Amerikai Magyar Reformátusok Lapja, 1908 (9. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)

1908-02-01 / 5. szám

5 szám. 1908. február 1.

»Amerikai-magyar Reformátusok Lapja.«

5. olda

THE HUNGARIAN CHURCH DIFFICULTIES

FROM AN AMERICAN STANDPOINT.

In the present controversy between the representatives in the United States of the Reformed Church of Hungary and those representing the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches of the U. S. A. each party, doubtless, believes in the justice of its own contention. In the hope that it may make the situation more clear, and perhaps tend toward a Christian adjustment of what is now a most unchristian state of affairs, the writer ventures to state the issue as it presents itself to him, He has no authority to speak for any one but himself, but he believes, after wide intercourse with Americans conversant with the facte, that he fairly states their position in general.

1. The matter at issue does not concerns the character of the Reformed Church of Hungary. That Church is recognized as a sister church holding the Reformed faith, in so far as it has official symbols, and the Presbyterian system of church government, with this her permanent presidents or «Bishops» are not inconsistent. She is honored for her noble history. We only ask a like recognition of the American denominations named

2. Nor does it turn upon the fact that the Hungarian Reformed Church is connected with the State in Hungary, (being recognized by law, receiving State aid, having clerical and lay representation in the Hungarian Diet, etc.) and offices to seats is thereby exposed to political influences, altho much of the present difficulty seems to have grown directly or indirectly out of this connection.

3. It is not whether the Magyar in America should cherish a love for his native soil and for his mother church, nor yet whether he should employ those forms and customs which use has made sacred to him. It is freely granted that he should, a bad son is not likely to make a good husband. But on the other hand a good mother ought not to try to come between her son and his wife.

4. It is not whether it is right for the church Hungary to send ministers and to establish churches in the United States. This is clearly her privilege and may under certain circumstances be her duty. If this had been done earlier, or were beeing done now in a different way and with different motives from those which seem to characterize the present movement, there would be no conflict.

5. But when for more than fifteen years the American churches had been providing ministers, gathering congregations and helping to build churches for the Magyars in America, and the Hungarian Church had done nothing directly, was it right for the Hungarian Church authori- tes, to send over and try to secure control of these churches and this property without obtaining or even asking leave of the American Churches? When the Hungarian ministers at Johnstown almost unanimously, and the Magyar people of the congregations subsequently and repeatedly in the great majority of congregations voted not to withdraw from their American connections, was it right to persist in the attempt through the second visit of Count Degenfeld and

the successive missions of Drs, Antal and Bede, in direct disregardof the expressed wishes of the great body of these Magyar ministers and people? Is it not a fact that the whole effort of the representatives of the Hungarian Church in America, with perhaps one or two exceptions, has been to induce congregations already formed to desert their American friends or failing in this, to disrupt the congregation and set up a rival church in the same community? Are not the American Churches and the Magyars who prefer tho be associated with them right in asking that their work be not interfered with in this way ?

6. If this were done upon the ground that the Magyars were being taught false doctrine or immoral pracices by the American Churches, then there might be justification for such an attempt. But this is not the case, according to Baron Banffy, Lay President of the Convent, and his Secretary, Dr. Nagy, who are directing the movement. Four distinct witnesses known to the writer testify, two in print, and two by private letters, that one or both of these Gentlemen frankly declared to them that the motive was not primarily religious but political. One of these quotes the Baron as saying to him when he was sending him to America:

»I want to tell you that the home Church does not make all the great sacrifices and keep all those Churches in America, because of our fear that the Hungarian Reformed Emigrants might lose their faith, because if they want to remain Calvinists they can Join the Reformed Church of America or the Presbyterian, which are both the same as ours, but the reason is a political one we want them to remain good subjects of ther old home; we want them to remain Hungarians and not to become Americans. Please remember this and work accordingly.«

Is it right that the religious interests of the Magyars in America should be subordinated and sacrificed to the present and future exigences of politics in Hungary. That they are being sacrificed as well as subordinated by the present movement is unquestioable.

7. Even if the general movement and the confessed motive of it could be approved, the methods employed by many representatives of the Hungarian Church would still be open to question. Appeal is made to ignorance and prejudice by misrepresentation, as for example that to be connected with the Reformed Church of America is to become subject tho the Germans, or that the Presbyterian is not a Calvin- istic Church, or that the aim of the American Churches is to get money of the Hungarians, when as matter of fact these Churches have been and are spending large sums to aid the Magyars in securing churches, ministers, and periodicals. Ministers connected whith the American Churches are repeatedly approached privately with offers of financeal and other rewards if they will desert their American friends, and are warned of evil results to themselves and their churches if they do not do so. When private solicitation fails, many of these same ministers are subject to attacks upon their private character and ministerial standing in the public prints. That there

has been recrimination as well as crimination must be confessed and is to be deplored, but certainly the parties first attacked have the better excuse.

By their official representatives both the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches have declared their willingness to seek an adjustment of the existing difficulties. Both Churches assuredly stand ready to agree to any thing which, in their view, will promote the true religius interests of their Magyar féllowcitizens, will protect the latter in their right to form religious connections without dictation or molestation from outside, and will conserve the religious and pecuniary trusts, which have been commited to the respective denominations. Why should not the Convention in Hungary meet the authorities of the American Churches in the same spirit?

Lawrenceville, N. J.

SAMUEL McLANAHAM.

Innen-onnan.

A gazdagság — nem boldogság.

Hogy mennyire ferdén gondolkoznak azok, a kik a földi gazdagságban, fényben és dicsőségben vélik feltalálni a boldogságot, arra nézve néhány, a gazdagságot, fényt és hatalmat legnagyobb mértékben élvezett embernek a szavait idézem :

»Ön nagyon boldog 1« — szólt egy alkalommal egy úriember Rotschild báróhoz, Európa pénzkirályához, annak mesés gazdagságát bámulva.

»Boldog? — felelt erre Rotschild lemondólag, — ha az ember a párnája alattt töltött pisztolyokkal kénytelen aludni s majdnem minden nap egy fenyegető levelet kap, — hát az boldogság ?«

Még egy másik gazdag embernek idézem a szavait.

Pullmann-tól, a chicagói sokszoros milliomostól, — a ki, mellesleg legyen mondva, a vasúti hálókocsik gyártása által lett ismeretessé s dúsgazdaggá — azt kérdezte egyszer valaki, hogy hogyan érzi magát, a mióta többszörös milliomos. Pullmann azt felelte :

»Erről sohasem gondolkoztam. Miután azonban ön éppen ezt a kérdést vetette fel, mondhatom, hogy semmivel sem vagyok boldogabb, mint voltam hajdanában, a mikor még egy dollár sem volt egyszerre a zsebemben s kora reggeltől késő estig mások helyett voltam kénytelen dolgozni. Akkor egy öltözet ruhám volt csak, de egynél többet ma sem tudok egyszerre felvenni; akkor naponként háromszor laktam jól s az étel sokkal jobban esett, mint ma ; kevesebb volt a gondom s nyugodtabb az álmom; mondhatom önnek, hogy sok tekintetben szegén3rségemben boldogabb voltam, mint ma vagyok«.

A gazdag és hires Talleyrand herceg, korában Franciaországnak első minisztere, nem sokkal halála előtt egy papirra ezen szavakban irta le utolsó vallomását: »Imé, 83 év repült el fejem fölött! Mennyi gond, mennyi izgalom, mennyi kínos bo- nvodalom ! És mindennek nincs más eredménye, mint a test és a lélek teljes kimerülése; a múltba való tekintésnél a nyugtalanság, s a jövőbe való tekintésnél a lehangoltság és kétségbeesés..«