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Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Founded 1897 HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P.O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76501 VOLUME 64, NUMBER 31 AUGUST 4, 1976
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK This is our Bicentennial Year. In the center column we quote some writers on the subject of their thoughts of country. For instance Thomas Paine, like Thomas Jefferson, had some ddep innermost thoughts about human independence and humanity toward other people. Sunday, July 25th we journeyed to* Lodge No 107, Floresville to the District VII YAD and were happily, and quite frankly, amazed at the amount of entries in their various categories, especially the Arts, Crafts, etc. division. All of us know that District VII, like District IV, is rather large and both cover large territories so that it takes greater effort for good results to be represented at these once-a-year affairs. The District VII youth certainly out did themselves and will have a good representation at state this year. It is always so pleasant to see these young members' smiling faces as they receive their awards and, even more so, to see the fine sportsmanship they display even though they do not win first place' in their category. There was a nice attendance of parents and youth leaders, and SL President Morris and SYD Dorothy Massey also attended. * * Finally, this week, we are beginning to catch up on our backlog of material; we do try to please everyone we can and we hope we are
In this issue we are printing two letters in our In Memoriam section, one from Germany, and the other from California which show that our SPJST Vestnik reaches many people at their homes. It is a personal privilege to have known Dr. Henry R. Maresh. It was with his assistance and Prof. John Skrivanek's that we met with many Texans of Czech descent and founded the Czech Educational Foundation of Texas (CEIVT) in College Station, Texas, some years ago. Mrs. Thelma Maresh Lingo and her son, Harlan, are members of Lodge No. 88, Houston. * * Here it is appropriate to quote excerpts from a letter Brother Caldoing so. Frankly, our SPJST vin C. Chervenka had in the Conshould be proud that so many of vention issue, pages 28-29: our correspondents and members Fraternal Basis take enough interest to write in Our SPJST Society, alowever, and to read the Vestnik. Our effort is to keep up this interest for should not forget its Czech herithe good of our Society. S'ince'rely, tage and its secondly stated constithe' Publication Committee used tutional purpose, "To endeavor to good judgment in not accepting keep alive the cherished traditions, the recommendation for a semi- customs and language of our foremonthly publication, although it fathers." This Czech heritage of the would be easier on the editor and the duties involved, however, where SPJST is the common bond basis would we find the space for the for its existence as a fraternal ormaterial? Your editor had a nice der. If it ever loses that basis, it personal talk with Mr. Huff, our may well lose its fraternal status. Then it might lose its favorable actuary, at the convention and, in some future issue, I will explain to legal status and be left to compete our membership how our Vestnik with the stock companies. However, members of the SPJST is not so costly to our Society as will have to take more personal and has been portrayed. COUNTRY Our country! in her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong! —Stephen Decatur * * Our country is the world — our countrymen are all mankind. —Wm. Lloyd Garrison * * My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. —Thomas Paine * * Let our object be, our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country, —Daniel Webster