Appeal Let Us Make November 22 Lithuanian Revival Day
Lietuva, Sept. 19, 1913.
November 22 is the birthday of the honorable Dr. Jonas Basanavicius, one of our patriots who seek to awaken Lithuania. On this day there was born a tireless worker for Lithuanian nationalism. At present, he is one of the living Lithuanians who has devoted his energy, wealth and honor for the rebirth of Lithuania. Now, when he is in America, to which he has come to collect money for the National Museum, we, as Lithuanians, should meet him not only with large donations, but we ought to express honor and respect to him for his tireless work in the cultural field.
In my opinion, the greatest expression of our gratitude towards him would be to recognize his birthday as Lithuanian Revival Day. In memory of this day, we should donate one day's wages for the Lithuanian National Museum in Vilnus.
2If we, the American Lithuanians, would donate one day's wages, we could accumulate a very large sum of money. With such a sum of money, if we could not build the entire building, we could at least give it a good start.
I think it is obvious to everyone who has not yet lost his sense of nationalism, or has fallen so low that he would dare to reject his own mother, that his duty is to support this project. Therefore, on November 22, let us all donate our day's wages for the National Museum of Vilnus. By such an action we will bring life to our exhausted nation, and at the same time, we will express our gratitude and thankfulness to the promoter, Dr. Basanavicius. Let us accept his birthday as Lithuanian Revival Day.
Such a collection should be taken up by the Lithuanian national and the national Catholic societies, the Lithuanian Alliance and the Lithuanian Roman Catholic Alliance branches, committees and the editors of the Lithuanian newspapers. Besides the day's wages, on the same evening, there could be arranged lectures, theatrical performances, and other performances, and the profit should go to the National 3 Museum.
If all of us, regardless of our views, would agree that our wages for one day, November 22, should be donated, there is no doubt but that we American Lithuanians alone, in two years could build the National Museum in Vilnus. By this we could prove that the foolish attacks by certain newspapers on the honorable delegates were futile. This is very easy for us to accomplish. We need willingness and hard work, in which our intelligentsia should join and should help us.
We wish that our hard-boiled nationalists would reply and express their views regarding this proposal.
