Verhovayak Lapja, 1946 (29. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)

1946 / Verhovay Journal

p-üf J — ___________________________________________VerRomy Journal ______________________________________________________September 25, 1945

Chicago’s Verhovay Heroes Honored by a Thousand

(Continued from page 1)

times. Our thoughts, however, are centered around the role played by America in the desperate struggle of mankind for a better world.

The fraternal societies represent a great social achievement of the Americans of Hungarian descent. The glorious spirit of unity and cooperation was spread by these organizations of which the Verhovay is to be commended especially for having followed the instructions of Christ given when He spoke of walking “the second mile.” Verliovayans did just that when affording charitable and cultural advantages in addition to insurance protection to their fellow-members and American Hungarians in general. This aspect of Verhovay’s program is particularly emphasized on the present occasion. Indeed, it pays to follow the banner of such noble leaders, enthusiastic workers and understanding, cooperative membership.

Our appreciation of the American Home is just as deep as that of our fraternal organizations. It is only fitting that we pay tribute to the homes from which these heroes went out never to return, and to share the sorrow of the fathers, mothers and wives of the men who made the supreme sacrifice. America was made great by its homes where children were reared to become devoted, courageous and just members of society and defenders of the high principles of justice and equality. As long as America has these homes, we shall have no reason to fear the occurrence of such barbaric atrocities as had brought ruin upon the countries of Europe and Asia. These homes are ruled not by dictators, nor by political or economical interests, but by love. The same love that always was the guiding spirit of the Hungarian people whenever they were free to follow the dictates of their own conscience. That love has the power to transform this day of mourning into an occasion of noble pride and inspiration. Those empty chairs, in your homes, over which you will place these portraits, will forever speak of those noble aims for which these men had given their lives and of all that still has to be done if we are ever to attain a lasting and just peace.

Each of these American Homes, however, does not continue the struggle alone. The schools, the fraternal and other organizations and churches fight with them. Differences in our economic conditions, the variety of our abilities may separate us, but spiritually we all may ascend to the level on which we can meet one another as brothers and sisters, all children of God. Gold, weapons and intrigues cease to be important on that level, for there love meets justice.

My bereaved friends: upon the call of your great Association we came to share your sorrow with deep sympathy. And we promise you here and now that we shall never cease fighting for the supremacy of love, justice, honor, and charity. In this struggle we shall persist for the sake of Tied and our hero dead.”

WITHOUT LIBERTY LIFE IS NOT WORTHWHILE.

The thought provoking message of Pastor Tatter was followed by the significant address of Mr. Anthony Czarneczky, of the Chicago Daily News staff.

“Fellow Americans of the great American family of Hungarian ancestry! This splendid organization named after a champion of freedom, responded valiantly to the challenge of war by providing a lasting memorial to those, men who had given their lives for their country. Death was not the worst thing that could happen to them. There are worse things. Let me remind you of the great man of your people, Louis Kossuth. He not only worked and fought for the freedom of the Hungarian people, hut 95 years ago came to the United States to preach the gospel of liberty. Nothing is more precious, he said, than the right to worship God, the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. These heroes have given us the opportunity to enjoy these blessings and more.

“When these little Americans, your children, grow up, tell them that someone like these good mothers who were born across the sea, made certain contributions to make this country great. You, Hungarians, should be proud that you have had no plunderers, no thieving men in public offices. You followed the

teachings of your religion. Whether you are Catholics or Protestants,.you have always maintained that there is a God above us and you always followed the moral principles of decency.

There are people in our midst who prefer some ‘isms.’ But, folks, as Americans we must remember that these five boys, and their comrades, gave their all lor the preservation of those things which made

America the country it is.

Without liberty life is not worthwhile. That is what these men believed in, that is what gave them the determination to carry on until the very end.

It is proper that we continue cosidering the things you people brought here. You must remember that Americans should never forget their parents. There is no cause to speak of divided allegiance. A young wife

and her husband make the best kind of Americans

when they respect their mothers and fathers. America

does not expect you to forget your heritage. Perform your duty well in your work as well as in your family, and you are good Americans. Honor the traditions of your forefathers and you will find that Americans of Hungarian origin while not claiming to be better, have a just claim to be considered as good Americans as any and all of the others.”

HUMBLE IN THE PRESENCE OF GRIEF.

The Rev. Father Elmer Horvath, Pastor oi the ‘Our Lady Of Hungary’ Roman Catholic Church, spoke as follows:

“One feels small in the presence of the grief that is yours to whom ycur boys did not return. We feel with you in your grief because these boys belonged to all of us. They went forth with courage, inspired by wonderful ideals. They fought for the liberty of the people at home and in other lands. Now it is up to us to remain true to their memory by resolving to do everything in our power to make their ideals and hopes come true. Every time we strike a blow in the defense, of those ideals, we shall be fulfilling our promise to them. They fought for something beautiful and if we remain true to the purpose for which they had given their lives, then they shall not have died in vain.”

REDEDICATING OURSELVES TO THE SOLEMN INSPIRATION OF WAR.

The Hon. Michael F. Mulcahy, Sheriff of Cook County, 111., delivered the following stirring address:

“First of all, I wish to express my deep gratitude to your Committee for having invited me to be present here this afternoon on this solemn occasion. It is a signal honor, indeed, to be asked to take part in memorial ceremonies of this nature.

We are a nation at peace. The great war that enveloped the world, ended more than a year ago. War is a terrible scourge, it saps humanity’s life-blood of its richest ingredients, it destroys its heroic youth . . . But in war, terrible as it is, THE HEROISM OF OUR YOUTH REFLECTS THE MOST HEROIC ELEMENTS OF OUR WHOLE SOCIAL STRUCTURE. It tests our mettle. It arouses the hero in the least of us. It makes possible for an entire people to assume the grave responsibilities of citizenship.

“When peace comes, history teaches us, there is generally a tendency to relax. The tensions of war having ended, the solemn purposes of bending every effort to defeat the enemy being no moral purpose, men tend to let down the bars that compel a high moral purpose, and a great feeling of relief and relaxation comes over society.

“This is reflected in the attitude of parents toward children, of children toward parents, of people generally toward each other. It is reflected in the crime waves that sweep over a country that has recently been at war. It is reflected in the cynical disregard with which people face solemn and important political issues.

“It is well, therefore, that, whenever the occasion demands it, a people at peace be reminded of the solemnities that actuated its conduct when it was at war. It is well, in other words, THAT A PEOPLE AT PEACE REDEDICATE ITSELF TO THE SOLEMN INSPIRATION OF WAR. It is well, at least, that we be REMINDED of that solemn inspiration.

“I wish, of course, that we should never NEED to

/

be reminded of it. I pray and hope that war will never strike our country again. But the needs of peace are every bit as important as the needs of war. And the moral responsibility on the part of our citizens required to meet these needs are just as solemn, just as inspiring, as are the responsibilities of war.

“We are a gret people . . . ours is a great country. And perhaps the greatest thing about our country is the fact that it is made up of people who came from every part of the world. That is, to a very great extent, the CAUSE of our greatness. But this fact is important for another and more important reason.

“In a world that is trying to unite, in a world that is attempting to perfect a formula by which all differences between people will be settled peacefully, we, the greatest and most powerful nation in the world, are living proof that such a unity can be achieved. We have done it here in this broad land of ours . . . Why can’t it be done in the world?

“You are Americans of Hungarian ancestry. I am an American of Irish ancestry. But we are all Americans. And so are the people of all ancestries who live in America and love America.

“We have come here this afternoon to celebrate solemn memorial services for five young men of Hungarian ancestry who gave their lives for this America. This was their country. This is your country. This is my country, too . . .

“The fact that we are all Americans does not mean that we must love the land of our origin any less . . • that we must love the traditions, the languages, or the cultures we inherit any less . . .

“The language, the culture, the traditions, the art and music which are our ancestral heritage, are necessary to the full development of this thing which we

call true Americanism. They are necessary for the full enrichment of America. They have made America great.

“When I look forward toward the future, I see a WORLD that will continue being enriched by many peoples, by many cultures, but in which all will feel the same kind of tolerance and brotherhood that we experience toward each other here in America.

“I see, in other words, a world in which there will be no more war. In which it will not be necessary for men and women to gather as we now gather in memorial ceremonies for those who died in battle. I see a kind of world for which the young men whose memories are honored here, fought and died.

“I believe in such a world. I believe that such a world will come. It is because I believe it that I am sure that those young heroes have not died in vain.

“These young men died for their country, but they died for the world, too. They died for humanity, for those qualities w’hich a civilized humanity has come to cherish. They died for freedom, for a way of life which we call democracy.

“These young men were not bound in the outlook to the confines of this country of ours, great and broad as it is. Young men with such names as DEMETER, KORODY, TOTH, SABO and MARKOS could not have been so confined. Their ancestry and heritage was in their blood as well as in their names. It was a great ancestry and a great heritage. It gave them vision and courage. It enlivened their imagination. It broadened their view. It made them the best possible kind of Americans, and the best possible kind of soldiers. It made them, also, the kind of heroes in whom we, as Americans, can take the fullest measure of pride.

“We owe them much. And what we owe them most, is to dedicate ourselves to the task of making this a better and saner world.”

“THESE MEN WERE MY BUDDIES.”

The Rev. Stephen Balogh said: “I came here not to talk but to pay tribute to these men as a member of fifteen years’ standing of a Verhovay braneh. These young men should not have died. They should have lived. They were my buddies who were with me in the various branches of service. And now that I am called upon to pay tribute to them, I feel that we cannot go on living this way any longer. Whispers are heard of a third world war. We should exert oue efforts for peace and practice brotherly love as is done by fraternal organizations.”

“IS THIS THE KIND OF BETTER WORLD WE WANTED?”

Introduced by the Master of Ceremonies, Supreme Auditor John Sabo, making his first public appearance in Chicago, delivered the following address:

“Our buddies are not with us today, because they gave their lives to secure for us an opportunity to build a new and better world. They did their duty and they did it well.

“However, can we who were fortunate to survive this horrible w'ar, say the same? Let us look at the record and see what we have attained so far.

“It is true that no one could expect us to reach our goal in one year’s time. It is equally true, however, that much progress could he made in that period of time. Now, just what does the record reveal?

“We are in such a state of confusion that we do not know what we want, nor where we are headed.

“We have done too little, if anything, against the inflation that has befallen our country.

“We have done too tittle, if anything, against the Black Market getting a tight hold on us.

“We have had so many strikes that our production record is very poor. Laborers on the one side, industrialists on the other, with the government in between, just cannot do a thing to increase production, decrease strife and promote cordial relations.

“We fought this war to insure a better world for all. The Atlantic Charter, guaranteeing the Four Freedoms, was our rallying cry. What has happened? We are on the verge of another war. And as the seeds of another war are sown, the Four Freedoms of the Atlantic Charter had been thrown to the four winds.

“I ask you, especially my veteran buddies, is this the kind of a better world you wanted? You know it is not. What are you going to do about it? Are we going to sit back and let the other fellow do the work? Or are we going to take an active part in directing the future course of the nation?

“To you, my fellow-veterans, I say, do not relax your efforts. Continue the fight but beware of the many flowery schemes advanced under the slogan of ‘help the veteran!’ These schemers merely want to use you to further their own ends.

“To you of the home-front who had done such a splendid job producing the food and the necessary implements of war, I say, unite, join hands with the veterans, and start working now for our new and better world. Let’s stop being confused, let’s stop the in(Continued on Page 3)