two words “Czech” and “Slovak” by means of the conjunctive “o.” The Czechoslovaks are, therefore, the direct descendants of John Huss, Komenský (Comenius), Kollár, [[Portal:František Palacký|Palácký, Havliček and a thousand other staunch upholders of the truth and right, torchbearers of Europe.
The Czechs had chafed under Austrian misrule since the fateful day when, in a period of Bohemia’s weakness, the Hapsburgs gained control of the little country which, geographically, forms the very heart of Europe and in many another way has been the organ which sent the blood pulsating freely and vigorously through the body of the Old World. The Slovaks have suffered even greater persecutions with no chance of redress from the Magyar (Hungarian) population which forms the southeastern portion of what was once the Dual Empire.
It was no wonder, therefore, that the Czechs and Slovaks, enduring for ages the persecutions of German and Magyar, and in past periods knowing too well that they were but tools for Hapsburg ambition which forgot the promised reward of independence when its own selfish objects were attained, lined themselves to a man on the side of justice and democracy when the clarion call went round the world. There was no written summons, not even an uttered determination but when the man power of Austria-Hungary was mobilized, the Czechs and Slovaks, forced into the Hapsburg armies, looked significantly at each other. That look meant
