Magyar News, 1994. szeptember-1995. augusztus (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1995-04-01 / 8. szám
(Continued) advises his son to take council with elders and to listen to their advise. These laws mention and advisory body. Stephen also arranged the country as a nation under laws. The freeman of Hungary, who were the descendents of the old conquerors, kept a special position. He did not disturb the clan structure which was still in place at the time. Stephen did not interfere with the institution of slavery, although he set an example for his people by liberating his slaves. Some of his people followed this example. The territory of Hungary itself now was divided into three categories. There were the lands held by the clans. In principle all the rest was the kings. This amounted to almost half of the area. Some of this, however, Stephen donated to the church or to certain individuals he thought deserved his help or thanks. The king’s lands were divided into sections for administration purposes and were to be called by the Slav name Megye. These megyes or counties were supervised by the kings representatives or Ispán. Each Ispán had to maintain his own var or fortress. In Stephen’s day there were 42 counties. It has to be remembered that the Ispán did not have jurisdiction over the land held by the various clans. In closing, we can see that the time following the end of the raids ad death of St. Stephen was a remarkable one and very important for the Magyar nation. Geza’s Christianity was probably something he entered into because of political reasons. He never really renounced the old ways and beliefs. He is said to have once declared himself “rich enough to afford two God’s.” Stephen, on the other hand, had been raised in the new faith. While he recognized the reality of political matters between kingship and the church, he was a sincere believer. In his admonition to his son Imre, he names faith as the first of the pillars of royal authority; the church second and the priesthood third. He really depended upon Christianity as his source of authority. The conversion of the Magyars went hand in hand with the establishment of a complete church organization. When he died, Hungary had two archbishops and eight bishops; there was one parish church for every ten villages. St. Stephen provided the foundation which would serve Hungary for three hundred years. * * * * * Rev. Szilagyi is giving a lecture series on Hungarian history. This article is an abbreviated copy of the lecture. Look in the listings of events on page 2 for other lectures. In the future the Magyar News will be carrying other parts of the series. The next will be Janos Hunyadi: Soldier and Defender of Europe. EVENTS OF APRIL 1995 APRIL 2, SUNDAY from 12:30 to 3:00 PM at the Holy Trinity Hall CHICKEN DINNER. The parish decided to give their support to the committee in Naugatuc where the Hungarian members of the Special Olympics will be hosted. The people in Naugatuc are giving housing, food and entertainment to the handicapped athletes coming from Hungary. There will be 52 competing youngsters in the tournament and also their couches. The Holy Trinity church members will prepare and serve the dinner, and donate all the proceeds to the Special Olympics Committee to help defray the expenses they have. In Naugatuc there are only five Hungarian families, the largest ethnic group is Portugese. A favorable gesture of our Hungarian community would be deeply appreciated and it would show out commitment towards our own people. Tickets for the dinner are $8.00 per person. To obtain it you may call Goldie 333-0779 or Betty 334-4217. You may also contact your pastor who received the tickets in advance. APRIL 8, SATURDAY, at the Bessemer Hall on North Avenue 10 AM to 4 PM FIRST SPRING FLEA MARKET. 75 dealers, church store treasures and tag sale. Hungarian style food and traditional pastries will be prepared by the church's well known chefs. APRIL 23. SUNDAY from Noon to 5:00 PM FAMILY SPRING FEST at St. Emery School Hall. Roast beef dinner will be served, followed by dance. Music is provided by Stan Danielczuk. Tickets are $10.00 per person, children under 12 only $5.00. Advanced tickets only. Call 335-3575, 333-7480 or 334-5174. APRIL 23, SUNDAY, at the First United Church of Christ the Women's Guild will sponsor a CARD PARTY at 2:00 PM in the United Hall. There will be pastry, coffee, raffle and BINGO. Donation is $3.00. FOR EASTER the First United Church of Christ will be selling nut- and poppy-seed rolls. The price is $7.50 per roll. For information and to order please call 368-3103. THE PROPER ADDRESS IS Hungarian Heritage Center, 300 Somerset St., New Brunswick, NJ 08903 2
