Verhovayak Lapja, 1947 (30. évfolyam, 1-24. szám)
1947 / Verhovay Journal
\ VOL. XXX. JULY 9, 1947 NO. 13 TEDIOUS BUSINESS — A Dual Subject Requires Your Attention — HUNGARY’S MAN OF THE HOUR — The Pittsburgh Press Pays Tribute To Hungarian Liberty Party Leader. — Americans of Hungarian origin were often pained by the unfavorable publicity given to Hungary by the American Press during both World War I., and II. The Pittsburgh Press, leading evening paper of the metropolitan area of this city, was no exception. It was deeply appreciated, therefore, that the June 26th issue of the Pittsburgh Press carried the following significant editorial: ‘‘UNHAPPY Hungary has had many heroic figures in its long, unsuccessful fight for freedom and independence. But no Hungarian patriot of the past could have been more courageous than Dezső Sulyok, Liberty party leader, who is making history today. Mr. Sulyok fights not from the safety of exile, but in Budapest, seat of thé latest Soviet dictatorship. In parliament and out, he exercises the right of free speech in a land where that right officially is denied and brutally is suppressed. His scathing denunciations of Communist terrorism, which have created a sensation in the free world, are not printed in Hungary. But he goes on speaking to the few who dare to hear him. He has been threatened with death and denied police protection. He has seen less hardy compatriots seek refuge in compromise or flight. Yet he goes on, fighting the good fight, true to his faith, in the face of threatening mobs, hostile police and a resentful, all-powerful government. This brave man may meet death by violence before any vestige of human dignity is restored in his native land. But the cause of Hungarian liberty will live so long as there are such men.” This marvellous statement gives great encouragement to Americans of Hungarian descent still maintaining ties with their folks in the old country. It also affords much needed support to those Hungarians who have elected to continue fighting for Hungary’s freedom and independence from “the safety of exile”. Ferenc Nagy, ousted Prime Minister of Hungary, now in the United States, has elected just- this role as have many others before him, among them no lesser giant of history than Louis Kossuth. Indeed, Hungary has had many heroic figures, some of whom have chosen the martyr’s death, while others fled — not because they would not have been willing to make the supreme sacrifice but because they were convinced that by keeping alive they would be more useful to their country. The example of Dezső Sulyok was matched by that of Endre Bajcsi-Zsilinszky who was murdered, after a mock-trial, by the Nazis. It was also matched by the example of Count Teleby, Hungary’s prime minister at the time the Nazis invaded Hungary, who committed suicide in protest against being forced by the Nazis to violate Hungary’s non-aggression pact with Jugoslavia. Hungarians always will venerate these martyr’s of Hungary’s just cause. Yet, the conclusion is hard to escape that these heroes had not gained much except the passing admiration of the world’s free people. Hungary, however, could not be saved by admiring gestures: moral, material and diplomatic support was needed and is needed today, more than ever. Those men who chose exile hope to secure such assistance from the free people of the world. In their endeavor they are supported by those others who have elected to risk, and, in most instances, to lose their lives. Thus, unfortunate Hungary needs both the martyrs and the exiles and its cause is furthered by those who have died in the struggle as well as by those who, risking the appearance of cowardice, left their country in order to carry its appeal to the door-steps of the free nations. We hope that the American people will judge both the martyrs and the exiles on the merits of the cause which they represent. For both speak for the truly unhappy people of Hungary . . . and history, our own as well as that of all other nations, shows that the cry of blood is sooner forgotten than the plea of the living . . . That’s why Hungary has need for the pleas of its exiles, too. And even if some of them should be found guilty of cowardliness seeking refuge behind the pretense of a nation’s plea for freedom, their plea is still true, for it speaks in behalf of a nation unable to express itself. Dezső Sulyok and the other heroes of Hungary prove the sincerity and urgency of these pleas. One man’s meat is the other man’s poison and things that are fascinating and exciting to some people bore others to tears. This is well illustrated by the habits of the newspaper reading public. Some are interested only in the comics, others are avid readers of the sport page, while quite a number of ladies are fascinated by the society column. Then there are the front-page addicts and those to whom no murder means no news. Still, all the newspapers are stubbornly printing editorials proving that a goodly number of readers expect them, for newspaper editors, as a rule, have a pretty good notion of what their readers want. Of course, no one has yet invented the newspaper, the contents of which from the front-page headline to the bottom of the last page, could have pleased and satisfied any larger group of readers. That’s why all editors compromise by offering bits of satisfaction to each line of interest represented among their subscribers. Having found that each of the various features will claim the interest of- -a particular group of readers, they are trying to impartially distribute their goods so that all readers may get their money’s worth. Such compromising, however, does not mean complete submission to the whims and likes of the readers. The fondest dream of every editor is a large group of loyal readers who have some interest for each and every feature appearing in his paper. Inspired by this dream he tries to educate the readers in the art of being interested, an endeavor which is moit stubbornly resisted by many who prefer to live within the narrow confines of their limited interests. True, the editor’s ambition is a worthy one, for, if successful, it would result in the widening of the mental horizon and, thereby, in the increasing of the capacity for enjoyment of his readers. Still, quite a number of the readers are an impatient and prejudiced lot, unable to understand how anyone could enjoy that which is dull stuff to them, and quite unwilling to grant others the right to their own fancies. By criticism, and sometimes even intimidation, they try to ‘persuade’ the editor to devote more space and effort to their own pet subjects, while neglecting those beyond their sphere of interest. Of course, such attempts are seldom successful because the opposition applies the same methods in trying to sway the editor’s judgment. The result is a compromise with the great variety of contradicting pressures. The situation is somewhat different in the case of publications serving some special field. The contents of a religious publication are naturally limited by its subject matter, just as those of a medical Journal or a legal periodical. One could hardly expect any of these to carry cross-word puzzles or some juicy gossip about the private lives of film stars. Fraternal publications, too. fall into this category. The ideology and practice of fraternalism is their special field. Their purpose is to educate the members of fraternal societies in the principles and methods of fraternal action, to inform them as to the state and progress of the business jointly owned by the membership, to serve as a tie connecting the members with each other as well as with the organization as a whole, to promote the Society, to deal with such subjects as have legitimate bearing on fraternalism in general or on the Society in particular, and, in addition to all that, to serve as the public forum for individual members, branches, officers and the management. Though this covers a great deal of territory, there still are limitations as to the material which may be printed in a fraternal periodical as otherwise interesting and entertaining features must notr be permitted to crowd out matters dealing with the business of the organization which has a lawful priority over everything else. No boubt, many of the members are not interested in the business of the Association, but so are many of our fellow-citizens not interested in elections, national events and the acts of Congress. Surely, the lack of interest of any number of citizens does not make elections superfluous, nor does it detract from the impox-tance of the acts of Congress. Regardless of how boring these things may seem to those wanting to be entertained, the public-spirited citizen still will maintain that he has an inalienable right to full and dependable information. Just as there are public spirited citizens, there are public spirited fraternalists, too... They have a legitimate interest in the business as well as the management of the Association, because by investing some of their savings with the organization they have become co-owners and shareholders whose right to active participations in the affairs of their business cannot be denied. In this respect they are like the readers of the editorial pages or financial columns of the daily newspapers. To others their reading material may seem dull stuff but to them it is of utmost interest. And since the greatest contributions to the progress of a fraternal society are made by members who are interested in the business and the program of their organization, one cannot very well expect that their desires be overlooked in favor of those who would make no constructive efforts for the advancement of the Society. This leads us to our own paper, the Verhovay Journal. Of course, every effort is made to afford some satisfaction to most of the readers, Yut the scope of these efforts is naturally limited by the subject which the Journal is supposed to serve and by the rules and by-laws determining what must appear in the official organ of the Association. As a result, the Journal must always carry some reports w'hich are of interest only to a limited group of the readers. Of course, this group is not necessarily limited. Anyone may join it by trying to work up a little interest for the business and program of the Association. Readers who are trained in fraternal action find these reports, stories and editorials informative and helpful. Because they are interested, they get more enjoyment out of their Journal. Surely, it would not be to the advantage of the Association and the members who own it, if because of their limited number, the members interested in these features were deprived of them in order that more space may be devoted to entertaining features having no bearing whatsoever on the progress and program of the Association. These thoughts must be given some consideration by all of our readers at this time when the Proceedings of the District Meetings take up the greater part of available space in the Journal. From now, on, through the next four months, this is as it will be and it can’t be helped. While Minutes, Proceedings, Reports and whatnots may seem, dry and dull stuff to the majority of the readers, their printing is just as necessary to the Association as the printing of the Congressional Record is to the Legislature and to the public spirited citizens of our country. And those willing to widen thenspheres of interest, undoubtedly, will gain by reading this material. This is especially true in the case of those who are so outspoken in their critisicm of the rules, regulations and policies followed by the management of the Association. By reading the Proceedings of the District Meetings and, then, the story and Minutes of the National Convention, they would realize that there is an opposition to every opinion and rules and regulations are made by majority decision after a free exchange of opinions. The Proceedings of the District Meetings show democracy at work in the Verhovay F. I. Association. And every member having some immediate, personal and legitimate interest in the Association to the extent of his savings invested with the V.F.I.A., one should assume some actual interest on part of the membership in how benefits are determined and why certain rules are adopted. The management’s compliance with the by-laws is misunderstood and misinterpreted only by those who have neglected to absorb the information made available to them in the Journal. It may be, dry stuff but those who have taken the trouble to get acquainted with it, invariably find it easy to deal with the Association, and if they have any grievances, they will know how to seek adjustment by democratic proceedure on the floor of the National Convention. To the outsider, to the nonmember all this may be tedious business, but not to the member of the Verhovay who has his hard earned savings invested and keeps on investing them month after month with the V.F.I.A. Just as no businessman can neglect his business without serious loss to him, so the membership of the Verhovay cannot afford to plead lack of interest in its own Congress. The Verhovay is your business. Your interest will help Us progress to your own benefit.
