolate cakes
and coffee with big dipper OF
whipped cream floating on top?
Well, just have, so I would like
to keep on believing that the Hun
garian peasant enjoys drawing his
water with bucket and q pole and
jerking of his hat when the lord