Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-16
Helping Herself Out of
Labyrinth, Czecho.Slo-
vaks Leading Way
SEE HOPE FOR FUTURE
Kindred People, in Struggle
for Freedom, May Be Saw.
ing of Slav Brothers
By HAROLD WILLIAMS
Special Cable to Erening Public Ledger

'PtC'Ut tuOe 10 EUeHIHg fHOHC LeUReF
CopDri0ht. 1918, bU Netc York Times Co.
London, July IS.
Russia is helping herself in finding
way out Of the labyrinth by very curious
and wonderful ways of her own.
Bolshevism is a mood. That mood,
having wrought intolerable confusion
and disaster, is now passing, and Rus
sia, more recognizable. more intelligible
TO the Allies. is beginning to take shape.
1t is as If that amazing country were
determined to demonstrate that the help
which the Allies have been planning to
give her will not be given in vain
Those who have pleaded for military
aid to Russia have always argued that,
once rallying point were given, the ac-
tive forces of the nation would begin
to gather and assert themselves. BY a
strange fortuity, that rallying point has
appeared from within in the shape of
the Czecho-Slovak force. The Czecho-.
Slovaks are not Russians, but a kindred
people. The Czechs are the Slav nhabi-
tantS OF Bohemia, and the Slovaks are
men OF the same stock. speaking Vir-
tuailE the same language. who inhabit
me mountainous northwestern part of
hungary, just on the fringe of Bo-
hcmia.
Struggle of n Century
For century this people. which in
brighter days gave to the world John
tuss. has been struggling to free itself
from the grip of the Germans and Hun
in the present war. Czech and Slovak
soldiers of the Austrian army surrender
ed IN thousands to the Russians. not to
save their lives, but to spend them in
hghtng in the open on the side of the
Allies against their German and Hun
garian Oppressors and for the estab-
lishment of an independent Czecho-
Slovak State in the heart of Europe.
Tho Russian Government formed them
INTO an army corps. and these sturdy
fighters distinguished themselves nobly
| IN the last offensive of the Russian
| army. They remained at the front as
long as there was a front. and when
the Russian army ceased fighting they
were withdrawn to Kiev
Under the Bolshevist revolution and
the Brest-Litovsk peace they maintained
strict neutrality in internal Russian dis.
putes and shut their ears to calls from
either side. Their one desire was to
| fight the Germans and demonstrate their
| right to independence
Weary of Russian Turmoil
Then in May they began to move east.
! ward in the hope of somehow, some
I time. getting out of Russia and taking
| their places on the western front. They
were weary of the Russian turmoil, and
wanted to fight. The Bosheviki did a
very foolish thing rney tried to checE
their ppassage eastward and to disarn
| them.
The Czecho-Sovaks were compelled
| TO fight the Bolsheviki. They struck
| hard So that the ill-disciplined. ill-train.
! ed regiments of the Red army. which
! had never calculated on serious fight
! ing. fled before them. In a marvellouslI
| short time the CZecho- -SlovakS, who were
| quickly re-enforced by lurking and scat
| tered Russian antagonists of the Bol.
| sheviki, rescued control Of several towns
| on the Nolga and in the Urals and oi
| nearly the whole of the Siberian rail
| way.
The Bolshevist commander in chief, a
plucky adventurer called Muravieff find
| ing It impossible to suppress the Czecho
| Slovak movement thought that the
| movement was opportune TO turn on his
masters, but his Red army would not
| follow him, and he shot himself
General Detection Near
Dutoff. the Ural Cossack leader, and
| apparent General AleXief and his force
| have linked up with the Czecho- Slovaks
| and the main body of the Social Revo
lutionaries, with the Committee of the