Új Magyar Út, 1953 (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1953-09-01 / 9. szám

CONTENTS

ALBERT VASS, (Astor, Florida) editor of this Review, commemorates Dr. Géza Soos in a moving necrolog. Dr. Géza Soos served the cause of a better future by his activities as professor in the Presbyterian Montreat College, as pastor, and also by his excellent series of lectures on the sufferings of nations under Communist rule. He was in a fatal accident on the night of September 5, 1953, near Me Connellsburg, Pa. In him thousands of Hungarian families, far from their homeland, have lost a spiritual comfortor and benevolent helper in need. His personal friends and followers, scattered from Canada to Australia,, cannot do otherwise than continue the way which Dr. Géza Soos showed us, as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit of Christian faith and sacrifice, regardless of denominational or social differences.

DR. JOSEPH REMÉNYI, Professor of Comparative Literature at Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, discusses five Americans who were awarded the Nobel prize for their literary attainments. Dr. Reményi refutes the fallacy current abroad regarding the artistic significance of American letters, pointing out that lack of objective appraisal is fraught with danger in relationship to international understanding. Analysing the American novelist Sinclair Lewis and the American playwright Eugene O’ Neil, Dr. Reményi applies critical principles as well as historical and sociological norms. Dr. Reményi emphasizes the genuine warmth of Pearl S. Buck, the stylistic complexities of Faulkner, and the involved manner and attitude of T. S. Eliot. In weighing their spiritual and psychological perspective, he accentuates the Chinese orientation of Pearl S. Buck, the southern characteristics of Faulkner, and the unique, at times obscure features in the satirical and religious works of T. S. Eliot

REV. FERENC ÚJLAKI, President of The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, answers in an open letter to Béla Szilassi’s article “Building for the future and the responsibility of Hungarians” published in our last issue.

Rev. Újlaki emphasizes that those Hungarians, who emigrated to the USA in former decades, expressed their love, faith and patriotism in building their churches by the hundreds and ecclesiastical organizations. This may serve as a basis for those more recently emigrated Hungarians who, through their high culture, may create still more beautiful and very much needed institutions in the field of American-Hungarian relations.

IN THIS ISSUE we continue the publication of parts of C. A. Macartney’ book “Hungary and Her Successors” (Oxford, England, 1937).

LÁSZLÓ FODOR, military expert of the Review contributes interesting ideas to the study of László Domonkos, former Major in the Hungarian Gendarmerie, on the organization of armed and police forces in a liberated Hungary. László Fodor disapproves the proposal of Domonkos who favors the unification of all armed and police forces under one independent chief commander. According to Fodor, it would serve the purpose better to create special units for the special tasks of national security such as border guards, security forces,

traffic police, criminal and political affairs, etc., as is customary in Western democracies. A complete separation from the military forces and also from political influences is favored. Because of this, it would be best to subordinate them directly to the head of the State. Members of the armed forces should have the same right to vote as other citizens. The author points out it is high time that Hungarian emigrants come to an agreement on this subject.

LÁSZLÓ MÉRLAKI deals in his “World Forum” with the recent political happenings on both sides of the Iron Curtain. He points out the differences of opinion between the two great Western Allies, the United States and England, concerning the admittance of Red China to the U. N. This is just one of the many problems facing the current Assembly of the world organization. The main task is peacemaking in Korea. The Soviet attitude, however, makes this extremely difficult. President Rhee's resistance toward any deal with the Reds composes another difficulty.

Our columnist reports, also, on the recent changes in the Arab world, eminently in Iran and Marocco. These reflect upon the domestic situation in England and in France as well. The French government has a very hard time in its efforts to achieve an economical stability. The anticommunist unions, however, defeated communist attempts to crash the Laniel government.

Perhaps the most important victory of the cold war was scored by the West in the German elections. Pro- Western minded Chancellor Adenauer’s Christian Democrats carried the bulk of the West German vote,leaving the neutralist Socialdemocrats way behind on the second place. Adenauer’s victory could mean the realization of EDC, and a definite strengthening of the Western defense.

On the other side of the Iron Curtain Beria’s fall marked the beginning of another big purge. No one yet knows where this will lead to, but it is certain that many more heads will fall in the months to come.

ELEMÉR BAKÓ, chief editor of this Review, sends a message to all friends, readers and all those who knew and loved the late Dr. Géza Soos, profesor of Montreat College, North Carolina, and founder of The New Hungarian Way. He proposes the creation of a Géza Soos Fund for Young Journalists. The purpose of this fund is to promote the education of university students of Hungarian origin to study the science of journalism. It would help to start their careers in the United States or elsewhere.

DR. ELEMÉR BAKÓ, former Assistant Professor of the Debrecen (Hungary) and Munich (Germany) universities, at present editor of this Review, reviews the essay of Joseph Reményi, Professor of Comparative Literature at Western University, Cleveland, Ohio, entitled “Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian Poet, 1823-1849”. This study was published as No. 1 in the English language series of “Hungarica Americana” financed by the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America Petőfi, the greatest Hungarian lyrical poet of the last century was a contemporary of Louis Kossuth, well-known in the USA. The Encyclopedia Britannica (vol. XVII) London. 1948, p. 658, says about him: “The great public was enthusiastic on the same side and posterity, too, has placed him among the immortals.”