The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 1/Rare Letter from Bohemia

Rare Letter from Bohemia.

 

The Paris “Nation Tcheque” publishes a letter, dated Prague April 29, 1917, written by a visitor to Bohemia and describing Bohemian life to today, not the life of the carefree, irresponsible art student, but the stern, terrible burden sustained by the Czech people under the Austrian yoke after nearly three years of war. The letter reads as follows:

“Klofáč and the other deputies, just as all the political prisoners of Bohemia, Galicia and Serbia, are tortured in their prisons by hunger and cold. Kramář and Rašín are somewhat better off. But Klofáč, Choc and all the national socialist deputies are treated abominably. Klofáč, it seems, is in an awful state. He is supposed to get a small piece of meat once a week, but the soldier who guards him frequently keeps it, being himself hungry.

“Soldiers on duty in the interior are very badly fed. They get in the morning a coffee substitute, unsweetened, and a quarter of military loaf of bread which is supposed to last them the whole day, but which they generally proceed to eat at once. This bread, just like the bread consumed by the civil population, is made of black flour composed of rye, barley and corn and full of dirt and rubbish. At that there is only about 60 per cent of this flour in the bread; the other 40 per cent consists of artificial flour, that is to say very fine saw dust. At noontime the soldier gets regularly carrots, sauerkraut and turnip cooked in greasy water, though these vegetables are some what changed. Only twice a week he gets a piece of meat. And for supper he gets nothing at all. The position of the prisoners of war is still more painful; those who are allotted to the peasants of Bohemia as agricultural help are somewhat better off; peasants and prisoners share their misery.

“After the note of the Allies to Mr. Wilson (stating among their peace terms the liberation of Czecho-Slovaks) Emperor Charles made an offer to the Bohemians that he would assume the crown in Prague, if they would condemn Bohemian agitation in foreign lands and the aims of the Entente, if they would forever abandon their Slav program, declare themselves for the preservation of Austria and accept the new organization of Austria and the necessary preliminaries. The Bohemian deputies turned down this offer; they claimed that they had been elected to work for the accomplishment of a national program which they had not the right to modify. Every one speaks openly of their rejection of the emperor’s offer.

“As to the other political prisoners, I have not learned anything. As soon as I perceived that I was suspected, I became very circumspect and on my guard, in fact ceased to have any contact with political personages. Dr. I. told me that I was the first visitor from Allied countries he has seen since the war began. I visited also Prof. P. at P. He advised me to be very careful, because many persons from abroad had already been imprisoned. He told me of Mrs. Linhart and three students of divinity who coming back from Switzerland committed the imprudence of bringing notes with them. They were all sentenced to long terms. One of them, Mr. R., got eighteen years.

"I also visited M. D. and M. L., my intimate friend and school mate. I told them of what was going on in foreign lands and said that I had seen Masaryk. M. D. shook my hand long and said: ‘God bless Masaryk and all those who work with him.’ He added that both he himself and his friends were heart and soul with their countrymen who conducted a campaign abroad and that they prayed that Masaryk and his coworkers might succed in their aims.

“At the Citizen’s Club at Kr. my arrival created a sensation. All the notables of the town turned up in my honor. At the principal table were seated the prior, local officials and citizens. All spoke out plainly without caring a bit that their words sounded of high treason.

“The same thing at Z. Officials of the district prefecture, even the gendarme, gathered at the Beseda and told me to speak frankly, for, as they said, ‘we were among ourselves.’ All listened with avidity to what I told them of the Bohemian agitation in foreign lands and of the friendship for Czecho-Slovaks entertained by the peoples of the Entente.

“Now about a city in Central Bohemia. The fall requisitions were carried out so brutally that the district prefect himself was opposed to them. All was transported to Germany on boats. Certain districts were required to furnish larger quantities than their entire production amounted to, others had to furnish so much that there was practically nothing left for their own consumption. The prefect of that city after several protests that were ignored resigned. The official who is now in charge of the district prefecture said this: “I know that we are going to “win”. Everything is already cracking. If only it would crack first in Germany, for otherwise the Germans will break us in pieces.” All this I consider characteristic and expressive of the real spirit of the people.

“The schools are in a pitiable state. Hunger makes the children stupid. Everywhere I heard lamentations and saw tears, and nowhere did I see any proficiency. Even the best pupils are indolent. But one has almost to laugh upon seeing all that is excluded from any mention in instruction; so for example, in geography one does not learn anything about Russia, Serbia or England, but the teachers have orders to emphasize Germany, Austria and Turkey.

“An interesting detail. Germany has mobilized more than a hundred authors under the ministry of war with orders to write pangerman novels, dealing with events of the present war, to write articles for newspapers, to gather and edit documents that might be used to prove what a good thing the war has been for William, his dynasty and for all the Germans. This bureau is administered by Rudolf Herzog, formerly chief editor of the Hamburger Neueste Nachrichten and of the Berliner Neueste Nachrichten, and by Dr. Rod. Presber. The members of this bureau are not very pleased with their task. They try to give of their best, but look upon it as a favor, when they are sent out on a mission to influence public opinion of a neutral country. One of these propagandists was recently sent from Switzerland to Austria to gather observations and then write a novel on the topic of Mitteleuropa and the close union of Austria with Germany.”

The letter needs no commentary, says La Nation Tcheque. It describes admirably the spirit of the people in Bohemia, the terrible distress prevailing in Austria, the general despair and the great hopes of the Czecho-Slovak people.