Omaha daily bee., 1915-08-19
Bohemia in the Dual Empire
-svstoaar ronjoroff In lranssJ's

The Bohernians and the Magyars. the only two
considerable nationalities wholly within the boundaries
OF the Hungarian empire deserve special men-
ton in any account OF the past and present OF the
dual monarchy.
Prague the capital OF the czechs one Of the old
est centcrs OF civilization in central Europe The
golden period OF Bohemia in the reisns Of
Ottokar the rival OF Rudolf Of HapsburG and OF Otto
kar's son. wencesaus IT, who king Of POLAND
and Of Moravia as we'll OF Bohemia The memory
OF Wencesaus Is cherished by Czechs as an ideal Of
national unity.
The Czech nation took a pioneer part in the vast
intellectual and religious movement known as the Re-
formation. John Huss. the Bohemian apostle OF
conformity preceded Martin Luther by good half
century. and the first great continental leader
OF thought to respond 70 the teachings of John wycf
OF England
The Hustle protest against the existing ecclesi-
astcaI order on distinctly national character.
Summoned Rome by Pope Alexander v u410) 70
plain his wycllfte doctrines Huss declined TO obey
the summons His defiance Of the Papacy produced
a profound impression. not only in Bohemia but in
Poland as WELL and he greeted a Slavic leader.
Placed under the ban OF heresy. Tfuss in 1t4
paired to Constance TO defend himself before the
ecumenical council convened there. Although he had
safe-conducts granted by wenceslsus Nv OF Bohemis
and by sigismund, German emperor and king OF Hun
gary. and escorted by powerful suite OF Bohem-
ian and Polish mobiles. he publicly burned, with
his writings and his ashes into the Rhine
The five hundredth anniversary Of his death OBJ
served in Bohemia and in many Protestant countries
tnlb year as an event th0t marked an 0pOch IN tile
history OF religious liberalism
In the that followed the tragedy OF Constance
sigismund eventually victorious but the impetus
which Huss and his aid. Jerome Of Prague, had given
70 the national awakening too great 20 be sup
pressed The Germanization of Bohemia definitely
halted.
The University OF Prague founded m 1913 on the
model OF the University Of Paris by the Emperor
Charles ~ for many years served as a battlefield
in the struggle between the natiOnalties. Finally. in
1889 having found 1t impossible to give to the ancient
institution dstinctively Slavic character the Czech
professors and students under the patronage of the
Emperor Francis Joseph. succeeded in establishing "A
separate university offshoot one founded
by Charles w
The relations between the older institution ana the
younger present curious duality The Bohenians
avail themselves freely of their right 10 the use Of thu
exceptionally rich library of the German univerutv
but mingle not at all with the German studeuts-e
state OF affairs which adds to the flavor Of academic
lie In the splendid old Czech capital That center Of
slavic culture has served within the last fifty years
as source Of light and leading for the so-calIed
younger Slavic naonaltes such as the serbians the
Bugarians. and the Montenegrins The University of
Sofia for instance is I'm sense the daughter OF
the University OF Prague as many of the teachers In
the Bulgarian institution either were eohomlans ar
were educated In Prague. The frst minister of edu-
cation In Bulgaria after It's liberation in 1873 was DR.
Constantin recek, the eminent historian and eruheol
ogist of Prague.
In the fine arts in science. in industry ana com
merce, the Bohemiann regarded by savs the world
over as the premier Slavic nation. Badetsy the Aus
TRAN general whose IL a tradition In the dual
monarchy and who was the great military figure of
Europe in tho middle OF the nineteenth century was
bohemian. Dvorak. the composer, whose namo IA
we'll known in America; smetana writer OF operas:
Nine Janauschek. who delighted and inspired Anneri
can playgoers generation ago; Kubeiils the .oInrt
Masark the philosopher opponents OF Czech cul-
ture The marvellous collection OF glass flowers IN
the Agassiz museum at Harvard university the handl-
craft OF the Czech Blaschka Is monument not only
to the skill OF the maker but also TO the scientific
thoroughness OF the designer