VESTNIK aIN FROITERrallrf
4
affair
ig e
e
Z
rath
Official Organ. Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Founded 107 HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P. O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76501 USPS — 658480 NOVEMBER 15, 1978 VOLUME 66, NUMBER 46
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK In the last issue we promised to write more about our conversation (at the reception for Dr. Antonin Robek of Czechoslovakia at the home of Dr. Clinton Machann Tuesday, Oct. 31st, in College Station) with Dean Maxwell and Dr. Pope of Texas A&M, about the Czech courses being taught , there. This editor had heard that occasionally counselors at universities in most cases have much to do with the amount of students wanting to take or "being steered into taking" certain courses. Here let us state that here is nothing as useful as an honest face-to-face personal discussion; letter writing is nowhere near to this as far as diplomatic discussion is concerned when it comes to exchanging ideas and informative exchanges of viewpoints. At this reception there were many down-to-earth personalities, many with a Dr. or Prof. prefix, i.e., Clinton Machann (naturally), Dean Maxwell, C. S. (Woody) Smith, J. J. Skrivanek, R L. Skrabanek, Josef Rostinsky, Dr. Antonin Robek (of course), Calvin Chervenka, and Henry D. Pope, to name some of them, and, not to forget the ladies there were Sisters Lil Skrivanek, — Chamberlain, Maehann, etc. We will try to have their pictures in future issues. With all of those titles before their names, this writer was not sure that this was the right place to be present, however, they all are the type of people who
MUSIC There's music in the sighing of a reed; There's music in the gushing of a rill; There's music in all things, if men had ears; Their earth is but an echo of the —Byron spheres, * * Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted —Congreve oak. * * Seated one day at the organ, I was weary and ill at ease, And my fingers wandered idly Over the noisy keys. I know not what I was playing, Or what I was dreaming then, But I struck one chord of music Like the sound of a great Amen. —Adelaide A. Proctor do not let their titles be the main item that their lives revolve around. Dr. Clinton and Mrs. Machann proved to be very competent, sincere, and gracious hosts and they are certainly appreciated; surely these words speak for all present that evening. In a sincere, serious discussion of the status of the Czech language courses at Texas A&M with Dean Maxwell, in a secluded corner, we asked questions and received sensible answers. By this time in life, it is certain that the repu-
tation of your editor in not dodging a direct answer or posing a direct question is well known and Dean Maxwell proved to be the same type of person and the conversation, though brief, brought these points into context and something to be considered; we repeat — the answers were very logical in many aspects. To the question, is the students' curriculum at A&M too crowded for them to take the Czech courses, his answer was that in some cases, it was. Were they pleased with the Czech courses being taught at this time? His answer was on the positive side. Was there a possibility that the counselors at A&M were advising students to take French or German courses, instead of the Czech courses? His answer was that that this could be a possibility and followed by a very logical answer, i.e. That there are many technical and mechanical books written in French and/or German and that, therefore, students could further their education in those fields if they could read in those languages; after all, A&M stands for Agricultural and Mephanical. While the college looks at the acedernic and educational value of a language only we, of course, look at a knowledge of a language from the practical value—that is, which is the most useful and most used. Although the Czechs were first In many cases: in 1348 the first