Fraternity-Testvériség, 1971 (49. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1971-01-01 / 1-3. szám

dent Lincoln. The confederates couldn’t take the capital. The war finally ended. Hungarians had played an important part in the Union’s victory.

Many highly creative immigrants from Hungary found in America opportunities which they needed in order to develop their special individual talents. Thus it was these gifted immigrants who greatly contributed to the cultural development of America.

The world of literature has many areas in which Hungarians have made significant contributions. The famous newsman and journalist, Joseph Pulitzer was from Hungary. He fought injustice with articles he wrote for a St. Louis paper. He later bought the St. Louis Post Dispatch. He realized that newspapers could make good or bad Americans, and he believed that the best news story was an accurate one. He was the first to use action headlines. Pulitzer created a new tone in American journalism. He bought the New \ork World and became one of America’s most effective newspaper publishers. In 1903 he founded the School of Journalism at Columbia University and established the world famous Pulitzer Prizes. American journalism owes much to this famous American Hungarian.

Hungarian writing in America is more than 100 years old. Heilprin was an encyclopedist and Rombauer a well-known historian. Hungary also gave America immigrants who were poets, essayists, playwrights and writers of comedy.

After World War II, a new wave of Hungarian writers published many of their works in English. Essayists, poets, historical writers and now noted political writers still kept coming to America. Thus the development of the literary world was greatly enhanced by the Hungarian immigrants.

Music is a vital part of the culture of a nation. Leopold Auer, a master of masters and great teacher in this field, came to America from Hungary. The contributions of Hungarian immigrants to the American music world have been numerous. From a gypsy band singing folk melodies before the American public in 1875, to the modern composers, Bela Bartók and Ernest Doh- nanyi, the contributions have been flowing into America’s music. Hungarians have given America intrepreters of Beethoven, great composers, concert violinists Szigeti and conductors Ormandy, Philadelphia, Dorati, Washington, D’Albert, Chicago, of large symphony orchestras along with composers of sonatas and operettas and opera singers. The popular operetta “The Student Prince” was composed by Sigmund Romberg from Hungary. America cannot forget these contributions.

The development of American art owes much to the Hungarian immigrant. Among the first Hungarian painters in the United States was Henry Major, famous for bis caricatures. Illustrators, sculptors like Alexander Finta, etchists and fresco painters followed. A most

celebrated portrait painter, Duches Vilma Parlaghy- Lwoff painted the portrait of Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. These immigrants strengthened American art.

American Hungarians brought their national dance, the slow and fast csárdás, to America. Ballet dancers and actors have become well-liked by Americans. The theatre in New York shortly after World War I was practically swamped with Hungarian plays.

The motion picture, a most vivid part of American culture, owes much to two American Hungarian pioneer dreamers, Adolph Zukor and William Fox. Zukor was the first to see a tremendous future in pictures. He began making pictures and signed the best players in his day. A few Hollywood pictures were inspired art at its very best. Zukor became a famous American institution. Fox was another pioneer in the movie picture industry.

Had it not been for these contributions of the Hungarian born in these areas of American culture, the artistic life of the United States would surely have lost some of its color.

Religion plays a large role in the cultural development of a nation. Religion meant a great deal to the Hungarian immigrant. With the financial help of the Hungarian Reformed Federation they built more than 130 churches in the industrial and mining areas in the East and West. Hungarian ministers were social leaders who cultivated interdependence, co-operation and the cult of ethical values. These Ministers kept Hungary’s best cultural and religious traditions thus enriching this land of intellectual, political and religious freedom.

Language is a part of a nation’s culture too, and the English language, being a composite language, has received contributions from the Hungarian language especially in words dealing with military, transportation or foods. Fifteen populated areas in America bear Hungarian names.

The development of America’s governmental system has involved various Congressmen, mayors, aldermen, commissioners, state representatives and judges who were Hungarian immigrants. One such immigrant, Victor Berger, was the first socialist Congressman of the United States and a pacifist. These men helped shape America’s destiny.

Between the two World Wars, due to the economic and political situation in Hungary, many professional people left their homeland. The majority of these people came to America. These lawyers, physicians, scientists, engineers and artists contributed much to art, science and industry in the United States.

The medical profession owes much to Tibor de Cholnoky who is an authority on cancer and Michael Somogyi who introduced the “Somogyi Test” for diagnosis of diabetes. Bela Schick developed the “Schick Test” for detection of susceptibility to diphtheria in 1913. Franz Alexander, at one time director of the

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