Verhovayak Lapja, 1947 (30. évfolyam, 1-24. szám)
1947 / Verhovay Journal
VOL. XXX. JUNE 25, 1947 51 NO. 12 Certain Inalienable Rights... — The American Creed. — I am an American citizen . . . I hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I believe that the United States of America is set apart from the rest of the world by the faith of the nation in the supremacy of these basic human rights. While all other nations derive their national.. existence from national, racial or geographical features peculiar to them, the. United States of America is the only country founded and built upon philosophical principles. I believe, therefore, that patriotism to the American citizen has a higher meaning than to the citizen of any other nation. In addition to the natural attachment of the natives to the land of their birth the American citizen’s patriotism includes lofty convictions which can be held only by men capable of honest and just thought. Far superior to sentimental nationalism, the patriotism of the American citizen is love sublimated by judgement and faith. Its emotional content is enriched and stabilized by mental processes of the highest order. I love this land. I love its mountains and valleys, its fields and forests, its farms and deserts. I love its cities, towns and villages. I love its people regardless of their origin, background, color, religion, political affiliation. I love its culture, I admire its achievements, I appreciate its arts and sciences. These I love because I understand them. And I understand them because I believe that all men are created equal. Were I beset by the superstition that my nationality, race, religion, class or occupation is superior to that of others, I could neither understand nor love them. Dissatisfaction, jealousy and bitterness would fill my heart and my days would be spent in the loneliness of the. disgruntled spirit. Dislike and hate would darken my soul and cramp my mind. I would feel a stranger, a man without a country, a man separated from his nation. The only friendship I could find would be the selfish companionship of similarly restless spirits. It would neither comfort, nor sustain me in the hour of need. It would not add the pleasure of shared happiness to my hours of peace and contentment . . . 1 believe in the future of my country because it affirms man’s right to Life. And I love America because its conception of Life is far superior to that of any other nation. Life in America means more than merely existing. It means living with the assurance that I may use the resources and opportunities of this nation to the best of my abilities and ambitions. It means the right to work for my freely chosen goal. It means the right to speak and think according to my convictions. It means the right to read what I prefer, to chose my religion, to take part in what I approve of and to hold myself aloof from or oppose whdt I disapprove. It I means the right to get ahead or I to stay behind, the right to strive toward the top or to remain at the bottom, the right to freely follow my inclinations as long as they are compatible with decency and honesty. I am free to work as much or as little as I feel like. No one has the right to set a limit to my ambition by telling me when and where I have to cease in my creative or productive efforts. Nor has anyone the right to abuse my abilities by driving me beyond my capacities. No one has the right to tell me where I can wdrk', nor has anyone the right to prevent me from working where { I want to earn my livelihood. I have the right to pursue Happiness. The American way of living and the American conception of liberty assure me of the freedom necessary for the pursuing of happiness. Naturally, we cannot! be assured of finding happiness, but the freedom to seek it is | more than any other country | affords its citizens. Actually, few of us find happiness but that is due only to our own limitations. Man has an irrepressible yearning for happiness, yet he is cursed with an inherent incapacity for being happy for any length of time. That, however, does not make happiness an impossibility. If and when we will live up to our principles, happiness will settle down upon us. For the secret of happiness lies in the understanding of and compliance with the American ideals. I call them ideals rather than princi-' pies because principles are settled rules of action and conduct, yet our national conduct is not yet fully ruled by the principles ! set forth in the Declaration of Independence. True, every man insists on his inalienable rights among which are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, but we have not yet come to understand that our fellow-citizens are equally endowed with these rights. There are individuals, groups, classes and organizations which stubbornly refuse to grant others the rights enjoyed by them. Basing their refusal on the obvious inequalities prevailing among men they persist in demanding privileges for themselves. It is self-evident that men are not equal in every sense. There are industrious and lazy people. Some are religious, others materialists. Some are exceedingly bright, others depressingly dull. Some are set in their ways, others are easily swayed. In these and many other things — men are Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner signs merger document One of the greatest events in the history of the Verhovay took place at the Insurance Department of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pa., on May 21st, 1947, when the merger of the Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation in the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association was approved by HON. JAMES F. MALONE, Insurance Commissioner, who is shown in the act of signing the merger agreement. Standing behind the Insurance Commissioner appear the following: Francis Taptich, Esqu., Legal Counsel of the Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation; John Bencze, Supreme President; Henry Gross, President of the Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation and, since the merger, member of Verhovay’s Board of Directors; Charles S. Lgzarus, chief of the Department of Insurance Companies; Leopold Hirsch, Secretary-Treasurer cf the Workingmen's Sick Benefit Federation and, since the merger, Assistant Secretary of the Verhovay F. I. Association; and Coloman Revesz, Supreme Secretary. not equal. But the authors and signers of the Declaration of Independence did not intend to suggest an unrealistic conception of equality. All they maintained is that all men are equal in that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights among which are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Therein all men are equal regardless of color, race, nationality, religious or political affiliation. There are no exceptions. The only limitation to the universal supremacy of the rights of the individual is in others having the same rights. Therefore, as an American ci-' tizen, I have the right to live in the American way as long as I don’t assert this right at the expense of others. I have the right to Liberty but not to libertinism. I am free to use, but not to abuse, my freedom. I have the right to move as I please as long as I do not prevent others from moving according to their inclinations. The permanency of my freedom is guaranteed only by the liberties of my fellow citizens. Therefore, I am entitled to my freedom only as long as I am willing to respect and uphold the freedom of any ánd all of my fellow-citizens regardless of wrho they are, where they came from and how they live. Firmly convinced of the irrefutable truth of our national princi-Continued on page ? Memorial Ceremonies To Be Held In Daisytown, Pa., Sunday, June 29 — Supreme President To Present Portraits Of Five Verhovay Heroes To Next of Kin. — Banquet and Dance Honoring Returned Veterans of 4 Branches. — A special invitation to all members of Verhovay’s 13th electoral district is extended by the joint Memorial Committee of branches 43, Brownsville, Pa., 85, Daisytown, Pa., 312, Idamay, W. Va., and 399, Richeyville, Pa., to a combined Memorial and Home-coming event to be held in the Walkertown Hungarian Home of Daisytown, Pa., on Sunday, June 29th, beginning at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. In behalf of the Association, Supreme President John Bencze will present on this occasion the portraits of the following hero dead Verhovay ans to the next of kin: JOSEPH KISH, JR., former member of Branch 43, who has made the supreme sacrifice in Italy on May 22, 1945; CHARLES SMALKO, JR., former member of Branch 399, who lost his life aboard a Japanese prisoner-of-war vessel sunk near Mindanao on September 7, 1944; • GEORGE HORVATH, former member of Branch 312, who was killed in action in Europe on March 30, 1945; FRANK BOYZA, JR., former member of Branch 507, since merged in Branch 85, who lost his life in naval action in the southwest Pacific theatre of war on July 30, 1943, and ALEXANDER SZABÓ, also a member of Branch 43, who died in China on April 30, 1946. The memorial program will be followed by a banquet and a dance given in honor of the returned veterans of the branches joining in the memorial ceremonies. The radio-orchestra of Julius Farkas and vocalist Julia Orosz will furnish music and entertainment. AH members and friends of the Verhovay are respectfully and cordially invited by the Memorial Committee. EMERY KARA, Manager of Branch 43, ALEX HAYDU, Manager of Branch 85, JOSEPH FÜLÖP, Manager of Branch 312, ALEXANDER SZUPERAIC, Manager of Branch 399.
