Relation of Mara Matočec and Tomo Jalžabetić

Mara Matočec i Tomo Jalžabetić, prvi hrvatski seljaci političari, bili su susjedi, oboje rodom iz Đurđevca. Premda je između njih postajao generacijski jaz, veže ih podosta sličnosti. Kraće su vrijeme istovremeno djelovali u Radićevoj seljačkoj stranci. Oboje su bili inteligentni i načitani, te dobri govornici. Imali su dar za pisanje. Jalžabetić za političke i gospodarske članke, a Mara Matočec za poeziju i prozu. Također su zapisivali narodne poslovice i običaje. Za razliku od Mare Matočec, Jalžabetić je do osnivanja HPSS-a 1904. godine već bio formiran kao političar na lokalnoj razini. Braći Radić pristupio je zahvaljujući suradnji s Antunom Radićem i JAZU-om na prikupljanju narodnih običaja krajem 1890-ih. Nakon toga bio je osnivač stranke, njezin potpredsjednik, te član vodstava svih stranačkih gospodarskih organizacija do razlaza sa Stjepanom Radićem. S druge strane, Mara je Matočec stupila u kontakt sa Stjepanom Radićem nakon što se javila na književni natječaj objavljen u glasilu Dom 1918. godine. Odmah je postala članicom glavnog odbora stranke, a svoje je političko djelovanje pod okriljem stranke usmjerila prema prosvjetno-kulturnom radu, borbi za ravnopravnost žena, obitelji i protiv nepismenosti u hrvatskim selima. Prema dosadašnjim šturim saznanjima u njihovu odnosu vladala je netrpeljivost, to jest, bio je daleko od idealnog, ali tome nije tako, na što upućuju detalji iz pojedinih objavljenih historiografskih radova i njezinih proznih uradaka.Mara Matočec and Tomo Jalžabetić, the first Croatian peasant politicians, were neighbours, both originating from Đurđevac. Although there was a generation gap between them, they are linked by a substantial number of similarities. Both of them were for a brief period active in Radić’s peasant party. Both were intelligent and well-read, and both were good public speakers. They were gifted for writing. Jalžabetić for political and economic articles, and Mara Matočec for poetry and prose. They also wrote down folk proverbs and customs. Unlike Mara Matočec, until the foundation of the Croatian peasant Party in 1904, Jalžabetić was already formed as a politician on the local level. He joined the Radić brothers thanks to his cooperation with Antun Radić and JAZU related to collection of folk customs at the end of the 1890s. After that, he was the founder of the party, its vice-president and member of governing bodies of all economic organizations of the party until he and Stjepan Radić split. On the other hand, Mara Matočec established contact with Stjepan Radić after she submitted an application for literary contest published in the journal »Dom« in 1918. She was immediately appointed member of the governing board of the party, and her political activity under the wings of the party was directed towards educational and cultural work, struggle for equality of women and families, and actions to reduce illiteracy in Croatian villages. According to present scarce insight, their relation was governed by intolerance, and it was far from ideal. However, some details published in individual historiographic works and prose pieces testify that their relation might have been different than depicted above