Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-04
SLAVONIANS IN NEW YORK.
There Are About $4,000 DOhemfans
Poles md Slovuks There.

There Are About $4,000 Bohemfans,
Poles md Slovuks There.
From the New York Times.
The Slavonian element among the foreign
population in this city is not at all incon-
siderable. although the Slavonians, rs a
rule. are uncstentatiouae unassuming and
desirous of living in peace with their neigh
bors. There are, 1t is estimated nearly So
ooO OF them in this city. and of this num-
Der about 10000 are Bohemians, 10000
Poles and 1900 Slovaks. There are also
Slavonians from Hungary. The number OF
Russian Slavonians here is believed to be
very limited. although a letter recently was
received from Russia stating that the Rus
sian synod had authorized the raising of a
subscription to build and maintain a Rus
sian orthodox church in New York, and to
send clergyman to take charge of it.
Formerly most of the Bohemians lived on
the east side. below 10th street, but they
moved uptown in the+wake of the cheap
cigar manufactures: or, rather, the tene-
ment-house factories, in. which they work
ed and lived, were abandoned by the manu-
facturers, and new ones. were started on
the east side uptown. Very many Of the
BohemianS are cigar makers, having learn
ed that trade in Prague and other pla ces
in the Austrian empire, where the govern
ment has the monopoly of the tobacco
trade and industry.
Most of the BohemianS are brown haired
and of fair complexion. They are very in
duStrious, and as rule, are very honest.
They love to dwell near each other, and TO
speak their native language, and many Of
the children who have grown up in this
city speak both English and Bohemian
quite fluently
The great majority Of the Bohemians are
Roman Catholics The few ProtestantS
never embraced Catholicism. They are.
however. as rule, freethinkers and poor
church-goers. Although there are so many
of them in New York, they have only one
small church, in East cd street. which is
under the direction of the Redemptorist
fathers.
The Polish immigration to this city is not
nearly as large as it was in former years,
and very many of the rising generation
have been born in this city, or came here
when children with their parents. There
is not much to distinguish them from the
Bohemians In personal appearance. and
two persons, one a Pole and the other a
Bohemian, can express their wants to one
another by speaking in their respective
languages, or rather dialects of the Sla-
vonian. The Poles are much better church.
men than the Bohemians. and are. as a
rule, very devout Catholics. They have
church, that Of St StaniSlauS, in Stanton
street.
The slovaks are very Industrious por-
ton of the community. Generally they are
more flourishing than the Bohemians and
Poles. Many of them are employed as wire
workers and also as machinists. Numbers
are small shopkeepers-careful, thrifty and
economical. They have a newspaper in
New York called Slovak Amerike, the
Slovak in America, of which Francis ].
Nekarda, a young lawyer. who was edu-
Gated in the Bohemian university of
Prague and also in this country, is pro-
prietor and editor. The paper treats of
labor questions and politics, and is a warm
advocate of Panslavism, in which large
numbers Of Slovaks and Bohemians be-
lieve, and they look to Russia as the great
promoter and protector of the doctrine of
Panslavism.
The Slovaks are devout people. About
two-thirds of those who reside here are
Roman Catholics, and most of the remain
ing third are Protestants. Others are men,
bers of the orthodox Greek church. AS
many of the Slovaks come from Hungary,
they established the Church of ST. Eliza
beth of Hungary, in East 4th street They
were joined by large number of the Mag
var Hungarians who later became the ma
jority in the church and gradually assumed
the control, and managed to have the Slo-
yak priest removed and German priest
appointed in his stead. The minority Slo-
yak element protested. but without sue
cess. Then they decided to leave the
church and to build or purchase another
church for themselves in the vicinity.
They obtained the consent Of the arch
bishop, and negotiations are already being
made for the purchase of site in 4th or
9th street.