The Hungarian Student, 1958 (2. évfolyam, 1-7. szám)
1958 / 1. szám
4 the Hungarian student The Contrabassist A Short Story by A. N. I RECENTLY became acquainted with a tall, fair boy whom I met in the office of the Association. His bony face and gray eyes reflected sadness. At my request he told me his story, which was neither unusual nor strange, just one of many thousands of stories. “All the trouble began with the fact that one cannot play the contrabass very well in Sloan House [YMCA], That is, it’s not very advisable. I, for one, tried but did not succeed. That’s why I am here.” “What actually happened?” “I received permission to practice an hour daily in the practice room. I usually managed to do so in two separate half hours. That way I could sneak in an extra five minutes, which meant 1 gained ten more minutes in which to practice. And then it happened.” “What happened?” “Yesterday while I was at Juillard, someone broke the contrabass. If it only had been mine, but someone had lent it to me. What can I tell him now?” I was interested in the youth, so I waited for him until he finished his business with the Association. He was asking for help to finally buy his own instrument. He needed references and some advance for the downpayment. “And how are you going to pay the installments, the forty dollars a month?” they asked him. “Out of my scholarship. Fifty cents a day should cover my food expenses. The rest I’ll use for laundry and stamps, and that’s all. I don’t have any other expenses.” “And how about travel?” “Oh, I never used the trolley back home in Hungary either. Of course, distances are greater here, but my legs are strong and I have the time. I walk the distance from Juillard to the Hungarian House on York Avenue in twenty minutes.” I had to wait for him for about half an hour until, aided by the Student Service, they found a way to transact the purchase of a contrabass. The Relief Fund of the Association gave him money for the downpayment. The store was willing to reduce the amount of the installments. Hence, there was some money left over for subway fares and food, as fifty cents would not buy a full meal for even such a modest young man. When we left the Association, I accompanied the contrabassist part of the way. Walking fast, he real ted his life story, is possible to walk in New York. In Hungary, he had studied medicine, but after a year and a half, he was expelled from the university because he was a class-alien. For a while he worked on building roads. Maybe that’s where he got used to the long walks. Ever since he was a child he had loved music, but never thought that he would make it his career. “The draft was coming closer, and 1 wanted to avoid the inhuman treatment which my kind of ‘class-alien’ gets in the military service. A friend helped me gain admittance to the music school. This meant I would be exempt from the draft. There was an opening in the contrabass section of the school. You know, it’s the largest instrument of the viol class. At first it was a bit difficult to get used to this ‘tiny’ instrument. Later I got to like it. Now I feel as if it’s part of me.” “How did you succeed in getting a scholarship in the United States?” “I applied to Juillard and had to pass an examination. I was very nervous Hungarian Students Arriving from Camps In THE SEPTEMBER issue of The Hungarian Student there was news of university students who still remained in Yugoslav camps. Congressman Francis E. Walter, Chairman of the Subcommittee with Special Jurisdiction over Immigration and Nationality, answered our letter which was published in the September issue: As you know, the program which 1 recommended is now being carried out and I believe that the young people we admit will prove that they deserve to be made part of our nation. At our appeal, a large-scale movement was begun, designed to bring university students still in Yugoslavia, their relatives, as well as high school students to the United States. To date, twenty-two university students have arrived in this country from Yugoslav camps. The cases of fortyone students, nineteen relatives, and twenty high school students are now being processed. It was the Association which found sponsors for twenty-nine of the above refugees. AHS will also find sponsors for the remaining emigres within the next few weeks. By Christmas, it is hoped that Hungarian students and their relatives who are now in Yugoslav camps, will be able to begin a new life in the United States. We want to thank everyone who has helped Hungarian students come to this country. We express our thanks to Congressman Walter, to the sponsors, and to all those organizations who either financed the cost of travel or helped us work out the technical details. because I had not played for several months. I hardly had time to practice before the test, but I succeeded.” “What are your fellow-students like?” “Friendly and helpful. I’m still a beginner in English, but everybody is trying to help me.” “What are your future plans?” “Later, yes much later, I would like to return to the Budapest Academy of Music. But the road is long. I still have a great deal of study and difficulty before me. I hope I’ll have the strength and endurance for it.” In saying good-by I noticed that I had passed my destination. I hunted for a subway station in order to ride back the three stops I had missed. That shows how well I’ve adjusted to this city, although undoubtedly it has also been proven, that it is possible to walk in New York.
