The New York herald., 1921-10-09

Specui Correspondence to THE NEW York
HERALD.
PRAGUE Sept. 25.
A LII signs seem to justify the original,
e ~ belief of Americans that Czecho-
Slovakia was going to be a stable
country. The prosperous and happy ap-
pearance of the people in the streets of
the cities is superficial evidence of this,
but there are also fundamental and i'm
portant facts to prove it. No single indi-
cation is more significant than that the
Czechs have brought their food produc-
tion to so nearly normal that most Of the
Government control has been removed.
On September l the American Relief
Administration withdrew from Czecho-
Slovakia, after two years of work. covering
three harvests. 1t has been the policy of
the Hoover mission to continue its work
only so long as the local sources were lack
ing. The point has now been reached when
CzechoSlovakia can sustain it's own pop
alation.
However, the effects of years of malnu-
triton have been so marked that it has
ment, in cooperation with the Child Wei
fare Association, to continue the feeding
in some of the public schools
There has been a growing recognition
here as elsewhere that the postwar prob
lem in respect to children is so serious
, that national legislation is contemplated,
making the feeding of the undernourished
compulsory in the schools. In other words.
the State will recognize that it is as much
it's duty to provide for the physical de-
velopment of the child as for its mental
development.
Noted Stride Already Made
To Reduce Great UIiteracy
Speaking of education, pregnant fact
in regard to the future of the country Is
that public school system has been es-
tablished in Slovakia. There are now
two thousand primary schools, eighty Sec
cndary and three or four normal. There is
also one university. This is great step
forward when it is taken into considera-
tion that the illiteracy in Slovakia, before
the Czecho-Slovak Republic came into ex-
istence, was 80 per cent.
In contrast to that Bohemia Moravia
and Silesia had only per cent. 1t is
significant though that while under Austria
these provinces, besides paying taxes to
Vienna, had to tax themselves in part for
district public services such as schools and
hospitals.
During the Hapsburg domination, and
until after the revolution, girls were ex-
cluded from the study of law, technical
sciences, arts and agriculture. High schools
were for long time closed to them. In
spite of strong protests from women the
Government established special schools of
a lower degree for girls-called lyceums.
In this period Czech women, by instructing
their own daughters, made it possible for
them to prepare for the University.
In 1890 the Czech poetess Kraskhorska
founded society grammar school for girls,
which was the first in the whole of Aus
tria. She found a collaboration who also
established a girls grammar school in
Moravia All this, though, didn't go far
in providing for millions of Czech women.
Only in 1910 were the girls allowed to
form per cent of the total number of
pupils G. e.. to 81 in a class There
fore the partial opening of universities
to women in 1897 had only slight signifi-
cance. The revolution of 1918, however
has opened all schools to girls. But this
is no new and sudden departure for as
early as 1923 John Amos Komensky Co
menius), the great teacher of nations, de-
clared that the schools of Bohemia should
be open to the young people of both sexes
Precedent Is Ample snd Old
For Education of Women
Moreover the liberties and rights with
which the new Czecho-Slovak Republic in
vests the women are not complete inno-
ration and should not be unstable. It has
a background in those years before the
Hapsburg rule.
Bohemian Brethren, church com.
munity, who took their origin in the ff-
teenth century and were famous for the
purity of their life, their piety and noble.
ness of mind educated their women to
the same extent as the men and in the
same schools.
Comenius, the last Bishop of this church
and mentioned above, said.
mo reason can be given why women
should be excluded from the learning of
languages and other wisdom. For they
are created in the image OF God as men
are and will also take part in the grace
and kingdom TO come they are equally
gifted with mind capable OF grasping the
wisdom and often more than we are capa-
equally can turn their mind TO great
things as the administration OF people
regions, estates and even whole kingdoms.