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- U k r a i n i a n W o m a n - In Perspective OUR ENGLISH SESSION From the program of the XIV Convention we learn th a t a spe cial Session ded i cated to the English-speaking Branches will be held on November 27. The them e of the day’s lecture will be: “Let us become acquainted w ith our ancestry.” The title suggests th a t we will be offered a crossview of the cultural world of our forefathers, will come to understand its treasure, will find in it th a t which is closest to our hearts. We use “we” be cause this lecture will be not only the assignm ent of the speaker, Miss K atherine Shara- bura. She has agreed to prepare the subject, and we are eager to listen to her ideas and sugges tions. However, this lecture will be only a p art of the program . It will be completed and fulfilled by our questions, propositions, and comments. All of us, who belong to the English-speaking Branches of the UNW LA should take an active p art in th e dis cussion, following the lecture. W hether the Session is a suc cess will depend on us, and on us alone. It should not rem ain a m ere Convention memory, but should serve to m ark out a new path for UNW LA activities. It is therefore im portant th a t we take some tim e and effort to prepare ourselves for this Ses sion. Each one of us recalls some m oment in her life, which has served to link her closely w ith th e life of our Ukrainian born parents. It m ight be church singing, as in the case of our pi anist, Malvina Leshok, or grand m other’s fairy tales, as in the case of authoress M aria Halun- Bloch. In each case these mem ories rem ained an inspirational light in the lives of these noted women. We feel th a t it is indis pensable th a t we come to a bet te r understanding and love of such treasures of our culture. “The role of Ukrainian-A m er ican youth,” a lecture presented by Mr. W alter Odaynyk before the m embership of Branch 72 in New York City m ay certainly have inspired some controversial thoughts. No doubt there were several UNWLA members and invited guests who shook their heads at the young m an’s brave program . Let us review briefly some of the suggestions which Mr. Oday nyk made. F irst — the use of the U krainian language in the family, the church, and schools of U krainian subjects. Although his m otivation was sound and well founded, he nevertheless conceded th a t it is no easy m at ter. Second, to keep in step w ith the newest currents of U krain ian life by reading the English editions of Ukrainian newspa pers and hte U krainian Concise Encyclopedia. Third, the devel opment of U krainian educational facilities in the United States, which would encompass Am er ican-born youth of first, second, and th ird U krainian generations. And finally, the form ation of a type of “public relations bureau” to conduct an unobtrusive but effective and persistant adver tising campaign on our behalf. W hat fascinated us about this four-point program was its sound m otivation and intercon nection, although these same problems had already been dis cussed countless tim es by peo ple w ith greater civic experi ence th an W. Odaynyk. They had never, however, been presented with such motivation, and fin quite the same aspect. Mr. Oday nyk offered some sound reasons for his suggested program . 1) Learning the U krainian language? It will strengthen an individual’s union w ith his com m unity, and w ith his ancestral past. 2) Masses in old church Slav onic or the U krainian language? It is mainly the U krainian lan guage which makes our Masses so dear to our hearts, for we can hear an English-language Mass anywhere. 3) A U krainian high school or university? This can surely be accomplished as there already are sim ilar such Russian and Jewish institutions. As to the last suggestion correcting m isin form ation about the U kraine — this should be a daily task of all Ukrainians who are fam iliar with the English language. An interesting aspect of Mr. Odaynyk’s lecture was its per spective. He spoke about ideas, while supplying the listener with concrete examples. For example the Czechs prepared in the first constitution of the Czechoslovak Republic in P ittsburgh in 1919. Couldn’t a sim ilar opportunity happen to the U krainians? The erection of Shevchenko’s Monu m ent in the N ation’s capital forced the Soviets to erect a sim ilar m onument in Moscow. Was this not as example of our strength, asked Mr. Odaynyk. We feel th a t even the biggest skeptics among us had to accept Mr. Odaynyk’s lecture positive ly. G ranted th a t not every one of the program points can be ful filled. But w ith a little tim e and effort we can realize the m ajor ity of them . Only a firm belief in the ideal and in our ju st cause will guarantee our success. This belief we derived from Mr. Oday nyk’s lecture, and this belief we should accept. Spring again and once more hopes In the sad heart germinate Once more I am lulled by dreams, Visions of a happier fate. Lesya Ukrainka НАШЕ ЖИ'ПЛЯ — ЖОВТЕНЬ, 1965 19
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