Verhovayak Lapja, 1940. július-december (23. évfolyam, 27-52. szám)
1940-08-29 / 35. szám
Page 2 August 29. 3940 Verhovayak Lapja sheer waste of time and energy to look them up. Things have changed for them, too. Therefore, we must see them at our earliest opportunity. And don’t forget the young married people. Sell them insurance for their babies before someone else steps in and walks out with a contract. Folks more readily insure their children than they do themselves. There are all kinds of ways and methods to make this Contest easier and more fruitful for yourself. The two important ones are that more people are back to work axl good weather is still here. Take advantage now. My Travels Abroad with the Verhovay Only a Dog Only a dog, both loving and kind, Trying so hard his master to mind, Giving a love so perfect and true, His whole life bound up in devotion to you. Only a dog, yet where are the men Who, acting as masters, are worthy of them? To him you’re supreme and all that is best; Live a life, if you can, that will meet this test. Only a dog, but a loyal friend, Faithful to us from beginning to end. ? Knowing our faults, but forgetting them all— Only a dog, who awaits our call. —Our Dumb Animals. As the train which we caught the following morning from Kisvárda to Ungvár went only as far as Csap, we hired a taxi to take us to the group. The ride was terrific. The taxi must have been a good automobile in its day, but to us it was the type that we in America would use “on the farm.” We went only a distance of 10 km. to Ungvár, but we should have had feather dusters to keep the dust from our clothes. We arrived in time to get cleaned up and make our rounds with the group for a tour of the city. The city of Ungvár had a great number of newly constructed public buildings, a huge post office building, police barracks and large administration buildings. While making the tour of the buildings, we saw signs of the former occupants and builders of the new structures. Some rooms were completed with the exception of lighting fixtures; others partially built with signs of plaster on the floors; and still others which were completed and were being used by the Czechs when they hurriedly had to make their departure from the city and the buildings which they had constructed. We found a great deal of Czech literature and books strewn about the floors of those evacuated rooms, which they had no time to take with them. Baron Sigismund Perényi (Perényi Zsigmond), Governor of restored Hungary, welcomed us to the city and made us feel at home. The Mayor of Ungvár acted as our host at a dinner in the Astoria Cafe where, amidst the strains of gypsy violins, rousing speeches, thankfulness for having Ungvár as a part of Hungary once again, we dined. Present were officials of the city, dignitaries and officers of the army. We left Ungvár reluctantly, as our schedule called for our being in Kassa by nightfall. By Alexander J. Goydan Enroute we stopped at the famous city of Sátoraljaújhely for refreshments and a rest. The birthplace of Prince Rákóczi was visited at Borsi, where we placed a wreath and paid tribute to the great patriot of Hungary. We 'traveled on good roads and, while passing certain sections of the roadways, the bus driver called our attention to numerous fortifications, or pillboxes, in the fields at advantageous positions along the road. These pillboxes were well placed and camouflaged with war paint, trees and sheaves of wheat. Entirely deserted they were a grim reminder of what might have happened to the Hungarians if force had been necessary to regain the lost territories. We were thankful that these pillboxes were not used, as they would have caused a great loss of life among the Hungarian soldiers. We arrived in Kassa at 7:30 in the evening. The Grand Hotel, “Schalkház,” served as our stopping place for the evening. We were the first group of Hungarian-Americans to visit Kassa since its return to Hungary on November 2, 1938 and, needless to say, we were welcome. Our arrival was awaited eagerly. A banquet was served in our honor in the main dining room of the hotel. An unusually large number of officers and soldiers were dining here, for they had completed maneuvers in the vicinity during the day. Distinguished guests were present and, as souvenirs and reminders of our stay in Kassa, we were presented with a bust of Rákóczi Ferenc from the Royal City of Kassa. A concert on a flute, usually presented from the dome of the famed church in Kassa, was tendered us in the dining room by members of the state band. It was a high honor and a privilege to hear these royal musicians play for our benefit. We spent Sunday, July 30th, in Kassa. As many of us wanted to go to church Sunday morning, we visited the 500 year old Catholic Church. There are many paintings hundreds of years old, beautiful altars, and in the basement of the church we saw the crypt of Prince Ferenc Rákóczi. Wreaths years and years old of many organizations were draped on the marble casket, displaying the affection and admiration of Hungarians who had made a pilgrimage to tjre resting place of a great man. The streets of Kassa on this Sunday afternoon were thronged with people. Here and there we could see various groups of tourists making a visit to Kassa for the first time in their lives. Experienced guides led the groups, explaining the points of interest in the famous city. It was a warm afternoon and our schedule called for a trip to the top of Mt. Jahodna. Reaching the highest point where a cool breeze was blowing, we could see the entire city of Kassa from an advantageous position; while the Slovak border was only a few hundred yards away from the point at which we were standing. We spent the remainder of the afternoon dancing and dining at the Bankó, where a gay crowd of visitors and picnickers were enjoying themselves just as much as we were. The next day we were on our way once again. Our first stop was at the Ancirássy Mausoleum, at Krasznahorka (The Hungarian Taj Mahal), wherein we saw the crypts of Count Andrássy and his wife, a veritable haven of repose for the two who loved each other dearly in life. The love story of the lives of these two would be entirely too much to relate here, but must be mentioned, as the lives of these two were tragic in their endings. Leaving the mausoleum, and on the grounds, we saw perhaps the only monument in the world erected to the memory of a dog in a life sized statue. The dog, which belonged to the wife of Count Andrássy, was as one of the family, being at all times with the family. ^ Enroute the Castle and Fort of Krasznahorka were visited. The time of the castle goes back as far as 1341, and has a history almost as old as Hungary itself. The castle has changed hands many times, been through many wars, but today stands as a memorial to the stability of a great nation. At the huge gates of the castle, which is situated at the highest point in the vicinity, we were met by the keeper of the fort and museum, John Baffy. Making known my identity to Mr. Baffy, I passed on the greetings of Ä relative in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, that of Stephen Varga, who wanted his message delivered personally. Here again we could enumerate interesting sights, relics, primitive implements of war and other remembrances of the Andrássy Family. Newsreel cameramen were present to get first-hand pictures of the Hungarian-Americans visiting the old castle. Later on we had occasion to view ourselves in the Hungarian movies as the camera saw us. We arrived in the restored city of Rozsnyó about noon, pausing only to partake of food at the Stryukula Restaurant (vendéglő), and also to pass on greetings of friends from my home town. As our schedule called for cur being in Miskolc by nightfall, we were on our way, making a stop at the famous "Caverns of Aggtelek.” Words can hardly describe the wonders of the underground passages which we saw. Here were rock formations thousands of years old, molded into forms of indescribable beauty, each having a name and meaning. Lighting effects seemingly coming from nowhere brightened and featured the hidden beauty of an underground city. A waterfall and waterway provided us with an extra thrill, as in order to complete our inspection of the cavern, we had to travel by boat to various parts of the cave. At one point of our inspection our attention was called to an iron gate, dividing one part of the cave from another section at a point where navigation was possible for only one boat at a time. This partition served as a dividing line between the Czech part of the cavern and the Hungarian part. While the Czech regime was in force a constant guard was at his post, half way up to his knees in water, keeping watch and constantly fearing an invasion by the Hungarians and a possible intrusion o! Czech “rights.” We left the caverns reluctantly, leaving the natural coolness of an underground passage to the sweltering heat of a July day. Arriving in Miskolc at’ 7:30 in the evening, the Korona Hotel was our mecca. We had dinner in an open courtyard, amidst the soothing strains of welcome Hungarian melodies. The melody of the sweetest songs in the world drifted through the open windows of our rooms as we swayed into a sleep of utter contentment. (To Be Continued)--------------O-------------DO today’s duty, fight today’s temptation; and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see, and could not understand if you saw them. —Charles Kingsley--------------O-------------WASHINGTON died in the last year of the century, the last month of the year, the last day of the week, and the last hour of the day.
