The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-20

OF the United States immigration bu-
reau. OF all the immigrants to the
United States the Czechs show one OF
the lowest percentages Of iufteracy.
Thus of the s,439 Czech immigrants
that came TO this country in the year
| 1919 there were only seventy-fve IL
literates, less than one per cent al
most all the Czech immigrants are
skilled workren or farmers Their
eagerness for knowiedg" and educa-
| ton Is well known As an illustra-
tion. let us conside~ the fact that IN
the schools of the forty northern ard
eastern counties of Nebraska. there are
no less than 500 teachers of Czech per-
centage, several Of fhem superinten-
dents OF schools. In Chicago their
natural ethnic center In America there
are hundreds OF Czech physicians law
yers. teachers and architects The
buildings of the state Of Illinois az the
! Panama exposition in SAN Francisco
were designed by n Czech
The Czecho-Sio~.e. nave their faults
and vices, no doubt, just as all other
nattonaiities, but hypocrisy certainty
is not one Of these The czecho- Siovak
declaration of Independence Of Noverr
Der is. 1915. declares that we take
the side of tho irhting Slav nations
and their all cs, Without regard to vic
! tory or defeat, because right is on their
side. The problem which side Ia right
In this fatal war is A question of prin
cipies and Of political morals. a cues
ton which at present no honest and
sincere statesman. no conscientious ard
| thinking nation. can evade."
This statement, ! think. represents
the best Czech thought on the subject
OF political morals. To them politics
10 not game, but an expression of
the nations hopes and desires. The
BEST nFocf of tbf2 ir hn ia - .
the manifest was issued when the Rus
sian army was forced to retreat from
the Carpathians, and when the situa-
tion was gloomy from the allies point
of view
Freedom reSa'ned. liberty achieved,
, still more to the worlds spiritual
treasures
One troublesome question is that of
national r,tnoritfes, without which no
state In Middle or Eastern Europe can
he constructed. 1t is rather interest
ing to note how. lately, both in Amer.
lea and Great Britain. certain circle.
are rather exercised over the possible
fate of the German minority In Rohc-
mia The rights of this minority. IS
we'll as Of all minorities. must be safe
Euarded. OF course. But one cannot
help remarking that the gentlemen
who NOW feel that the Czech ma ioritv
HIEut oppTess tne German minority
seldom. " ever, exhibited the sojicjtude
they now show when il was "A oues-
tion OF depressing n majority nv mo
minority
In any event. because the Germans
ana Magyars oppressea tho Czechn-
Siovaks, " does net follow that the
latter VIII Cypress the former. 1t Is
signihcant fact that during the
whole or the nineteenth century NO. a
single Czech statesman appeared who
In any way advocated the oppression
ot other peoples. On the contrary. the
czechs always emphasized the fact that
they would accord their German citi-
: zens complete civil rights, which. Of
course. fncinGe cultural rights. 1t was
the grAat Czech historian and states
man Falacky who said that we never
had, nor ever shall have the intention
nf expressing other people; that, true
10 our character. rejecting all desire
for 'he revenge Of past wrongs. we OK
tend our right hand to all our neigh
bors who are prepared TO recognize the
equality Of all nations without regard
TO their size or political power. And
IL was Havlioek the Czech leader in
l&%S. who said that oppression never
brings good results. and IN time brings
vengeance upon the heads of It's own
ortginators.
However IN this. connection we
should point out that frequently people
confuse the principle Of self-deterznina