After three centuries of German oppression the Czech language has remained as it was in the seventeenth century. But since that time science, art, literature, have developed, new ideas have sprung up, new terminology come into existence, and it has become impossible to clothe the new ideas and discoveries in the old language, which is lacking in the right expressions.
Here again the vital force of the Czech language has been put to the test, and incidentally proved Bohemia's right to take her place among the nations. A language which does not admit of development is a dead language, and the nation to which that language belongs is doomed to decay and death. The Czech language stood this severest of tests in the most triumphant manner. The discovery in 1817 of the Kralodworsky Manuscript—although it was lately proved that this Manuscript is a literary forgery— gave a great impetus to the revival of Czech literature.
The following year saw the opening of the National Czech Museum, which, under the supervision of its first librarian M. Hanka, played a most important part in the further development of the language.
In 1830 the work of renaissance was crowned by the inauguration of the "Czeska Matice" Czech Fund, which is used to encourage the spread of the Czech language by the publication of the works of the best Czech writers.
This process of enlightenment received its finishing touch on the 3rd of June, 1848, at the historical congress at Prague, attended by three hundred and forty delegates sent by the various
