Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-31
'BOHEAIANSHOPE
GERMANY LOSES
tcontinued from page one)

1 does not insist on being put down as
Bohemian is entered by the census
enumerator as German The fact
Is that for more than thousand years
the Bohemian lands have been bone
Of contention between the Slav and
/ the Teuton. The Czechs, Slav race,
occupied the country in the fifth cen
fury Of our era and gradually erected
a powerful kingdom. But on three
sides they we're surrounded by Ger
man lands, and the Germans tried
again and again, often by fire and
sword, sometimes by peaceful pene-
| tration, to conquer the country and
make it part of greater Germany.
The Czechs held their own until they
committed fatal blunder in the year
1926, when they elected Hapsburg
to be their king. 4Ae Hapsburgs were
German princes, alien in blood, Ian.
guage and manners to the people
who chose them for their rulers; their
policy had been such that In 1913 the
people arose In revolt, were defeated
two years later and lost their indie.
! pendence. Since that time Bohemia
and the land of the Bohemian crown
have been mere provinces of the
Hapsburg realm, governed from Wen
ia, the guiding principle of the rulers
being the determination of the Bo-
hemian language and individuality by
the killing of rebels, exiting of non
conformists, suppression of Bonemian
books, education of Bohemian children
IN German schools and the settlement
of Germans In the country.
For time It looked as il this policy
would be crowned with success, and a
hundred years ago only peasants used
the Bohemian language. The Ger
mans thought that Bohemia was
theirs. But a miracle happened, and
In the first half of the nineteenth CEN
fury number of men, gratefully re-
membered by every Bohemian as the
restorers Of the nation, reawakened
the national consciousness in the
hearts OF the people. When the era
of absolutism passed away in Aus.
tria the young emperor, Francis Jo-
seph, was confronted with the prob
lem; how to treat the Czechs of Bo.
hemia, Moravia and Silesia, who de-
manded the right to live not merely
as individuals, but as a people.
The emperor decided that Austria
must remain German state; the
Slays must be compelled to become
Germans. If they are so obstinate as
to refuse the light of the German
kultur they must be extirpated. The
history Of the last SO years-the era Of
socalled constitutional government
is a record Of oppression. Juggling
with constitutional safeguards, man
ipulation Of elections, centralization of
powers in Vienna. confiscation u Bo-
hemiRn newspapers, persecution of
Czech leaders. forcible GermanizatiOc
Of Bohemian minorities In German
cities: In fact, every means has been
employed to make the Bohemians feel
that they are an inferior race and that
sooner or later bohemia must become
q German-speaking country The
world has only recently come to.
know the incredible arrogance, the
brutality, the ruthlessness of Germans
engaged in their mission of spreading
the culture 1t is a proof of the
intense vitality Of the Bohemian peo-
pie that In spite of the steady oppres-
sion applied to them with character
istic German thoroughness they have
held their cwn.
In foreign politics Bohemians we're
always opposed to tie Triple ALI
ancs and the close relation with Ger.
many which the two dominant races,
Germans and Magyars, favored. Czech
representatives in tie Vienna Reichs
rat and In the Austro-H Hungarian dele
cations denounced the yassal relations
which Austria assumed toward Ger
many: they opposed appropriations
for q larger amy and the ambitious
plans Tor territorial expansion in the
Balkans at the expense of the Balkan
Slays. When Austria annexed Bos-
MA and Herzegovina In 1908, Bohemi.
an newspapers unanimously condemn |
ed the act as breach OF treaties and |
a menace to the peace of Europe. |
French and English visitors to Prague |
received an unusually cordial vel |
come from the Czech mayor and coun- |
cilors; with the Russians the most |
friendly relations had always been |
maintained. Serbian and Bulgarian |
studenSss flocked to the University Of /
Prague because they saw in Bohemi- |
ans their frien,l Az the Sokol gym
nastic meet m Prague in 1912 Rus
SLAMS, french. Serbian. Croatian ath-
letes engaged in friendly competition
with Bohemian Sokols (falcons). II
was but natdtal that Bohemians
should lean toward those who, like
were threatened by Ger
man aggression.
War came, caused by Austria's act,
though. of course, with the full know
edge and approval of Germany. It
placed the Bohemians in terrible
for they were not for one
deceived as to the real signi-
licance Of the war. 1t was waged to
make Germany supreme, not merely
On the continent of Europe, but In the1
whole world. and the first result OF
German victory would be the sup
preston of what little freedom had
been allowed to the Austrian Slays up
@ that time. By fighting for Austria
Bohemian soldiers were fighting
against their own people: by shoot
ng Russians. and Serbians, upon
whom the Czech had always looked as
)rothers thew were killing their own