Page:Bohemia's claim for freedom.djvu/67

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

journalists. His premature death, an ever-to-be-regretted loss to his country, was no doubt accelerated by the cruel persecution to which he was subjected.

After the death of Havlicek the Press for a time was far from being in a flourishing condition, its leaders had a hard task in their battle against political reaction which threatened to crush the life out of any endeavours to promote a healthy development in the domain of journalism. This state of affairs lasted about ten years, when a marked change in the constitutional laws seemed to put new life into the people, whose patriotic spirit required a strong ally, such as can only be found in a fearless and independent Press. The great alliance of people and Press was proved to be a reality by the rapid increase in the number of newspapers and the expansion of their respective circulations. Thus in 1902 there were 752 Bohemian and Slovak periodicals published, forty-five of them issuing regular supplements. Of these, Prague publishes nine dailies. America has nine in the Bohemian language; Chicago alone has four. The remaining periodicals are issued in Moravia, Silesia, Vienna, and the Slavonic part of Northern Hungary.

As a matter of course the dailies published in Prague wield the greatest influence. In addition to daily and other papers, there are more than sixty reviews. Art and science have their special journals, several can boast of a long period of success. Prague is the chief publishing centre.

63