Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 17, 1963 Page: 13 of 32
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Wednesday, April 17, 1963
VĚSTNÍK
13
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF SLAVONIC
BENEVOLENT ORDER
OF THE STATE OF TEXAS
FOUNDED 1897
VĚSTNÍK
- H E R A L D
Reports from our Lodges, or any
other Reading Materiál to be pub-
lished shoudd reach the Editor,
Saturday before the dáte of issue.
Address all raatters to the Editor;
P. O. Box 85, West, Texas.
Postmaster: Please Senci Form 3579 With Undeliverable Copies to S UPŘEME LODGE SPJST, P.O. Box 100, TEM PIJE, TEX
FROM THE EDIT0R’S DESK
HOW MANY MORE YEARS?-
No, this is not going to be a com~
mentary on how many days or years
until the millenium. There may be a
time element involved, however.
♦ ♦
How many more years has the Czech
Langu ago got in America — and Texas?
Much has been and is being written on
the seriousness of the apparent dis-
appearance of the widespread use of
the Czech language. What is its future?
How much longer will it be an "active”
language? I don’t know. I’m not sure
anyone else does. One thing is for cer-
tain, however. Those who 30 or 40 years
ago, predicted the rapid disappearance
of the usage of the language háve
been proven mis ta ke ti to a substantial
degree.
Leťs face it. The whole matter, in
our humble opinion, is a matter of
utility and of prestige. In this day and
time, no one wants to do or study any-
thing unless he se es some future use
for that knowledge; otherwise, he con-
siders it a wásťe of time. This is the
utilitarian approaeh: doiYt bother
acquiring any knowledge if you see no
way to .der i ve benefit (economie usual-
ly) from it. In a nutshell, few people
Study and acquire knowledge for the
saké of. knowledge alone. Scientists
sometimes complain that they mttst
operáte in a scientific straight j acket
if they are allowed to do research only
in areas that will result in some usable
matter or product. Why not research
for the saké of research, and if some-
ttoing good comcs of it, then well and
good. We niust, of course, háve both
types of research. In short, our young
people see very little advanta.ge in go-
ing to schools and universities to learn
Czech. How and when can they use it;
when and how will they derive some
materiál benefit from it? Iťs a ma-
terialistic world our children are being
raised in. Everything is measured in
terms of what value will it liave in
doliars and cents. We don’t like to hear
that, blit iťs true. The biggest “eon-
sumer” of talon ted Czech-speaking
people today is our federal govern-
ment. Not everyone can work for the
government, and not everyone wants
to. Because of our present tehuous re-
lations with communist Czechoslovak-
ia, economie, sociál, and cultiiral in-
tercourse has dwindled to a bare
trickle. You say: 'why brother? Let
them learn English.” Fact is, they do,
as is the čase in most civilized nations
of the world.
♦ ♦
About "language prestige”: the
prestige languages today are, in addi-
tion to English, Russian, French, Ger-
man, and Spanish. Czech wouldrťt
make the list, even if it were much
longer. It is very true that the know-
ledge of Czech is a good vehicle foť the
learning of Russian, but most people
are reluctant to learn an extra lan-
guage in order to learn Russian. WThy
not learn Russian, and be doně with it?
Again, that "shorteut.”
4 4
Those places who are or háve in-
augurated classes in Czech are to be
highly commended. That is dcfinitely
one way to attack the problém head-
on. But will such programs sustain
themselves? Will the interest remain
high for a long period of time? Will
enough young people attend and sup-
port it? Starts are sometimes impres-
sive, but what about the number that
wind up in the end?
4 ♦
Impressive speeches, heart-rending
appeals, fervent pleas to preserve our
cultural heritage, do not ahvays im-
press young people. It just doesrťt
register with, them. Maybe the answer
lie-s in a little “friendly persuasion,”
as perhaps was the čase with the young
Jewish fellow Brother Valcik. encount-
ered not so long ago in Houston, and
who was on his way to a Saturday
morning class irr Hebrew. Whether he
was made to go or went voluntarily, he
was going. Do they háve a stronger
nationai consciousness than we? How
many classes in Czech are being taught
in Texas right now, both in private
projects and in schools? We doiťt háve
the statistics, but the answer would
not be cause for .great rejoicing. If we
were faced with a strong, serious, com-
mon threat, would we really put our
shoulders to the wheel? People háve
a way of joining together in the face
oí danger. In this čase, what, if any,
is the danger? Briefly, the extinction
and disappearance of the Czech lan-
guage as a practiced language in these
United States — that is the thréat. In
how many years, no one knows. It will
not bc an overnight disappearance; it-
will be gradual attrition, just as it
has been in the past.
4 4
A few newspapers pubílsbed ín Czech
in Texas and he U.S. háve "bitten the
dust.” Those who háve managed to
somehow survive, havc seen their sub-
seription lists dwindle with tne years.
Some háve incorporated English in
order to hold on. It is reported that
one of the most vigorous Czech pub-
lications at this time is in Australia.
There are largo niraibers of recent
Czech emigrants there; that is the
reason. Give them a generation or two,
and see what happens. They will be
absorbed into their surroundings, as
háve Czechs all ověř the world, and as
háve all minority groups. It is inevi-
table that this be so. No reversal of
this fact is in sight.
4 4
We are not preparing the graveyard
of Czech culturc. It will live on for
centuries in the English and other
languages. What we do fear for, how-
ever, is the eventual cessation of an
A CTI VE Czech language herc in the
Southwest. What is the soluťion to
head off such an eventuality? Who
knows? We believe that much or part
of the answer lies in pcople’s thirsfc for
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Morris, Nick A. Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 17, 1963, newspaper, April 17, 1963; West, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth625846/m1/13/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas.