The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-25
Tue True Bohemian

80 few hooks are 20 he found N English
de- Cribing Bohemia and Its interesting
people that even 30 faulty q hook a. WILL
= MoSRoF's bohemia dpd hs Cschs IL C.
Page and Company Boston, provides
n"-ri.d Information that many readers
will b.' glad 20 Obtain Il will ~ any rate
ofs~; IN some degree the common assoc,l
rions with IN" national name" which WIS
first transferred from IA" much enduring
slave people. tu Whivh ~ properly he
longs. 10 the gvU-,.s that infested the land
and from them to artists and students and
now to any foolish persons who fy IN the
face 81 the conventional rules ~ society
The nam" il an Interesting example ~
pathological deterioration in meaning
Mr. Monru" has visited the country
whlCh deserves closer Inspection than
tr ~ oilers IN Europe usually give TO ~,
he has h..cpm- IA; crested IN the people
and their condition more than an impartial
historian should. and has und.r-tk-n 10
tell their story a. n" thinks they would
like 10 have Il told He d..-crihs. IN.
geography ~ the country relates ita his
tory IN IA" Middle Ages and w recent
'Im"- gives summarize, 81 Bohemian
literature. art and music tells some'hlng
about IN" pr"'"nt stat" 20 agriculture and
industries and ends with d"srrIp.tnns az,
Prague carlsbad. Msrienhad and IN.
other chief Bohemian towns and brief
account ~ MoravIa and Sil..sa n. hs.
done his work ConscIrntiuusly IN rather
tull way. just aS b" has prepared his
elrler books and he has illustrated his
text with excellent photographs Tn"
reader will be able TO learn a good c.al
NJ -
serious mistakes that Mr. Monroe makes,
his in-i-tsnce ora the Czech spelling 81
proper names throughout and his failure
to grasp the proper historical proport IONS
% events
The Use ~ tho Czech forms ~ do,I bt less
due 20 the enthusiasm which Mr. Monroe
mas derived from his Bohemian friends.
and - pardonable 50 long a. he keeps It
for himself To employ his book. which
Is int ended for English readers. 20 spread
these forms - an unwArranted mpoeit ion.
for a great part Of Bohemian history de-
riveS it, Importance and interest chiefly
from ts connection with Germany. and
the reader il he ldered by 1t rams &c names
for persons and places { hat " you'd he ther-
wise familiar TO him. Prague. Mr.. Mon
roe retains. but Flren and Budejovice die
curse the two mos, famed Bohemian
names. Pilsan and Budweis: he writes
Vhava for tho River Moldau. always add.
re Czech Labe 10 the name ~ the EIbe.
and insists on Litemerice for Leitmeritz
that Frederick the Great made famous
and Kralove Hradec for KoniRRratz
where tho decision was maGie bet ween
Prussia and Austria. II IL had enou Oh Ia
meet The double names when travelling
" - worse to meet with the unfamiliar
one alone in books Mr. Monroe does
not hing % help his readers 1ut in the pro
nunciAiion OF these Czech name- with
heir lack 81 vowrls and abundance oT
diacrIiical mark. though he hides away IN
a euloRy 81 the beauty and ease Of ,h.
Is"ch language an eNplanaii ion 81 A few
sounds and signs
Even more puzzling are IN. Czech
names II princes IN the Uertod ~ r.
hernia : Independence and glory. when AID.
hoped to extend her hound. over HIM
gary and Poland and par II Gernanv.
when kings often held heir own again,
he Emperurs. and when tho Bohemia,
King won h" rIght Ia shan. IN the eIec,ion
ofihe hmperor-. The history ~ Bohemia
then - 30 Interwoven with thai ~ he FIN
pire that The proper names have taken
forms that ~ generally arreptad nv
whatever means the CzeChish yaclay H..
came he German Wenzel or the /. AT inized
Nenceslaua. the latter ~ the known form
and the former meaningless outside Of
bohemla. I's US" without explanation t.
h" more absurd when Mr. Monro.. has
to- teliofA Vaclav who was he Holy Roman
Emperor 81 the German nation
He dies not convey the full forc.. oF ths,
bohemian past nor dos he seem 70 appre-
oiate wholly the Importance of George
Pod'ebrad or John Huss he might we'll
tell more Of the events that led up 70 tho