Verhovayak Lapja, 1946 (29. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1946 / Verhovay Journal
November 27, 1946 The Incongruity of Thanksgiving Day in the Age of Arrogance.. None of the Pilgrim Fathers would have believed on that first Thanksgiving Day, 325 years ago, that a time will come when their descendants will not feel impelled to give thanks for a bounteous harvest. To them the crops and fruits meant the answer to their fervent prayers for daily bread. Patiently, and often desperately, they wrestled with the hostile soil and the unpredictable climate that daily threatened to void their endless labors , . . The bitter struggle for survival taught them not to take their homes their food and clothing for granted. . . They knew that mother earth does not always reward the sower with a crop... They knew that the toil is ours but for its fruits we depend on higher powers... They knew that life is a one-sided bargain binding man to give the full measure of his strength without holding out more than mere hope for success... They did not count their hours in terms of dollars, nor did they measure their efforts by the value of what they attempted to achieve... They gave themselves wholly to their task, yet they were humble and wise enough to realize that success was still something to be thankful for ... Of course, they didn’t see into the future. They couldn’t even dream of conditions taking such a turn that a bounteous harvest would mean poverty for the farmer... They couldn’t dream of times when fruits would be left rotting on the trees because the cost of labor would exceed the value of its products... They just couldn’t see the distant day when man would undertake to restrain the fertility of ihe soil and pay the farmer for not cultivating his land. It took three centuries for that day to come. The day that has made an incongruity of our Thanksgiving holiday. Now the age of bounty is with us... But fruits are rotting in the orchards while we can’t buy what is brought to the market... Hundreds of millions of starving people could be saved had we followed the example of the Pilgrim Fathers by saving the surplus of bounteous harvests for just such times as these... But now we are at the end of the road of folly . . . poor amidst the riches of our land . . . We are hungry strangers at the richly laden table of our own country... There is plenty of meat, flour, butter, milk, fruit, wool... Such plenty as the thanksgiving Pilgrim Fathers never saw in their lives... Yet our hearts are filled with bitterness, reproach, unrest and dissatisfaction and the prayer of thanksgiving dies on our rebelling lips... Why are we beggars at the door of our own kingdom? Because we thought we can harness the higher powers on whom we are depending... Because we believed in American progress to lead us on to a security which for ever relieves us of all uncertainty . . . Because we arrogantly maintain that life can be managed to such an extent that nothing would be left to chance or fate... Because we have “progressed” to the point where luxuries are valued higher than necessities. Bread, clothing, home and health are not worth toiling for... It is leisure, travelling, vacations, entertainment, machinery, radio, television and whatever the Joneses have, that people are willing to exert their strength for, but not their daily bread, not those things the Pilgrim Fathers gave thanks for. It was alright in those times for people to be modest and humble and thankful but at this advanced stage of human progress the bare necessities of life should be provided for every man, woman and child by the government, the nation, society or anyone else who can be made responsible for our existence! Of course, even mistaken notions contain some element of truth, otherwise they could not gain popular acceptance. The truth of the fanciful assumptions of our generation is that our country can well afford to assure every one of its citizens of a high standard of living. That, however, was just as true at the time the Pilgrim Fathers landed at the shores of this blessed country. And they did attain a high standard of living, much higher than was the lot of those people they left behind. But they attained what they were striving for by different methods. They prayed and worked, while we — demand and strike. They risked their efforts while we — want all the assurance of success before even making a move. They knew that the key to security is ceaseless, diligent work while we — want more and more security for less and less work. And while it is true that there could be enough of everything to go around, the way to make things go around is by starting to work when it is time to work and by effecting just and equal distribution when there is something to distribute. That is how the Pilgrim Fathers tackled the job, but we try to do it the other way around. We quarrel about the distribution of products that will never Verhovay Journal NEWS — Page 5 FROM THE FIELD (Continued from Page 4) and cultural activities and promotion of Branch 443 by assistance in securing new members. Meetings are held on the last Wednesday of each month, at 7 P. M., at the Holy Cross Activity Building (formerly Gallagher Home), on the second floor. The ladies of Branch 443 are cordially invited to attend the meetings of the Women’s Club. JOSEPH SZABÓ, manager. COLLIERS, W. VA. Branch 452. Members of Branch 452 are requested not to expect the manager to call several times each month for their monthly dues. In accordance with the provisions of the By-laws, dues are to be paid not later than the 20th of each month. The manager can not be made responsible for any complications that may arise if you are not paid in time. The provisions of the By-laws are to be adhered to at all times and in all matters, like accident or sick benefit claims. Disability is to be reported at the beginning of the illness and not several weeks or even months afterwards. The Home Office cannot honor claims for illness that had not been reported to the Manager. Sick benefits are paid beginning with the 8th day of disability and dis-ability is counted from the day on which it is reported to the manager. Your manager cannot be held responsible for rejections of claims because of the failure of the claimant to report his disability. In case of illness, please immediately notify your manager by postcard or telephone (391—J—2, Follansbee, W. Va..) Even if the illness is not expected to last for more than a few days, for safety’s sake, report should be made in order to protect the member. DENNIS PALFALVY, manager CHICAGO, ILL. Branch 96. The Annual meeting of Branch 96 will be held on Sunday, December 8th, at the Prokop Hall, beginning at 2 o’clock. Election of branch-officers and other important maters are scheduled for this meeting after which dinner and refreshments will be served. All members are requested to attend. FRANK TINICH, president. GEORGE SHAMEL, manager. The Verhovay Album of Branch Managers JOSEPH VASS JR. — BRANCH 272. — JESSUP, PA. In August, 1941, Joseph Vass Sr., manager for thirty years of Branch 272, called on his son asking him to take over the duties of his office. Having spent the best part of his life in fraternal service, he felt unable to carry on any longer, but he was certain of having found a worthy successor in his son who, at that time, served his seventh year as President and Sick Visitor of that branch. Joseph Vass Jr., accepted and immediately set to work. Preferring to visit the members in their homes, he got well acquainted with all of them and made many new contacts. Thus he found out that a man who had died two years previously, had been a former member of the Association, but discontinued his membership several years before his death. His family did not even bother to look up his membership certificate but Manager Vass, aware of the possibilities of the case, made inquiries in behalf of the beneficiaries. His alertness was well rewarded, for it was found that the former member was still under extended coverage at the time of his death and the beneficiaries received the full $1,000 death benefit. This, was Quite an event in Jessup, Pa., and marked the beginning of the new manager’s promotional career. Since then he wrote more than a hundred application’s won a $50.00 prize in 1941, was one of the Grand- Prize winners of the 60th Anniversary Contest, and increased by more than 50 per cent the membership of his steadily progressing branch. Joseph Vass Jr., a coal-miner since 1937, was born in Jessup on July 31st, 1907. He married the former Helen Nazarey on April 19, 1931, and they have six children: John, 14, Margaret, 12, Mary Ann 11, Joseph III., 9, Patricia, 5 M’chael 2. All are members of the Verhovay. CHICAGO, ILL. Branch 96. Attention Verhovay Parents! A Christmas Party will be given for our junior members on December 22, Sunday, at 3 P. M., at the Prokop Hall. Motion pictures will be shown and entertainment furnished by our junior members. Santa Claus will attend and have a present for every child. Please Verhovay parents, bring your children and enjoy with them a ical fraternal Christmas Party. GEORGE SHAMEL, Juv. Manager. SHARPS'! 1LLE, PA. Branch 171. Branch-officers will be elected at our annual meeting to be held on December 8th, Sunday at the Italian Hall, Main Str. Food and refreshments will be served following the meeting. All members come to exist because we haven’t even started working for them. Who knows, in a year or two we may praying on our knees for the very fruits that we had left rotting in the orchards of the nation. Who knows, in a year or two we would give the best years of our lives if we could have the implements that we failed to produce while the best years were still with us. The glaring incongruity of Thanksgiving Day in this age of arrogance should shock the nation into some deep, sincere thinking. In a year on two we may have no time left for thinking, only for regret... Let’s not wait that long. National thinking must be led back to the Pilgrims’ heritage and that is a task in which we all are able to share, for this is mainly a job of converting public opinidn which must begin in the homes of our friends and neigbours, in the clubs and meetingiialls, fn town halls and wherever Americans meet. Unless we recapture the capacity of giving thanks for the rewards of hard work, we will have nothing left to give thanks for. And that will be the end — not only of Thanks- Giving Day, but of the American way of life, too.— of Branch 171 are requested to attend. JOHN FEEDLER. Manager. JOSEPH BIMBILUC’Z, President. ASHTABULA HARBOR, O. Branch 284. All members of Branch 2S4 are requested to attend the meeting to be held on December 15th, Sunday, at 2 PM, at the Marine Bank, second floor, West 5th St. Officers of the branch will be elected at that time and it is important that all members attend. LOUIS STOFKO, Manager ALLENTOWN, PA. BRANCH 90. All members of Branch 90 are requested to attend the annual meeting to be held on December 1st, Sunday afternoon at 1 o’clock at the Hungarian Home. Officers will be elected for the year of 1947 and other important matters are to be dealt with. It is most important, therefore, that the membership be well represented on this occasion. At the same time we wish to remind our fel low members that monthly dues and interest on loans must be paid not later than December 20th. Unpaid interests will increase the amount of the loan and, thereby decrease the face value of your certificate. Hoping that all members of Branch 90 will attend the annual meeting, we remain Fraternally, JOSEPH KARDOS, President, COLOMON KOCSIS, Manager. CLEVELAND, O. WOMEN’S BRANCH 361. A dance will be given in honor of the widows and widowers, by (Continued on Page 6)
