The Hungarian Student, 1957 (1. évfolyam, 2-8. szám)
1957 / 4. szám
10 The Hungarian Student come part of the world’s political problems. We Hungarians did so in 1956 ! We must find the way again, now. But before we raise our voices for our nation, we must remember one thing : we must not lose the credit we earned through the heroic behavior of our youth and the entire nation. We must not allow traitors to destroy the unity built up against oppression in the last ten years. “We paid dearly for that unity in 1956. The terror made slaves of our people. But that slavery broke the barriers of social differences. From that slavery grew brotherly and sisterly unity joining all Hungary’s people. Step by step we can find the way to national unity. While we go forward, however, we must be aware of the danger that many will try to destroy that national treasure of ours. You are its guardians, and must advance daringly, without hesitation and with the feeling that everyone who hopes for the salvation of our motherland goes with you. All are your companions who made themselves pure during the revolution, with blood and sacrifices. Today's question is not, ‘Where do you come from?,’ but, ‘Where are you going?’ “I should like to offer three suggestions for your voyage forward : always search for Truth, find the Beauty of life, and follow the ideal of Goodness. The President of the Temporary Organizing Committee opens the meeting. “There is no greater thing in the world than the search for Truth. Today’s world faces great problems. Civilization has discovered a new technique with which the world can be destroyed at any moment. Where did the sorcerer’s apprentice lose his way with the cobalt bomb in his effort to liberate humanity? Perhaps in that he is not looking for Truth. The existence of Truth abroad was denied you in our mother-country, but Truth will take revenge! The phony propagandists of distorted truth forgot those humans who are searching for Truth. You must search for the whole truth, the cosmic truth. “I should like to plant in your hearts the human faith in Beauty. Our thousand-year-old culture has produced many who valued the search for beauty as much as artists from other nations. The work of our poets, from the earliest ones to our present generation, are unknown here. Our literary gems are untranslated. Who knows them other than the Hungarians? Now is the time for us to show our wealth all over the world. Give your university colleagues a taste of Hungarian culture ! Among you authors or would-be authors are some who will be capable of translating our literary wealth and acquainting the world with the beauties of Hungarian writings and life. “The third ideal is that of Goodness, which can be your leader. The tragedies of the Twentieth Century show the question of Goodness to be a major one, and our fate depends on our answer. Goodness, Good Will toward humanity must be your leading torch ! “My friends! I come to the end of this verbal appeal with the warning that we are living in an era in which words no longer count, because we have so often heard them used whether they were meant or not. These days only moral behavior counts. We must offer our lives if necessary, to show our beliefs through action. Our words will have real meaning only when their truth endures as described by Ady: ‘Let our words stand unchanged like Christ’s through his tears; as the heat and the snows of thousands of years.’ ’’ The audience participates in the discussion.
