Verhovayak Lapja, 1944 (27. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1944 / Verhovay Journal
Page 6 Verhovay Journal November 29, 19< Truths Versus Half-Truths Beware of false prophets from Central Europe who pervert facts to their own secret ends By STEPHEN HUZIANYI From the Danubian Basin a secret weapon is being launched against Americans that may decide the war long after the weapons have been silenced and armies have ceased to deploy. This secret but by no means new device is PROPAGANDA and may well destroy again, as in 1919, the structure of peace in Central Europe by an arbitrary reshuffling of boundaries based on lies and falsification of history. The sly agents who direct Central European propaganda against us are here in our midst. They wear the disguise and protective coloring of allies and friends of the United States but machinate against the long-term welfare of Americans and the world at large. They spread propaganda for a new and powerful world state, a Slav empire, in a cunning and innocent manner by filling columns an<^ pages of ostensibly disinterested and respectable magazines and periodicals with seemingly ‘'impartial” and “analytical” essays and articles. I will use excerpts from these articles to show samples of the lies and distortions of the truth with which we are being bombarded. We hope that Americans will learn to recognize these hifalutin and documented “analyses,” “editorials,” “criticisms,” etc., no matter in which high-sounding magazine or periodical they find them, as just so much sophisticated baloney and plain hooey. POINT 1 (Part 3) — Installment IV “...Magyar nationalism awoke in the realm of the Habsburgs. .. and southern Slav efforts made themselves felt in Serbia in the Illyrian movement of the Croats, and also in Bacska and Banat.” SERBIAN SECTIONALISM Propagandists do not concern themselves much with Serb “nationalism.” They dismiss it with a mere shrug. All they do is to give impetus to the pro-Slav propaganda to the effect that the Serbs in southern Hungary were oppressed and that, anyway, the '‘Voyvodina” is Serb territory. Southern Hungary, or the Bacska-Banat region specifically, is Magyar territory. Serbians by the tens of thousands settled there, seeking refuge from the Turks. There they developed their own sectionalism, when Serb literature was ushered into life and encouraged from Budapest—the Magyar capital. But the Serbs in Serbia, aspiring for this Bacska-Banat region, had to create a new tangled name in order to give it the Slav touch, and so decided on “Voyvodina” as a gocd southern Slav name for this Magyar territory. The men at the peace conference in 1919, either knowingly or unwittingly, fell for the idea. No time was had to undertake an investigation of this area, as should have been done in this territory as in other areas snatched from Hungary, in order to find the desires of the peoples, who were bartered like so many cattle. Serbian forces marched into southern Hungary Xá take possession of the “land occupied by their brethren.” In this Magyar Bacska-Banat territory, the Serbian settlers were allowed- to develop their cultural activities. But it happened that agents from Belgrade, Serbia, sneaked into Hungary, and among these people, instilling in them discontent against their Magyar government. Fifth-columnists, were brought, all serving the aim of the adherents of anti-Magyar propaganda. What was all this oppression of the Serbs that we heard so much about? Those Magyars must have been the leading villains of Europe—and the chauvinistic pro-Slavs within Hungary and across its borders pure white angels! Americans would say, “Why didn’t they go back where they came from if they didn’t like it here?” Among the countless Serb refugees who found a friendly haven in Bacska-Banat was Vuk Karadzic, collector of Serbian folk songs. And around the literary circles of the Serbian Patriarch Stratimirovits there emerged creators of Serb orthography. In, the Magyar city of ÚJVIDÉK—called the Athens of the Serbs—in 1826 was founded the “Matiea Srpska”, a Serbian literary and scientific society; as was the first Serb literary magazine published here, the “Danica.” Numerous Serb societies, cultural and otherwise, sprung up, such as the “Serbian Literary Society” in Temesvár. Serbian books were published at the Magyar University Press in Budapest—capital of Hungary. From 1798 to 1830 nearly every Serb book was printed there. . Certainly we concede that pro-Slavism broke out in southern Hungary! But that was hardly due to the oppression by the bad Magyars or an outburst of “nationalism” on the part of the Serbian refugees. The benevolence of many leading Magyars made for .the awakening of Serb sectionalism, because they were encouraged and assisted in their cultural activities, used later as a tool for pro- Serbianism. “The Voyvodina is the cradle of modern Serbian enlightenment. In the Voyvodina we find the beginnings of a Serb literature and science.” At the commencement of the 18th century, George Brankovic wrote ‘The History of the Serb Nation’ from the meet ancient times to his own. Then, during the 18th century, literary production was continually spreading and developing in the Voyvodina, embracing more and more literary works, and wrrks on science and art. At this period Serb writers set themselves to popularize literature and science by means of all kinds of almanacs. The revolution in the. literary life of the Serb nation was, however, created by Dositej Obradovica cf the Voyvodina, in his ‘Biography’ and other works in which he demands the democratization of literature and science. And in this Dositej makes the vulgar tongue the language of literature and science. Besides this, Dositej was the first who founded the theory of Serb nationalism. I And he was so fortunate as to live to see the birth of the new - Serb State (Yugoslavia, created after World War I) of which he became the first Minister of Public Instruction. At the beginning of the 19th century the Serbs of the Voy- [ vodina had already published a political paper. Then later on at Újvidék the first Serb illustrated paper was brought out... In the history of the Serb nation the first political party movements ap- ] peared among the Serbs of the Voyvodina. The first Serb political party was formed at Nagybecskerek, and there they elaborated and accepted the first Serb political party programme in 1869. Thus Serb science and literature were fostered and developed here for the first time. The first cultivators of the Serb language (Gyuro Danitsits) and of Serb history (Ilarion Ruvarac) were Serbs of the Voyvodina. The first famous Serb lyrical poets (Jovan Jovanovits, Gyurko Jaksits); the first dramatists, (Jovan Popovits, Gyuro Trifkovits); the first novelist (Bogolyub Atanackovic)— these all belong to the Voyvodina. It was with the Serbs of Hungary that Serb nationalism developed to. the degree recognized by European public opinion in the 19th and 20th centuries. (Stanoje Stanojevets, Professor of Serb History at the Serbian University of Belgrade, Serbia, in the ■‘POLITIKA” for August 12, 1923.) Therefore, these Serbian settlers in the Bacska-Banat region certainly had privileges like other Hungarian citizens. Already in 1791 they were granted these rights of citizenship! Later, with their cultural accomplishments budding forth, they formed their own societies to print Serbian books, noteworthy among them the one at Újvidék established in 1841; at Szabadka in 1846; at Szeged in 1947. But it is of interest to note that throughout the 18th century over 200 Serbian books were published in the Austro- Hungarian Monarchy. However, from 1830 to 1850, there were over 1400 Serbian- books published in Hungarian territory alone! The Serb inhabitants of the larger Hungarian towns received their own local autonomy, their own representative corporation and magistracy and they lived their own individual lives on a strictly moral and national basis. Their progress from the standpoint of both economy and culture was rapid and widespread; and in every large town inhabited by Serbs, and in the Serb communes, they had their own schools... In 1740 the Serb seminary “Duchovna Kollegija” was erected at Újvidék. The regular Greek Oriental Serb Theological CoHege was opened in 1791. (Jovan Skerlic, a Serbian historian, in his “Nove Srpske Knizevnosti” in Belgrade in 1911—The History of the New Serb Literature-) In Budapest, capital of Hungary, with a Serb Street (Szerb utca), the Hungarian citizens of Serb birth have their own religious and educational institutions, such as the Thekelianum Seminary for Serb university students, and the Angelianum Seminary (Vaczi Street) which is for women. Here in the Magyar capital, agents promoted Serb nationalism. Hungary gave Serbian settlers a means of livelihood and the rights of citizenship. And when the Magyars helped these refugees build their own cultural activities, some of the Serb agitators, assisted and aided by “travelers” from across the Hungarian border, secretly provoked revolt among the peace-loving citizens dwelling in southern Hungary. What the pan-Slav agitators and revolutionists learned in Hungary they used against the Magyar government—secretly until the time was ripe; openly when they knew they could detach southern Hungary and give it to Serbia sc as to make a new and larger Serb state—Yugoslavia. * * * It is evident to even the casual reader of Central European history that the rise »of the petty “nationalism” could hardly, have come about were it not for the educational and cultural facilities afforded them ON HUNGARIAN SOIL. The foregoing statements by the various leaders of the different groups are proof enough to demonstrate that if left to their oMn resources and allowed only to propagandize from their own states, their respective ‘nationalism” could hardly have survived! Pvt. JOSEPH VITAI, Jr. is member of Br. 356, Detroit, Mid He was inducted into the Arrr. on February 4, 1944, and is no serving overseas as a member i a combat engineering group. H mother, Mrs. Joseph Vitai, is al; a member of this Branch. Julius A. Bencze, S. 1/C., U.Í N., husband of Dorothy Bencj 2344 South 4th Street, Spring field, Illinois, and son of M and Mrs. Louis Bence, Sr., Divei non, Illinois, is a member of tl: DIVERNON BRANCH of the As sociation. He entered the Nav; service in January, 1944, first bt ing stationed at Farragut, Mailand later transferred to Shoe maker, California. He has bee serving overseas since April, 194 and is presently stationed i New Guinea. Louis, Jr., and Steve, brothe: of Julius, are serving in tl Army and are also overseas. Prior to entering service, Julit was employed for a number > years by Allis-Chalmers MÍ Company, ^Springfield.------------V-----------IDEAL OBSERVANCE The voluble Mrs. Spenc paused in her interminable go sip about the neighbors lot enough to fix a proprietary e; on her husband and remar “Dear, tomorrow will be oi tenth wedding anniversary. I” been wondering how to celebra it.” “Bow your head and obser three minutes of silence,” 'repli Mr. Spencer, without looking t from his paper. THREE, PLEASE Three slightly deaf men we motoring from the north London in an old, noisy c; and hearing was difficult. . they were nearing the city, o asked: “Is this Wembly?” “No”, replied the second, “ti is Thursday.” “So am I” put in the thh “let’s stop and have one.”
