The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1986 (13. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1986-03-01 / 3-4. szám
beneath Buda's walls, met but the impression of a smile on the frozen lips of the dead, and the dying answered those who would console them but by the words, "Never mind, Buda is ours! Hurrah for the fatherland!" So they spoke and died. He who witnessed such scenes not as an exception, but as a constant rule; he who saw the adolescent weep, when he was told he was yet too young to die for his land; he who saw the sacrifices of spontaneity; he who heard what a fury spread over the people on hearing of the catastrophe; he who makred his behaviour towards the victor sfter all W8S lost; he who knows what sort of sentiment is burning alike in the breast of the old and the yong, of the strong man and of the tender wife, and ever will be burning on, till the hour of national resurrection strikes - he who is aware of all this, will surely bow before this people with respect, and will acknowledge with me, that such a people wants not to be inspried, but it is an everlasting source of inspiration itself. Let me, therefore, assure you, gentlemen , that the people of Hungary has a future yet. Let me confidently state that the people of England have not spent their sympathy on a corpse. But well may you ask, “What Is the basis of this hope?" The first basis of my hope is the Almighty himself, the God of justice. Who can not grant a lasting victory to wickedness. History h8S, to be sure, recorded the downfall of mighty empires, of nations compared to whom the Magyar can hardly clsim a name. But the fall of these nations was precisely the revelation of the eternal justice of God. They fell by their own crimes. Nations die but by suicide. That is not our case. The glorious deeds which the unnamed heroes of the people achieved proves what, with previous preparation, they could do in the defense of their native land. Often they have gone into battle without knowing how to fire or cock a musket, but they took batteries with bayonets, and they achieved glorious deeds like those that are classed among the deeds of immortality. I never met a single mother who would have withheld her son from sharing in the battle. But I havemet many who ordered and commanded their children to fight for their fatherland I saw many brides who urged on their bridegrooms to delay their happiness till they should come back victorious from the battles of their fatherland. Thus acted the ladies of Hungary. A country deserves to live, a country deserves to have a future, when the women, as much as the men love and cherish it. Book Review. “A Kitántorgott Egyház" by: Rev. Dr. Aladár Komjáthy A history of the Hungarian Reformed Churches in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Written m Hungarian. Dr. Komjáthy obtained the material for this book from the minutes of different churches and recollections of elderly ministers, elders and church members. He emphasizes the deep religious faith Hungarians brought with them from Hungary, both Catholics and Reformed. The book, however, deals only with those who professed the Hungarian Reformed Christian Faith. There were two outstanding characteristics they were noted for: First, they liked to sing the Psalms and Hymns they learned in their childhood and never forgot. They not only sang them in churches and schools, but also at home. Second, was the traditional observation of the Lord’s Supper, which is a unique religious experience for those who are not acquainted with its practice in the Hungarian Reformed Church: the recitation of the Confession of Faith and the Questions and Answers, still practiced in most Hungarian Reformed Churches today. There is a story of a Christmas long ago in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. Most of the Hungarians living in that mining town came from Zemplén Megye-County. In accordance with their traditions, on Christmas morning they dressed in their Sunday suits and dresses and went to the local Presbyterian church. They were joined there by some of their Slovak friends, who also came from Hungary. They found the church doors closed, so they waited patiently, but nobody showed up. Neither the minister or the church caretaker came out to inquire what they were doing in front of the church. Finally they realized that American churches do not have a service on Christmas Day. Undaunted they started singing their favorite Psalms and Christmas hymns. As the snow was falling they remembered the Christmas story and exchanged Christmas greetings. They said another Psalm and then said farewell with the remark: too bad we don't have a church of our own. By 1900 ten churches and about 50 missions had been established. Services were held either in an American church or at someone's house. Later as their membership grew, they organized into full-fledged congregations with their own ministers. The Dayton, Ohio church was establised by 40 families who moved to that city from Bridgeport. Connecticut, looking for a better way of life. Dr. Komjáthy dwells in excess on the separation of the Hungarian Reformed Churches from the Mother Church in Hungary after the First World War. The churches were advised to join the American Synods of the Presbyterian, German, or the Dutch Reformed Churches. This brought on serious discussions among the congregations. The result Page 7
