Wednesday, January 12, 1966
Items of Interest
JINDRICH FUEGNER Sept. 12, 1822 — Nov. 15, 1965 It will be a century on Nov. 15, 1965, since the passing away of Jindrich Fuegner, co-founder with Dr. Miroslav Tyrs of the Sokol and ardent democratic soul and Czech patriot. Of German descent, he established a precedent of nobility in his short life, endearing him not only to his co-workers but even more to the millions attempting to use his life as a model. He came from a wealthy commercial family, studied with private tutors but gained his greatest all-around knowledge and broad outlook on life thru self-teaching and extensive travels. He spent considerable time in Italy, France, England and Germany, becoming a fluent linguist. In 1849 he took over the management of the family business. The monotony and narrow mental confines of the business soon palled on him so that he entered the wider horizons of the insurance field, securing the agency of an Italian company. His, organization ability and fair dealing made his agency prosper rapidly. He became a member of the Praha Chamber of Commerce, director and reorganizer of a large bank, placing himself at the head of a shorthand writing group where he was largely credited with the rapid advance of his invaluable aid in all walks of life. His democratic inclinations, sense of justice and nobility of spirit won him to the Czech cause in its battle for recognition. He was not the first of the democratically feeling Germans to do so. A half century before him, Goethe, Herder and the Weimar group admired the reawakening of the Czech spirit
VESTI‘IfK and did much to help it before Prussianism forbade their further involvement. A man with such characteristics and background was bound to have his influence felt. It needed but the hand of fate to have him meet Dr. Miroslav Tyrs. An immediate appreciation for each other formed an idyllic friendship, leading to the creation of Sokol. Fuegner brought to the fledgling organization many outstanding men, his ;friends from the upper social, business and civic circles of his life. So great was his influence that they became lifelong members of Sokol, recognizing its significance for the nation's welfare and giving it unstinting support. Jindrich Fuegner was unanimously elected president of Sokol Praha, retaining the office until his death in November of 1865. At a crucial period he built a model gymnasium and home for the Sokol, thereby guaranteeing its existence. His material actions were outstanding. Even greater and longer lasting were the spirit of democracy, fraternalism and moral nobility of his own character that he breathed into the Sokol. This placed the Sokol above factionalism of any or every type, firmly establishing it as an organization devoted to the nation in its entirety. Diverse elements could also meet as Sokols within its ranks and in its purely nattonal atmosphere find a common meeting ground for the equitable solution of manifold problems. In the short period of 3 1/2 years, Jindrich Fuegner set a precedent that has been and shall be a torch of enlightenment for the Sokols forever. Attend lodge meetings in 1966! THE FAMILY LAWYER On Drinking a Cigar Held liable for damages, the defendant in a lawsuit angrily demanded that his lawyer seek a new trial. "The plaintiff deliberately tampered with the jury," he charged, "by treating each juror to an expensive cigar. We have a statute forbidding that sort of thing." "All our statute forbids," retorted the plaintiff, "is treating the jury to 'food or drink'. Cigars are neither food nor drink. Therefore, I am in the clear." But the court, taking into consideration the purpose of the statute, decided that "food or drink" did include cigars. As one judge explained, we can "drink" the wind — so why can't we "drink" a cigar? That is an extreme case, of course. But it illustrates why the law is not always content with the definitions
given in the dictionaries. A dictonary would scarcely define a cigar as something to drink. Yet the court felt that, to fulfill the purpose of this particular statute, it must reach beyond a mere dectionary definition. Oddly enough, one reason Lawyer Noah Webster wrote his dictionary was that he found Samuel Johnson's dictionary inadequate in its definitions of legal terms. Still, the law constantly finds it necessary to look further for the last word on words. Suppose, for instance, that somebody sues you for calling him a "crook." A dictionary will provide the general meaning of that work. But exactly what did you mean when you said it? Did you shout it, in fun, at the unpire in a baseball game? Did you growl it, in ernest, at the corporation president in a stockholders' meeting? The difference in meaning is enormous. The same is true of words you use in making a contract. A dictionary will define "profit" and "approximately" and "guarantee." But the law must discover what those words meant to these particular individuals when they entered into this particular contract. Judge Learned Hand once wrote: "Words are chameleons, which reflect the color of their environment." It is only by exploring that environment, and measuring that reflection, that justice can truly be done. (A public service• feature of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. Written by Will Bernard.) Be An Active member!
SPECIALIST OUTLINES BOUNTIES FOR PREDATOR CONTROL Does the bounty system for ocontrolling predator animals work? Wallace Klussmann, wildlife conservation specialist for Texas A&M University's Agricultural Extention Service, says we have evidence which indicates this system of control does not always accomplish its purpose or objective. The bounty system, he adds, is a term usually applied to a program whereby a county or local organization pays a set price for the killing of animals considered predator. They usually include wolves, coyotes, mountain lions or other animals which feed by preying on other animals, including domestic livestock. Results from most counties which have tried the bounty system indicate losses of livestock to predators have not been eliminated nor reduced by an appreciable extent, Klussrnan says.