Verhovayak Lapja, 1941. július-december (24. évfolyam, 27-52. szám)

1941-08-28 / 35. szám

Fage 2

ported they looked for double that number of Michigan store:; to be selling Stamps by the open ing of “Retailers for Defense" Week on September 15.

A. A. Imus, Director of Postai # ield Activities, Defense Bonds end Stamps, who also attended the meeting, reported that 10,000 additional post offices throughout the country will begin selling Defense Stamps within a few' weeks. This will bring to 26,000 the number of post offices offering Defense Stamps to the pöblic.

Following are the names of the retail executives who presented their plan of cooperation to Secretary Morgenthau: Lewd:; ('ole, National Association of Food Chains; Tyre Taylor, National Association of Retail Grocers; Robert J. Wilson and A. C. Keller, National Restaurant Association; Franklin Moore and Arthur Harnett, American Hotel Association; John B. Fitch, Institute of Distribution; Louis Kirstein, American Retail Federation; Major B. H. Namn, National Retail Dry Goods Association; Thomas K. Ruff, National Retail Hardware Association; J. Hudson Hufford, National Association Retail Furniture Dealers; Roland Jones and Albert C. Fritz, National Association Retail Druggists; F. W. Griffiths, National Association of Chain Drug Stores; and E. C. Mauchly, Limited Price Variety Stores Association. Robert W. Lyons, Special Advisor to the Treasurer on retail outlets was also present.

Various other retail organizations not represented at the meeting have also expressed their desire to cooperate in selling Defense Savings Stamps.

At the close of the meeting the retail representatives selected the following men to head the U. S. Treasury Retailers’ Advisory Committee: Chairman, Benjamin H. Namn, who is also Chairman of “Retailers for Defense Week”; Vice-Chairman, Albert C. Fritz; Secretary, Robert W. Lyons. This committee will serve as a liaison between the Treasury Department and the retail organizations.--------------O------------—

BRANCH 361 NOTICE Cleveland, Ohio

The regular monthly meeting of Branch 361 is held the FIRST monday of every month at the Verhovay Hall, 8637 Buckeye Rd., beginning at 8:00 P. M.

Please be present at all the meetings, as this is important to the progress and welfare of the branch.

Fraternally,

Mrs. GABRIEL SONKOLY Publicity Agent.--------------O-------------BRANCH 442 NOTICE

California, Pennsylvania

Branch 442 has postponed all meetings for the summer months.

Meetings will be resumed on October 12, 1941.

Dues may be paid at the home of the secretary, Mrs. Paul Zella.

Fraternally,

Mrs. PAUL ZELLA, Secretary.

Lapja

August 28. 1941

______________Verhovayak Lapjc

Westward to Beautiful California

By Albert Jozik (Jóczik Albert) II.

THE MAGYAR HOUSE IN LOS ANGELES

The streamliner “City of Portland” is a high speed light weight train, making the Chicago to Portland run. a distance of about 2263 miles, in 39)4 hours, and incorporating the newest and finest in transcontinental travel facilities. It is jointly operated by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago & North Western Railway running from Chicago to Omaha on the Chicago & North Western tracks and in the hands of the Union Pacific from Omaha to Portland. The exterior of the “City of Portland” is painted an autumn brown, top and bottom, with sides and rounded nose of armour yellow. The train is articulated, and as it rounds the long and sharp curves found in the mountainous parts of the West it reminds one of & slithering snake.

In hopeful anticipation that an heiress would be seated next to me (heiresses sometimes go slumming by riding coach trains), my heart increased its tempo when I sought my seating place. But alas! instead of an heiress I found a young mother with her child, and the one seat occupied was intended for me according to my reservation number. When I told the young woman that she had usurped my place, she showed me her reservation which was the same number! Yes, there was a mix-up here which had to be corrected. I called the matter to the attention of one of the train attendants. It was found that the seat belonged rightfully to me, and so the issue w'as settled in my favor.

On my trip I noticed with keen amusement that groups of country town people would gather along the tracks to view the speeding “City of Portland” whiz by. Some came in their cars. I suppose in these little villages, where there are no movies or other forms of amusements, the fast moving streamliners provide a thrill for these simple folk, and anyway everybody, even urbanites, is thrilled at watching a train go by at about 70 or 80 miles per hour. Of course, due to the great speed, the “show” is very short.

You readers may wonder why, when I was to be the guest of the Steinmetz family in Los Angeles, California, I went out of my way over 1000 miles before getting there. The reason was that the train fare via the northwestern route is the same as if I had gone directly to Los Angeles, and my host, member and contributor Albert Steinmetz, had advised me to take the long trip, for, said he, “Such an opportunity-does not come often, and take in as much as you can.”

Somewhere in Iowa the seat next to me, which had been left vacant when the young mother and her child were removed, was occupied by a sturdy young man. Again no heiress for poor me! But before long we struck up a conversation and became rather friendly, which in traveling is an important asset to one’s pleasure.

When we reached Omaha, Nebraska, at about 2:00 A. M., Saturday, July 5th, I became Verhovay conscious, for Omaha is the home of Branch 278, a very good branch with a fine membership. By the way, Omaha is also the home of Charles Barothy, the only living Civil War veteran of Hungarian extraction. You readers will recall that the Journal had an article on Mr. Barothy in the first issue of Iasi February. In Omaha I was unable to fulfill a promise I had made to member and contributor Andrew C. Simcho, former publicity agent of Branch 278, row living in Munhall, Pennsylvania, which was to telephone his sister. Two conditions prevented this. One was that it was too late in the night (I remembered that rot everybody is the night owl I am), the other was that the streamliners make very short stops.

Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska are pretty much alike, oeing good farming states and well covered with verdant

vegetation. However, this fact does not make them monotonous, for there is something different, nemdescript but recognizable, in every bit of vegetation in these states. Iowa is noted for its tall corn. Think öf Iowa and you think of corn, think of corn and you think of Iowa.

As contributor Simcho says in his “Thumbnail Sketch of the Northwest,” the series completed not very long ago, Wyoming is truly the “paragon of all that is American,” is the “most ‘widely unknown’ state of the U. S.” I agree heartily with Mr. Simcho. I found Wyoming to be amazing, fantastic and ungodly—a nether world, as it were. The state is desolate and is covered with sagebrush, the sign of nature in the raw. The entire region reminds one of prehistoric times. Colossal rock formations seem to be growing out of the earth, and they overlap one another in the most precarious positions. Craters, fissures, holes, etc. in the earth can be seen in many places, increasing the onlooker’s imagination to a dizzy, frequency. The cavelike entrances to the huge rock formations take you back 100 years or s'o, and you can almost picture the evil peering eyes of Indians hidden and lurking, ready for the prey. There is so much sagebrush around that even the lettuce you are served in a salad begins to remind you of sagebrush. I should hate to be ost in the wilderness of Wyoming. With the exception of Cheyenne and some other towns, there is not much to Wyoming in the sense of so-called civilization, and for many, many miles the only houses seen are the homes of the Mexican track hands, situated, of course, along the railroad right of way. Along with the houses are supply stations, where the tools, rails, etc. are kept for repair work. I noticed that the foremen of the Mexican track hands are white men. You may be sure that the track hands stand a respectable distance away when one of the trains, especially the streamliners, fly by, for standing close would mean enough suction from the train to pull an unfortunate track hand in, thereby causing death or severe injury.

Idaho helped counteract the shivers which the unfathomable natural mysteries of Wyoming had created, for this state is beautifully green and mountainous. On the very high mountains can be seen snow in its pure whiteness. I also noticed a certain amount of marshy land. In Idaho we had to travel less fast because of the long, winding curves, and helper engines were attached to our streamliner. Pocatello was the most important slop. I talked to a cowboy, who assured me that were I to stay there for a year I would never want to go back East. I thought of my cousin. He lives part of the year in Pocatello. Unfortunately he had gone to Wyoming. This cousin of mine ran away from home when he was

16. His parents thought he’d get over the “cowboy complex.” But he didn’t. He is now about 30 and several years ago assured me that the West is all he wants in this life. He married a Mormon girl.

By the way, readers, get the idea out of your heads, foolish as it is, that the Westerners go around “tootin’ shootin’ irons.” No, they don’t. Their style of dress, to be sure, is somewhat different, but they’re not bullies and they’re not coarse. They are superior in the substantial things to us Easterners, for their attachment to Nature makes them better, purer and more sincere people. I’m not good enough at associating words to give them full credit. God bless them!

The essence of Oregon is trees and more trees, beautiful and tall. After a while in Oregon we began to follow the Columbia River, which separates the states of Oregon and Washington. Here the perspective could be studied more closely, as the long, winding route and the many natural tunnels force the train to go at a slower speed. Oregon, the Columbia River, and Washington on the other side, are very impressionable. Along the way can be seen Mount Hood and Mount Ranier, with their snow-capped peaks. Yes, the West, the lofty trees of Oregon and Washington, the Columbia River—all cry out, “There is a God,” and the atheist is left the fool that he is.

At 8:00 A. M. (from now on think of Pacific Standard Time), Sunday, July 6th, the “City of Portland” glided into Portland, Oregon, the “city of roses,” after a long but never to be forgotten trip. But I was not tired. I was curious.

Between connections for the train to Seattle, Washington, I had a layover of 5 Vz hours. Taking advantage of the interim, I went “exploring” the city. Portland is a fairly large city. It is surrounded, more or Jess, by