Amerikai Magyar Reformátusok Lapja, 1919 (20. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1919-03-08 / 10. szám
2 AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA csak úgy lehet megértenünk, ha értjük a nyelvét. Én pedig Magyarországot nem csak abból akarom megismerni, a mit ott látok, hanem a Nemzetnek a leikéből is. De mivel én amerikai vagyok és mivel amerikai egyház érdekeit szolgálom, — azért megvárom a magyaroktól, hogy inkább ők tanulják meg az angol nyelvet és alkalmazkodjanak ezen ország' Amerika szelleméhez. Ez annyival is könnyebb a magyaroknak, mivel ők nyelvek iránti érzékkel bírnak és már tudnak 3-4 nyelvet, s otthon az iskolában is tanultak több nyelvet. Ez a magyaroknak javukra is szolgál, mivel most az egész világ Amerika felé néz, és Amerikától várja a segítséget független kormányzat felállítására, és az ilyen szellemet legjobban lehet elsajátítani attól az országtól, mely elsőnek irta meg a szabad nemzet alkotmányformáját. JELEN és AJÁNDÉK. — örömmel vettem volt részt a Febr. 23-iki loraini szép ünnepélyen és megtanultam ott megismerni ezen szónak, hogy AJÁNDÉK az értelmét és a gyülekezet tagjainak nemes szivét és lelkét. D. A. SOUDERSmissioi kerületi püspök. “Jelen” és “Ajándék.” These two Hungarian words are er >,u oui English word PRESENT but they are not the same in meaning because our word means several things. The Hungarian friends of the writer say that shows that the Magyar language is more exact than the English; he says in reply that our language is simpler. A good Hungarian friend who speaks five languages, told me once, that she likes the English best because it is so easy. Of course there are arguments on both sides, so we turn to the real puipose of this article. The writer had personal experience of the meaning of both words on Sunday February 23. He had accepted an invitation from Lorain, Ohio, to celebrate Washingtons’ Birth Day with the Hungarian Reformed congregation of that place. He was therefore present (Jelen) at five services during the day. First was the Sunday School service where there were about 125 children who answered to roll call. Most of them said jelen; some said present; some used the simple word here. The use of the first word was by the little children who have not yet been in public school; the rest used the other words. Then the writer was asked to teach the whole school. He felt like saying first of all jelen but feared he might not pronounce it right so omitted it. How attentive the little folks were! Next came the regular morning service of the congregation where we had the privilege of baptizing a little girl baby, and afterward listened to a very confusing speech by the pastor in which the words Magyar and American: Washington and Kossuth; Rev. Dr. Whit- mer and Dr. Souders were strangely commingled. The last named who was present (jelen) knew he must make a reply, but how could you reply to a speech of which you knew only the proper nouns? The whole speech was however made clear when the pastor drew from his pocket a little plush case and drew from it a large badge of gold and in the name of the congregation presented it to the Superintendent as an appreciation of 15 years service in behalf of the congregation. Now he knew the meaning of AJANDEK. Another badge of gold was drawn from the box and presented by Rev. Sam. Horváth in the name of the Young Pea- pie’s Society and then a number of little girls came forward and in behalf of the children one of them in excellent English presented a beautiful bouquet of 15 roses. At an afternoon service the pastor of the Presbyterian church Rev. Dr. Donaldson gave an excellent address in English which all could understand and enjoy. The compliment was returned in the evening with an address on Christian Americanization by the writer in the Presbyterian church. That was from 7 to 8:30 Then came a Social Supper in the Hungarian Sunday School room where about 250 fathers- mothers and children sat down and enjoyed a family banquet with a number of invited friends and were entertained with sining by the children and young people and with an address on Christian Americanization by the writer. It must have been a good address for it was well récéivel. It confessed that we have two kinds of Americanism, bad as well as good, and it expressed the fear that till recently tlie aliens in America got more of the former than the latter but that both Americans and strangers in their midst shall have the truer kind of Americanism taught and practiced for the common good of all. _dek. Shall the Superintendent and h.o n^uas learn Magyar or shall their Magyar friends learn English? The Magyar language is extremely difficult for the Superintendent because it belongs to a family of languages of which he and his ancestors have always been strange. Should he ever visit Hungary he will try to learn the language because every body there should know it even if the pronunciation is poor. He would try also because the spint of a people can best be learned from their own language and he would wish to know Hungary not only by what can be seen and heard but also by what must be felt, — its very soul. Since howeres he is American and lives and works for the Church in America he will expect the Magyar people to accommodate themselves to his language and the spirit of his country, America. This will be easier for Magyars than for most people because they have a talent for languages, having learned 3 or 4 of them before going to school and having learned more of them in school. It will be best for them because now all countries look to America for help in establishing free governments in all the world and the spirit of a government can best be acquired in the language in which its constitution and laws were first written and all the interpretations have been given. Jelen and Ajándék. We were present with glad heart in all the services of February 23 and we learned the true meaning of Ajándék- the noble heart and soul of the people. D. A. Souders, Supt. of Immigrant Missions Reformed Church in the U. S. Amerikai Magyar Segélyzö Szövetség (Magyar Betegsegélyzö Egyletek Szövetkezete) Alakult 1892. 141« State StBridgeport, Conn.
