My companion soon gave me to understand in good German that he was a superior sort of fellow.  He had been to school at Hatszeg, and knew a thing or two.  I have heard it stated that the Wallacks are so quick that they make great and rapid progress at first, distancing the German children; but that they seem to stop after a while, and even fall back into ignorance and their old slovenly ways of life.

On referring to the statistics of Messrs Keleti and Beoethy, I see that only eleven per cent of Roumains (Wallacks) attend the primary schools, and this percentage had not increased between the years 1867 and 1874.  The percentage of the Magyars attending the primary schools is forty-nine per cent, while the Slavs, again, are twenty-one.

“The world is only saved by the breath of the school-children,” says the Talmud.  A conviction of this truth makes every inquiry into educational progress extremely interesting.  According to M. Keleti’s tables, fifty-three per cent of the males and sixty-two per cent of the females in Hungary generally are still illiterates.  This excludes from the calculation children under six years of age.  On comparing notes, other countries do not come out so very much better.  It is calculated that 30 per cent of French conscripts are unable to read; moreover, in our “returns” of marriages in England in 1845, a percentage of forty-one signed the register with marks.  In 1874 the number of illiterates was reduced to twenty-one per cent.

I elicited a good many interesting facts from my Wallack guide, several that were confirmatory of the terrible ignorance existing amongst the priesthood of the Greek Church.  The popes do not commend themselves to the good opinion of the male part of the community, whatever hold they may have on the superstition of the women.  I cannot see myself how things are to be mended till the position and education of the priesthood are improved.  It is said that, in the old days before ’48, when the peasants had to render forced labour to the lord of the land, the Transylvanian nobles would have the village pope up to the castle, and keep him there for a fortnight in a state of intoxication, thus preventing his giving out the saints’ days at the altar on Sunday.  This was done that their own harvest-work should proceed without the inconvenience of suspending operations at a critical time on fete days, the people themselves being too ignorant to consult the calendar!

The Magyar nobles are improved, and do not play these pranks now; but very little progress, I imagine, has been made on the side of the priests.  Chatting with my Wallack guide helped to beguile the tedious nature of the ride, an ascent over roughish ground all the way.  Arriving at the summit, we made a noonday halt.

A fire was soon burning, whereat our dinner of robber-steak was roasted; but the halt was shorter than usual, for I was anxious to push on, remembering how much time had been lost at starting.