2U 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



with her Panslavo-czaristical and universal-mo- 

 narchical ambitions. Only when it shall be made 

 sure on the banks of the "Vistula that she can 

 never more suffocate Turkey — only then will the 

 Eastern question step down to an internal and, 

 if you like it, to a humanitarian level, and be 

 solved in such a way as not to be dangerous to 

 Europe. 



But so long as this does not happen, the East- 

 ern question will always remain a Russian ques- 

 tion of power. If the Turkish Empire should be 

 dismembered in consequence of Russian pressure, 

 or even if it should be crippled, I repeat that 

 every inch lost by the Turks would only increase 

 Russian power. The diminution of Turkish sov- 

 ereign independence would increase Russian in- 

 fluence, which would act as a dissolving poison 

 on us and on Austria ; and the unavoidable con- 

 sequence would be that the nations which had 

 been severed from the Turkish rule would not 

 become free, but Russian serfs — forming the tail 

 of that boa-constrictor which presses us closely, 

 the arms of that polypus which clings to our flesh. 



These are the conditions which induce the 

 Hungarians to adopt the view that their very ex- 

 istence is endangered by the war in their neigh- 

 borhood. 



And these considerations are so momentous 

 that, if we Hungarians should continue to look 

 on in cowardly inactivity at the dismemberment 

 of the Turkish Empire, or, which is identical, at 

 the aggrandizement of Russian power — if we 

 should look on in cowardly inactivity while the 

 boa-constrictor gathers material to form a new 

 tail from the southern Slavonians, while the poly- 

 pus makes out of them new trunks — it would be 

 such suicidal insanity that I cannot find a word 

 to designate it. We should be worse than the 

 worms creeping upon the ground if we did not 

 protect ourselves against it. 



These are sad times. After so much blood 

 has been spilt that the nations might become in- 

 dependent, we are still in the position that the 

 fancy and the will of two or three purple-clad 

 mortals are decisive, and not the will of the peo- 

 ple. But the Hungarian people will live — they 

 will not go so far in their resignation as to com- 

 mit suicide for the sake of any moptal man what- 

 ever. We must raise a dike against the extension 

 of Russian power. And, to do that, we must con- 

 serve and uphold the unity and the independence of 

 the 2'urkish Empire ; for at present that is the 

 practical way to construct a dike. This view is 

 firmly upheld by the Hungarian nation, whatever 

 form of expression they may use to state their 



will ; and in this respect all the Hungarians are 

 of the same opinion without difference of party. 

 They are of the same opinion, for they are con- 

 vinced that this is a vital interest of our father- 

 land. And justly, therefore, Hungary feels indig- 

 nation, and disavows — the whole Hungarian nation 

 does it — that immoral and impolitic idea, that the 

 Austro-Hungarian monarchy should become an ac- 

 complice in the occupation of any part of Turkey 

 for the sake of the enemy of our country'' s vital in- 

 terests. 



Governments should never be in opposition to 

 the popular wishes when governments wear the 

 constitutional toga. It is the worse policy if 

 they are. On the present occasion the wishes of 

 the nation show themselves so unmistakably plain, 

 that it would be a dangerously daring feat if the 

 Government should try to elude them by some 

 parliamentary trick. It is a question of exist- 

 ence. The nation knows this well. And ours is 

 a loyal nation. Therefore, I say to those in au- 

 thority: Comply with her wishes. Don't force 

 her to take in her own hands the insurance of 

 her life. She will do it if she is forced to it, be- 

 cause she will not die. The Hungarian nation 

 will not be a worm to be trampled upon by the 

 heel of the trampler. She will not suffer that 

 the bowing diplomatists of czars and Caesars 

 should convert Hungary into a powder-barrel to 

 be exploded by Russian intrigues with a Pansla- 

 vonic match. 



They told thee, Hungary : " Be reconciled 

 with Austria that thou mayest be safe from the 

 Russian." Thou hast been reconciled : let us 

 see the conciliator, where is he? 



Almighty Father ! if the Hungarians were but 

 independent ! 



"De profundis ad te, Domine, clamavi." 



I know that what I have been saying is noth- 

 ing new. But still I thought it right to speak 

 my mind, as the Prime-Minister of Hungary has 

 made a very startling declaration. 



When it was resolved in a public meeting of 

 citizens that the integrity of the Turkish Empire 

 should be upheld even by armed force, the Prime- 

 Minister of Hungary gave the following answer : 

 " That it is not allowable to shed Hungarian blood 

 for the interests of any other power, and that the 

 Government will never give its consent that the he- 

 roic sacrifice of the Hungarian nation shoidd be 

 made for others." 



So the Hungarian prime-minister still consid- 

 ers the upholding of the Turkish Empire against 

 the Panslavonic standard - bearer, the Russian 

 czar, as being for the interests of " others." 



