Verhovayak Lapja, 1947 (30. évfolyam, 1-24. szám)
1947 / Verhovay Journal
PAGE 12 THE FERRET SEZ Jolán Lucas Verhovay Journal September 24, 1947 Thank You—New York Times! ~ By Mrs. CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS Convention time in the great Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association finally rolled around with the usual amount of fanfare. It seemed less glamorous than it did four years ago, though still very exciting for any individual who has felt as if the Verhovay were a vital part of his soul. However, I was aware of the tremendous responsibilities with which the delegates were faced and I rather hoped that they wouldn’t be as disillusioned as this old gal was at the last Convention. As I greeted the ambitious youngsters who came prepared • to do battle for their own generation and for their children, I wished I could warn them not to become too bitter by whatever impressions they may receive as to the lack of fraternalism which might appear, due to the political undercurrents, and which will hover over any convention where an official plum is dangled as first prize. I yearned to tell them to be a bit more aggressive, but not to hit below the belt and strike back at those who fought, and are still fighting, to put the Association into a position which would be the pride of their children. How could an ardent woman put across to these sincere young men that the fraternal spirit was not lacking: that these delegates, in the great majority, were primarily interested in assuming the responsibility for the efficient administration of the Association’s welfare, and also the furthering of the principles of fraternalism, as their main object. Naturally, there are always those who have but one aim in attending any Convention, be it fraternal, labor or political. Since the American readers of the Journal will read Ye Ed’s complete report on the Convention as he saw it day-by-day, your Ferret will try to give highlights (just as I did four years ago) only on those issues which we Americans, of Hungarian descent, are principally interested in. Naturally, one of the major issues was how, in what manner, can we re-create a renewed interest in the ideals of fraternalism. Several methods have been suggested from time to time, but those of us who are experienced in trying, mind you, TRYING, to sell .the idea of fraternalism to the new generation springing up all around us, have come to the conclusion that a National Sport, adopted by the Verhovay Association, would be the solution. There is need for a sport which does not require experts, a sport in which both sexes can participate indiscriminatelyT a sport which is a good mixer, and can do more to promote the fraternal spirit, can do MORE to sell Verhovay out in the AMERICAN field than any other majority-drawing activity. Hence, we came to conclusion that bowling was the ideal sport. Now then how can we finance this idea? From time to time my dearreaders may have been bored by the enormous amount of publicity which this writer has presented to you. There were times when I have been practically nailed to the cross because I was trying to sell the idea of bowling as a good mixer. Suggestion after suggestion has been presented in this column but at last this writer came to the conclusion that only by revising the current requirements of the Sports Allottment can sufficient funds be secured by the various sports teams to equip them in a manner which would boost the name of VERHOVAY. As you ail know, new Junior Order Certificates have always been counted in the promotional contests but have never been credited towards the Sports Allottment. Today as I write this article, the Convention Delegates voted that in the future the new rules pertaining to this item would provide for the COMBINED NUMBER of both adult and Junior Order Certificates to be credited for the Sports Allottment. Let us hope that those branches who have had greater success in securing Junior Order members will now be able to profit financially and thus be able to equip their teams. (And who said publicity doesn’t pay? If you have any good ideas for fostering sports, fraternal ideas, social and cultural activities, please have them printed in the Journal. It may take time to put the idea across, but remember there is a Convention every four years and if you do a good job of selling an idea, it’s bound to be bought by the majority!!) Another medium of advertising which creates good will and fraternalism is the Verhovay Journal. A strong movement to drop the Journal entirely, or to limit it to a monthly issue in both languages, was dissipated, when the majority of the delegates voted to retain the Journal on its current basis. News from the field, cultural, social and fraternal items will dominate, and in addition plenty of space will be allotted to the Sports Pages. Incidentally, please try to bear with the financial reports of the Committees, the Minutes of the Board and other official data, because in spite of these data being boring to a certain group of members, there are still plenty of readers who look for these important items of information. So we retained our Journal and it will be up to us out in the field to make our requests known to the editor so that he will know what type of articles to print and write. Victory No. 21! The first few days, the newer of the younger American delegates wandered around the lobbies, listened intently on the Convention floor and wondered what it was all about. Several were not very enthused about the manner in which the Convention was dragging along and demanded certain rights which were rapidly squashed. However, just the other evening, we all sat around and had a Round-Table discussion at which every delegate, despite the fact that he may have been from a Hungarian or Englishspeaking branch, was given five minutes in which to air his views pro and con. The fellows all decided unanimously that had they had a meeting of this nature on the first day or two of the Convention they would have been able to present the problems of the American generation more favorably. As a suggestion for -future Conventions, your Ferret would like to gon on record and insist that one of the four American Directors call a general meeting the very first night of arival and hash out all problems, insist upon constructive suggestions and line the The following editorial appeared in the September 4th issue of the New York Times. We are reprinting it because of its fair treatment of the Hungarian problem and because it presents an unusually clearsighted analysis of the character of the Hungarian people. It is an encouraging statement which will be ' deeply appreciated by all Americans of Hungarian descent. THE FIGHT IS NEVER FUTILE The sequel to the Hungarian elections supplies an answer to two of the most pertinent questions of our' troubled time. Is it worth while for nations in Hungary’s unhappy position to keep on fighting against overwhelming odds for political and civil liberties. Is any good purpose served by broadcasting the facts to the world and repeating official protests when nothing else can be done? The answer in both cases is yes, and Hungary proves it. The Communists overstepped themselves in that tough little country, which has known for centuries the forms if not the substance of representative government. The local Communist leaders were too contemptuous of public opinion at home and abroad when they staged the most flamboyantly fraudulent in the series of fake elections we have witnessed in the Soviet sphere. It is a bad sign when the sneak thief does not even pretend to be honest, and in this instance the fraud was so open that nobody was deceived. Even a great block of Socialists, the Communists’ allies, were disfranchised, with the result that the party leadership threatens to bolt the “coalition” and j has been hauled on the carpet by the commander of the Soviet occupation army. Other blocks of votes were transferred from one party to another to give the governing group the 60 per cent majority it promised itself. The purpose of the election, to crush the majority party, the Small-holders, was accomplished, but the fragments into which it split threatens to coalesce into a new majority, and the remnant of the party is in revolt against the leadership for knocking down to the Communists. Despite all the manipulation and coercion, the Communists gained astonishingly little. A fair count of the vote would probably disclose that they have lost. Whatever happens next, though the will of the majority is completely overridden, the election demonstrates that it pays to hold protest meetings that are broken up and to vote “No” even when the vote is disregarded. In Hungary Mr. Rákosi and his Soviet masters could not win a rigged election, carried out under their own rules and auspices. Doubtless they, will rule regardless, as they do in other countries, in the name of an unreal and unwilling “coalition”: but they will not rule comfortably where people still have courage to say that they do not acquiesce. younger delegates up on Convention tactics and politics. So we learned the hard way, fellows, but remember the older chaps had plenty of years to work up the strategy which today' is still successful. Don’t be disgusted, take it on the chin the way I (and those of us who were here before) had to take it.’ Prepare yourselves in the next four years, combine your strength regardless of whether you are in Hungarian or English speaking branches, learn from the wise oldtimers and four years from now it will be another story. JVtore in next issue. Such courage is greater than free people can imagine. It is incalculably strengthened, moreover, by the fact that the struggle in Hungary is pretty fully reported to the outside world. The local press is censored and controlled, but the story sent out by reporters like John MacCormac, of this newspaper, makes the situation clear to the world. Hungary is too close to the West to be curtained as Russia is curtained. We know what is happening there, and the Hungarians are encouraged to fight on for the right to choose their own government because they know that we know. The opposition that keeps the spirit of liberty alive is not futile. Neither is the information that tells of the struggle or the government protests that show that is has at least the moral support of the democracies. A Friendly Match-Game — Hungarian Gardens Team outbowls Branch 48’s men. — The New York Verhovay Bowling team of Branch 48 challenged the Hungarian Gardens team to a friendly match-game which was rolled on June 23rd. Incidentally, the Gardens team is sponsored by Mr. László Zettle, a member of the Verhovay, and owner of one of the favorite restaurants and bars of New York City. After the game both teams were entertained at Mr. Zettle’s place, 1528 Second Ave., NYC., between 79th and 8th streets. We must admit that Verhovay’s team was matched against one of the best teams in this city and, though we tried our best to win, the consistent bowling of each man on the Garden’s team made them the winners of the game. The following are the scores of the match game: Verhovay Branch 48 Nemeth E.180 150 — 330 Ibos Albert— — 138 138 Partmann J.155 199 163 517 Vaught J.233 165 147 545 Toma Jos.173 170 231 574 Emody J.204 185 172 561 Totals 945869 851 2665 Hungarian Gardens NemethJ. 207 186 190 583 Maratta192 164 152 508 Billow190 190 181 561 Tonn.166 200 216 582 Nicola;,'201 225 153 579 Totals 956965 892 2813 Fraternally yours, JOSEPH TOMA. Manager, Br. 48. Knowledge without common sense is folly; without method, it's waste; without kindness, it’s fanaticism; without religion, it’s death—but with common sense, it’s wisdom; with method, it’s power; with chanty, it’s beneficence; with religion, it's virtue, and life, and peace.—Frederick William Farrar. One of our best definitions of life insurance is that it trots the strength of men standing together behind the frailty of a man standing alone.
