THE CZECHS OF CLEVELAND
tablished at 104 Croton street. Its successive editors in Cleveland were men of the widest reputation; F. J. Zdrubek, J. V. Capek, and Vaclav Snajdr. In 1878 Mr. Snajdr merged “Pokrok” and “Dennice Noveveku” (Star of the New Era) under the name of the latter, and continued to edit it until 1915. In 1911 “Svet” (The World) was started as a daily paper under the same management in an excellent new building at 4514 Broadway. “Dennice Noveveku” was continued as a weekly until 1915, when it was entirely absorbed in “Svet.” This chain of newspapers has always represented the free-thinking element among the Czechs.
Since the founding of the first paper “Pokrok,” forty other periodical publications in the Bohemian language have seen the light in Cleveland. Some of these have been the organs of various societies or institutions, some have been parish papers, and some excellent newspapers of general appeal. Their careers have varied in length from a few issues to nearly twenty years. The first attempt at a daily paper was made in 1888 by J. V. Lunak, with “Ceske Noviny” (Czech News), but the time was not yet ripe for a daily, and Mr. Lunak suffered considerable loss in his venture. Later “Volnost” (Freedom), which had been founded in 1880 by Edward Veverka and Charles and Edward Vopalecky, developed from a tri-weekly into a daily. This paper was published without a break from 1880 to 1908.
At the present time there are three Bohemian newspapers of importance published in this city, besides several smaller publications of limited interest. There are two dailies, “Svet,” already mentioned, and the “American”, which is published at 5377-79 Broadway by F. J. Svoboda, who founded it in 1899. Both are good papers, well edited and illustrated, and are widely read, the “American” being favored by the adherents of the Catholic faith.
“Americke Delnicke Listy” (American Workman’s News), published at 4032 Broadway, was founded in 1909, and is the organ of the Bohemian branch of the Socialist party in America. It was in a considerable degree due to the influence of the editor, Joseph Martinek, that this branch of the party rejected the St. Louis platform. Mr. Martinek, who in 1917 spent some months in Russia as a representative of the Bohemian National Alliance, came back decidedly of the opinion that the Bolsheviki are not true socialists, and that the Socialist party in America should not identify its cause with theirs.
A distinctive custom of the Czech people in America is that of expressing congratulations or condolences through the medium of paid advertisements in the newspapers. A very popular couple will be congratulated on their marriage perhaps to the extent. of a page of congratulatory notices. The usual form is two columns wide and about four inches deep, enclosed in a “box”, but special fervor or social standing may be expressed by increasing the size of type and box, and including a verse of poetry.
Other advertisements are those of the entertainments of societies and lodges. During the summer picnics to country farms and groves are the principal thing, but from October to June musical and dramatic entertainments hold the field. A single issue of a paper has contained announcements of fifteen different dramatic performances to be staged within a space of two weeks in the various Czech centers of the city.
The general character of the Bohemian newspapers of Cleveland is excellent. They co-operate in all public movements and their devotion to the cause of freedom is a passionate one. During the war, they gave whole
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