Bohemian (Cech) Bibliography: A finding list of writings in English relating to Bohemia and the CechsCapek, Thomas
History
Bohemian (Cech) Bibliography: A finding list of writings in English relating to Bohemia and the Cechs
Capek, Thomas
Bohemia (Czech Republic) -- Bibliography
Illiteracy in Bohemia is rapidly disappearing. According to the general
census of 1890 the ratio of adults unable to read and write is 19.69 per
cent, which compares favorably with that of the most advanced of European
nations. Figures compiled in 1881 show the ratio of illiteracy to be in
England, 16 per cent; Scotland, 12; Ireland, 33; France, 22; Germany, 6;
Russia, 89; Austria 51 (education is especially backward in Hungary and
Transylvania); Italy, 59; Spain and Portugal, 66; Switzerland, 12, Belgium
and Holland, 14; Scandinavia, 13.
* *
*
Curiously enough, the natives do not call their country “Bohemia,” but
_Cechy_, nor themselves “Bohemians,” but “Cechs,” pron. “Chekhs” or
“Czechs.” Tradition has it that the leader’s name who conducted the first
Slav tribe to Bohemia was Cech, hence the race name. The Latin chroniclers
of the Middle Ages were altogether ignorant of this, and persisted in
calling the people who bore it Bohemians, and thus the Slavs of Bohemia
inherited the name of the Boii (Germanic race) whom they had displaced.
* *
*
Superintendent of the Census Bureau, Mr. Porter, would hardly sanction the
method adopted by the Austrian government in determining the nationality
of a people. In Bohemia the _language_ spoken is the test. Americans or
Irishmen would, therefore, in Austria, be classed as “English,” because
they speak that language. This ingenious method is highly “useful,”
especially in the present conflict of races, for it helps to bolster up
the minority in the land, deceiving many as to the actual strength of the
Chekhs, thousands of whom use the German language in business and social
relations. Accepting the language as a test, 62.79 per cent were found
in 1890 in Bohemia to “use” the Bohemian and 37.19 per cent the German
tongue.
Austria is a perfect mosaic of races. This diversity is best exemplified
in the complexion of the schools, where all the dominant languages of the
monarchy clamor for recognition. There are universities at Vienna, Prague,
Gratz, Innsbruck, Cernovice, Cracow, Lwow, Buda-Pesth, Kolosvar and
Zagreb. The universities in Vienna, Gratz, Innsbruck and Cernovice teach
in German; the Prague in Chekh; that of Lwow in Polish and Ruthenian; that
of Cracow in Polish; those of Buda-Pesth and Kolosvar in Magyar; that of
Zagreb in Croatian.
* *
*
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account