Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/415

October 28 was a national holiday in the Czechoslovak Republic not only because the law made it so, but because every Czech and Slovak laid aside his work and forgot his worries in the joy of celebrating the first anniversary of the restoration of national independence. Every city and town and village had its own celebration, but Prague, the capital of the Republic, surpassed all its previous records in staging great national manifestations. On the eve of the great day a memorial service was held before a cenotaph, erected under the statue of Prince Václav on St. Václav Square. All day long distinguished guests and plain citizens brought flowers and wreaths and laid them on the cenotaph in memory of the Czechoslovak men who fell in the war. At the panichide held in the evening Premier Tusar took the place of President Masaryk who was ill. On the great day itself the weather was unfavorable; it rained almost without a break, but the streets were full. In the morning there were open air meetings in the public squares of Prague, military reviews, a reception by President Masaryk of the members of the “Maffia”, the secret band which corresponded with him during the war and led the revolutionary movement at home, followed by an official luncheon at the Castle to members of the government and of the diplomatic corps. Telegrams of congratulation were received from President Poincaré, Prince-Regent Alexander, Premier Nitti, Foreign Minister Balfour, Secratary Lansing, Ernest Denis, University of London and thousands of others. At the Paris Legation a reception was held which was attended by two members of the American peace delegation, General Bliss and Henry White, by French Foreign Minister Pichon, Marshal Foch and many other distinguished Frenchmen. Similar celebrations were held at other Czechoslovak legations, in Vienna, Belgrade, Rome and Washington.

The principal event of the first independence day of the Czechoslovak Republic was the address made by President Masaryk to members of the National Assembly who met for an extraordinary session at the Smetana Hall of the Prague Municipal House. It was feared that his illness would prevent him from fulfilling this part of the day’s program, but he managed to come and read his message, although with some difficulty. Since then he has entirely recovered. His address bears some traces of this indisposition, in that he was unable to elaborate the form which is thus even more sketchy than one expects from Masaryk. But his great mind, rich in stores of knowledge and deep in the quality of penetration, gave to his people a message worthy of all parties and it was read the next day by practically the entire nation. After one year of office Masaryk’s popularity and influence is as tremendous as ever. His message is given in translation elsewhere in this issue and it deserves to be read in its entirety; what he has to say of Russia and the bolsheviks is particularly of interest, because it presents the judgment of the author of “The Spirit of Russia” on the startling events which took place in Russia since his monumental work was written.

In his address Masaryk touches on the separation of state and church. This policy has been decided upon by the great majority of the nation, but so far the old Austrian laws on the relation of church and state have not been changed. A part of the Catholic hierarchy which grew up under the Austrian system still hopes to avert the