St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-10-08
Sloyaks In America.

Slovaks are; because many do moi
call us by our true name, that is
when they call us Hungarians
which is just as if the Indians were
called Yankees. The Magyars OF the
Tartar race are the real Hungarian:
allied to the fiery Huns of historic
fame. We are Slavonians or Slovaks
We belong to the Indo-Germanit
family and form a branch of the
powerful Slavic race, which numbers
about hundred million souls.
The Slavic or Slavonic nations are
Russians, Crotians, Bulgarians and
Vends. The Slovaks live in the
northern part OF Hungary, but were
disturbed by many war.like tribes
who passed through the country.
The Hungarians, who are a warlike
people, tried to get the land from
them. Seeing that the Slovaks were
powerful, they gained the help of the
Germans and went against the I'M
prepared Slovaks. A great battle
was fought near the present town OF
Pressburg on the Danube, in the year
907, where the Sovaks were de-
feated. This year 907 will be year
of remembrance to them, because
there ended their glory and empire.
The people OF Rome put a Hunga.
rian king on the throne and the poor
Slovaks were so cruelty oppressed
that they could hardly keep body
and soul together. This oppression
continues. Look at the Slovak school
children. Most Slovak children go to
school till twelve years of age. But
many Slovak families being very
poor, have to take their children ont
OF school, not able to pay the school
tax
A few years ago the Slovak lam
guage was shut out of all schools,
even in Slovak districts. The Hun
garian rulers want to compel all to
become Hungarians. The child being
taught in the hungarian language
and speaking Slovak only at home
has very little idea of the Hungarian
language which is taught only in
school. At the age Of ten or twelve
years children have to work hard
and even teachers at school make
them work for them in their own
fields through the study hours. We
must not be surprised when we hear
that so many OF them cannot read
nor write.
The Slovaks received their religion
from Cyril and Methodious, the
great apostles of the Slavic race, but
it did not take deep root because
they were oppressed. Most of them
belong to the Roman Catholic church,
but some to the Greek Catholic, the
Russian, the Calvanistic or Reformed
and some to the Lutheran church.
Being poor and oppressed, they
come to this country, not because
they seek for religious freedom, but
to earn money and then return to
their own country, which they love
very dearly. II some come hither to
enjoy freedom, it is civil and not
spiritual freedom that they seek.
They are very FAR from true Chris
tianlty, not because they are indlfftr.
ent to religion, for the first thing they
want when they come to this coun-
try is to have church. But what
does the church profit them when
they have not true shepherds? They
have such shepherds as we read of in
the Bible, that feed themselves in
stead OF the sheep. They want to
fill their pockets with money and
seek their own comfort, but not the
salvation OF souls.
The people have their own church
societies by which the leaders say
they enlighten the people, but which
really do great harm because they
encourage drinking, dancing Sab
bath dissertation and pride. This is
true both among Catholic and Prot
estants. was a Lutheran mvselt.
And yet the Slovaks are naturally
religious people.
There are 100, 900 Slovaksin Amer
lea, most OF them in Pennsylvania,
and only one Bible reader and one
missionary preacher who came TO
Braddock, Pa, in the year 1889. |
wish you could look in on Sunday
morning and see the Braddock Slovak
congregation gathered in an old
dance hall, condemned by the city
government, in the second story OF
a building close to the railroad. The
steps leading up to the second story
are very narrow and when you reach
the room you will find in a small
room a congregation of about
$50 people packed in like sardines in
a box, not being BILE to move around,
and the preacher and the people are
greatly disturbed by the noise of the
trains which pass the meeting house.
The preacher can often hardly hear
his own voice when he speaks. 1t is
worse in the summer, when on &C.
count OF the passing trains the
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