Verhovayak Lapja, 1945 (28. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1945 / Verhovay Journal
« November 28, 1945 STRANGE MOTIVE... Verhovay Journal_________ VENI, VIDI.. THIS WISE AGE OF OURS, People have grown as their /orId developed. Their mental ttitudes underwent great hanges, they have become more ducated and even “wise”, or so ome say. This is especially loticeable in our social life which 3 such an important part of Fraernalism. A number of people are thrown ogether in every branch and hese people come into more or ess close contact, at least on ertain occasions, and the pleasintness or unpleasantness of that ontact is determined by the nental attitudes of those conerned. If we try to analyse the change hat is apparent in social life in ’eneral, as compared with the social life of, let’s say, thirty 'ears ago, we find that people lave developed an attitude which s characterized by them as laving become “wise” to life, its iroblems and their fellowmen. They say that they have “outgrown” the “primitive” attitude )f mutual confidence. We wonder f they really have outgrown something that should be beittled. To us it seems that most people have lost something with>ut having gained anything in the vay of compensation, not to speak of improvement, and that :annot be considered a development for the better. WHAT MAKES PEOPLE DO THINGS? Let’s pick a situation or two Erom fraternal life to illustrate Dur point. A man hears and reads about our fraternal program and it appeals to him to such an extent that he feels like doing something about it. A strange phenomenon appears. He surprises the officers of the branch by attending the meetings. He listens to the minutes, he hears the reading of the letters, he asks for information and finally shocks everyone present by expressing his opinion. The few people who may be present, get their real surprise when he gets up and moves that a certain action be taken. But that isn’t all. A month passes and the next meeting rol’s around. The branch-manager is amazed to find the same fellow waiting at the entrance of the hall. The president even feels uneasy and doesn’t rightly know what to say. And the interested fellowmember does not realize that the appearance of a member with ideas has an effect upon the languishing branch similar to that of a cold shower that is supposed to be refreshing but in most instances is felt rather like a shock. Well, a shock it is alright when, after the preliminaries are over, the new brother gets up and asks what has been done with the motion adopted at the last meeting. The manager, the president and the two or three old faithfuls look at one another and are at a loss what to do with that fellow. Somehow, they sense that he must have something up his sleeve. For years and years no one bothered with the affairs of the branch. The paying of the dues at the meeting was con sidered supreme cooperation. This man acted strange. His behavior was unusual and his interest unnatural. He couldn’t have shocked the people more if he had performed a fandance in the old cemetery. Well, in all justice, that’s just what he was doing. Finally, they stalled him -off and the meeting ended. But if they thought that was the end of it, they were certainly wrong. For he was present a month later again and this time, right after the minutes were read, he asked for the second time what action had been taken with the motion adpoted two months before. An obnoxious fellow, that! HOW TROUBLE IS BORN! There wasn’t much they could do except again deciding that the motion adopted two months ago be carried out during the next few weeks or so. Our man, however, wasn’t as patient as all that. He had the nerve to get up and to suggest that things be done in a more efficient manner. He was a soft-spoken individual and he made his suggestions with a great-big friendly smile on his face but, if anything, that made matters worse. For as soon as he turned his back, the tongues, awakened from their inertia, started some exercise. Future battles were sensed by the waggers of the various tongues and they felt that it was time to do some training. And in various manners of expression the people started to ask the question: “Why is he doing these things?” Now, they didn’t ask him, they asked each other for they felt that anyone else but he would be best qualified to answer that question. And that’s where we meet the “wisened úp” attitude. The good people just couldn’t believe that the “trouble-maker” would give them an honest answer to the question why he decided to stick his neck out. They felt fully equipped with wisdom and experience to do all the answering for him. They knew all about the motives that move people and make them do strange things. And here are some samples of the motives attributed to our friend, the interested fellow-member. HE CAN’T HAVE ANY OTHER MOTIVE, BUT . . . Said the manager to his buddy while angrily sipping his aftermeeting beer: “He wants to kick me out of this position. But wait, I’ll fix him!” Said the president to his wife: “That fellow just wants to make trouble. He is that sort of a fellow. Always picking!’ Said the old woman who always stayed at the meeting for she could pick up a bit of gossip here and there: “Another one of these bolsheviks!” Said the man who kept the meeting-hall clean: “It’s obvious, he wants to be elected to the next Convention. This is just the start. Mark my word! This man wants to be Supreme President.” Said his wife: “Oh, no, you are all wrong. He just opened a store in the town and now he wants to mix with the people in order to get new customers.” These opinions and more were carried via grape-vine from house to house. They grew and developed into monstrous exaggerations. Why, within three days it was all over town that he give the manager a good beating and several outranged members conNow that V-E Day and V-J Day hav£ come and gone, and all this talk about reconversion and inflation and rehabilitation has been buzzing about our heads, we at last see our Verhovay soldiers coming back home, or preparing to, or wishing they could. Your Branch 395 reporter has been scouting around and found that out of our twentyeight men in the Service, eleven have already returned to using the prefix “Mr.” to their names. The Benedek boys, Jimmy and John, and Mike are back in civilian clothes again; Mike having married while in the Army and transferring to Branch 514 not so long ago. Jimmie has married, is the father of a son, and working for the Purity Dairy. His brother, John, is taking a well-earned vacation right now having been recently discharged. Another proud-father veteran is Steve Lesnansky who has gone to Ohio with his wife and twoyear old son. He is employed by Magic Chef Manufacturers. Albert Jozik may be seen commuting again on the good old B. & O. as he has been wqrking at the home offices of Verhovay since the war is over. Charles Dudash has not long ago put away his uniform in mothballs, the same as John Gary and James Kozak. Paul Salako has received his discharge and been back at work at the Wood Works since August. We’ve seen Albert Sabo down town in Me Kessport, looking better as a civilian. Emory Makrancy has recently been discharged also, sidered the necessity of reporting him to the Home Office and asking that disciplinary action be started against him. Now there is a great difference between starting a gossip and carrying it on. No one will ever attempt to ask any pertinent questions from the individual concerned at the beginning but there are always many who just enjoy taking the gossip back to him. And so, a week after the meeting, he heard that he was accused of having threatened the manager’s life. Naturally, the poor chap was very upset about the whole thing and did what no one should do under such circumstances. He explained why he attended the meetings and why he offered a few suggestions. Now, if there is- anything- misleading- in this wisened up world, it is the truth. Humanity has become so educated and so psychologically minded that the only way to keep the truth from people nowadays is to shout it from the house-tops. For that is the great tragedy of our age: people have forgotten the art of believing one another. HIS MOTIVE WAS STRANGE, INDEED. . . The truth of the matter was that this brother of ours actually learned to believe in fraternalism. He really believed that there are ways and means to make a go of it. Somehow he got the notion that branch-meetings are announced with the purpose of having the members attend these gatherings. Even worse, he maintained that something could be DONE in that branch and, worst I I Branch 395, McKeesport, Pa. after having spent many months in a German prison camp. Among the boys who are still “sweating it out” in O. D’s or suntans is Stephen Dobos who has just returned from a furlough at home with his parents. Alex Meszar is at home now on a thirty-day convalescent furlough after twenty-six months in India. He was in the Weather Squadron and expects to be discharged about February. Alex Goydan is looking forward to a Christmas at home; now he is in Okinawa waiting to catch a boat. He has enough points to be discharged upon arriving in the States. Alex Kardos arrived in Japan the first of this month among a shipment of men sent directly from Europe. Some of our boys are still in Europe waiting to come home, or serving with the army of occupa tion. Julius Salako was with the army of occupation in Czechoslovakia and not long ago moved to France preparatory to coming home. Wilson Movie has been in England since he’s overseas, with the ground crew of. the Air Force. He may be transferred to the continent but does not expect to be back until next June; we hope he is only pessimistic and it will be much sooner. John Such is in Franc, which he doesn’t like, according to his last report, and Kenneth Norman doesn’t even report — although we do know he is with the occupational troops in Germany. Steve Kovatch is also trying to hitch a ride home with Saint Nick — hope he makes it — last year he spent Christmas in Gerof all, he was willing to do his part. Now, if there is anything unbelievable, impossible and nonexistent for the majority of people, it is idealism, unselfishness, interest in public affairs and social consciusness. People have become educated in the art of analysing their fellowmen and thus they have learned that people usually have a sinister motive when entering the arena of public life. Usually, they want a job, some money, a position, at any rate, they want something for themselves. This is the fundamental doctrine on which all analysis is to be based. Level-headed people of our modern age know that there is no such thing as brotherly love, seeking of fellowship for fellowship’s sake and the willingness to Work for the advancement of a noble cause. WHOSE FAULT IS THAT? That is a rather foolish and futile question to ask. Perhaps it is the fault of the politicians who never give ad... for the public except when election time approaches. Perhaps it is the fault of fraternal politicians who are fraternalists only as long as it pays. Perhaps it is the fault of the business-men who don’t know anyone on the street but once they need new contracts, suddenly frequent banquets, anniversaries, baby-showers, giving a dollar and getting fifty dollars wort of business in exchange. One thing is sure: wherever we turn we meet the mercenary spirit approaching us like a wolf in sheep’s clothes, with a warm hand-clasp that shakes the Page 7 many and wouldn’t like to make it a repeat performance. Elmer Halas was home on leave a short time ago on his son’s birthday. He is stationed at Craig Field, Alabama, and plans to stay in the Army. He married Dorothy Cain of Lake Wales, Florida about three years ago and they have one son. Joseph Kemeny was home on furlough not so long ago; he is still on his Uncle Sam’s payroll. Somewhere in the Pacific, Albert Sipos is helping to make the seaways safe again by cleaning out mine fields. John Sabo is still down in the South Pacific with the Marine Corp; he’s one of those essential people whom we can’t expect, but would like to — and very soon. Fred Stipkovits is expected home for Christmas, maybe; he was to have said goodbye to the land of the rising sun (which set) around the first part of this month. Your reporter couldn’t track down a thing about Lewis Bartha, Bert Nagy, or Ernest Suhody. When last heard of, they were still in the Service and all well, and we hope they’ll soon be able to join us Verhovayans at home. The holidays in this year of our Lord 1945 will find the families of our soldiers deeply thankful and very much aware of their good fortune in escaping a blight which war brings. In our branch, there is not one gold star on our service flags for which we can never be grateful enough. The places now empty will be filled within a few months — a little more waiting and our broken circle will be whole again. HELEN STIPKOVITS, Branch 395. last penny out of our pockets ... And in this mercenary age of ours, idealism, belief in principles, belief in humanitarian ideals have become strange motives, indeed.... motives that cannot be attributed to anyone, except after his death when he can be no longer of service to anyone. That is the tragic symptom that prevails in nearly all of our relationships . . Let someone be attracted by a fellow-member and approach him with sincere friendliness, his motives are immediately subject to grave suspicion. Why is he friendly? Why does he confide in that person? Naturally, he wants to use him for some purpose or other. Maybe that fellow-member has connections which he does not have? Of course, he wants to get in on them. Maybe, he wants to draw him into some sort of conspiracy against someone else Sure, that’s what it is! Maybe he aspires to some office and wants to secure supporters, only to drop them as soon as his goal has been attained? Naturally, he can’t have any other motive. Certainly, his motive cannot be as simple as that he just likes that fellow and wants to make friends with him. That is too simple. And in our over-complicated, super-educated, wisened up age, we just can’t accept simple solutions to simple problems. Things must be complicated or they cannot be real. THE “HIDDEN MOTIVE” OBSESSION. Our generation is obsessed by the idea that there must be a hidden motive behind . every ac(Continued on Page 8)
