•vv * J Av .v.r v w '( S $x J 1 ■ mf < " *- -g Ufi tetv ' l Wm, *^K-wV *'*T \ t>' ,5^^. -s. ^v^vsjj^K^ ± ^em^- 'v . « >04 *» • /fl *feŽŽMB GREETINGS TO TOU ALL Members! Friends! Wherever you may be, Be it north or south, east or west; Upon the plains, beside river or sea, Some plače you love the best .... . May your Christmas be as happy As Christmas ever could be, And may ali the things the New Year brings Be just exactly what they should be Christmas Festivals CHRISTMAS, as it is cele- brated in our country, is a mix- ture of ali the Christmas festi¬ vals ever celebrated throughout the world. The customs have come, bit by bit, from the old countries of Europe and we can not claim any one of the customs as our very own. Most of the customs, as celebrated in the United States, were brought here by the Dutch, but the Sla- vonic, Teutonic, Anglo-Saxon and Latin peoples, ali contribu- ted and are stili contributing of their heritage to our Christmas festivities. Among the people across the sea, CHRISTMAS is a season surrounded by a wealth of tra- ditions, colorful ceremonies, processions and pageants. These for the most part, are not suit- ed to our American life, but in their homes, churches, lodge rooms and clubs, many of the old world customs and rites are reproduced to bring to their American children a deeper realization of the beauty and spiritual significance of their Christmas heritage. None deny that these usually tend to broad- en and enrich the cultural life of our American friends and neighbors who may be present as participants or visitors. President Roosevelt not long ago pointed out, “We in the United States are amazingly rich in the elements from which to weave a culture. We have the best of man’s past on which to draw, brought to us by our na- tive folk and folk from ali parts of the world. In binding these elements into a national fabric of beauty and strength, let us keep the original fibres so in- tact that the fineness of each will show in the completed hand- work.” Thoughts on Santa Claus Is there a Santa Claus? Why, of course, there is and don’t let anyone teli you different. Not just one, but millions of them, everywhere. When TIMES are good there are one or more in nearly every home. He may not always be the same fat, jolly, bewhiskered old fellow that you have had pictured in your mind. JUVENILE SECTION OF "NAPREDEK" CLEVELAND. OHIO. DECEMBER 21st. 1938 but he does exist. He exists in špirit, something you can’t al- ways see—the špirit of giving, of wanting to help someone in need. That’s the real Santa Claus! Your father, mother, sister or brother may actually give you your Christmas pres- ents, but it was the špirit of giv¬ ing, their thoughtfulness that prompted them to remember you. Christmas, when I was a youngster, how well I remem¬ ber . . . For weeks before, we (my brothers, sister s and I) thought of things we’d like to have for Christmas (jušt as many of you are, today)—How we schemed and worked for them in every way our eager minds could think of . . . Those were days when no one had to be told twice what to do— It SSPZ Junior Literary Champions 1938 ACHIEVEMENT TROPHY WINNERS Valeria Artel .. Outlookers, Cleveland, Ohio Frank Mivec . Jugoslavs, Indianapolis, Ind. Marie Ermence . Balkan Jrs., Milwankee, Wis. Frederick Bashel . Outlookers, Cleveland, Ohio Andrew Elersich... Spartan Juniors, Cleveland, Ohio ACHIEVEMENT GOLD MEDAL WINNERS Florence Kmet . Hiawathans, Nokomis, Illinois Julia Kosmach. Kingsters, White Valley, Pa. Josephine Kovic. Outlookers, Cleveland, Ohio Elsie Ohojak . Balkan Juniors, Milwaukee, Wis. John Obat . . Spartan Juniors, Cleveland, Ohio OUR JUNIOR WRITERS Congratulatlons, boys and girls, on your literary achievements of the past twelve months. I’m sure your writings have been an inspiration to everyone who has read them and we’re very proud of you, ALL OF TOU, whether yonr name appears among the winners or not, and we thank you for your share of progress which has helped to plače our Vrtec Section right up there among the leaders of similar publications through¬ out the country. VALERIA ARTEL, editor-in-chief of the OUTLOOKERS CORNER and third plače winner in last year’s contest, was awarded a beautiful loving cup, emblematie of the HIGHEST LITERART ACHIEVEMENT in 1938 . . . Gifted with talent, a prolific writer with style both attractive and original, Valeria maintained a leading plače ali through the contest. No matter what subject she chose to write about she did not fail once. So, hail to the LITERARY CHAMPION of 1938, VALERIA ARTEL. ACHIEVEMENT TROPHIES were awarded to FRANK MIVEC as the BEST SHORT STORY WRITER of the year (Incidentally, Frank won the highest literary award in 1937); to MARIE ERMENCE (another repeater) for her variety of NEWS ARTICLES, POEMS and DESCRIP- TIVE NARRATIVES; to FREDY BASHEL for his BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, entitled “Our Personalities,” and to ANDREW ELERSICH for his excellent REPORTS on MEETINGS and ACTIVITIES of his Vrtec Unit. GOLD MEDALS, appropriately engraved, were awarded to FLOR¬ ENCE KMET, JULIA KOSMACH, JOSEPHINE KOVIC, ELSIE OHO¬ JAK and JOHN OBAT for having contributed two or more outstanding articles or poems during the contest. Members receiving HONORARY MENTION are . . . JULIA KRAMZER, TILLIE MLADENICK, HELEN MAREN, ANGELINE PEVC, WILLIAM PEVC, HELEN PREVIC, JOSE¬ PHINE BARBER, MARY MILLER, JOHN VADNAL, DOROTHY PRE¬ BIL, HELEN POKLICKY, IRENE ROVAN, MARY KLEVISHER, WIL- MA GRATCHNER and LILLIAN KOSMACH. RANDOM NOTES: More than fifty different Vrtec members sub- mittcd contributions to the Vrtec Section in 1938 . . . The most consistent contributor was Marie Ermence, who didn’t miss a single issue ali year. Runner-up in this respect was Valeria Artel, who, on the other hand, submitted more material than any other writer . . . Best incognito writers were: Flash, Siam, Bang and Duck (and sometimes “One More”)... Perhaps, the funniest news article was “Whatta Game” by TWO NUTS & A BOLT ... In the more serious vein, “A Tribute” to the founders and 30th Anniversary of the Society, written by Valeria Artel, was very good . . . Taking the Vrtec Units as a whole, the most prolific were the OUTLOOKERS, JUGOSLAVS, KINGSTERS and BALKAN JUNIORS in that order . . . The most interesting page was the OUTLOOKERS CORNER . . . And that’s ali until next month when we hope to meet you again through the columns of the Vrtec Section .. . Keep your eyes peeled for news of the 1939 literary contest. Rules will most likely appear in the January issue. seemed we knew by instinct . . . In the mornings, before leaving for school, we’d never fail to ask Mother if she needed any- thing from the store, and if there was snow on the walks, it was soon cleared away and everything left špic and span ... After school, the kindling wood was chopped and the coal brought in (the coal and wood were kept in the shed on the al- ley about a hundred feet from the house), more errands were run and even the dishes done ... Boy! Were we good! Plenty of Santa Claus špirit there and a reason for every bit of it . . . Catch on? And when Christmas Eve fi¬ nali arrived and it was time for us to toddle off to bed, we did so, reluctantly ... We pretended to want to stay up late to see Santa Claus come down the chimney. Not having a fireplace, we often wondered (usually presense) how Santa was able to squeeze through the stove pipe. Just a trick of ours, YOU KNOW. We knew ali along who the Santas were in our house and we were smart enough to know that the older folks got a big kick out of thinking we didn’t know ... But off to bed we went thinking and hoping until we dropped off in the land of dreams, where we spent the LITERARY HONOR ROLL MONTH OF NOVEMBER Valeria Artel . Outlookers Irene Rovan.Budgets Fredy Bashel . Outlookers Marie Ermence .Balkan Jrs. Andrew Elersich.Spartan Jrs. Wilma Gratchner. Rožnik Jrs. Lillian Kosmach .. ChaUenger Jrs. Elsie Ohojak.Balkan Jrs. Stanley Previc.Kingsters Josephine Kovic . Outlookers PAGE 2 Juvenile Section of “Napredek” December 21st, 1938 Miklavž v predmestju Madrida Sani so bile napolnjene z raz¬ nimi darili in spredaj so bili upreženi jeleni. Vse je bilo pri¬ pravljeno in stari Miklavž je ča¬ kal samo povelje za obhod. Pri¬ šel je ukaz od zgoraj: “Miklavž, sedaj pa le pojdi na zemljo in obdaruj vse .kateri so darov po¬ trebni. Miklavž je pognal in zvončki so zacingljali v mrzlo sneženo noč na zemlji. Dobre volje je bil Miklavž no¬ coj. Prijetno službo ima, katera mu nalaga, da samo enkrat na leto poseti male na zemlji in jih obdari. Premišljal pa je besede ukaza: pojdi in odaruj vse! Ka¬ ko neki mu bo to mogoče storiti samo z enimi napoljenimi san¬ kami? In ker v tem ukazu ni bilo naročeno, ravno kam mora iti, se je odločil, da bo izbral le one, kateri so v resnici najbolj po¬ trebni. Vozil je skozi bogata in velika mesta, kjer se ni ustavil. Lansko leto se je ustavil v ne¬ kem bogatem mestu ter bil razo¬ čaran. Prišel je v razkošno sta¬ novanje, kjer je imel sitnosti z raznimi strežaji, predno so ga pustili v notrajnost do otrok. In ko je slednjič do njih prišel, je videl, da sta se mala dva že igra¬ la z vsemi mogočnimi novimi modeli železnice i.t.d. Teh bi ne mogel razveseliti, če tudi bi jih hotel, ker sam ni premogel dra¬ gocenosti, s katerimi so razpola¬ gali ti otroci. Vprašal je nališ- pano damo, kako in kaj o Mi¬ klavžu ,pa je malomarno odvr¬ nila, da zanje je Miklavž vsaki dan in ne samo enkrat na leto. To je Miklavža tako poparilo, da je sklenil, da se bo takih hiš v bodoče izogibal. In prav zato se letos v resnici ni ustavljal v teh mestih. Drvel je ven na de¬ želo, izbirajoč male skromne va¬ sice, ali pa se ustavljal le v tis¬ tih delih predmestij, kjer so ži¬ veli ubožni delavci. Mnogo je že izdal s svojih sani in bal se je da mu bo stvari zmanjkalo. Daleč na vzhodu je zažarelo nebo. Kaj pa je tam za ena slav¬ nost? si je mislil Miklavž in usmeril svoje jelene v to stran. Dolgo se je vozil, in ko so sani pričele odskakovati na cesti, je ustavil, stopil s sani in pogledal, ka je s cesto. S svojimi škornji je brskal sneg iz velike luknje na cesti. To je pa res čudno, si je mislil, kako da so ljudje v teh krajih tako grdo cesto razkopa¬ li. Pognal je naprej in prišel do zagrajene ceste. Velika žična o- graja je bila čez cesto, Miklavž ni mogel naprej. Poskusil je od¬ straniti bodečo žico in ko se je dotaknil je štrbuknil na tla. Kaj je pa to za ena novotarija na zemlji? si je mislil, ko se je pobiral. Kedaj so ljudje iznajdli tako žico, da vrže človeka na tla in da mu ni Bog o tem nič pove¬ dal? še predno se je dobro po¬ bral, je že stal vojak poleg nje¬ ga ter mu nastavil na puški na¬ sajeni bajonet na prša. “Kdo si,” je zaklical, “da si upaš tipa¬ ti naše žične ovire? “Kdo?” je jecljal Miklavž. “I no, Mi- Za “Vrtec” napisal A. Zaitz Anton Zaitz klavž sem. Saj me moraš po¬ znati.” “Miklavž!” se je začudil vojak. “To ime pri nas že tretje leto ni več znano. “Kje pa sem?” se je v zadregi popraskal Mi¬ klavž po bradi. “Povej mi, kje sem, da ne poznate Miklavža.” “V lojalistični Španiji si, tik pred Madridom, kjer se bije boj že tretje leto. Kje pa si vendar prespal, Miklavž vsa ta leta?” “Prespal nisem,” je odgovoril Miklavž, “a sam sebe gospodar nisem bil nikoli. Toliko tisoč raz¬ nih stvari je na zemlji, ki mi to niso dovoljevale. Bog pa mi tudi o kaki vojni na zemlji ni povedal. Pravil mi je sicer o ne¬ ki svastiki in o nekem možu čud¬ nega imena, ki se prične z M, no, o vojni pa mi res ni nič povedal. Vseeno te prosim, dobri vojak, pusti me naprej. Povej mi za bližnje vasi, da najdem otroke.” “Bližnje vasi ne boš našel, ker jih ni več, če pa ravno hočeš, pojdi v mesto; tam morda naj¬ deš kje pod zemljo skupino, ka¬ tere iščeš.” Odprl je velika vrata in Mi¬ klavž je drčal po razbiti od stra¬ ni vsej zakriti cesti. Čez čas je zmanjkalo ceste. Barikade so jo zapirale. Miklavžu ni kazalo drugega, kakor da zapelje na stran ceste, pobaše stvari v vre¬ čo in nadaljuje pot peš. Mesto je bilo vse v razvalinah in v temi. Sprva je mislil, da so ljudje to¬ liko napredovali, da so odpravili dimnike s streh. Kmalu pa se je prepričal, da so poleg dimnikov zginila tudi vrata, okna in da so od nekdaj krasnih poslopij osta¬ le le še razvaline golih sten, ki so kakor k nebu dvignjene roke pričale o groznem razdejanju. Nikjer ni srečal žive duše, za¬ to je pričel kar na glas kričati: “Hej, ljudje božji, Miklavž je prišel! Slišite Miklavž — Mi- klaa-vž! Nihče se ni oglasil, pre¬ strašil pa je veliko podgano, ka¬ tera je smuknila iz podrtije pre¬ ko ceste. Sedaj šele se je spom¬ nil, da bo moral ljudi in male iskati pod zemljo, kakor mu je pripovedoval vojak. Dolgo je iskal v temi razdejanih ulicah, dokler ni prišel do male odprti¬ ne, katera je vodila pod zemljo. Po daljšem tavanju v temnem hodniku je prišel do nekaj iz desk skupaj zbitega na strani hodnika, kar je služilo nekomu za posteljo. Postelja je bila po¬ krita z veliko vojaško plahto. Miklavž jo je narahlo odgrnil ter videl malega dečka, ki je v spanju držal kos odeje preko glave. Toda deček ni bil sam. Cela kopica otrok je ležala skrita pod odejo. Miklavž je narahlo pocu¬ kal dečka in z njim vred zama¬ jal vse ostale, kateri so se okle¬ pali drug drugega. Deček se je ustrašil ter hitro potegnil odejo preko glave. Miklavž pa bi se bil rad izdal, zbudil otroke ter jih vprašal po starših, zato je za¬ piskal na piščalko. Tedaj pa je prvi deček pošepnil drugim pod odejo: “Pokrite se! Zopet so tu! Ste slišali sirene?” Trupelca so se zgenila pod odejo. Privili se še tesneje drug druzemu ter pri¬ drževali sapo. Miklavž je zapis¬ kal ponovno. Takrat se je klop- čič pod odejo še bolj skrčil in čul je pritajeno ihtenje in kli¬ canje na pomoč. Klicali so svoje očete in matere: “Pomagajte — pomagajte!” Miklavžu je bilo hudo, ker ni jih mislil prestra¬ šiti. Spravil je piščalko ter prav na tiho in ljubeznjivo šepetal nad odejo: “Ne bojte se, otroci moji, nič hudega ni. Miklavž sem, kateri vam prinaša daril, Miklavž, razumete?” Pod odejo se je nekoliko umirilo. Slišal je posvetovanje ali bi odgrnili ode¬ jo ali ne. Nekdo je svetoval: “Pa odkrijmo. Po glasu sodim, da mora biti blag mož.” In so nara¬ hlo odkrili odejo. Sedem shujša¬ nih malih obrazkov, pet dečkov in dve deklici, se je prikazalo iz¬ pod odeje in mencalo oči. “Miklavža je zazeblo v dna duše. Ubogi otroci, pripuščeni samim sebi! Vprašal je prvega dečka, božajoč ga po laseh, kje mu je oče. “Na fronti, ako je še živ,” je odgovoril deček. Vpra¬ šal je drugega. “Ni ga več; dve leti je že, kar je padel na boji¬ šču.” Tretji: “Nimam ne očeta ne matere. V ofenzivi smo bežali skupaj iz mesta in ko smo prišli na varno, je zmanjkalo očeta in matere.” Po vrsti je spraševal vse, odgovor je bil: Ga nimam, padel, ubit, ali morda ujet. Nazadnje je prišel do dveh deklic, kateri sta bili sestrici. “No, punčka, kje pa je tvoj oče in mati?” “Moje mame tudi ni več,” je zaplakala. “V trgovino smo šli preko ceste, ko je neki pošastni ptič krožil nad mestom ter nekaj vrgel pred mojo ma¬ mo. Počilo je, in ko se je razka¬ dilo, je najina mama ležala mrt¬ va na cesti. Dobri ljudje so se naju usmilili ter naju prinašajo Mankind Needs Christmas SYGAN, Pa. — In the annals of our SSPZ., the year 1938 is a momentous one, for in looking back over the past twelve months, more members were en- rolled, our Vrtec grew stronger through cooperation, and the successful 01ympics where held in Bridgeville. But what will the year 1939 bring? Will our Vrtec reach the goal of success that we have been striving for? Will we ali meet again in Indianapo¬ lis in 1939? Will U. S. remain a neutral country or will she en- gage in another murderous war ? Although nations are in midst of civil strife, others are shout- ing threats of war at each other, there is an urgent need for a day universally dedicated and accepted by ali to bring joy and happiness to other men. Such a day is Chirstmas. And coming as it on Sunday, Dec. 25, let us hope that the špirit it por- trays shall soften the hearts of hatred, and that it shall make man more conscious of his duty to the welfare of mankind. Let us hope that the greed for terri- torial expansion, for trade, and for power shall be suspended long enough during Christmas holidays to enable cooler heads to prevail. If ever there was a need for Christmas holidays, the year 1938 can lay just claims as one in most urgent need. “Peace on earth” and “Good will toward men” should be shouted to the European nations. Christmas with its centuries of tradition—Christmas with its memories of childhood, when the whole world depended upon the arrival of Santa Claus—the joy felt only by those who are unselfish with their gifts—that is what makes life worth living. From ali of us here, . To ali of you there, A very Merry Christmas and —a Happy Neto Year. Julia Kramzer, Sec’y, Vrtec 72 po noči v ta hodnik, kjer smo varni pred bombami.” Miklavž je izložil iz svoje vre¬ če vse, kar je še imel. “Vzemite, sirote! Ni veliko, rad bi vam dal več, ako bi imel. Tolikšne potre¬ be nisem videl nikjer pod soln- cem.” Več ni mogel govoriti, za¬ vrelo je v njem. Civilizacija dvajsetega stoletja! Na eni stra¬ ni toliko razkošja, na drugi tako v nebo vpijoče krivice. “Pokrij¬ te se zopet, otroci. Enkrat pride žarek solnca tudi do vas,” je re¬ kel in odšel. Zunaj mesta ni več našel sani in jelenov. Fašistična straža je izvohala ter zaplenila sanke z jeleni vred. Peš jo je mahnil Mi¬ klavž domov in potožil svojemu gospodarju: “Na zemljo ne grem več, dokler ne posežeš z svojo roko vmes Ti in napraviš konec barbarski civilizaciji . . .” December 21st, 1938 Juvenile Section of “Napredek” PAGE 3 White \ MO L d DAV GREClBNG' THE C A RO L S WE S ING DELMONT, Pa. — One of our customs which has made Christ- mas beautiful is the singing of carols. Their name in France is noels, in Italy, pastorelles and in Germany Kristlieder. They began probably in the early church, where nativity plays were given which told the story of Christ’s birth, and carols were sung. A carol is a song of rejoicing which forms a part of the celebration of the great fes- tivals of the Christian Church, but associates most commonly with Christmas. The f i r s t Christmas carol recorded in Luke II, 13-14, was sung by the heavenly chorus of angels over the plains of Bethlehem, and some of the most beautiful carols ever written, such as Na- hum Tate’s “While Shepherds Watched Their F 1 o c k s by Night,” and Charles Wesley’s “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” were inspired by this old, sweet story. Carol-singing was very popular in Europe during the Middle Ages where bands of men and boys would go about the streets for several nights be- fore Christmas, singing in the open air. Many new carols were added, some sacred and others concerned with feasting and drinking. The first authorization for a collection of carols was issued to Thomas Trynsdale in 1562, j ust three hundred and seventy- six years ago. One of our greatest carols ever written ,like Christ, had a humble birth—“Silent Night.” This serene hymn was written hurriedly when ali was not calm and ali was not bright. For out- side the wind howled terribly, a sign of a blizzard, and inside the tiny Church of Arnsdorf, Franz Gruber discovered on the day before Christmas Eve that his organ was broken. Desperately the org anist rushed to the assistant priest Joseph Mohr, and begged him to write something so simple that it could be played and sung without even one rehearsal. That evening Fr. Mohr, who had j ust returned from admin- istering the last rites to a dying woman, paused in the snowy heights overlooking the town. The blizzard was ended. Over ali was the vast stillness of nature on a winter evening. It occurred to him suddenly that it must have been much like this upon ers that holy night in Bethlehem. Tremendously moved, he hur- ried home and wrote the verses of what we now call “Si¬ lent Night.” That midnight the congrega- tion listened to the first playing of that hymn. The members nev- er dreamt that they were listen- ing to one of the greatest hymns ever to be written. The origin of “Silent Night” was re-enacted in part for radio listeners on Christmas Eve in 1936. From Gallein, a village near Salzburg, Austria, the hymn was sung by Felix Gruber, using his greatgrandfather’s or¬ iginal guitar. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was written hurriedly also, and to be used only once. The re- nowned minister, Phillips Brooks, jotted it down to de- scribe to his Sunday School class the town of Bethlehem as he re- membered seeing it in his trav- els one Christmas Eve. Little did he think, as he read it casual- ly on a Sunday morning back in 1867, that it would wing its way into the hearts of everyone who heard it, until celebrated com- posers would vie to set it to worthy mušic; and that, of ali their versions, the most famous would be the one which came in a dream on Christmas Eve to the organist of his own church in Boston—Lewis H. Redner. Nor did any anonymous au- thor have any idea when he com- posed “Away in a Manger,” merely for his own chidren to sing one Christmas Eve, that it would afterwards be sung by children ali over the world. Although it’s the type of song Martin Luther might have writ- ten, stili that lover of mušic didn’t write it—even though he is almost universally given the credit. Martin Luther strongly felt that mušic should begin at home, organized his own children into a small choir, wrote many sim¬ ple compositions and would have been overjoyed, had he lived four hundred years, to hear “Away in a Manger” sung by the Star-Boys of Sweden. “O Come Ali Ye Faithful” is often called the Portuguese Hymn because it was sung so frequently during the first half of the nineteenth century by the choir of the Portugese Chapel in London, which at that time was conducted by the noted Catholic composer, Marcos Portogallo. This Christmas as we sing the loved carols or hear others sing them, let us be reminded of their humble significance! Theresa Kastelic, Recording Sec’y, 103 A REV1EW OF THE YEAR DELMONT, Pa. — “Where there a will there’s a way.” And so have the Kingsters pro- gressed toward making the year of 1938 a successful as well as an enjoyable one. Our officers, assisted by many of our older members, have worked diligent- ly at our dances and other af- fairs in order to make them a benefit to our organization. We can easily make a review of the year’s activities. We welcomed the new year by having our second anniversary dance January 16. A one-act play, “Angeline Bakes a Cake,” was presented. Brother Kvar- tich ga ve us a talk concerning the progress of our fraternal organization. During the month of Febru- ary several of the Kingster girls attended the Progressor’s dance. They teli us they had a swell time! The three SSPZ lodges of White Valley, Senior Lodge, No. 142, Evening Starš No. 200, and Kingster Vrtec 103, had a dance August 27, in commemoration of the Society’s thirtieth anni- versary. Once again we acted, in two plays; “Orville’s Big Date” and “Baby je Bolan.” Miss Pre- vic must be complimented for doing her part so well for she had but a short time to learn it. Our guest of honor, Brother Vr¬ hovnik showed movies after the plays, some of which were taken in June of the previous year. We saw many friends that night, if not at the dance, we saw them in the movies. We spent one day at Presto Park during the Sixth National Athletic Meet, Sept. 4. October 16 was the night of our fall dance with a “cake walk.” One of our White Valley friends won the cake. Once again we went to Bridge- ville on Nov. 5 and attended a “Harvest Dance.” During several months, es- pecially during the summer, many members practiced play- ing mushball. The girls’ team was well under way, although we didn’t play any other teams. Our monthly meetings were well attended. We are happy to say we didn’t have any deaths among our Vrtec members. Two of our members, Helen Previc and Tillie Mladnik were trans- ferred to adult lodges. Our Christmas party is sched- uled for Dec. 26 at the White Valley Hall. Parents of Vrtec members are invited to this par- ty also, and we hope to see many there. We can well say that this affair is going to be one of our most outstanding of the year. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a New Year full of good cheer. Helen Kastelic, Vrtec No. 103 Er ranči GirFs Christmas Helen Mladenick. Vrtec 103, White Valley, Pa. WHITE VALLEY, Pa. — I wish to take this opportunity to thank the contest judges for the check I received for my last con- tribution to the Vrtec page. About People You and I Know Helen Previc is visiting her sister at Bobtown. Theresa Kastelic is the only girl in our Vrtec who drives a car. Rose Cappa keeps going to M’Cullough for a certain rea- son. Who is he, Rose? Verna Kosmach was seen wearing a beautiful man’s ring. As Christmas time rolls round each year, There’s always much to do; — Trees to trim, and gifts to give, And ali the folks to please; A cake to bake, potica to make And some delicious bread. “Helen dear„’ I seem to hear, “Come help me in the kitchen; I will make the candied fruit And you can wash the dishes.” Were it not for Christmas time Oh Mother, I’d complain. Then sister shouts with voice so load, “This liouse needs some atten- tion; Roli up those sleeves and do your share Of shining up for Christmas.” Were it not for Christmas time Oh Sister, I’d rebei. You might think that 1 am a grouch, But ivhat else can I do? Errands rush upon me fast, And I must hurry, liurry. Is Christmas worth this endless fuss? I say, “Yes, — and more” I bet I know whose it is Verna. Teanie Previc was seen hav¬ ing a good time with a Lenny. It looks bad Teanie (for the gang). Mary Lavrich is taking guitar lessons. When will we hear a T-une from you Mary? Stanley Previc keeps going to Export every nite. Who is she Stanley? (Esther?) The brunette was not seen in WHJZ studio with Martin Ser- ro. Two fellows from Sygan vere seen upon Pedora hill in a Pa' k- ard. I aidn’t give you away did I Herky and Frank? (Continued on page 7) PAGE 4 Juvenile Section of “Napredek” December 21st, 1938 Balkan Juniors[ Page Wanting to IVa it j or Santa Claus Ali over the world tlie stockings Are being hung tonight By ali the little children, Before the fire-light. For Santa mili soon be coming, Down the chimney big and wide, To fill those little stockings, That are hanging side by side. The children will be sleeping, The house will be ali stili But Santa will be watching, For every Betty, Jack and Bill. Oh how I wish I could see him, But V m afraid that can not be For when he comes and I am watching, He won’t leave any gifts for me. * * * BALKAN JUNIORS MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Sat- urday, Nov. 12, Vrtec No. 33, had a Hallowe’en and Thanks- giving program. We started our meeting at 3:00 which ended at about 4:15. Then at 4:30 we had our program. Some played In¬ struments, some sang and one girl tap-danced. When our pro¬ gram was over we started to dance. Herman Jerkich played his accordion. The boys were quite bashful, but the girls kept- on dancing. What was wrong with Herman, Frankie and Edide and the other boys? Frankie and Eddie were taught a little about dancing and after a lot of coaxing they danced a little. Well you can give credit to the boys. We had refreshments between our dancing, then we continued to dance for a while and then we went home. Magaret Oho jak (12) Vrtec No. 33. A BIT ABOUT EVERYTHING Milwaukee, Wisc. — Variety is the špice of life. Every season of the year brings new changes into our lives. The summer sea¬ son with its warm breezes, heat, lovely songs of the birds, beau- tiful flowers, is a thing of the past now. The winter season is here. The month of December brings snow for sleighing and skiing; we also go ice-skating. As the happiest season of the year approaches, we are remind- ed that there is so and so many days till Chrisamas; our hopes and wishes are rising; young and old are full of gay Christ- mas špirit; presents are given and received in tura. Decora- tions and pretty hollywreaths appear everywhere, we gather around the Christmas tree, with the tinsel and decorations re- flecting the multicolored lights. It is ali a very thrilling, enjoy- able time. This month’s significance is MARIE ERMENCE two-fold. Ali active Vrtec lodges have Christmas celebrations, with varied programs, the adult members and the public, admir- ing and commenting on the young talents at their perform- ance, thus creating good will and friendly feelings for Vr¬ tec, and the whole SSPZ. Secondly: We will have an- other special edition of the Ju¬ venile Vrtec Section, which I hope will be full of interesting i*eading again. Now I want to teli you some secrets which I held back so long, but eventually must come out “in the wash,” with apolo- gies to the boys and girls whom it concerns: These incidents took plače in the summer and fall. The present and former Vr¬ tec president, and “Giggles Ed,” the treasurer, up and went fish- ing in the forbidden waters of Jackson Park Pon d. But like out of a clear sky, a huge man of Law appeared on the scene. Tony and Ed ran, Herman had his back turned to the cop. The Law thundered at the poor boy. Well, it ali hap- pened like in a flash. Herman took it on the “lam,” the huge cop after him but the boy was the fastest racer that day; he won the race. Leaving the big girls Norma, Elsie, Virginia and poor me tending the fires, roasting marshmallows and weiners. Some of the boys, Johnny Marn, the three Zainer brothers, R. Smola were feeding nuts to the squirrels. I can’t figure out who had more fun, the boys or the squirrels. Well, if by a prank or accident, but it j ust so happen- ed that the squirrel dropped a nut from the tree on Roland’s head and believe it or not, Ro¬ land had a bump on his head. Virginia Reigel had a most enjoyable time, but her tastes run contrary to mine. She roast- ed marshmallows pitch black and spread mustard on them. Thanks to her cast-iron consti- tution, she didn’t have a “tum- my ache.” I will try from time to time to give a brief description of various members of our gang, their characters, and hobbies, and get the readers of the Ju¬ venile Section acquainted with the boys and girls of Vrtec 33. Our administratrix and the Vrtec committee, as is rumored, will arrange for new quarters for Vrtec meetings for the com¬ ing year. Our good friends Mr. and Mrs. Frank Peric, at whose plače our Vrtec meetings were held until now, were so good to us. They let us have the meeting plače the first six months free of charge and thereafter for a very low fee. They are always first, ready to help at ali adult or Vrtec lodge doings. Speaking in behalf of ali boys and girls of Vrtec 33, our hearty thanks and appreciation to you Bro. and Sis. Peric, for ali your favors. Thanks to the judges for my award for the past months. Before closing my lines, I wish ali of the boys and girls that are Vrtec members every- where in every state, and es- pecially our own gang, Vrtec 33 the most Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year in 1939. That’s my fraternal wish and love to you ali! Marie Ermence, OLG A’S FIRST LETTER MIL W AUKEE, Wis. — In my first article I want to teli you ali how much I like our Vrtec. We have a lot of niče boys and girls whom we re- gard as brothers and sisters. Our meetings which are held in my grandfathers house are more like parties to us, and even the business part is a lot of fun. We have a very niče president. His name is Herman Jerkich. He is learning ali there is to know of how to run a meeting. My sister Norma is the secretary and she collects tlie dues. Edward Ermenc who is always laughing is our treas¬ urer. Maybe we should have someone good-natured because he pays the bills. Edward’s sis¬ ter Marie Ermenc is our record- ing secretary. She is our best article vvriter. My mother is our administratrix and ali the children like her, and they are very happy because she is go- ing to be for another year. We have some one who is very niče and that is always present at our meetings and that is John Maren. We call him Uncle John- ny. You may think it is funny that we call him that, but it’s because he gives us candy, and because he always smiles that we gave him that name, I guess. I wrote a lot today, more than I ever did. But I promise to write again when we have our new, or maybe old officers. I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the Vrteces ali grow niče. — Olga Stampfel, Age: 9. ELSIE OHOJAK OUR CHRISTMAS PROGRAM MILWAUKEE ,Wisc. — The children of Vrtec No. 33 gave a Christmas program on Sunday, Dec. 18. Bro. Vrhovnik was here and showed us moving pictures in the afternoon. Also in the after- noon, the Vrtec children put on a program. The program con- sisted of many solos on differ- ent instruments, singing, tap- dancing and other entertain- ments. In the evening some of our Vr¬ tec children put on a play called “The Lights of Christmas.” San¬ ta Claus was also present in the evening. * * * CHRISTMAS PLAY (Written before the perfomance) I. Our Christmas spirits are filled with the happiest joys, When we think of the Christmas program given on Dec. 18 by the Vrtec girls and boys, In the afternoon the program will consist of movie pictures, mušic and singing And the play, “The Lights of Christmas ,” shall be in the evening. II. Herman Jerkich, Norma and Olga Stampfel are the Ad¬ amsi in the play, They are excited because for Christmas they are having company. Eddie Ermence and Margaret Ohojak are the Masons, the guests visiting the Adams’s on Christmas night They are rich and expect every- thing to be perfect and to be happy and bright. III. Frankie Velatich and Jeanette Gaber are the Kellys; they are poor but on Christmas they get gifts unexpectedly. They also visit the Adams’s and then every one is gay and happy, Those are the Vrtec children who will take part in the play So everybody, young and old, ali remember the joyous dag. Elsie Ohojak (Age 13) December 21st, 1938 Juvenile Section of "Napredek” PAGE 5 72 Christmas In Many Lands AN INVITATION From our lodge To your lodge Comes a yuletide invitation, Which reads: Join us in laughter, dancing and ali On December 26th at the Sygan Hall. * ¥ SYGAN, Pa. — Since the Christmas špirit is very evident among our lodges, we are hold¬ ing a Christmas Party on Dec. 26 at 8:00. Ali friends and mem- bers are invited to attend. Sygan, a small Slovene town, has many talented youngsters, who are ali members of SSPZ. Folks, these children will enter- tain you on Dec. 26th. We have written to Santa Claus, asking him to drop Bro- ther Vrhovnik at Sygan on the night of our party to display his movies, which were taken at Bridgeville during the 1938 01ympics. The dance on Nov. 19 was a great success. We want to thank ali those from Strabane, Bridge¬ ville and Midway for attending our annual dance. Our čute, little, blond Hilda Dolence is recovering nicely from her appendix operation. Gee, was Bobby worried, Hil! This is Station SSPZ broad- casting from Sygan, telling you it’s time to sign off and re- mind you members to attend this annual party. Julia Kramzer. SYGAN VRTEC A SUCCESS- FUL PROJECT SYGAN, Pa. — “Franki«, you’ve got to write an article for December’s issue of the Napre¬ dek!” After being reminded so many times, (even by our direc- tor) I have to write. In view of our success during the past two years, it really isn’t hard to write about our Vrtec, which was organized in a small mining community called Sy- gan. “They’re ali ‘Granishers’ on that hill.” So what? We have more to boast about and shovv than many other towns put to- gether. Sygan has been an outstand- ing town for the past two years on account of the success of our Vrtec and the winning of the 1938 Softball Championship. Mere curiosity has brought in many new members. With ali these new and cooperative mem¬ bers, more successful social af- fairs were held. We give thanks to our admin- istratrix, sister Kramzer, sister Vishnikar and brother Kvartich for their excellent cooperation through the year 1938. Our hope is that their help will make 1939 equally successful. My one resolution for 1939 is, “I will vvrite an article for Na¬ predek every month.” Frank Dolinar, Preš., Vrtec 72 FRANK DOLINAR Christmas SYGAN ,Pa. — Just after the shortest day in the year, when the earth begins to turn its northern hemisphere toward the sun, more than half the na- tions of the globe celebrate Christmas — the birthday of Jesus Christ. No other festival brings so much happiness to so many persons, and no other holi- day is so widely observed the world around. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men,” is its inspiring message. * H« H* * December Well, here it is nearly Christ¬ mas and it doesn’t seem long since the National Athletic Meet which was held at Bridgeville, and I can’t forget it, having had such a niče time with ali you friends from distant cities. When December comes it al- ways reminds me of our Vrtec, because we organized our Vrtec 72 about two years ago. I will never forget the first meeting we had, being initiated by sister Christine Kvartich (Mrs. Ru- dolph Lisch). Since then vve held dances, had parties, saw movies, which were shown by brother Michael Vrhovnik, played mush- ball and won the softball cham¬ pionship of the Vrtec units. In the past year we have increased our membership. It is surprising how much you can learn in a few years. We have our meetings every third Friday of the month. The younger members are learn- ing to be quiet and attentive. I never thought there would be so much energy and fervor among the members to do something for our organization, to make it a more worthy one. By belonging to such a worthy organization, you gain many pri- vileges, namely, writing for the “Napredek,” and receiving hon- orary mention. And since I have been in this lodge, I have met many niče friends. Now I wish to conclude with wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. A few more days and Christ¬ mas will be here. Did you ever stop to think how the children in other countries spend Christ¬ mas? Let’s go back a few years and take an imaginarv trip to a few of the countries. First let’s go off to Old Rus- sia. Here we learn that the old- er women do not eat from the time the morning star is out until the evening star appears. The children are a!lowed to eat because their bodies are not as strong. When the evening star comes out everyone puts on his best clcthes and goes to a rccm where a Christmas tree is lit vvith candles. Ali around it are small tables covered vvith white coths on which lie the gifts. The Christmas tree will be lit vvith fresh candles every night until New Year. After they have opened their gifts they go to attend church Services. As we go off to Spain we learn the legend vvhich has lived for many centuries. When the Chirst child was born in Beth- lehem many years ago, three kings rode to Him on camels bearing gifts. When they left him they promised that as long as there were children on earth they vvould ride on their camels every Christmas eve and bear gifts to every child in memory of the Christ child. In Spain they have remembered what the Christmas kings promised, and when Chirstmas eve comes each child put his little shoe be- tvveen the grating of the win- dow that they may know a child is in that house and leave gift. Often the shoe is filled vvith grass for the camels, and a plat« of dates and figs is put beside it, for the children know the kings have far to go and may be hungry. As we go to Germany we learn that everyone exchanges gifts. If they cannot afford to buy something they make something by hand. A few days before Christmas a temporary market is made vvhich is called a Dom. It is out in the open-air just like those they used to have in the Middle Ages. On Christmas eve they have a large tree on a table vvith the gifts under it. After supper they go and open their gifts, then they gather around and sing Christmas carols. Now let’s go down the Elbe river into the North Sea to the small island of Helgoland. There are no Christmas trees, so we’ll have to take one along vvith us. Here we learn that the inhabit- ants take their gifts to the light-house vvhere they gather on Christmas eve. If the fisher folk have had a good season there are many gifts, if the sea¬ son was poor there are not Margaret Eržen, many gifts. Whether there are Vrtec 72many gfits or not they share The Comets Coiumn AMBRIDGE, Pa. This coiumn may come as a surprise to you, for during the latter part of this year our Vrtec nasn’t been ver^ active. During this past year our meetings were very poorly attended. I vvonder why? The annual meeting will be held on Sunday January 1, 1939 at 3:00 p.m. at the Slovene Hall. It is the duty of every member to attend this very important meeting. At this meeting the important task of choosing capable officers for the year 1939 vvill take plače. We will also discuss many other sub- jects of importance. Don’t for¬ get, Pil be looking for you, and I do mean you, at this meeting. We haven’t seen very many articles in the Vrtec section of the “Progress” from Comet members. I knovv that many of our members have the ability to vvrite interesting articles vvhich other members vvould enjoy reading. I knovv that it took me quite a speli to wake up, but it’s really fun once you get started. Why don’t the rest of you wake up and start that pen scratching ? Song Hits Two Sleepy People - The vvhole Comet gang. Angels With Dirty Faces — The Comet lads after football practice. You’re As Pretty As A Pic¬ ture — The Comet girls. Be A Good Scout — Do your duty and attend ali meetings. So Help Me — To build a bet- ter and bigger Vrtec. Stop Beatin, Around the Mul- berry Bush — and start vvritira’ to the “Progress.” Well, so much for this time. Don’t forget to look for this coiumn in the near future. In conclusion, I wish to extend my vvishess to the Editor and ali readers for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Jane Gašperšič, STANLEY’S FIRST White Valley, Pa. — This is the first time I am vvriting to “Vrtec” and it’s going to be a short letter. We are going to have a party on Dec. 26, in the evening. Ali members, fathera and mothers, are welcome. Stanley Gerlosky, Vrtec 103. JANUARY MEETING The annual meeting of the year comes in January and Is the most important meeting of the year. Officers must be elected and a program of activity mapped out. Be sure to attend! their joys and sorrovvs to- gether. So it gose from country to country. Christmas is a season of good vvishes, good cheer, and happiness expressed by people for each other. May you ali have a Merry Christmas and the best of lučk in the coming year! Lillian Kosmach, Sec'y, Vrtec 10 PAGE 6 Juvenile Section of “Napredek” December 21st, 1938 fThe Outlookers Corner X "Outlookers’ Corner”. published as a section of the Napredek’s Vrtec page. The Junior Editors /J are: Editor-in-chlef - Valeria Artel News Editor - Josephlne Kovic Feature Editor - Fred Bashel “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ THE YEAR IN REVUE By Fred Bashel With 1939 just around the corner, I must say that this year has been quite successful in the long run. With 1938 just beginning, our present office-holders w e r e elected: Eddie Slejko, Jose- phine Kovic, and Valeria Artel. Nothing happened of great im- portance until May, when we organized our baseball team with Joe Zorman at the helm. In July we ga ve our own picnic at Stusek’s farm where we ali had a wonderful time. July 24 marked the date of our com- bined yearly outing at Zurtz’s farm, which was a success as OUR FERSONALITIES Bi/ Fred Rashel JOHN ZAMAN, SR., Administrator of Vrtec 11 Well, well, dear readers, (I hope you take an occasional glance at the articles that I at- tempt to write; I know I do) here I am again in my original column. or didn’t you notice that wonderfuI column that our sec- retary, Valeria Artel, wrote about yours truly. I suppose they were afraid that I wouldn’t describe m y s e 1 f thoroughly enough, such as my pleasing personality, my Clark Gable looks, my 6 ft., 185 lb. stature (ahem—ahem) — aw shucks, there I go bragging again. Enough said. On December 8, after our meeting, we had our annual Christmas party. With the rest of the members dancing, eating, and having a merry time, your feature editor moped around with an expression on his face as Ion g as a dying calf’s. Who should discover me in this con- dition but our administrator, Mr. Zaman. Taking one look from an angle, he tapped me on the arm and told me to follovv him. On the way, he explained what I needed was a drink. “Now don’t get me wrong,” he said as I stopped in my tracks, stupefied, for the strongest bev- erage I ever drank was water (H20 to you Chemistry štu¬ denta) and soda pop, “nothing strong, only a glass of beer.” Ar- riving at a table, we ordered the drinks. This gave me an idea (I seldom get these) why not get an interview? So over the beer suds, I started popping ques- tions at him. OUTSIDE VIEiVPO/NTS By FRANK MIVEC. former presldent of indianapolis Jugoslavs, and at present, member of the Hoosler Pals. You will probably remember him for his superior stories in the past. Here’s hoping he will contlnue them in the future. He has decided this month that he has NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT When I think about it, how easy it seems to write some- thing. Why, I say to myself, FREDERICK J. BASHEL usual. At our July meeting also, two new editors, Josephine Ko¬ vic, news; and Fred Bashel, fea¬ ture; were added to our editor- in-chief of the Outlookers’ Cor¬ ner, Valeria Artel. Sometime in August, we appointed a commit- tee to tvrite out a skit for the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the SSPZ. You ali know what a grand performance the Barry- more group gave on October 9. In September, our baseball team had the honor of carrying our colors to Bridgeville, Pa., to ap- pear in the Athletic Meet. As you knotv, the team, after play- ing a long, hard, game, had to be eliminated, as they botved their noble heads to the victors, Sy- gans. As October rolled along, the month of goblins, spooks, and tvitches, we had a Hallo- we’en party, planned and di- rected by Josephine Kovic, as- sisted by Olga Zaubi. Now we are recuperating from our Christmas party, which eighty of our members attended, with mušic provided by our orcbes- tra. T aVtnR Yv\^\\Y\g\\\,s orv\y, On July 16, 1895, in a quaint little town on the outskirts of Ljubljana, Jugoslavia, our ad¬ ministrator had his first peek of daylight. The follotving eight- een years he spent a peaceful and quiet life among his native hills, until the traveling bug caught up with him. In 1913 he arrived in America after a safe voyage across the Atlantic on the the good ship, Ocean. Arriv- ing in America, he traveled to Pittsburgh, Pa. With only a few American words to his vocabu- lary, he had difficulty in getting about his new surroundings. In one restaurant ,all he ate for a vveek straight was stew, for that was the only word he knew in or- dering a meal. In 1917 he found the “girl of his dreams” and soon after was married. The fol- lovving year he moved from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Ohio. At his present residence, 797 E. 156 St., were born his three chil- dren: Elsie, 20 years of age; Johnny, 17 years; and Bobby, 13 (Continued on page 7) FRANK MIVEC when I find time I’ll sit down and dash off a poem, short story, or maybe just an essay. Yes, but when I do sit down, I can’t find a thing to write about. Ali the ideas I seemed to have had are scared away by the glar- ing whitness of the empty paper before me. And so it stays. Now, I’d write about that “D” I received in English re- cently; however, that is some- thing to cry about rather than to write about. Or I could dash off a few lines on the subject of mušic, but that subject is a trifle touchy, I mean the teacher is; that’s why these lessons have terminated rather abruptly. Politics is a good subject, large, and open for much de¬ bate. However, I don’t čare to start an argument either way, for I don’t know much about them; except that they are just a bit underhanded. Then again, I could write about school in general, but I hate it ali. The tough Physics class, the miles’ walk between classes, and even the good-look- ing English teacher. you can see that this was a year of many interesting events, and we bope that 1939 will bring as pleasant memorVes as Vias 1938. I played “hookey” several times this year already. That ivould make prettygood reading material. But my parents might hear of it. That would never do. Football is another thing I go in for. But it’s not much fun to play the game on the bench, and that’s where I spent most of my time, so that couldn’t be so terribly interesting. As for dancing, I’m stili wish- ing I can learn some day. Late- ly, the dances I have gone to have been so few and far be- tween, I forget what I learned and have to start ali over again at each dance. So you see, my dear Outlook- zs/ Qhristmas c Wi\h By Valeria Artel My heart is so light That no more can I icrite About death, or of war, or Of sadness; For Christmas is nigh, And my spirits soar high, While my heart bubbles over With gladness. Three cheers of St. Nick, Who’s a truly gold brick, With his fun, and his jolly, Gag laughter. 0’er the world he will dash; Then away in a flash; But his voice we remember Long after. Avoay unth you tears! Measure age not in years — You’re as young as you feel, So they say. So — if you’re ninety or two, Here’s my one wish to you: A perfectly grand Christmas Day. VALERIA ARTEL PENNSY VISITS OHIO Cleveland in general, and Jo¬ sephine Kovic in particular, were honored by the visit of two Ambridge Comets .last week- end: Bill Kanfelc and Bill So- pirak, of the Comet team during the recent Athletic Meet. Had we known they were coming, we would have prepared some Vr¬ tec brother to brother entertain- ment; as it was, our vice-prexy, with a bit of aid from our sec- retary on Sunday afternoon, en- tertained them, we hope, satis- factorily. We were pleased to see them again ,and hope they en- joyed their brief stay with us. ers, I simply cannot produce an article worthy for publication on your page. I won’t give up, though, and if you čare to give me another try about six months or so hence, I will try to think of something worthwhile in the meantime. Wishing you ali holiday cheer, I remain Your fraternal brother, Frank Mivec December 21st, 1938 Juvenile Section or ‘Napredek' WfHTE VALLEY KINGSTERS 'Continued from Pase 3 Johnnie Previc, better known as “Penner,” is stili telling us his jokes. Keep it up “Penner.” Shorty seems to miss her Ro¬ meo. Helen Kastelic said she wou(d not miss Frank's Trio program Why, Helen? It’s time for me to close but Pl be back again with “People You and I Know.” Until then, I hope Santa will treat you good. Josephine Barber, Vrtec No. 103. WHITE VALLEY, Pa.—Here I am again with a few words concerning our Vrtec of White Valley. Last month it was in- creased by two new members, namely, Kathleen Fisher and Sally Beltz. Members keep up the good SSPZ špirit and try to enlarge our Vrtec! Last month, reading the Vrtec Page I certainly was surprised to see the contribution by Stan- ey Previc. This being your first article, you did very well. Try to induce the other fellow mem¬ bers to write also. This month is very important to our Vrtec. The assessments will be paid out of our treasury. The only thing you members have to do is to bring your books to the meeting;no money is needed. On the 26th we are having a Christmas Party at the White Valley Slovene Hall beginning at 6:00. Parents should bring the j unior members to this af- fair and join in with us. A good time is assured for ali, dancing to those snappy polkas. We will also have plenty of eats and drinks. January is coming around the corner which means election of officers is to take plače. Ali members: Come! It is the most important meeting of the year. Also plans will be made con¬ cerning the Anniversary Dance. Julia Verna Kosmach, Sec’y, Vrtec 103 WHITE VALLEY, Pa.—Here I am again. As you ali know my article was small last time, and it won’t be very long this time. First I want to say we had a well attended meeting last month and are hoping to see the same this month. We are hoping to see ali our Kingsters at the Christmas party on the 26th of December at the Slovene Hall, starting at 6 beliš and lasting to ??? And members don’t forget to bring your parents along. They are sure to have a swell time. We will have mušic that will make you want to dance. We are wondering what hap- pended to Irene Arbore. She hasn’t come to our meetings lately. And now my time has come to say So-Long, but before closing here are some jokes and riddles. Have you heard these? Visitor — My Word, I am thirsty! Hostess — Wait a moment, Pil get you some water. Visitor — I said thirsty, not dirty. * Old gentleman — Why are you crying my lad? Small Boy — I got a licking. Old Gentleman — Why? Small Boy — Crying. * RIDDLES 1. When suns are hot and gar- dens grey, What kind of clothing saves the day ? 2. Not a writer, it appears, Yet he used a pen for year. 3. Not a horseshoe or a hali, Yet they pitch it every fall. 4. Part’s a laundry, part’s a weight, Both make a name we cele- brate. 5. If hours were sold like hats and shoes, What time of day would Adam choose? Ansvvers: 1. Hose. 2. Pig. 3. Hay. 4. Washing-ton. 5. Eve. Edith Barber, Vrtec 103 Outlookers Corner (Continued from page 6) years. With hard work and pa- tience, he reached the position of supervisor of the tool room in Metal Stamping and Manufac- turing Company in Cleveland. With the aid of Mr. Pucel, presi- dent of the Trial Board, he was admitted into the SSPZ organi- zation where he has been a mem- ber for 20 years. In 1936 he was appointed the administrator of Vrtec No. 11 where he is to this day doing a wonderful job. I may state for the rest of our members that we congratulate him for his wonderful perform- ance as our leader and adminis¬ trator and for the progress that we have made in the last two years. Adios. OUTLOOKERS’ PARTY IS SUCCESS The officers and the members who are always present at ali the meetings were surely over- \vhelmed to see such a crowd of members at our December meet¬ ing. I don’t know whether it was the party after the meeting or \vhat but there really was a crowd. The meeting was called to or- der but with difficulty because of ali the gifts that were piled up high on the table. Ali that could be seen were the curls on the girls’ heads and the extra strand of hair on the presidenfs head. The meeting went on us usual, and it was also adjourned in great haste. With the meet¬ ing over, we exchanged gifts. Some were received with smiles, grins, and disappointment. After the exchange of gifts we had refreshments of ali sorts: weinies, (buns of course), pop, ice cream, candy, popcorn balls, etc. The members were so full with good old St. Nick’s goodies that they couldn’t even dance to our well-known orches- JOSEPHINE KOVIC tra, with the exception of our faithful jitterbug dancer, Aliče Bashel, who always responds to ali kinds of mušic. That goes to show you that we teach ali kinds of steps at our dancing classes after the meetings. So be sure to come to our next meeting, to elect officers and learn to dance. Our next meeting will be Jan- uary 6, 1939. Till next time, Josephine Kovic BACKSTAGE RETURNS By Valeria Artel I have tied my hands, de- stroyed ali my pencils, burned the paper, but I cannot conquer my desire to teli you about our high school’s latest dramatic venture. Our newest attempt was Maxwell Anderson’s “Star Wagon,” and believe me, it was plenty to attempt, too. Everything went off perfect- ly until dress rehearsal, when, as usual, Bedlam reigned. It ali began with the break- fast scene, when the stagehands became playful, and poured pepper in the bran ,and catsup on the eggs. Result: our drama- tics instructor was left in a state of double prostration, while our eccentric actor, Hanus, conveyed to an inexistant audience his dis- gust and his refusal to continue in the role. Next, the dimmers blew out, and the sunshine kept coming on and off, as if the angels in Heaven were toying with the fuse boxes up There. The next sentimental scene appeared when Martha played the organ and Stephen sang a very touching hymn called “Jer- usalem the Golden.” Someone off-stage had to play the organ, for the one on the stage was merely a fake. Well, Martha looked into Stephen’s eyes, and said, in a voice dripping with tears, “Do you mind if I play it again—to see if it ali comes back again?” And, as from a distance, we heard the beautiful cords of —“Gorgie Porgie!” Well, we continued our rehearsal while the stage hands carried our in¬ structor to the nearest ambu- lance. Hanus caused the next riot in PAGE 7 the picnic scene when he lay on the ground and put his feet against a so-called tree. The fo- liage fell and dealt him an aw- fully mean blow, leaving him covered with green paint. Hanus says, “You can’t get away with stealing a scene; the scenery’ll hit right back at you.” The ques- tion before the house was what we were to do if that happened on the night of the performance, and Davy, always the bright spot in any dark circumstance (he has a clever way of »nlarg- ing ali his lines. — “He’s just a fool!” becomes “He’s j / ust a plain, ordinary, ignorant, stupid fool!” if Davy has the part.) Anyhow, he replied we were ali to roar “Earthquake” and dash off the scene. He was sure this would “bring down the house.” Well, our assistant director suddenly remembered a very pressing appointment after that, and dashed off—probably to avoid the fate of his predeces- sor. Our three-night run was a grand success, and a new page in the dramatic history of the world has now been recorded— so, having done my good deed for the day, I shall say ’bye 'till you see me on Broadway (as vvatergirl—if they have them). OUTLOOKERS ENJOY “FREDDY, THE BULL” Who was the bee? There was no bee. That ali happened at the Christmas party of the Spar- tan Jr s., of which we were guests, on Dec. 9. Now about the bee. The two present secretaries (recording and financial) of the Vrtec No. 5 dramatized the play, Ferdi¬ nand the Buli. Helen surely knows how to smeli flowers. And Danine played the part of the great Matador. On with the play. The buli comes out in civilian clothes. While the narrator reads the buli smells ali his sur- roundings. And then comes the fight. Ferdinand is waiting in the Arena for the Matador, and at last here comes the Matador in his thrilling costume (in a dress). The Matador waves the red velvet paper, but Ferdinand doesn’t seem to move (I vvonder why). Well the plot was that Freddy wouldn’t move because (well that’s for you the people that didn’t read this fairy tale to find out). Ali that I can see that was wrong with their play was that there was no BEE. But who could have taken such a heavy part? They could have had a real bee and then maybe there would be a little more action on - the part of the buli. To change the subject, food was excellent. We displayed their candy on the streetcar by passing it ali around to ali the better half of the passengers. The Spartan Jrs., I hope will excuse the remarks. One of the audience, Josephine Kovic esemot-. PAGE 8 Juvenile Section of “Napredek” December 21st, 1938 Hiawathans } News NOKOMIS, 111. — “Peace on earth; good will toward men,” this comes from the hearts of ali the braves and maidens, the children of “Old Nokomis” ex- tended to ali our fellow Vrtec members, and friends. Never was there such need of express- ing these vvords and never have they been so sincerely spoken. As I look out of my window I see a blanket of pure white snow, giving everything its pure, ser* ene look and I feel our prayer shall be ansvvered. Life out here has been very interesting, especially for the Hiawathans. Unfortunately it seems that ali good is followed by the bad and so had happened to us. this country as a young man. He joined the SSPZ soon after ar- riving. As a young man he traveled over this country a good deal and later moved here where he lived until his death. He was well liked by ali chil¬ dren and especially favored our Vrtec and aided us both moral- ly and financially. He was laid to rest on November 7. The fu- neral was under the direction of the SSPZ lodge \vith the Hia- wathan girls serving as flower girls. TO SEBASTIN Dean of the Indian lodget, Old and palled and gray, You lived a life worth living And gladly went away. You were loved and honored by ali, And comrade true to man, But now you’ve gone to heaven Forgetting life of the land. Father in heaven protect you, Angels herald your death, We knew God gave you ali this But sadly we laid you to rest. WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER? What Do You \Vant for Christmas? Chick Rak — Permission to stay in the Vrtec. Ann Stražar — Something to fill two men’s socks. Betty Pechnik — A gun to go hunting with Virginia.. Albin Blazich — A clarinet. Betty Blazich — A lot of toys and candy. Vicky Lesnik — Plenty. Virginia Kmet — A gun so I can go hunting. Billy Pechnik — Santa Claus. Paulie Blazich — A baseball. A m y Hauptman — Some more weight. Justine Hauptman—A week’s vacation. Rosella Blazich — Permission to forget my mušic lessons. Florence Kmet—I don’t want to get, I want to give. To brother Michael Vrhovnik, our able director, our adminis¬ trator brother Frank Stražar and to ali my fellow Vrtec mem¬ bers I extend my personal greet- ings for a “Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.” Florence Eddie Is For Fun F. F. K. FLORENCE KMET The Hiawathans gave a party several weeks ago and invited over thirty guests. The party, a huge success, was given at the home of our administrator bro. Frank Stražar. Everyone ac- cepted his invitation. Soon we persuaded bros. Andy Stražar and John (Hup) Hauptman to play their accordions for us. Then one by one couples drifted on the floor and soon everyone was dancing, and singing. Re- freshments of sandwiches, pic- kles, cup-cakes, pop-corn, candy, soda-pop and “vino” (for adults) were served. After the dancing began, time was forgot- ten and we danced and danced, everyone parting reluctantly and thanking us most sincerely for a wonderful time. We ali hope to have another one verv soon. And as good is folIowed by bad and vice-versa our bad was most extreme, for nothing is sadder than death. The death eame to a very dear old friend and brother of ours, Sebastin Posebal. Bro. Posebal was one of the oldest and best loved members of our lodge. He was born in Jugoslavia and came to Questions from the question box: What was to blame for Rosel- la’s gloominess at the party? Was it because he wasn’t there? Who is the actress who can take the role of a gracious hostess? Anyone in need of an able sales- man see “Chick” Rak? He’s “tops” at selling “pop.” Did Vir¬ ginia have two reasons for get- ting Betty and Billy to join or did she really want to increase our membership? Did Betty have a good time at the party? Ah-h Bro. Kek (adm.) it was a grand party wasn’t it? She does have beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair. Chick it’s O. K. for yu to dance with my raom but do be careful. Please note that Chick is older than I, get it? Hiawathan honorary member, Virginia Kmet. During our four years of existence we had no new members until Virginia brought in Betty and Billy Pech¬ nik, who are good friends to ali our members and whom we were glad to accept. Virginia gave us much inspiration and now an application has been filled by Mary Maretti brought in by sis- ter Amy Hauptman. Won’t the rest of you get busy? You know we lost (in a sense) two of our good members. Chick Rak and Frank Lesnik were transferred to the adult department. We hated to see you go and will miss you "Chick.” Milwaukee, Wis. — Dear fel- low Vrtec brothers and sisters! As time rolls by so quickly I realize that it’s some time since I’ve written an article for our paper. But you know how busy a fellow always is. One thing and another. I admit Fm not in the mood of writing much. Now my sister, she can sit and dream of something to write about. I have a hobby collecting stamps, and funny papers. Every Saturday I walk three miles to the museum. That’s something a fellow never tires of. I also have some pigeons. “Shorty,” my carrier pigeon, is a pretty green-blue and a smart bird too. The mother pigeon dis- appeared several days ago. I don’t know what happened to her. So Shorty must mother and feed the two tiny ones. And they are growing fine. Fve been trying hard to win one of your valuable prizes but I haven’t had any lučk so far. Our Vrtec had a combined Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving party Nov. 12th and boy oh boy, did we have fun! I laughed till my sides ached. Elsie dragged me out on the floor and insisted that I learn to dance. I resisted but the girls outnumbered me. Such commotion. I got the gig- gles so bad I cou!dn’t stand on my feet. And they expected me to dance. Merry Christmas and a Hap- py New Year to you ali. I hope Girard Budgets GIRARD, O. — Before I go on any further I wish to take this opportunity of thanking the contest judges for the $1.00 prize I received for my Novem¬ ber contribution to the Vrtec Page of the “Napredek.” Gee, I was so surprised! I sure re¬ ceived the prize with great ap- preciation. Looking through the issues of the Vrtec section every month, I think the girls and boys are tak- ing more interest in the SSPZ. Every month I can hardly wait until it comes. I read every line of it. Now, the meeting of January 8 is important. Every Vrtec member should attend the meet¬ ing. Be sure to mark January 8th on your calendar, so you won’t forget. Please come be¬ cause we are going to elect of- ficers for 1939. Are you ali Corn¬ ing? Yes! That’s fine. There will be a surprise at that meet¬ ing. A birdy whispered in my ear. That’s ali I can teli you now. So come because you may feel sorry if you don’t come. We want our Vrtec to become big- ger and better. Now I want to thank each and everyone of you for selling those tickets for the Christmas bas- ket. The basket went to Mike Smith, 109 Townsend Ave., Gir¬ ard. (Fortunate, aren’t you, Mr. Smith? ) Before closing I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Mr. Michael Vr¬ hovnik and other officers of the SSPZ and to ali Vrtec members. Irene Rovan LITERART CONTEST RULES Jamiary's issuc of the Vrtec Section will carry rnles of the 1939 contest. Be sure to read them. Also, ali of the ,lanuary's contii- butions will be ellgible for the final »w»ra» at the close of the year as we\\ as čast« prbps asrarded for motvih. Rožnik Juniors CHICAGO, 111. — Members and friends of Vrtec 160, Rožnik Juniors, come one and ali to our Christmas Party which vvill be held December 25, 1938, at Ber- geFs Hall, 2653 So. Lawndale Ave., at 3 p. m. We have prepared an enter- tainment which will consist of a short play and other numbers which will be performed by members. Refreshments will be served. Gifts will be given to ali members of Rožnik Juniors and each child present will receive a filled stocking from Santa Claus. Brother Vrhovnik will again spend an afternoon with us and will show us some new movies. After the program when San¬ ta has started back to the North Pole, we will have mušic to which we can dance a few pol- kas and sing a few songs. I hope to see ali our members and their many friends present so do not forget the date, Dec. 25 at 3:00 p. m. Wilma Gratchner, Sec’y, Vrtec 160 Santa fills your stockings to the brim. To show what good boys and girls you’ve been. Yours for fun, Eddie Ermence, Apre ll, Vrtec No. 33.