Some in the prison’s gloom,
Others wander in their sadness dumb with woe.
Some with a start arise,
Terror gleaming in their eyes,
To seek another fatherland beyond the Atlantic’s flow.
It is of course difficult to give any idea of originals when they are translated into a tongue alien from that in which they were written, and especially is it impossible to judge of the pathos of these national songs without the wild melancholy tunes to which they are sung.
In spite of his tendency to melancholy the Magyar can be cheerful enough and is a good fellow; he makes a particularly good husband and father.
The women are treated well and take their full share in all that goes on. Hungary has from time immemorial given women equal rights with men in regard to property. If a woman marries she is entitled to half her husband’s property in addition to her own, and in case of divorce takes it with her. A man must, by law, leave half his property to his wife.
Ten years ago it was unusual to find any girl of good class working for her living, but now the universal receipt for happiness is allowed freely to women as well as men. In the universities all courses are open to them except theology and law, the last with a reason maybe, as law is one of the requirements expected from a man entering the public service. Medicine, however, is thrown open, and there are even women doctors employed by the State.
Almost all Hungarian women are excellent cooks, and make an abundance of the highly seasoned tasty dishes in which their nation delights. The little strips of bacon, rolled in the national paprika or red pepper, are universally enjoyed. Strangers find the Hungarian cooking a little too rich for their taste, as a rule.