The Eighth Tribe, 1976 (3. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1976-07-01 / 7. szám
Page 2 THE EIGHTH TRIBE July, 1976 A personal letter to all the readers of The Eighth Tribe:— Sunday, July 4th, 1976. Celebration of the 200th year of the independence of the U.S. as a free nation. The house is quiet, our son and daughter went to Gettysburg, Valley Forge and Philadelphia with their friends from the Mid-West to join personally in the celebration with millions of other people. My wife and I are watching, through the wonders of television, the celebrations through-out the country from coast to coast. Two hundred years ago it took days to travel from Washington to Philadephia and to New York. Today, President Ford did this feat in a couple of hours — the wonders of the 20th Century. It is a day to remember, as we watcb the activities and the re-enactment of the happenings 200 years ago. The magnificent Tall Ships sailing up the Hudson River, passing the Statue of Liberty, a reminder of the old sailing ships, which did not have the modern conveniences as todays modern ships. When President Ford rang the bell on the Aircraft Carrier Forrestal 13 times, in honor of the 13 original states setting off the ringing of the church bells through-out the nation, to give thanks to God and proclaiming continuous liberty to every citizen of this nation. It reminded me of the proclamation of Pope Nicholas V — when he ordered the church bells to ring at noon throughout the Christian World in remembrance of the defeat of the Turkish Army by John Hunyadi and the Hungarian Army at Nándorfehérvár 1444. The closing of the celebration with Fireworks at the Statue of Liberty, the ‘Old Lady’ stood there holding the torch of Liberty as the band and a choir played and sang the immortal words of Francis Scott Key, which later became our national anthem: “... And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there... . Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, for our cause is just, And This be our motto: “In God is our Trust!” And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” It was an emotionally magnificent end for a day to remember. As I watcb these final moments, looking at the Statue of Liberty, I remember waving to her from the troopship heading to the European Theatre of the Second World War with the other soldiers, not knowing if we would ever see her again. Then when we returned, it was announced on the loudspeaker “you’ll be able to see the Old Lady soon”, and we all went up the deck, waving cheerfully, tears in our eyes, we knew that finally we were home. Then looking toward the future, a thought came to me: Will the U.S. someday celebrate the 1,000th Anniversary as the nation of our forefathers did in 1900, celebrating the 1,000 years as a nation in Europe, or will this nation destroy herself as the Greeks and Romans did, and our descendents have to look for another promised land. If we can do one thing on this our 200th birthday, it is to reaffirm our faith in our nation: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Can we make this same pledge today? If we can, this nation will endure. Happy Birthday U.S.A. THE EIGHTH TRIBE Editor ........................................................... Sándor E. Chomos Contributing Editors: ........... Albert Wass, Joseph Széplaki, Dr. and Mrs. István S. Tuba, Steven B. Vardy Published and printed monthly by the Bethlen Press, Inc. P.0. Box 637, Ligonier, Pa. 15658, U.S.A. Second Class Postage paid at Ligonier, Pa. 15658, U.S.A. Subscription: f>8.00 yearly.
