Magyar Egyház, 1970 (49. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1970-04-01 / 4. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11 could hope to have and come to this new country to huild their lives. That took real courage. But there is another quality in addition to courage which our fathers had. It was a great help to them in this new country. I hope we haven't forgotten it. I hope we never will. That quality is thrift and frugality. My duties call for me to make many trips across America. I have seen the mysterious Inca ruins in Peru. 1 have marveled at the orange groves of California. I have spent weeks in the golden wheat fields of the Dakotas. I’ve been to the far west where the crops must all be grown by running water through ditches to the fields. But there the corn is not watered in the middle of July, because the farmers say “It will make the corn proud.” Proud corn is corn that puts all its growth into leaves and stalk but never grows fruitful ears. The wise farmers of that region know that if they give their corn all the water it wants, the corn will waste itself in luxuriant leaves and be too “proud” to produce anything itself. Let us not give our children everything they want in these prosperous times. They, too, might become “proud” like that western corn. Let us rather do for our children what our fathers have done for us. Sitting out there among you are my father and mother. My parents taught me the lessons of thrift and frugality well. They taught me not to be “proud”. I can remember well selling rhubarb to earn a portion of the money needed for my personal expenses. I can still remember well helping my father as a hod carrier in order to earn part of my college expense money. My parents did this not because they couldn’t afford to give me money, but they did it because they wanted me to learn the lesson of producing something for myself. They didn't want me to produce only luxuriant leaves, but good ears of corn. They didn’t want me to become too “proud”. 1 have tried not to disappoint them. There is another thing which our fathers have given us which will put us far above other Americans. There is a common American saying, "Boys will he boys”. It is a foolish and wicked saying. Our fathers knew better. They knew that boys would not be boys. They knew that boys would be men. And so they taught us to work like men, to think like men, and to take responsibilities for our actions like men. These days it’s tough to he a hoy. Boys don’t get to see much of their Dads. They don’t have their Dads around to copy so that they can pattern their lives after them. So naturally, boys sometimes get into trouble. To my mind the worst thing that can happen to a boy in trouble is for some fool to come along and say to that hoy, “Well, hoys will be boys”. To say that is to tell the boy that he was expected to he bad and get into trouble all along. Dont teach your sons to get into trouble. Do teach them to accept responsibility for their actions. Never tell them that boys will be boys. Teach them rather that boys will be men. Teach them to think like men. Teach them to behave like men. Teach them to work like men. One of the many reasons for which I am grateful to my father is the lesson he continually taught me that I must take responsibility for my own actions. One of my first responsibilities as a contributing member of our household was to feed our chickens and collect the eggs. As I grew older my responsibilities increased: picking the tomatoes, cutting the grass, shoveling the snow, etc. When I got into troubles, like the famous “Great Library Robbery” when my gang and I stole the library fines, I was taught that boys will not be boys and to accept the consequences of my deeds. I am grateful for those lessons in growing up for it served me well in my adult life. All that I am or ever hope to be I owe to those wonderful parents of mine sitting out there among you. What will we pass on to our sons and daughters? (1) We will teach them to choose the best parts of the old and new. (2) We will teach them to be courageous. (,3) We will teach them to endure adversity. (4) We will teach them thrift and frugality. (5) We will teach them to work. (6) We will teach them to accept responsibility for their actions. We do not live on the banks of the Danube as our forefathers did. We do not struggle to hold back the hordes of darkness as they did. But we are engaged every day in battles as hard and struggles as terrible as our forefathers. We, and our children, and our Református religion could have been lost without the virtues of our ancestors. I pray you never forget that. Remember, it was those Hungarian traditions which were passed on to you by your fathers which enabled you to build this fine church building and pay off its mortgage. And, just as the flames from this traditional mortgage ceremony burn brightly, let everyone of us in this audience pledge himself to keep that eternal flame of our proud Magyar----Református heritage burning just as brightly in his heart. Let everyone in this audience light the same bright flame in the hearts of his children. Remember, every generation enjoys the use of the traditions bequeathed to it by antiquity, and it is our responsibility to transmit those traditions, augmented by fresh acquisitions, to future generations. Our forefathers and fathers who have gone before us have taught us to live and die. We are the heirs of the ages. This church building, more impor-
