CZECHOSLOVAKIA 



135 



Photograph by Dr. V. Sixta and Son 



THE OX-TEAMS OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA 



The oxen of Czechoslovakia have horns that might make any roan Texas longhorn turn 



green with envy. 



Spotless linen, sparkling glassware, 

 silent waiters hurrying back and forth 

 with food and drink, and outside the 

 wide windows the pine-clad slopes and 

 craggy peaks of intimate mountains 

 newly clad in an early coat of snow. Not 

 exactly a pastoral scene, yet we are in 

 the midst of the High Tatra, in the heart 

 of Slovakia. 



PROVERBIAL SLOVAK ILLITERACY WAS 

 DELIBERATE 



Slovak stupidity was as deliberate as 

 is the sturdy determination of the Czech. 

 Forced by the Magyars to learn a hated 

 tongue or go untaught, the Slovak chose 

 the latter course ; hence he is largely 

 illiterate today, his ignorance a tribute to 

 his sense of freedom. One of their num- 

 ber explained it to me in the cafe of a 

 mountain village. He saw me sitting 

 alone and his first sentence explained 

 why he came over to speak to me. 



"You are lonely, I think,'' he said. 



And as we sat there, in that small cafe, 

 he told me how, rather than submit to 

 Magyarization under the Hapsburg re- 



gime, he refused to study till the day 

 when his fond dream came true and he 

 set out for America. 



After his arrival in the United States 

 he went to night school, and, judging 

 from the quality of his English, he prof- 

 ited well from the privilege. 



"Nobody forced me to learn English,'' 

 he explained ; "I did it because I wanted 

 to. English is a very 'practische' lan- 

 guage, and I wanted to be an American 

 through and through, so I worked hard 

 at night to learn. I got my first papers 

 all right, and then I came back for a visit. 

 Then came the war, and I had to stay." 



His number is legion and he is remak- 

 ing the mental atmosphere of Slovakia. 



SLOVAKIA IS A MUSE CM OF FOLK ART 



One respects the Czechs for what they 

 have done ; one loves the Slovaks for 

 what they are. Kindly, hospitable, sim- 

 ple-souled, religious, true Slavs in faults 

 and virtues, the Slovaks represent the 

 conservative element in the new republic. 

 Few of them are yet trained for leader- 

 ship, but their presence in the State 



