Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 18, 1956 Page: 21 of 32
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Wednesday, July 18, 1956
VĚSTNÍK — WEST, TEXAS
Strana 21
Origin of the Sla vonic Benevolent Order of Texas
The Slavonic Benevolent Order of
Texas (Slovanská Podporujici Jednota:
Státu Texas) had its roots in the Bo-
hemian Slavonian Benevolent Society
(Česko-Slovanská Podporujici Společnost
—CSPS) now known as the Czechoslo-
vak Society of America (Československé
Spolky v Americe—CSA) and the oldest
fraternal benevolent union in the Unit-
ed States. The CSPS was originated by
Czech immigrants in St. Louis, Mo., in
1854. Until 1870, it remained a Missouri
organization, since then it spread to
many eastern and western States. Its
first ledge in Texas was organized on
Apríl 13, 1884, in Praha, Fayette Coun-
ty, imder a name Lodge Texan No. 104
CSPS. In 1897, there were 25 CSPS
lodges in Texas.
First Texas lodges of the CSPS were
founded at the time when the CSPS al-
ready was in throes of an internal
strife. Since the 7th convention held in
1880 in Chicago an opposition of lodges
from the western States, led by Jan
Rosicky cf Nebraska, was calling for a
fináncial reform in the society. First of
all, they demanded a differentiation of
assessments payments according to the
age of applicants for membership and
adoption of two plans of Insurance in-
stead of one. Further, a demand was
rnade for admission of women in the
society. But these demands were met
by a fiat refusal. At the tenth conven-
tion of the CSPS held in Cedar Rapids,
Ia., in 1891, the Texas delegates, Jo-
seph Petr, Engelbert Pollach and I. J.
Gallia, joined the western oposition;
pleatíing that mortality in the eastern
lodges, located in industrial districts,
greatly exceeds that of the western and
Texas lodges, they demanded reduction
of assessment rates for the west and
Texas, but their dennands were rejected.
This internal struggle in the CSPS
lasted 17 years ancl finally resulted in
splitting the old society in three parts.
At the llth convention held in 1896 in
St. Paul, Minn., demands of the western
and Texas opposition for adoption of
two plans of íhsurance with death ben-
egits of $500.00 and $1,000.00 were de-
feated by a substantial majority. To the
opposition it becarne plain that there
was no hope for a reform in the CSPS
as 'constituted and dominated by lodges
from the eastern industrial states. Some
of its leaders then clecided to bolt the
old society and thus the Western Bo-
hemian Fraternal Union (Zapadni Ces-
ko-Bratrska Jednota^—ZCBJ) and the
Slavonic Benevolent Order of Texas)
(Slovanská Podporujici Jednota . Státu
By Joseph Martinek
Texas—SPJST) carne into being.
.trrMř, aii í; j «r-r remr-
as individuals while retaining member-
ship in the CSPS; both most influen-
tial leaders of the Texas movement, Jan
secession movement in Texas started
soon after the St. Paul convention. On
the occasion of the statě convention of
the Grand Lodge CSPS of Texas, held
on December 28 and 29, 1896, in Ellin-
ger and dominated by sympathlzers
with the idea of founding a new inde-
pendent society, the leaders of the in-
dependence movement met in La Grange
on December 28, decided to form a new
society and desigiiatcd three members
as many scars a that of Nebraska and
ether western states.
I o
Not one but a numoer of causes.con*
triouted to the split in the old society.
The struggle for internal reform in the
CSPS was intensified by a collision of
interests of farmers in the west and in
Texas with the interests of inductrial
workers in the eást, main bulk of rnera-
be rhip of the CSPS. New young Cžéclt
to draw its constitution. They were; Jan ’1 immigrants were not willing to pay, un-
R. Kuběna, at that time secretary oL clei' one Insurance pian, .some high -ais-
the Grand Lodge CSPS of Texas, Au-1 sessments as the old members. Western
gustin Hajdusek and Frank Cihal. As an^ Texas opposition was strengthened
reported to the Supreme Lodge of the by the rising šelf consciousness of the
CSPS in Cleveland by loyal Texas fanr.ing population throughout the
lodges, already in March 1897 this' con-! country. And yet another factor en-
stituticn was submitted to the Texas1 hanced the trend toward separation;
lodges for consideration. According to námely, the State Rights movement
CSPS records the convention of the new
society was held on June 24, 1897, in
La Grange; constitution wa.s adopted
and the followmg officers elected: I. J.
Gallia, president; Fred Breska, vice
president, and Jan R. Kuběna, secretary
and treasurer, Dr. Jan Habenicht in
“Dějiny Čechův Amerických” (St. Louis,
1910) say that this eonstitutional con-
vention was held on June 20; Estelle
Hudson and Henry R, Marseh say in
“The Czech Pioneers of the Southwest”
(Dallas, 1934) that it was held on June
27. On July 1, 1897, the society began
its official existence by openind head-
quarters in La Grange. It,s first official
Journal SLOVANSKÁ JEDNOTA, was
first published on September 1, 1897,
but on December 15 of the same year
newspaper OBZOR in Hallettsville be-
camie journal of the new society.
As reported in “The Czech Pioneers
of the Southwest,” the eonstitutional
convention was attended by delegates
of 22 Texas lodges representing 496
members. But official records of the
CSPS show that only seven Texas lodges
out of twenty-five leít the old society.
They were the followmg:
Moravští Bratři No. 121 in West
Vesmernost No. 124 in Cat Spring
Texaska Orlice No. 180 in Lee County
Karel Havlicek No. 202 in Williams-
burg
Texaska Hvězda No. 203 in Cameron
Velehrad No. 209 in Engle
'Prapor Svobody No. 213 in Weimar.
Members of most CSPS lodges joined
which at that time grew in influence
and invaded also the field of American
fraternalism, splitting many national
fraternal beneíit unions in independ-
ent statě units. Members of the CSPS
in Texas no doubt were strongly iríflu-
enced by two splits which occurred in
Texas lodges previously in “The Czech
Central Catholic Union” in 1889, 1 and
in German “The Sons of Herrmafm”■ in
1890. By a strange coincidence, the'! te~
volt of western and Texas lodges,' čom-
posed mainly of farmers, happened at
the same time when the Agrarian Par-
ty in the Czech homeland in Europe was
making first successful efíorts to Unitě
and organize Czech farmers politically.
At the time of the split in 1897 the
CSPS had 10,861 members; The Western
Bohemian Fraternal Union started ‘'With
929 members and the Slavonic BeneVb-
lent Order of Texas with 497 members.
When the old maternal society CSPS
(now known a.s the Czechoslovak Soci-
ety of America) ceiebrated lOOth anni-
versary of its found in 1954, it had, ac-
cording to Fraternal Statistics, ,1954,
43,978 mmebers. The Western Bohemian
Fraternal Union had 58,862, and the Sla-
vonic Benevolent Order of Texas 26,Ž557
members.
-----) ♦ * ♦ (----.
Do not expect life to always bh/Qa
smooth road. Work hard and learn well
lessons that Nátuře offers to us daily.
Hard work is a panacea for many ills.
Idleness i.3 a germ that eauses many ills.
M>ake each day a pleasant day. Improve
the Slavonic Benevolent Order of Texas yourself in some way cvery day.
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Valčík, Stephen. Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 18, 1956, newspaper, July 18, 1956; West, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth627107/m1/21/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas.