Fraternity-Testvériség, 1956 (34. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1956-04-01 / 4-5. szám

FRATERNITY

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made a motion asking the Federation to donate a substantial fund to the orphanage of the Reformed Church in the U. S. in Butler, Pa., the interests of which would be used for the maintenance of one or two orphans. Lajos Nánássy modified the motion and proposed that our Federation at its first jubilee should make the initial steps for the foundation of a Hungarian American orphanage by starting a financial drive, so that such a benevolent institution could be opened as soon as possible. The convention accepted this motion unanimously.

ORGANIZATION

It was only in 1907 that our Federation succeeded in engaging a traveling agent for the purpose of recruiting new members. József Kodi, a teacher, was our first such organizer. However, he was unable to produce satisfactory results on account of the economic situation which again became very grave. The Federation experienced the same disappointment with the second organizer, Ferenc Tállyay, until István Molnár, who was elected Secretary in 1908, introduced a system producing better results. The year 1907 has also some other particular significance in our history. In this year, our Federation obtained a Charter, which no other Hungarian or any other fraternal organization possesses. During its first decade our Federation intended to obtain a charter in the State of New York, but when the president’s office was transferred to Ohio, the first charter was granted in that state. However, they wanted a charter that would insure without any doubt the right of the Federation to function in all states. This was accomplished through the intercession of our then controller, Tamás Madarassy, from South Bend, Indiana, by Abraham Lincoln Brick, a representative in Congress. Upon his motion, the United States Congress passed a law granting us a charter, on the basis of which we are still functioning. We have paid respect to the memory of Madarassy and Brick with an impressive ceremony at their graves in South Bend, Indiana, on April 11, 1937.

THE SECOND DECADE

In the beginning the Federation held its conventions annually; however, the convention in 1906 passed a resolution stating that conventions be held bi-annually and that only branches with “sufficient” members be represented. However, we could not establish from the records what was considered “sufficient” at that time. Consequently, conventions were held in 1908, in South Bend, Ind.; 1910, in Pittsburgh, Pa.; 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio. The next convention, however, was convoked only three years later, in 1915, in Toledo, Ohio, and the next one after that four years later, in Buffalo, N. Y. This meeting began September 26, 1919, when a final resolution was made — that conventions of the Federation be held once every four years in accordance with the laws relating to fraternal societies.

The most important convention of the second decade was held in Pittsburgh at which time the Federation’s work was reorganized on a new basis. Sándor Kövér presided at this meeting. The branches were represented by 35 delegates. The constructive motion of the new era was the