We are being threatened! At an open meeting it was decided that we should be ignored.

[If this threat did not come from a so-called cultural organization,] we would simply consider the Matter laughable. We respect the past record of this society, and so we must exprees our sympathy because this great cultural organization is now in a state of ruin.

We are speaking of the Chicago Hungarian Independent Song Society, which is one of Chicago's oldest cultural societies.

After the last affair which was sponsored by the Song Society, we wrote an article in which we reminded them that they had forgotten us, and for that reason we had 2failed to print an article about the affair. Later we found that their negligence was a regrettable oversight so far as the Song Society was concerned, and we apologized through writing and through their honorary member and our good friend, Paul Berak. At this time we thought that the controversy was closed and forgotten. But [such was not the case].

[It happens] that the Song Society has a few members who would like to reveal their anger and indignation through the channels of the society, because they know they themselves are weaklings [incapable of any action]. These people do not [promote worthwhile projects] because they lack sufficient intelligence. These people wisely figured out a method by which the Song Society could be used as their tool in this despicable undertaking. They hastily convinced other members of the organization that we had repudiated the society in our aforementioned article.

There is only one answer we can give, and that is that [such a charge] is an absolute distortion and perversion of the truth.

At no time did we attack any of the activities of this organization. We commented upon their activities most respectfully.

We want to take this opportunity to remind our readers that we have nothing against the Song Society or its officers, even though they have decided to ignore us. Such action will not hurt us, but we do feel sorry for the organization.

There seems to be something rather strange and incomprehensible in the situation. We can't understand why the Chicago Hungarian Independent Song Society, which has been the pet cultural organization of the Chicago Hungarians, has now fallen prey to these selfish and unscrupulous people.

We are fully convinced that there are many members in the Song Society who can read an article in a newspaper, grasp its meaning and form an unbiased opinion.

Mr. Henry Gross in a very timely statement told those members, who had something against this publication to make it a personal matter; [they had no] right to drag the name of this society through the mire.

If this society is truly a cultural organization, then the membership should take the same view of this situation.

We are very grateful to Mr. Gross for defending our point of view. Mrs. Chanyi and Mrs. Vogel also took our point of view. We are fully satisfied that these people who defended us did not do so as a favor to us, but because they believed that we were right, and they wanted to defend the good name of the Song Society. Their sense of justice would not allow them to stand by without defending the organization. They had read our"incriminating"article and found nothing in it which was damaging to the Song Society.

So far as the "ignoring" of our paper is concerned, it does not harm us. If there is any harm done, [it will be to] the Song Society. When an organization becomes a tool in the hands of individuals, it means that that organization is headed for destruction.

Botond