Fraternity-Testvériség, 1962 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1962-08-01 / 8. szám
4 FRATERNITY ONE WEEK LATER My son Paul’s graduation from the University of Virginia prevented my participation in the American Hungarian Federation’s dedication and unveiling of a plaque in honor of Captain John Smith on June 3, 1962. I could not resist the urge to visit Jamestown, Va., one week later to see what my American Hungarian friends had accomplished there. Entering Jamestown in Friday’s lazy twilight we felt the beauty of Capt. John Smith’s words: “Heaven and earth never agreed better to frame a place for man’s inhabitation.” This surely included Williamsburg, where we settled for the night and decided upon plans for the following day. The peace of the early settlers seemed to descend upon us; 355 years of American history surrounded us. Our friends had filled us in on the happenings of the previous weekend, and my wife and I decided to follow their footsteps. So, to Jamestown we went, where, on May 13, 1607, three tiny ships with 106 Englishmen aboard dropped their crusted anchors in the James River and proceeded to establish the first permanent English settlement on this continent. We saw the full scale models of the three little ships — The Susan Constant, The Godspeed and The Discovery — at the historic dock on the James River. From there we went to the Jamestown Festival “Old World Pavilion” to view the plaque honoring Capt. John Smith, who so courageously fought with the Hungarian Army in Transylvania to save Europe for Christianity. With deep humility we gave thanks to God for our forebears. Standing there, we seemed to hear the week-old echoes of the wonderful Bridgeport choir singing: “Isten áldd meg a Magyart!” It was indeed a reverent experience. Next we visited the ivy-covered remains of the old Episcopal Church at Jamestown. Here again, one week later, we sensed the echoes of the first Hungarian sermon preached in America’s first built church. We seemed to feel the presence of the Reverend Emil Nagy of Bridgeport, Conn., whose thought-provoking sermons have inspired hundreds of second-generation Hungarians for almost three decades. Again, we gave thanks to God. We then stopped briefly before the heroic statue of Capt. John Smith, soldier and adventurer of experience and a tough disciplinarian, a dominant personality, who was named fourth Colonial Governor, who more than once saved the young colony from starvation and destruction. We readily understood why Prince Báthory of Transylvania thought so highly of him. Ourt next stop was especially attractive to my wife. The statue of Indian Princess Pocahontas, legendary saviour of the life of Captain John Smith, reflected beauty and understanding exactly as we imagined her since we first heard of her heroic stand way back in grade school. It was wonderful to meet the dainty but brave Pocahontas. As we headed back toward Washington and our Bethesda, Md., home, we felt a keen sense of appreciation of our wonderful country, where we of Hungarian descent may honor an adventuresome John Smith, where a Reverend Emil Nagy and a Bela Bachkai strive to keep alive our heritage of the past. Nearing home, I decided to put these few thoughts on paper with the supplemental request that my readers make every effort to visit Jamestown, and enjoy American history at its best and that little Hungarian flavor reflected in the plaque donated by the American Hungarian Federation. PAUL ST. MIKLOSSY
