THE CZECHS OF CLEVELAND
Almost every room has a portrait of John Huss, and of Zizka, and also a portrait of the patriot or writer, for whom the individual lodge is named. Portraits of Fugner and Tyrs and trophies of contests won, adorn the walls of the room used by the Sokols.
In the lobby a large, hand-carved frame contains mementoes from the graves of Bohemia’s great,—composers, musicians, poets, patriots and novelists are all represented by a collection, made in Bohemia by Joseph Stibr and framed in Cleveland by Alois Klimes.
An addition to the original building contains four school rooms for the use of the Czech language schools, concerning which mention will be made later.
The next largest hall is the Bohemian Sokol Hall at 4314 Clark avenue, which is a center for the West Side. This hall was purchased from the Hungarians. A “garden” furnishes a place for summer gatherings, with a pavilion for dancing and other entertainment.
The Bohemian American Hall, (Ceska America Sin) at 8802 Quincy avenue is a rallying place for its neighborhood. It was built in 1910 by the combined efforts of eleven organizations, and every inch of the space is fully used. There are school rooms and lodge rooms, all having on their walls portraits of the national heroes, Huss and Zizka, while the main part of the building is the large hall which is also used as a gymnasium and as a dance hall. The stage is well proportioned with good dressing rooms, and the drop curtain depicts the castle of Probulov in southern Bohemia.
Jan Amos Komensky Hall, at East 131st street and Lambert avenue is named for the great educator of whom all Czechs are justly proud. It furnishes an important contribution to the neighborhood life of a young community where no other organization is attempting social activities. Six societies were in its original Patronat, and its equipment and management is distinctly high class. One set of scenery cost $700, and the curtain is a picture of Hradcany castle, in which, it is proudly stated, President Masaryk now has his official residence. There are two school rooms, attended on Saturdays and Sundays by 200 children, who are graded into four classes.
The “Ceska Spolkova Sin” (Bohemian Lodge Hall,) at 11306 Buckeye road is the youngest of these community halls; it was erected in 1916, and the present building is regarded as the nucleus to which additions will be made as soon as war conditions are fully past. It consists now of one large hall which undergoes frequent transformations. An adjustable stage makes it a theatre; adjustable desks make it a school room; athletic apparatus, in turn, converts it into a gymnasium; simple furniture makes it into a lodge hall, while the removal of all furniture makes the final transformation into a ball room.
All these halls are equipped with kitchens and refreshment rooms, and are the scenes of frequent community dances. The dramatic performance is invariably followed by a dance, the chairs being removed and the floor cleared with lightning rapidity. These dances are conducted in such a way as to furnish wholesome pleasure to the young people. They are in no sense promiscuous affairs, the supervision being very close. In many cases all guests are registered by name. Since the attendance is that of a homogeneous social group, the individual guests are almost always known either by family or by personal reputation, to the management, and the possibility of undesirable associations is reduced to a minimum.
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