The sun., 1918-08-25
Entente Greatly In
debted to Old-New
Nation Fighting Boil
shevik and Teuton
Influence

bogs,and Of robber barona
Thar university at Prague, founded
in 134s, is the oldest seat Of learning east
Of the Rhine, and it served as model Of
most of the universities subsequently,
created On the Continent. The Czeehs are
an ancient race. They were fourishing in
Bohemia away back in the fifth century
before Christ, and they lave always been
noted for their progressive spirit, for their
Iongings in the direction Of liberalism and
democracy, and above all for their indus
trial and commercial enterprise, thanks to
which they have been for the past 400
years the economic backbone Of the Haps-
burg monarchy.
They were independent, and therefore
unfettercd, until they foolishly elected
Emperor Ferdinand of Austria as their
ruler in 1920, not only because he was
married to the daughter and heiress of
their last king Of the dynasty of st.
Wenceslaus, but also because he solemnly
pledged himself to respect their national
rights and liberties. Needless to add that
Ferdinand I. failed to keep his promises.
This is a popularity of the house Of
Hapsburg. When he found that his pow
ers, which were absolute in Austria prop
er, were restricted in Bohemia he pro-
ceeded to abolish the latter's national
privileges one by one.
Nearly hundred years later the Czechs,
led by their territorial aristoeracy, or
gained revolt against the despotism Of
the Austrian Emperor, Ferdinand IL,
who had shown himself far more danger
Gus and hostile to Bohemia as an ally
than as an open enemy. The Czechs were
defeated in the memorable battle of the
White Mountain, which marked the end
Of the independence of Bohemia as .
nation.
Always Oppressed by Tsutons.
From that time forth the Czeehs-
Slovaks have been a constant subject Of
oppression and tyranny of the Govern
ments of Vienna and of Pesth, encouraged
and abetted by the Hohenzollern dynasty,
which has ever seen In Czeeho-Slovak
nationalism and economic importance an
obstacle and barrier to its openly avowed
designs of extending its sovereignty from
Berlin to the Mediterranean, at the head
Of the Adriatic. Well nigh every ruler
Of the Dual Empire has pledged himself
at one period or another of his reign to
restore to the Czecho-Slovaks their ma
tional independence and their autonomy
on the same footing as Hungary and to
have himself crowned at Prague with the
crown of St. Wenceslaus and invested
with the seeptre, the orb and the mantle Of
that famous ruler and patron saint as
King of Bohemia. In no case have these
promises been kept, not even by the pres
emit Emperor Charles, who gave an under
taking Of this kind on his accession to
the throne Of the Dual Empire.
The late Emperor even went further.
For when in 1867 he divided his empire
into two moieties, namely, Austria and
Hungary, be also divided the Czecho-
Slovak nation into two portions, with the
object of sitting its nationalism. Bohe-
mia, Moravia and Silesia were ineorpo-
rated in Austria, whereas Slovakia was
embodied in Hungary From that time
forth Pesth We'd with Vienna in tyranniz-
ing over the Czecho-Slovaks.
For in spite of all that has been asserted
to the contrary in America, Hungary, with
all her pretentions to liberalism and en-
lightenment, is more reaetionary than
Austria and far more cruel and tyran-
meal to the races who have the misfortune
to be subject to the Crown of st. Stephen.
Sorry as has been the fate of the Czechs
of Austria, that of the Slovaks in Slo-
vakia and Of the Slavs in Croatia and
along the shores of the Adriatic and of
the unfortunate Transylvanians has beel
infinitely worse. Indeed it is a subject OF
satisfaction to all friends of liberty and
Of democracy that the policy of restoring
the national independence and sovereignty
Of the Czecho- SlOvak nation, to which the
United States and the other great Powers