Evening star., 1948-03-13
Prague
Continued From First Page.)

Canadian Charge dAfairs and
other dignitaries.
Premier Gottwald hesitantly ap-
preached the President and extend
ed hand. The President took 1t
for brief handshake. Then he
turned quickly to the speaker of
Parliament, Josef David, head of
the Czech Legoinaires, and gripped
his hand firmly
GottWald's grafton was bitter
against the west.
II can prove that Jan Masaryk
clearly and without compromise
agreed with the action program of
the new government and already
started to fulfill this program with
in his sphere of influence" Gott-
wald said.
Il can prove that Masaryk, who
decided to go with the people, when
he stood on the crossroads of our
nations fate, meant what he said"
Flower Shops Sold Out.
Hundreds of thousands of people
were gathered under leaden skies for
the state and military rites arranged
by the Communist government.
From early morning they trudged
toward the National Museum
clerks, shopkeepers, merchants,
laborers, peasants from the country.
They bought out the flower shops
for blossoms to throw at the caisson
bearing Mr.. Masaryk's body there
from the Foreign Office. They piled
wreaths at the bier. They snapped
up memorial photographs and me-
mortal stamps.
Look at them" said one woman
in the crowd, pointing to the Com
muriists. "They do not even have
enough decency to stay at home,
those hypocrites. They have come
to sneer at their victims"
Gottwald told the mourners the
crisis in Czechoslokavia was engi-
neered by the west. 81
IT can prove it myself that from
the first days of the government
crisis, Jan Masaryk distinctly kept
away from those who plotted this
crisis" he declared.
Then he indirectly blamed Ma
saryk's friends in the west for the
Foreign Minister'S death, saying:
whoever knew the character of
Jan Masaryk knew how sensitive
he was toward personal attacks;
must understand how difficult it
would be for Jan Masaryk to get
this concentrated attack on his
deepest feelings and his nerves.
ITO this comes his illness, and
taking together these facts, we
get the circumstances that drove
him to his tragic end"
The Communist leader referred
to Mr.. Masaryk by an affectionate
nickname, "Honza.'
"We who are staying have taken
lesson from your bequest that one
should always go with the people" "
Gottwald said. And we, dear
Honza, shall always be with the
people and 60 forward with the
people This is our promise to you. /"
City Choked With People.
From noon onward the center
of Prague was choked with peo-
pie. Tramways were routed away
from the center. Buses poured
out thousands of mourners. The
crush around the museum was i'm
passable.
A train carrying mourners into
the city struck a switch in a yard,
and so persons were slightly in
jured.
The governments broadcasting
network interrupted its continuous
program of hymns during the day
only once, for brief news broad
cast. The radio said more flowers
had been received at Mr.. Masaryk's
funeral than were received even
for his fathers rites:
Burial Beside Father.
Thirty miles away at Lany, a fresh
grave was dug beside the simple
resting place OF Mr.. Masaryk'S
father.
The procession route was down
slope from the National Museum
through Vaclavske Namesti and the
street of October %, and thence
through Narodni Trida National
street,. At the National Theater an
orchestra waited to play hymns.
The route then wound across the
Bridge of Legionaries, through the
Street of the Carmelites to Hrad-
cany Square before the Presidential
Palace, thence past the Loretto
Church to Czerin Palace, the for
eign office where Mr.. Masaryk died.
Members of the family and gov
ernment officials gathered at Ger
min Palace to see the body trans
ferred from the gun caisson to
hearse for the 30-mile trip to Lany
and the family burial plot. Crowds