Verhovayak Lapja, 1940. január-június (23. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)

1940-02-29 / 9. szám

February 29, 1940.

Verhovayak Lapja

Page •

SPEECH by Mr. HUZIANY1:

The text of a recent ^eech, on behalf of the Benjamin Franklin Bibliophile Society of Cleveland, given by Stephen Huziányi before the Christian Endeavor Society of the Hungarian Reformed and Evangelical Church, South Side, Chicago, as well as the Chicago Chapter of Chi Sigma Gamma is printed herein to acquaint our readers with one of several activities carried on by Hungarian communities in the United States.

Selling icebergs to Esquimaus or sun-ray lamps to Ubangis is no more difficult, in the opinion of some cynics we know, than creating a demand for culture. In the following sales-talk, published verbatim, Mr. Huziányi demonstrates one method by which a product whose appeal is not yet widespread ean be made attractive to Everyman.

Mi-. Huziányi was presented on the occasion of his speech by Rev. Stephen E. Balogh, minister of the Hungarian Reformed Church, and George Görömbey, a member of the Christian Endeavor Society.

(Continuation)

Alter a decade Arany’s fortunes^began to improve and he had an opportunity to expend his enormous energy in several directions all destined for the advancement of Hungarian literature and language.

As editor for the Kisfaludy Society he had a big hand in one of the best translations in any tongue of Shakespeare’s plays, thus securing to the Hungarian school child the same kind of

irritation that we experienced in school with Shakespeare. He was burdened with increasing official duties that made these years somewhat unproductive, if we compare with his earlier years. Not only that but his illnesses increased, not only that his marriage turned sour.

He managed to win more prizes nothwithstanding and he

produced translations from the ancient Greek. Along with thic he completed his epic trilogy TOLDI, received with universal enthusiasm.

Toldi of course is by no means a new work. It appeared more than half a century ago, as did BUDA HALÁLA, and since then

has beén appreciated by scholars all over the world, as the dazzling

creation of a master mind.

Yet another half century may come to pass before this epic work, as just one of the brain-children of ARANY genius, will be made familiar to a still wider reading population. Even nowadays here in America (and you will no doubt bear me out in this) the average student is raised on Anglo-Saxon literature, almost exclusively of all other. Those who undertake to learn German, French and Italian may get a certain smattering of Goethe, or Voltaire, or Dante for their pains. And it is only the rare few over here who undertake to learn the supposedly weird and romantic Magyar in some of our universities who have any appreciable -learning with regard to Hungarian letters, ancient and modern.

Arany János was born in the early part of the 19th century at Nagyszalonta, in the southeastern part of Hungary—now under the administration of Rumania. He came of Calvinist stock, “yeomen of noble origin.”

His early youth was spent without companions of his own age and he was under the sole influence of his parents. He didn’t get around much in those days and he knew for the most part only the small area of influences into which he was born. Now this did not mean that he was by any means ignorant, on the contrary, he took advantage of the store of Hungarian tradition, such as was kept alive in that remote eastern outpost.

At the age of 6 he entered school where he poured over everything in the form of a book that he could lay hands on. At a very early age therefore he came to an extensive knowledge- of ancient Hungarian and Latin literature.

Now some might think this enough but by no means Arany János. A3 he advanced in school he endeavored to pick up a working knowledge of French and German. Morever he did so, and acquired a knowledge of these literatures that would have been regarded as remarkable for even French and German scholars. But instead of hiding away in some attie and worming his way through mountains of books, he took a real fling at life, sort of went on the bum, and joined up with a troupe of travelling actors.

In his notes on his experiences he does admit, however, that any hardships he came up against while on the road, hardly came ur to the remorse and sorrow he felt over his father who had meant to make his son a pastor. He did go home eventually. Shortly after his mother died and his father became stone-blind.

Full as he was at the time with immense plans for himself, much as many young people of my experience, ARANY JÁNOS realized that he had to settle down and make the best of things as they were. He made a connection with the church in his home town and not long after married—and for love, by the way—Juliana Ercsey, penniless and an orphan.

The next few years were happy and he got in some reading on Shakespeare for he had learned English also on his own.

Some time before 1848 when the Habsburg despots at Vienna came into conflict with the Magyar movement for liberty, ARANY came to write a satirical poem entitled “The Lost Constitution.” This work won him a prize, first prize, offered by the KISFALUDY SOCIETY, the great and respected literary association of Hungary.

Immediately after he won another competition and went on to more successes, so that by 1848, we find him, elected of all places, in the Hungarian Parliament. He wouldn’t have anything to do with such a burden, but devoted himself to writing many articles for the Magyar Government.

He saw some army service at the time. In 1849 he was actively working to sustain the Hungarian Government against the Austrian cohorts. After the invasion of the vast Russian hordes, called in by the retreating and desperate Habsburgs, he returned to his home town.

Hé came to be a tutor and later taught as professor of Hungarian literature and language at the Nagy-Körös University where the atmosphere of Hungarian culture was protected from the onslaughts of Austrian-subsidized tyrannies. - The terrible depression that resulted in Hungary with Habsburg victories weighed heavily on the minds of Arany and to put it mildly, he suffered.

He came to brood to a great extent on certain past events in Hungarian history and it came to him to try to understand the misfortunes that had occured to heroes of the past who had to go through harrowing experiences centuries before his time that were nevertheless not unlike his own. He set himself down to write in acid some of his sentiments.

You might look through all literature and hardly find anything so bitter and yet touched with humor. In the nine years he spent at Nagy-Körös this man did for the Magyar ballad and for tbo understanding of its technique what very few others have succeeded in doing for the Magyar or any other language.

(To Be Continued)

Branch 164 -When March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb. Lion dr lamb we’re still in for some chilling weather throughout the month; so don’t put those mittens, scarfs, and galoshes away just yet.

MEETINGS:

Our February meeting of the juniors was canceled to make way for the huge card and bunco party. The hall was hardly large enough to hold the crowd that attended this affair. There was food for the hungry and drinks for the thirsty and much excitement for all.

The table holding the donated prizes fairly groaned with the load. Among all those prizes it was hard to choose the best.

Gifts were donated by Mrs. Kiss: Elsie Ujlaky; Elsie Schwartz; Mrs. Kunstadt and son, Ernie; Mrs. DeWine; Mrs. Ködöböqz; Mrs. John Kovács; Helen Dudick; Marge Fodor; Mrs. Kantor (Paul’s mother); Connie Cannelli; Mrs. Rák; Mrs. Kanebl; Mrs. Soo; Mary LeBan; Mrs. Ujlaky; Mrs. Kantor (Frankie’s mother); Mrs. Tury; Mrs. Irocky; Ted Sabo; Mary Risko; Mrs. Banovsky; Mrs. Barna; Mrs. Petrash; Mrs. Csonka and a few others.

There was plenty of fun and it was a great success financially.

Another successful affair was the dance given by Branch 96 at Pullman. IVc from Chicago attended the dance and can truthfully say it was worth the trip there. There was a very entertaining program, good music and splendid hospitality.

On March 2nd, the old folks will show us how to conduct a successful affair. It will take some effort to do ^better than we juniors have been doing but we’re always willing to learn a few more things. I can count on the juniors to be on hand- “to be shown.”

Chicago, III.

Dear Marge:

Please inform me in your column why there haven’t been any Flashes published lately.

The Flashes which we enjoyed very much, the same Flashes that other branches copied from you with much success put sparkle and life to the much awaited columns in our paper.

Perhaps, your duties as a house wife give you less opportunity to dig up those interesting bits of our social life or is it possible that some other scribes of our paper scared the Flashes away?

I can’t understand it and 1 hope you will give me and many other FLASH FANS the honest answer.

Yours fraternally.

(Signed)

MARVIN—the jitterbug.

and then perhaps Yours truly, the official Publicity Agent, will get a line bn the basket-ball news.

Bowling:

Our Bowling League is still hot. The boys and young ladies meet every Monday. There’s plenty of accomodations for everybody. I’m sorry to know that one of the lady bowlers, Mrs. Kunstadt, broke her arm and is qut of competition for the rest of the season.

I’m informed—sorry not officially—that the bowlers will meet the M.Y.O. bowlers in the near future.

Where or when—not even our senior secretary knows and he knows everything.

Baseball:

All sports are interesting but give me our old baseball team and I can write for hours.

I believe our old s&ftball is the one and only . 164 game and with spring just around the corner I am sharpening my pencil to be ready for high scores and I’m even getting rid of my tonsils so I can root still louder for Verhovay 164, the champions of the Chicago Park Districts.

We all expect a big season. Nearly all our uniforms are in good shape. We have a few more new players like “Slugger" Louie Molnár, and which is most important, FORTY American dollars made át our last bunco for softball only.

You will hear from me again in another month when I’ll be a new girl. I’ll be a whole year older and if that doesn’t change me nothing ever will.

A Happy Easter to you and may the Easter Bunny leave lots of cheer at your doorstep.

Just me,

MARGARET STANGRET, 1427 S. Sawyer Ave.

Publicity Agent for Verhovay Sportsmen of Branch 164.-----------0------------BRANCH 381 OF PITTSBURGH REPORTS

Here’s a letter I received in the mail a few days ago and I’m printing it along with my answer which will answer the inquiries others have asked

Here is my answer;

In every column that I have mailed to the paper to be published I have typed between five to twenty-five flashes. These flashes have been submitted to me to be published because our members have been interested in the little digs that bring many laughs for such a small amount of embarrassment.

Because it pleases others I have uncovered these little doings but to my dismay, these last months I have not seen my Flashes in print.

Believe me, fhe plain truth is that my share of the Flashes has been done but the editor has seen fit to withhold them from print.

If you don’t see the Flashes below you better consult an op'J tician. If there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight, better write to the editor and see if he has a reason.

That’s about all the information I can give you, Marv.

SPORTS:

Basket-ball

Oh, yes, we have a basket-ball team but it’s surrounded in a mystery. The boys meet every Thursday in one of the popular gyms but nobody knows what’s going on.

Well—It's only a few more weeks to the close of the season

The results of the elections of Branch 381 of new officers for 1940 were as follows: President, John Bishop; Controller, Andrew Bennett; Secretary-Treasurer, Peter Mészáros.

The principal discussion following the elections was to find a means to awaken the social life of Branch 381 from the lethargy into which it has fallen; Accomplishing this desired end, membership would increase rapidly.

After adjournment of the meeting the members of the baseball club held their first gathering of the new year.

The officers of the baseball club for this year are: President, Andrew Bennett; Manager, H. Merman; Captain, Cy Conley; Secretary, John Silvasi; Booking Agent, M, Fitzgibbons; Treasurer, Peter Mészáros.

The meeting was adjourned after the date was decided for the next gathering.

Fraternally,

Peter Mészáros, See’y-Treasttrer.