New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-05-28
COMMUNICATED.
Ma.saryk in America,
A''esF5HtH J n III
To the New Britain Herald:

! ilo" etlIIOIlS us. vi June Il, dll lll0
roads and railroads will lead to SIAM
| ford, CT, where the Bohemians and
! S1ovaks of this state will welcome him
! and be present at the raising of a flag
| In the recruiting camp of the CZecho-
| slovak army. To tell what his arrival
| means to Bohemians and Slovaks in
| this country, one would need the pen
! of a, poet, The man who had been
| deeply admired and respected by b.
| hemians for nearly four years, the
| leader of the remarkable CzechOslovak
| revolution against Austria and the
German plans Of Mitteleuropa, he is
now the head of the Czechoslovak
revolutionary government and the
| civilian chief Of three Czechoslovak
| armies-one in Russia, one in France
| and one in Italy. In him the intense
| yearntng and consuming desire of b.
| henians and Slovaks for freedom is
personi1ed Masaryk will be received
| and honored by his countrymen. In
America, as the father of his people.
But the great Czech leader should be
welcomed by the entire American
people. Two generations ago the
United States gave a royal welcome TO
Louis Kossuth because he had been
the leader of his race against the
tyranny of the Hapsburgs. This coun-
try, true to it's democratic ideals, has
ever sympat hized with the struggles of
the oppressed peoples for liberation.
Much has happened since then. The
Magyars, as & result Of Prussian vic
tories in 1865, received their liberty.
oply to subject a majority of the in
habitants of Hungary to worse OPP
preston than they had themselves
suffered at the hands of the Haps-
burgs. And today the two branches OF
TznahnS1ny-alf n il71 c
held down by the Germans, and Slo-
walks strangled by the Magyars-have
risen against their foes and are fight
ing under MasarykS noble and wise
generalship on the side Of the United
States.
We do not doubt for a. moment that
Masaryk will receive in America as
cordial welcome as he did in Eng
land when he came to London nearly
three years ago to lecture at King S
college. Herbert H. Asquith who was
/ then Great Britain's premier, said on
that occasion:
Il congratulate Kings college upon
his appointm and I can assure him
that we welcome his advent to Lon
don both as a teacher, the influence
Of whose power and learning is felt
throughout the S1av world. and as a
man to whose personal qualities of
candor, courage and strength we are
all glad to pay a tribute"
The enemy, as we'll the friend,
appreciates the great weight of Ma
sa1Nk in the present world crisis.
year ago, when the first provisional
government was at the helm in Rus
sia the German press charged that
the policies Of the Entente were
shaped by three MISREPRESENTATION,
Miljukov and Masaryk. And more re
Gently that diplomatic adventurer,
Count Czernin, whose place knows him
no more, in a rabid anti-Czech speech,
charged that the Allies rejected his
peace overtures because they placed
their reliance in Masaryk's revolu-
tionary propa ganda, backed not only
by the revolutionary CzechosIovak
armies, but by all the political parties
in Bohemia. Professor Masarylz, as
the head of the revolution, is placing
the crown of great achievement on a
life of much toll and striving. His
whole work as scholar and statesman
was governed by the principles;
Through truth to JUSTICE
He opposed his own people when
misled by racial pride they accepted
as genuine the celebrated manu-
scripts pretending to come down from
the hoary antiquity of the Czech race. |
tie lOuSnL NalldnLfN the ugly super
stition of ritual murder. He cham |
poned boldly and successfully Aus |
trian Jugoslavs upon whom high
treason was fastened by means of |
documents forged by the Austrian |
minister at Belgrade. What wonder !
that Masary< gave to the world the |
Bohemian Declaration Of Indepen-
dence at the Very time when the mill !
tary situation of the Allies was most |
discouraging He said in this docu- |
ment in November 1915:
1--WE take the side Of the fighting |
Slav nations and their allies without |
regard to victory or defeat because |
right is on their side
In Masaryk there is a wonderful |
blending of the Slav with the Anglo |
Saxon. By birth Slovak from Mo-
ravia, he has spent much time in |
America and England. His wife, who /
is unfortunately detained in Prague by |
the Austrian government, Is a New
England lady, and both the professor /
and his children look upon America I
as their second fatherland. There is
no doubt that all the Slavs in America
will join the Bohemians and Slovaks
in honoring Thomas G.. Masarylz. We
believe that all the United States, the |
people and the government, will do !
likewise For Masa ryk is undoubtedly |
one of the greatest men of these great |
days He has rendered extremely Valu /
able services to the cause Of demo-
cracy by his unparalleled knowledge .
of the Austrian and German political. |
social and economic situation; and
now. after a years sojourn in Russia,
there is no man more competent to
advise the Allies how TO handle the
difficult Russian situation. Welcome
- J,o fnf g J1n Rob On Po1-n
luton!
Yours tru1v.