Verhovayak Lapja, 1941. január-június (24. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1941-02-27 / 9. szám
VOL. XXIV. FEBRUARY 27, 1941 NO. 9. ATTENTION! Contestants! To those who are taking part in the 1941 Four Regional Membership Contests of the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association: 1. The Contest closes on November 30, 1941. 2. A contestant may secure point credits either for- insurance written by himself or transferred to him by others, but only if contest slip for every new member is sent to Home Office with the signature of the one who signed up new member, as shown on the application blank. 3. Contest slips are made out at Home Office and are sent out with policies to respective secretaries. (For new members taken up in the month of January contest slips will be mailed out soon; for new members taken up in February and thereafter contest slips will be mailed out together with policies. 4. Contest slips are to be signed immediately and then sent to Home Office. For members taken up to the close of September, 1941, all contest slips must be returned to Home Office by the close of September, 1941. In October and November, 1941, only contest slips for members taken up in those months are acceptable. 5. Since the Contest is conducted in four districts or regions, contestants must participate only in the district to which they belong, and, naturally, are entitled to points only after members taken up in their own districts. m 6. Rules of the Contest are, with the exception of the above rules, different in each district. It is therefore advisable for every contestant to get thoroughly acquainted with the particular rules of his district. SUNSET A LA FEBRUARY Just a heavy mass of shapeless clouds Hanging low in the winter skies, . . Till the sun set in bursting glory, . (Trite expressions, I realize.) It made of the conglomeration Consisting of just common clouds, A land of such color and beauty, Unmarred by confusion and crowds. A mythical range of new mountains Stretching far as the eye could see, Chateaux en Espagne rose so proudly, Like a chart of shade harmony. Bronzes so deep they looked burnished Toned down to the faint pastel shades, The beauty aitd depth of formation A sight to recall once it fades. > ; Afar though it was it seemed near me, , Just a step to that land of dreams, But doion went the sun, alas, alack— And with it all make-believe themes! —Betty Carol Balega DESTROY THE DESTROYER Fire is no respecter of age,, value or usefulness And fire’s worst ravages lie in the destruction of things which insurance can never replace. The other day a beautiful old New England home fell an easy prey to fire when an oil stove ignited its venerable walls. That home was of great value as one of the few remaining examples of early American architecture—it was a representative of a great period in our history that has passed. More than two centuries ago its timbers and paneling were brought to our shores from England. And in a few minutes all that was left was a pile of smoking rubbish, and the bare, pathetic columns of the l'irepiaces. Few of us live in homes which are of historic interest. But all of us have possessions which are beyond price—which, once gone, are gone forever. Documents, letters, rare books, little mementos of our past lives, souvenirs of happy times and great occasions—when fire takes these, nothing can be done. Valuable as a fire insurance policy is, the money it provides cannot do the impossible. It cannot replace the irreplaceable. Far worse, many fires take ives. Each year some ten thousand of us die the most rorrible of deaths- And death by fire is almost alvays unnecessary. It is alnost always the result of mman failure—someone’s legligence, someone’s careessness, someone’s ignornce. The fire that could not -ave been prevented is one f the rarest of occurences. To Our Contributors Contributions intended for the March 13th issue should be in before or on March 8th. No assurance of publication in particular issue can be given for material received after that date. LET US, TOO, PAY HOMAGE TO THE MEMORY OF CAPTAIN INGRAHAM On the 15th of February, 1941, fierce snowstorms lashed almost the whole area of this country. But the City of Charleston basked in the warmth of southern sunshine. While the Marine Band played the National Anthem the soldiers and the sailors saluted, and to the accompaniment of the unceasing applause of the assembled audience, one of the ornaments and strength of our Navy slid gracefully into the water, the steel-gray, modern destroyer U. S. S. Ingraham, and the christening of the beautiful ship had taken place. The English papers wrote much about this ship. It is especially meet that we also should remember it. The name of NAVAL CAPTAIN DUNCAN N. INGRAHAM shall remain indelibly fixed in the hearts and minds of Hungarian Americans, for“ it is this new, floating American might that has brought back into our minds the magnanimous captain and his historic ship, what they did for one of the heroic soldiers of the Hungarian War of Independence, Captain Martin. Koszta, who immigrated to The United States and became a loyal and practical citizen of his adopted land. juautsais -sim -mm: m -jjm a&xcj&j a? ^ »^i>> ... /. '. .-öv.r.* -mm Áijrtpxm Koszta was not an insignificant man. After the tragic surrender at Világos, he was forced to go to the Balkans, where he was in the immediate entourage of the ex-Minister of War, Lazar Mészáros. Koszta was the unswerving adherent of Kossuth, wishing to follow him at all costs—anywhere. After many tribulations he came to America in 1851, where he settled in New York, and the erstwhile captain, of whom one of our chroniclers states that “he was an ideally handsome man, of powerful physique,” learned the carpenter's trade. In 1852 he already took out his citizenship papers and not much later traveled to Smyrna, in Asia Minor. It was at this place that a shameful episode occurred to him, which faithfully reflected the baseness of the Austrian reign of terror. On June 22, 1852, sitting before a harbor cafe in Smyrna, Koszta was grasped from the hack by two powerful men. Jumping up, he saw that there were about six other determined men stand-, ing behind him, armed with sharp, evil-looking daggers. In spite of this, he began to tussle with his assailants, who threw him into the water where two row boats were waiting for them. The attackers clambered into the boat and grabbed Koszta as he emerged to the surface, then began rowing very rapidly towards the Austrian warship Hussar, anchored about three miles away. In the meantime, they had tied his hands and feet securely, and upon reaching the ivarship, threw him like a sack onto the deck. Shortly, the commander of the warship, Captain Schwartz, spoke roughly to Koszta, telling him that if he dared open his mouth he would suffer fifty 'ashes of the whip. Upon the orders of Captain Schwartz, Koszta, the former Captain of Home Defense, was taken to the hold of the ship, where chains were riveted to his hands and feet and he was fastened to a post. Koszta fainted of exhaustion. On the following day, news of the attack spread throughout Smyrna. Captain Ingraham, who had arrived with his ship, the St. Louis, on the noon of that day, was at once notified of the incident. Hardly a few hours elapsed when the captain accompanied by the American Consul of Smyrna, was rowed over to the Austrian warship. He demanded the immediate release of Koszta, which Captain Schwartz, emphatically refused, very courteously none the less, giving the reason that Koszta claimed himself a Hungarian, faithful to the land of his birth and an enemy of Austria, and thus was subject to arrest by the Austrians. Thereupon Captain fngraham asked to see Koszta, and after speaking to him left with these angry wrords: “Do not forget that your prisoner asks the protection of The United States, to which he has a right, and, if necessary, I shall take him off this ship no matter by what means!”