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Public instruction employed in furthering Magyarization.

He who is unjust to my mother tongue, wants to take away from me my heart and my manner of living, my honour and the rights of my people. herder.

The principal complaints of the Roumanians against the rule of the Magyars refer to public instruction.

The Magyar system employs the force of public power, not to improve, but to denationalize the Roumanian people.

They, on the contrary, want public instruction to be employed to develop and cultivate their nationality in the manner of Western civilization.

Herein lies the conflict.

For several years past the Magyar government exasperates us by forcing us to learn the Magyar language, because it is the language of the officials placed among us.

No one knows better than we do the importance of foreign languages.

Without being forced to do so, the Roumanians zealously learn German, French or Italian, because they know what treasures of wisdom are to be found in the literature of these nations.

But no one need ask us to learn the Hungarian language, because the time we should pass in studying it, would only be so much time lost. This is true.

Apart from any other circumstances, we insist only on this point; that the degree of development of the Magyar literature be on a level with that of the Roumanian.

We wish to draw our knowledge from the true sources, and not from a literature which is insufficient for the culture of its own people.

It is on the basis of Western culture, that we wish to improve our national language.

« A nation, says Fischhof, cannot cultivate itself by employing a foreign language; the culture of a nation only flourishes upon the soil of its own language ».[1]

The Magyars know this as well as we do; that is why they themselves say « A nation lives only by its language ». But they say so, when it is a question of their nationality, and forget this axiom when it is a question of the nationality of others.

The emperor Joseph II wanted to make a single German nation of all the people of the Monarchy, and to this end he decreed the Germanizalion of all the schools and other educational institutions.

The Magyars were the first to complain of this arrangement: they would not hear of their education and instruction being carried on in a foreign spirit and in a strange tongue.

In the same manner they revolted against the germanizing systems of Bach and Schmerling.

And observe that the language against which they protested, was a European tongue, cultivated and widely diffused!

Consequently it is evident that at the very least, we have quite as much reason to resent rnagyarization as the Magyars had to resent the germanization with which they were threatened.

To force whole nations to torture their brains and their ears for years, with the accents of a language that barely 6 to 7 million people understand, of a language that makes a foreigner of you, incapable of making yourself understood if you know no other, even in the distant parts of Hungary itself, and which you are far from being able to make use of beyond any of the frontiers of the country, of a language whose literature contains scarcely anything of value — this, is equivalent to having the fixed intention of hindering the natural cultural development of the nations in question.

Elementary schools.

The Reply of the Magyar students says that the Roumanians of Transylvania and Hungary possess more than 3ooo elementary schools, the credit of which the Magyars want to take to themselves.

Yes, we possess about 3ooo schools, but not thanks to the good-will of the Magyars. These schools which are not paid by government are supported by the private contributions of the Roumanians, who do not hesitate to sacrifice their last penny, when a question of their own and their children's culture is at stake. If we possess these schools, it is against the will of the Magyars, who, for a long time, have aimed at destroying our autonomy both in the school and in the church.

When a people oppressed as we are, after having paid all the taxes required by the State, benevolently maintains 3000 schools besides, by private contributions what does it prove?

It proves that the thirst after knowledge is not to be allayed in the heart of this people, and that they would already have attained to a higher degree of civilization, had they not continually been hindered in their development!

The different religions of the country have the right of establishing schools in all the communes where there are followers of their faith.

For the maintenance of these schools, the State contributes nothing.

These schools being autonomous or under the immediate jurisdiction of the religious sect to which they belong, the State exercises its right of control by appointing school inspectors. This right of control is confined especially to the verifying of whether the rules relative to the plan of studies and to the financial administration are conscientiously complied with.[2]

But all these provisions of the law are set aside.

The inspectors under pretext of control have a vast ground for interference in these autonomous schools. Not only they seek to prevent the development of the religious schools, but under divers pretexts they shut them or else transform them into parish, that is to say Magyar, schools.[3]

There where the officials of the State cannot attain their end in establishing parish schools, they establish Government schools, even in the communes where excellent religious schools exist.

These schools, whether parish or Government in which the language of the professors is Magyar are an absurdity in the midst of a population non-Magyar.

The aim of these schools is aggressive: it is magyarization.

It often happens that such schools have not a single pupil.

And, for the maintenance of these kind of schools, the Roumanians are burdened with new taxes, being obliged at the same time to support their own Roumanian religious school as well as the Magyar school of which they have no need.

It is of these Magyar schools that the Reply speaks, when it says, that in the Roumanian communes, the State maintains more than 180 schools, either government or parish.

And it is just these schools which are a grievance to the Roumanians, because they are established, not with the aim of cultivation, but with the aim of magyarization!

In 1879, the Magyar government imposed by law the study of the Magyar language in all non-Magyar schools.

This law has provoked the anger of all the non-magyar people.

Not only is it in flagrant contradiction with the law on the nationalities, but it is also absurd and contrary to all pedagogical laws.

When the school inspectors make their usual visits to our schools, they only interest themselves in the progress of the pupils in the Magyar language.

The professors whose pupils make the most progress are recompensed by the State, the others persecuted.

This is how the functionaries of the State, introduce corruption into the scholastic body, by urging them to neglect for the Magyar language, the other branches ot instruction.

Secondary schools.

According to the annual report of the Minister of Public Instruction, the secondary schools in Hungary were attended in 1880-90, by 40.596 pupils.

Of this number:

20.242 or 72.0 % were Magyars.

2.470 or 6.1% » Roumanians.

7.992 or 19.7% » Jews (these latter have already been counted in with the Magyars).

In other words 6 ¹/₂ millions of Magyars send about 30.000.

and 3 million Roumanians about 25oo pupils in the secondary schools!

The cause of this disproportion, so grievous in its enormity, is explained by the following fact:

There are in Hungary 180 middle class schools, of which 6 are Roumanian and 167 Magyar![4]

This means that, if the Roumanians do not go to the secondary schools, it is because there are hardly any for them, they only exist for the Magyars, or for those who have the courage to stifle their feelings, and enter into such a foreign institution.

The population in the Roumanian High Schools was in 1891 as follows:

Let us now compare with these figures the number of Roumanians who attend the Magyar High Schools existing on the Roumanian territory: [7]

       etc. etc. etc.

One may deduce from these few examples that in these counties, although the Magyars constitute but a small minority destined to disappear, yet there are only Magyar High Schools there, and that is why the number of the Roumanian pupils is so small.

This is how the law should stand, if the Magyars had the least respect for the existing laws.

Paragraph 17 of the law on nationalities runs as follows:

« From the moment that the progress of public instruction is, from the point of view of general cultivation and public good, one of the highest aims of the State, this latter is obliged to provide that the citizens of every nationality who form together a compact population, be educated if possible in the district in which they live, and in their mother tongue, until they arrive at that point of their studies where the high academical culture begins. »

It evidently follows that the State alone is obliged to maintain in the twenty Roumanian counties, about a score oft purely Roumanian High Schools, Professional Schools etc., etc.But the State spends nothing upon a single Secondary School which is not Magyar!

More than this! the non-Magyar nations cannot even at their own expense obtain the permission to open educational establishments!

Is it possible to conceive a greater injustice?

Can there exist a more striking demonstration of the tendency to prevent by force the progress of the culture of the non-magyar nations?

And these who take advantage of us in such a revolting manner arid hinder our progress, still dare to speak to us of literature and constitutionalism!

Refusal of the permission to found a Roumanian High School at Arad.

According to the paragraph of the law on nationalities quoted above, the State is bound to provide for the existence of a High School in the county of Arad, in which the classes should be held in Roumanian.

But in this county as indeed every where else, the State spends nothing on such schools.

It is then quite natural that the Roumanians should seek to found a High School at their own cost. To this end, the authorities of the oriental-greek church of the diocese of Arad, in compliance with the laws of the country, decided in 1885, at the council of the bishopric, the establishment of a Roumanian High School in the town of Arad.

Paragraph 26 of the law says: The citizens, communes, churches, ecclesiastical districts of every nationality will have in future as they have had in the past, the right to establish at their own expense, or at that of an association, elementary, secondary, or superior educational institutions.

To provide for the expenses of this High School, the ecclesiastical authorities offered the government every possible guarantee. Amongst other 'securities, let us state that the authorities already possessed an edifice containing the necessary rooms, and part of the revenue of a property which exceeds 800.000 florins of which the diocese can dispose.

Besides this, there existed other certain resources, such as the tax on the Churches, a public subscription of the Roumanians of the oriental-greek faith, etc.

In spite of this, the Magyar minister refuses the authorization to open the High School, and adds in his address, that this refusal is made not only for the present but for the future!

The reason given by the minister for this whim is, that there already exists a Magyar High School, and that a Roumanian High School would not answer to the interests of the State (that is to say to the interests of magyarism) but would rather tend to provoke a political separation! ».[8]

Refusal of the permission to found a Roumanian High School at Caransebes.

The board of administration of 84 communes, wholly populated by Roumanians, which made a part of the old military Romano-banatian, took in 1881, the unanimous decision to contribute from the revenue of the funds which, after the abolition of the limits, had become the private and exclusive property of the old soldiers of the limits, took, I say, the decision to contribute the necessary expenses entailed on the establishing of a superior High School at Caransebes, the centre of the district, in which High School the classes would be held in the language of the people, that is to say in the Roumanian tongue, and which nevertheless would conform to all the provisions of the scholastic law then in use.

To this end, the communes made gift of a building belonging to them, and constructed especially lor that purpose, conformably to all the conditions imposed by the law, besides which they agreed to pay an annual contribution of 17.525 florins.

The committee commissioned by the communes to take the necessary steps in the affair of the High School did all that was in their power.

Having general Trajan Doda at their head, this committee applied in person, February 18^th 1882, to the minister of Public Instruction, placing in his hands the petition and soliciting the approbation of the communes.

Although this High School was urgently needed for a population of more than half a million, or perhaps because of it, the minister has not up to the present date thought fit to give any reply.

If the Magyar students affirm that the minister could not permit the opening of a High School not possessing sufficient revenues, they place themselves openly on the opposite side of truth.

The parish council-board ceaselessly declares that they are ready to undertake to answer for any sum which might be wanted in the support of this High School, and yet the High School is not opened, because the Magyar minister kept silence, and still continues to do so.

Notwithstanding which, the parish council-board has not ceased to augment the funds for the High School, by the annual sum of 2000 florins, which with the interest alone amounts to 26.000 florins, without counting the other donations.

The frequent appeals, the complaints and the petitions addressed to the minister in an official manner, either in a public or private way have not been able since 1884 to the present day, to obtain a single word from our most liberal representatives, as they are called.

Ten years lost in constant efforts have at length convinced the Roumanians of Severin that whilst observing strictly the laws of their country, they can have no right to cultivate their national tongue even at their own expense.

Let us now see how paternal the conduct of our Magyar masters is, with regard to our existing High Schools.

It is to be remarked that nearly all these institutions date from the time of the Austrian absolutism.

The State contributes absolutely nothing to their maintenance. It is our own people who support them by private subscriptions. The only care that the Magyar constitutionalism takes, respecting these establishments, is to watch for the moment when some pretext can be found for their magyarization.

Did not the Magyars fear to produce in the hearts of the Roumanian people a natural reaction against them, by the closing of these establishments, they would long ago have shared the same fate as the Slovaque High Schools have done.

For this reason the government has thought it more politic to magyarize our High Schools only little by little and successively.

The first step taken in the realization of this plan was the passing of law XXX in 1883, by which the Magyar government arrogates to itself the right of super-intending and in part directing these autonomous establishments, and has succeeded in laying down as a principle that the classes must be given in Hungarian, and that that language and literature are to be studied.

Magyarization by force of the Roumanan High School of Behis.

The Reply maintains that if the Roumanian High School of Beius has been magyarized, it is by virtue of its foundation titles!

Scripta non erubescunt, the Magyars certainly thought, when, shutting their eyes to the truth, they wrote in black and white the above assertion.

This is the state of the question:

A Roumanian bishop of the Greek Catholic Church, the late Samuel Vulcan, founded in 1826 a High School in the town of Beius, the residence of his diocese.

All the population round about was and is purely Roumanian.

Here, as every where else, at that time, the language in which the classes were held was Latin. In i85i Bishop Basile Erdeli, in his quality of lawful patron of the High School, in concert with the school inspector, the professors etc., decided that since the High School was a purely Roumanian one, the language of the classes, in conformity with the intention of the founder should be Roumanian. [9]

And this was done in all justice, for in the act of foundation, it is clearly stated that this High School destined for the education of the Roumanian people should have a purely Roumanian character. [10]

The absolute government of 1851, acknowledged without hesitation, the Roumanian character of this institution, and consequently, has approved the decision of the supporting authorities viz, that the language of the classes should be Roumanian. [11]

It was reserved for the Magyar constitutional gouvernment, to find ways of destroying this Roumanian institution. The Magyar minister, unceasingly, day after day, found some new fault in this High School.

Latterly, he was of an opinion that the building was too old, and he threatened the bishop, patron of the High School to shut the college if they did not repair the edifice.

In answer to this address the bishop not only repaired the school, but made of it quite a palace, and built by the side of it a boarding school and other useful constructions.

Later on, the minister made use of his authority over the bishop, and obliged him to send away three of the most learned and beloved professors, under pretext that he had heard, thanks to certain Magyar informants, that these professors were Daco-Roumanians; in case of disobedience the minister threatened to shut the school. The bishop was finally compelled to yield, and thought that after that at least, the school would no longer trouble the repose of the fanatics. Bitter delusion!

Suddenly, the minister gave orders that instead of the discarded Roumanian, the Magyar language was to be used in the classes.[12]

And it is this arbitrary act which the students affirm to have been done in conformity with the act of foundation.

If bishop Vulcan had foreseen that the High School which he destined for the education of his people would ultimately be transformed into a denationalizing manufactory, he would certainly have preferred to throw his money into the waters of the Cris!

We will speak elsewhere of the arbitrary conduct of the Magyars with regard to the Roumanian High School of Naseud.

The Universities.

The University of Buda-Pesth numbered last year 3533 students.

After the Magyars, the nationality which counts the largest population in Hungary is the Roumanian; out of the number of students at the university of Buda-Pesth, the Roumanians were represented by about 5%.[13] The Jews by about 32.71%.

The number of professors, supernumeraries etc. is 217, amongst which one single Roumanian.

We have seen that the Roumanians of Hungary and Transylvania form, on the territory which they occupy, a compact national school.

Towards the centre of this territory, in the Transylvanian town of Cluj, there is a university.

Would anything be more natural and more just than that this university should be formed after the needs of the nationality, which constitutes on this territory an absolute and overwhelming majority?

Every man who in his heart has the least sentiment of justice must admit that this university ought to be Roumanian, and especially Roumanian.

Notwithstanding which, and although the Magyars on this territory are only an insignificant minority, the university of Cluj is exclusively Magyar!

The number of the students of this university was last year 565. Classed according to nationalities, we find:

Roumanians . . . 67 or 11.6%

Magyars. . . . . 4o5 or 72.6%

Mr. Schwicker himself from whose works we gather these facts, tells us: « The small number of Roumanian students is a striking thing, and the more so since not only Transylvania, but the counties of Hungary bordering on it, are mostly inhabited by Roumanians. The cause of this disturbing fact must be sought for in national and political causes, as well as in the language. »[14]

The number of professors supernumeraries etc. is 68, amongst whom not one single Roumanian.

Nearly every State spends upon public instruction from 10 to 15 or 20% of their annual income.

Roumania a small State, having a population of about 7 millions, spends upon instruction, one year with another about 15 millions of francs, and Hungary which has a revenue double that of Roumania and a population of 15 millions only spends 6.173.018 florins, which is about 2% of the expenses of the State.

How can this fact be explained? In the most simple manner. The Roumanians, Saxons, Serbians etc. support by private subsciptions the expenses of their own schools, and for the instruction of about 6 millions of Magyars, the sum of about 6 millions a year amply suffices!

However as the Magyar students observe, the State has voted for 1891 the sum of 113.000 florins on behalf of the religious schools. But, in Hungary, there are no less than 7 religions!!!

Therefore, even this small sum is only distributed amongst the religious schools of the Magyars!

Persecution of the Roumanians in the Magyar schools.

In the Magyar High Schools, — and we have studied there!— the pupils of non-Magyar nationality are treated not only as strangers but as enemies.

The professors of history never lose an occasion of scandalously turning in to ridicule the origin and history of the Roumanians. From the height of their tribune they tell the scholars that the Roumanians are the descendants of Roman colonies composed of criminals and that the leaders of the Roumanian revolutions, Horia, Closca. Crisan, Jancu etc. were captains of bands of highwaymen.

The reading clubs of the Roumanian students have been shut, and their libraries confiscated; at every step they are watched by their fellow-students the Magyars, who have become quite adepts in the art of denouncing.

Let us take a few examples.

In the town of Lugoj, there is a Magyar High School, although nearly all the population round about is Roumanian.

According to the spirit of the law on nationality, this High School should be Roumanian. It should be, but it is not.

The Roumanian classes are held twice a week which is derisive!

In 1880 the Roumanian scholars, seeing that their education and their national instruction remained in statu quo, resolved to assemble every Sunday in one of the Committee Rooms set apart for the use of those who administer the funds of the Roumanian church, for the purpose of instructing themselves in the Roumanian language and literature.

They were not allowed to found, as they had hoped, a Roumanian reading club.

They met in this building to read and mutually criticize their literary attempts, and to recite poetry etc. By benevolent contributions, they founded a common library which in a short time contained 2000 Roumanian books, a striking proof of the ardent desire these young men had to become better acquainted with their own literature.

The Magyar professors, hearing that the Roumanian students occupied themselves with such literature set about making enquiries, the result of which was that many of the Roumanian pupils were expelled and on the reiterated demand of these professors, their library was confiscated by the Supreme-Count and lies to day in the attic of the Count's house.

The Roumanians of the locality proved in a striking manner that they were wronged; they implored, they protested — but all in vain!

The principles of Hungarian liberty did not permit the Roumanian scholars to carry on their own education even in a private manner, nor even by means of a benevolent subscription!

In the same manner the library of the Roumanian clergy of the Roman Catholic seminary at Buda-Pesth was confiscated, with several others.

At Semnitz, at Cluj and in other places, the young Roumanians have been several times, the object of the most abominable denunciations, investigations, expulsions, deprivation of scholarships and all under some futile pretext, for example, that the Roumanian students of Semnitz read the « Tribuna », that the Roumanian students of Cluj had sent a telegram of congratulations to several of the Roumanian editors, who had been acquitted in actions brought against them, etc. etc

How many times has it not happened that the Magyar professors have said to their Roumanian pupils publicly in school: «Go back to the country of the Wallachians! » « If you eat the bread of the Magyars, if you breathe the air of the Magyars, if you expect protection from the God of the Magyars, you must become Magyars! »

As to the epithets of « Mad Wallachian! » « Wretched opinca! » « Stupid Olah! » etc. We hear them still resounding in our ears, a souvenir of the time when we sat on the forms of the Magyar High Schools.[15]

The proper names of the Roumanian pupils in all the Magyar schools, except the Universities, are spelt in the Magyar manner to appear as if they were Magyar names.

They take scarcely any notice of the church festivals of the Roumanian pupils.

Is that a reason for them incessantly to sing such hymns as: » Every man should be a man and a Magyar, » or « Lord God, bless the Magyars, » etc.

The Persecution of our Didactic Literature.

All our didactic books undergo a severe censure on the part of the government and if they do not agree with the intentions of the magyarizing party, they are forbidden under pretext that they contain in them, ideas contrary to the government of « the State ».

In the manuals of geography by Roumanian authors, the Roumanian nomenclature, as they have been accustomed to use it for ages in the language of the people, is not allowed. Instead of national Roumanian names, the government obliges them to use the Magyar names which no one understands.

It is the same thing with the compiling of the manuals of history; the authors are not allowed to say a word containing the least reason, on the subject of our existence in the past.

That the Roumanians have done anything for the country, that they also have had their heroes cannot be said with impunity in a class of history,

And since for the most part, the books published by Roumanian authors are forbidden to be used, they are forced, to answer at least in part to the necessities of instruction, to translate the Magyar books.

These books contain the most revolting lies with regard to everything that concerns the Roumanian people.

To put an obstacle to all communion of ideas between us and our free brethren in Roumania, the Magyar government forbids the most inoffensive production in the way of literature.

In all that concerns the literature of the newspapers, we shall see later on that there exists, for the Roumanian press of Transylvania, an exceptional law, in virtue of which a number of Roumanian editors have been dragged before the courts, thrown into prison and loaded with fines.

In Roumania, literature in general and newspapers have strongly developed; but that we may not profit even by this progress, most of the Roumanian papers are prohibited in Hungary and Transylvania.

The German school literature is treated precisely in the same manner as the Roumanian.

« All these persecutions », says the Siebenbürgisch-Deutsches Tageblatt, « against school books taxed with containing views contrary to the good of the State, is simply childish. ... It suffices that the monarch reigning over Austo-Hungary be called emperor, and not king, for the book to be considered dangerous.

These persecutions must appear very bitter even to the sweetest and most peace loving natures, for all these restrictions only prove the unfortunate tendency to stifle all vital manifestation which might prove that there exist in Hungary other people than the Magyars .... It is a fresh proof not that we compare ourselves with our masters, but that we find ourselves plunged into a State comprised of Policemen ». [16]

Magyarization of children by force,

Last year, they drew up in the Parliament of Pesth, a special law for the magyarization of the younger generations. [17]

According to the spirit of this law, all the communes are obliged to found Infant Asylums. All parents who cannot prove that they are able to look after their children, are obliged to send them to these Asylums as soon as the children are 3 years old!

There they will be taught the Magyar tongue, they will learn to sing in that tongue, and will be made to repeat prayers which will offend no religious faith, etc. In short, it is a question of founding an institution for denationalizing — on a large scale.

In Russia, they still employ barbarous systems to Russify the population, but the Russians themselves have not found such means as these, which are worthy of a janissary.

The Manifesto of Bucarest may well exclaim: « Nowhere in Europe, nowhere on the face of the earth, never since men have formed themselves into societies has such compulsion been known. »

And withal the Magyar students do not hesitate to affirm that this law is a humanitarian one.

If humanity were the reason which induced the Hungarians to make such a law, they would not have forced our children to learn Hungarian in these asylums, and at such a tender age!

Their real aim is clear and comprehensible; they wish to deprive our children of their mother tongue, in the hope of making Magyars of them.

When this law was voted in parliament, the Roumanian people, in frequent public meetings, protested with all their might, in the face of God and the world against this Asiatic invasion of their rights. But their protests produced no effect. A tyrannical government cannot understand the grief of a people. It does not understand the meaning of this resistance,

It only understands one thing: magyarization! Though the non-Magyar nations have reached the limits of despair, the Magyars care not.

They go on repeating: « Hungary will be Magyar, or it will perish! »

They have on y to continue!