Verhovayak Lapja, 1945 (28. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1945 / Verhovay Journal
VOL. XXVIII. AUGUST 29, 1945 NO. 16 OH, SPLENDOR OF VICTORY! - OH, GLORY OF PEACE! -“All is at peace. Ah, never, heart, forget For this her youngest, best and bravest died, These bright dews once were mixed with blood and sweat.” (Walter De La Mare.) These lines are written on the first morning of peace. The city is empty, stores, offices and buildings are closed ... The softened tunes of victorious songs drift through the open windows into the quiet recesses of our deserted office ... Few people work ... But to write these lines, is" not work. It is a relief. It is the song of our heart which we want to share with the thousands of our friends whose smiling faces and •rejoicing hearts re-echoe the happy peals of thousands hells, sirens and whistles that greeted the greatest message of all: “Peace on earth .. Pent-up emotions of four years exploded last night all over America. No need to write about that, forywe all smiled, or cried, yelled or prayed, remembered or hoped; whatever emotions filled our hearts, they were all kin feelings, for the very same joy, irrespressible happiness gave the same color and tone to the thousand variations of emotinal reactions that were called out by the glorious message: ‘ Peace on earth...!” * * * Peace. Sweetest word of all. The end of mass-tragedies. The end of bloodshed. The end of the continuous agony of families torn apart. The end of perpetual terror for mothers,, wives, fathers, brothers and sisters. The end of unnatural, inhuman existence for millions of young men. The end of inhumanity. And let’s not forget: peace has come because America and the Allied Nations won the war. Otherwise: it wouldn’t be peace. It would be the real beginning of human enslavement, perpetual restlessness, liberty’s death, oppression, poverty and the agonized existence of the cave-man in constant fear, need and trepidation. Had the Axis won the war ... the sun would be clouded and the sky would be mourning for civilization the development of which took humanity thousands and thousands of years. Let’s not forget. The avowed war-aims of the Allied Nations are expressed by this one word: Liberation. The war-aims of the Axis nations, on the other hand, are condensed in this single word: Oppression. Let’s not forget. If the Allied Nations had not found the spirit of unity — oppression would have won the war. If the Allied nations would not have pooled their resources — the war would have been lost. War-lords and dictators, crazed by the achievements of their victories, would have trampled upon everything for which we live, in what we believe and for what we hope. Let’s not forget. Had the Nazis or the Japs invented the atom bomb, they wouldn’t have stopped With dropping only two. They would have found thousands of maniac pilots willing to cloud tlie skies over America and to throw themselves with their destructive loads upon Washington, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh ... They would never have stopped! * * Victory for the Axis would have meant oppression of the free. Victory for the Allies means liberation of the oppressed. It is impossible not to see that Higher Powers made victory dependent on the justness of the cause for which this war was fought. It is impossible not to see that the spirit of unsurpassable heroism and tenacity was given those who fought for a just cause, while the champions of the unjust cause were left with —maniacs. A hero doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t want to return to his honorable ancestors. He doesn’t want to die for the Fuehrer. But he will resist and fight even unto death. The maniac Is willing to die. He is a hero, too, but only in a certain, unnatural sense. A wheel is missing in his mental machinery. The essential wheel, the essential factor of human nature: he lacks the urge for survival. He is a hero with a twisted mind. He is a hero whose spirit runs amuck. And that was the Axis: a maniac force aiming at oppression. And this is the United Nations: a heroic force aiming at liberation. No wonder that victory was given to the Allies in the scientific field, too. The maniacal scientists of the Axis nations obviously overlooked the essential factors and links in their researches and experiments. Having hit upon the right theory, in their haste and thirst for destruction they could not find the right means for translating theory into practice. The scientists of the Allies were no maniacs. Proceeding slowly, investigating every possibility, fearfully and respectfully they approached the field of the Unknown. They won. And their victory, added to that achieved by our heroic armies, brouglft our just cause deserved victory. * * * Thus, justice prevailed. The just cause won the victory. And victory is followed by peace. Not oppression of the people. Not suppression of freedom. Not enslavement, not the cruel rule of one over hundred-millions, but the government of the people, by the people, for the people—all over the world. Thus, the victory of the just cause brings “peace on earth.” Our soldiers, our heroes, fought, bled and died for the just cause and for the peace that follows its victory. Never before in the history of wars has any victory afforded greater and more true consolation to those who have lost their beloved ones on the field of battle. Never before in human history have men fought, bled and died for a cause more noble, true and just and never before have fighting men achieved a more complete and crushing defeat over the Satanic powers of the mania of twisted minds. Never before in human history could any warring nation say with as great a certainty as we can now that these men have not fought, bled and died in vain. 250,000 Americans have made the Supreme Sacrifice. Up to now we have received 175 deathnotices of Verhovayans who gave their lives for their country. A long year is ahead of us. A year during which many more deathnotices will be received by families whose hopes—bolstered by the peace—will be crushed to despairing sorrow when their “missing” loved ones will be declared having been killed in action... But if the spirits of these heroic dead could return, they would speak to their mourning families and say: “Don’t cry for us... We have been granted the satisfaction so rarely achieved by human beings, that we did' not live and die in vain ... Our blood has been used to mix the cement-founda(Continued on Page 2) FIRST AID REACHES HUNGARIANS STATE DEPARTMENT INFORMS AMERICAN HUNGARIAN RELIEF, INC. Americans of Hungarian descent rejoiced over the release of the American Hungarian Relief, Inc., which informed the public that, according to notice received from the State Department, medicaments purchased for $10,000 by the A.H.R.I., have arrived in Hungary. It should be remembered that the ten thousand dollars used for this purchase were donated by American Hungarians in Los Angeles who made the first, substantial contribution to this cause in that amount. As soon as the money arrived in New York, it was forwarded by the Board of Directors of the American Hungarian Relief, Inc., to the International Red Cross in Switzerland with the request that ten thousand dollars worth of medicaments be purchased and sent to Hungary. It took months for the medicaments to reach Hungary. Months which were used by the saboteurs of the Relief Movement to spread doubts and to hamper the promotion of the campaign. Some said that the money will never be used in behalf of the needy people of Hungary for the Russians will confiscate everything. Others did not pretend to be as well informed and satisfied themselves by suggesting that Relief-operations be suspended until proof will be received that the money has been used for the alleviation of the needs of Hungary’s people. In Vain did we reiterate that funds must be on hand by the time such proof can be received. In vain did we warn the public that a postponed launching of the campaign may result in the death of thousands of Hungarians due to epidemic diseases which decimate the undernourished population of that unfortunate land. Many Americans of Hungarian descent still preferred to take a chance at the expense of Hungary’s people. At last the State Department notified the Executive Secretary of the American Hungarian Relief, Inc., that the medicaments purchased for $10,000 had arrived in Hungary and were officially accepted by the Hungarian Red Cross. Presentation ceremonies were attended by the representatives of the American armed forces. AMERICA GIVES, TOO! The report of the State Department contains another source for rejoicing for it states that in addition to the forty huge cases of medicaments purchased by the American Hungarian Relief, Inc., ONE MILLION UNITS OF INSULIN, 2,100 Swiss franks worth of Tetanus serum, and other medicaments have been presented to the Hungarian Red Cross by THE AMERICAN RED CROSS. This serves proof that American Hungarians have not to carry alone the load of aiding the people of Hungary: OUR NATION accepted by the Hungarian Red Cross. Presentation ceremonies to go along as necessity requires. Further reports have since been received indicating that the medicaments had been distributed among the needy people of Hungary, regardless of their political or religious affiliations. OPPOSITION COLLAPSES The opposition to the Relief Movement doesn’t have a leg to stand on. The fact that the medicaments have arrived in Hungary and have been used for the benefit of the starving people of that unfortunate country, proves that the opposition has had no valid reasons for its attitude. The miser will not give regardless of how noble a cause he may be privileged to serve but the least we expect of him is that he refrain from discouraging others who would be willing to make sacrifices. But all who are willing to help Hungary, should do so without fail for a dollar today does more good than ten dollars may do tomorrow. The opposition collapsed and a clear field lies before us. Let’s quit talking and start acting! LOS ANGELES HITS SECOND RECORD Let’s take an example from the good people of Los Angeles who did not stop after having collected ten thousand dollars. Notwithstanding the fact that the fate of the first ten thousand dollars was not yet made known, the people of Los Angeles kept right on working and have sent their second ten thousand dollars to the treasurer of the American Hungarian Relief, Inc. Los Angeles is far ahead of all other American Hungarian colonies with its total contributions amounting to 20,000 dollars. NATIONAL TOTAL EXCEEDS $100,000 The Executive Committee of the American Hungarian Relief, Inc., reports that a HUNDREDTHOUSAND DOLLARS had been raised, up to the beginning of August. Considering that Los Angeles, one of the smallest of the big-city colonies, alone contributed one-fifth of this amount, the result cannot be deemed satisfactory, regardless of how much money 100,000 dollars seem to be. Let’s not be stingy towards our own people or else the generosity of the American nation will shame us into making sacrifices.
