numerous linguistic groups composing the realm, led to political opposition. The voice of the newly awakened Czech nation refused to be hushed and the result was the re-establishment at the ancient Czech University of Prague of a chair of the Czech language and literature, by royal decree, on the 28th of October, 1791. František Martin Pelcl was the first professor in charge of the work, laying the foundation for national self-consciousness among the brightest intellects of the land. The significance of the Hapsburg concession of 1791 is evident to-day in the enlightened and intelligent national coherence of the Czechoslovaks every one of whose responsible leaders in the movement for absolute independence were university trained men.
Joseph Dobrovský, a member of the Jesuit order, prepared valuable critical studies of the Czech, Slovak and other Slavonic languages dealing with their value as literary vehicles without a shadow of chauvinistic tendency. Indeed, though he rendered inestimable aid by his philological studies, he failed to foresee the rich literary future for the languages into whose intricacies he delved as a scientist.
The popularization of history, philosophy, of all sciences and arts and knowledge occupied such men as Václav Matěj Kramerius, founder of numerous newspapers and other periodical publications; Antonín J. Puchmajer, writer of many lovely lyrics expressed in purest Czech; Antonín Bernolák, noted Slovak and advocate of a separatist policy who chose as the vehicle
