Fraternity-Testvériség, 1948 (26. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1948-07-01 / 7. szám

FRTONp

OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE HUNGARIAN REFORMED FEDERATION OF AMERICA

Published Monthly Megjelenik havonta

Főszerkesztő—Editor in Chief: FRANCIS ÚJLAKI, D. D.

Felelős szerkesztő—Managing Editor GEORGE E. K. BORSHY

Subscription $2.00 a year Előfizetés évi $2.00

Társszerkesztők — Associate Editors: EMERY KIRÁLY and

EDMUND VASVÁRY

“Reentered as second-class matter May 1st, 1940, at thfe Post Office at Pittsburgh, Pa., under the Act of August 24, 1912. Original entry as second-class matter authorized August 10, 1936.”

VOLUME XXVI. "LIBERTY YEAR" JULY, 1948

WE CANT REMAIN SILENT

The members of our Federation know that our 1944 Convention, held in Ligonier, Pa., voted $16,000.00 with unanimous enthusiasm for the Hungarian Relief. We have paid this amount to the last cent into the treasury of the American Hungarian Relief, Inc. With this fact, as the first ones, we not only gave a start to the movement that sofar has sent about one million and a half dollars to the needy in Hungary, but with our unceasing support helped the continuation of individual contributions, which sent overseas several millions of dollars in goods and money.

On the other hand, it is very probable that our members do not know that we were able to pay this initial $16,000.00 only by taking it out of that administrative fund of ours, the dues of which were fixed thirty years ago, according to the needs and circumstances of those times, with the purpose of paying all our administrative expenses from that meager amount. But where are we now from the conditions thirty years ago? The monthly 25 cents which we can spend from the dues for this purpose, hardly worth ten cents nowadays. The fact is, that during this time not only the amount witheld by the branches doubled, but from the postage, telephone, paper, stationery, advertisements etc., to the salaries everything has become much more expensive. Only the 25 cents of the “administrative” dues remained unchanged.

It is therefore evidently impossible that during the coming four years we could turn to the same meager “administrative” or expense fund and take away from it thousands of dollars, unmindful of its always difficult position. But we would like to continue our help anyway, because it is impossible to pass by the indescribable need and misery which cries out with despair from every letter we receive from overseas.

We can not be mute in knowledge of this

distress, just as we did not remain silent before the gathering of our Convention in March this year. We said that we either have to raise the amount of the monthly administrative dues for every adult member, or we will request their voluntary contribution to a special Hungarian Relief Fund, to be administered by our Federation. The Convention accepted this latter proposal.

So there won’t be any extra assessments for any member. But in order to avoid this step, we request our members very earnestly, to donate, if not more, 25 cents every year for this noble purpose, above their regularly paid dues.

From this hoped-for amount of voluntary contributions our Federation could give considerable support to those, who in the land of our fathers or scattered in many parts of the world, are treading the paths of sorrow, misery, and want.

Brothers should help brothers, and although no written law forces anyone to do so, we can’t believe that even one single member of our Federation would deny this small help from those who are placing their hope in our Federation, which is the largest Hungarian-Reformed beneficial association in the whole world.

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We have to discuss also the best method by which the collection of these voluntary contributions could be effected. According to the well-considered opinion of our officers, the best method will be if our Home Office sends out through the Auditor’s department to the branches one extra copy of the usual monthly report sheets, printed on paper of different color (green). These sheets will contain the up-to- date list of the members of the branch, and the branch secretaries will be requested to enter on these sheets the donations. These extra sheets will contain nothing else, only the voluntary contributions for Hungarian relief. Since there