Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-10
FIGHT TO A FINISH
Peculiar Race Struggle Now Going
On in Austro-Hungary.
SlAV ARRAYED AGAINST FEUFON
Possibility That Parent Nations
May Become involved.
HISTORY OF THE TROUBLE

L. iDiN VI Iilf. hijl Isl.
There exists at this moment in Europe
che OF IN" most remarkable political sItua-
Tons 81 modern times. In the past week
the Germans in the Austrian Tcichsrath ana
In Vienna generally have. 10y rioting and
disorder. been lighting an ordinance favor
ing the Czech language. There are no con-
sttutonal objections to the validity or
legality of the ordnancc-it is law I'm due
form. The Germans fought it and the gov.
eminent 10y violcncc-phy;ical force There
was no moral suasion In the matter but
rebellion pure and simple. And so long az
the ordinanc" is in force. Wanna and the
Germans continue in The same attitude.
However. this violent method oaort,l by
the Germans to influence government ac-
ton has apparently been successful. as tho
ministry resigned and new one more IA
Norable To The Germans has b,cn construct
ed.
on the other hand no sooner was this
new ministry in than the CzcokS in Prague
te2an he same kind nf tactics a. N-,sra a,,,
ployed by the Germans Rlpting ir,u,,-
diately heSan-not general pllag. hut sys-
tcmauc ami deliberate war against th, Ger
mars OF the community.
Bitter Race RIVALRY.
Thus is seen in the Austro-IIuEcarisn
empire today two rival races at bitter WA.
with each other, and each al the same tinlo
f1ghtins the stsblish"d government Nel-
Their race has any grudge against the gov
ernment itself Only in Prague the govern
mel.t Is trying to protect Uh, Germans. and
In Vienna il is trying to defend laws favor
able 10 Slavs against Germans. Nowhere
in recent TINES have We seen The spectacle
OF TWO races lighting each other so bitterly
that each is ready to overthrow the whala
government In its efforts to vanquish the
ether.
In Prague systematic destruction by the
Sia's Of German citizens property is now
going on. And this is a. i1eatiy being done
according to some prcarraugci plan for
simultaneously all over the city the rioting
aad plurierng break out
10 understand the significance of these
events now transporting III Prague one
must understand what sort of 4 city Pragua
really Is and who are it's people.
Imagine city with streets tfl!ai with n
nfisht-iaced, busting. gayly dressed peo-
pie not in the least like the Germans:
Policemen wearing not the tvpIcal can l,,,r
what looks like Il heavy derby hat adorned
with many long black plumes-cvidently
relics of an old-time costume that IS stiil
tenaciously maintained; the people most
pohte, and another distinguishing feature
pretty women.
Founding OF Prague.
'''sNN "fsF'' o''bsNillt 10 lIdIliloH. fGilnd-
e.! 30 ID. 1t has been the scene of MANY
wars, has been occupied by the troops OF
all nations, and yet the people have always
retained their nationality.
This nationality is Czech ,pronorrnceI
'"Tcheck.' The Czechs are the most U-ester-
~ OF the Slav tribes, are the dominant race
In Bohemia, and are the chief Slay tribe IN
all the Austro-Hungarian empire. They
settled In bohemia in the fifth century
l. sAls
separate Kingdom, and today this Is well re-
ineinbered by her people Finally the Be-
hemian king was elected King of Hungary
and soon after his successor lost all 10 The
Turks I'm the disastrous hattie of Nohacs
Bohemia Went into the possession OF Aus
ira, with whom II has remained ever since
that is. for about $40 years. But the
Czechs have never forgotten their former
independence
Nor is their political history the only
thlng the people of Prague have to keep
alive in their memory. The University of
fr@Eue Is one of the oldest universities In
Europe. 1t WAS horn in l::ls and in the fif-
teenth century was attended 10y thousands
OF students from all over Europe But
even here the intensely national spirit crop
PED cut, and in the same century. by a de-
cision of the Emperor Wenzeaus Czechs
were given preference i'm the university
over German students. The Germans would
not stand this. and The result was a split
ng up Of the university and The founding
OF new schools at Leipsir. Cracow. Ingol-
stadt and Rostock OF late tho university
at Prague has improved very much and is
growing rapidly.
Czcchs' Ancient Literature.
Then there is the Czech language and
literature, which has brilliant past. There
are now extant twenty-one poetical and If
ty prose works of period even before the
time of John Huss. including some fine bal
lads of the thirteenth century OF the fif-
my r.AL
tart, chiefly polemc in character. A good
collection Of these is to he found I'm Stock
holm whore they were taken by thu
Swedes when they invaded Germany.
After the battle of White Mountain I'm
1870 most of the Czech leaders Were exiled
and Bohemian lite rature was kept aliva
only in foreign countries. But since the be-
ginning Of this century there has been a
great revival in The use of the language
and In Czech literature and education gem
eraIy. There are over five Thousand pub
lie schools in Bohemia almost as many Ia
the population as in the District OF Column
bia), and education is more widely difTuscd
there than anywhere else IN the Austro-
Hungarian empire In Prague, one rarely
hears German spoken the streets and
though most Of the people can speak il.
still questions asked i'm German OF people
on the streets will most frequently ba
answered in bohemian in manner which
shows resentment of the of the hated
German.
But he the Czech language. literature
ana history what they may, the people
nevertheless hold to them as their most
precious possessions. The fact that both
the Germans and the Czechs i'm Bohemia
belong to the same church-the Roman
Catholic-adds evidence of the intensity OF
a race feeling which wipes out all bounda-
ries of religion. and that. too, among peo.
pies whose past is SO largely made up Of
religious wars and divisions.
Fight to "A Finish.
rs it to be fight to the finish between
Slav and German is the question which
arises with those familiar with the situa-
ton. Probably not. But if so. who can
fCreteiI the outcome? The Slavs, be II re-
membered, constitute 80 per cent of the
whole population of the Austro- Hungarian
empire, and the Germans only - per cent.
But a rule the Germans are better edu-
Gated and better organized, as the Slavs
are split up into dozen different races.
But in Bohemia, where the trouble now is
the Slavs are better punched than the Ger
mans. they occupying the central and east
ern portions of Bohemia, while the Ger
mans are chiefly around the outskirts to