Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/436
Czech professors. Two of these in particular exercised a profound influence on the young men—the historian, Tomek, and the jurist, Randa. With them there penetrated into the Hapsburg institution a critical sense and a passion for truth laboriously pursued. With them opens truly a new era.
Around these teachers a group of young men commenced to gather, at first few in numbers, but growing rapidly; they were inspired by their principles, and under this inspiration prepared themselves for the service of their country. The romantic generation was succeeded by a generation also passionate, but more practical, more capable of sustained effort, not discouraged by reverses, a generation which advances, in spite of obstacles, step by step, toward their goal. This period witnesses the appearance of men who have been the founders of present Bohemia, men like Kaizl, Pekař, Kramář and Masaryk. What the Czechs demanded before all was a University all their own. From 1864 on the great orator, Rieger, voices in the Reichsrat the claims of his people. Never was a demand better founded; but it took a fight of twenty years before it was carried. For twenty years Germans who ruled Austria, and who wanted to keep the Slavs in an eternal guardianship, opposed with a furious obstinacy the Czech demands. They claimed for the German science a privileged position. In vain did Rieger denounce the stupidity of their sophisms. What is that German science? There is no German science, French science, English science or Czech science; science is based on free and loyal research, and it aims at the emancipation of spirits and the development of souls. It must be made accessible to all. No people can appeal to special privileges and demand a monopoly of science; and no people is to be kept away from science.
The Germans shut their ears to these arguments, so self-evident, so clear. Before the Czechs attained the satisfaction of their demands it almost took a revolution; the Germans by their awkwardness lost the favor of Francis Joseph. To punish their opposition to his own will the emperor made Taaffe minister, and in order to obtain the support of Czech deputies in the Reichsrat he ordered the division of the Prague University into a German and a Czech University. That is the opening of the last period, University Triumphant.
Triumphant, but not by reason of favor it found at the hands of the government. The concession made necessary by circumstances the government tried to make of as little value as possible by favoring the Germans, reducing the number of chairs to a minimum, refusing to laboratories the most badly needed credits. But what did it matter? It could not lower the spirit of the men or abase their teaching. Due to their science, to the strength of their methods, to their devotion, the University of Prague was at the beginning of war one of the most active and most famous schools of the world.
I should like to indicate here the whole field of its activities, and I must at least cite the names of some of its most illustrious teachers: Besides the jurists, Randa, Tilsch and Kadlec; the economist, Bráf; the philologue, Gebauer, who practically created the history of the Czech language; Niederle, the continuator of Šafařík; Jaroslav Vlček, who rewrote the history of national literature; Pekař, whose labor threw a vivid light on the society of the Middle Ages; Novotný, who wrote anew the history of Hussitism; and in the sciences, in the narrower meaning of the term, the physiologist, Mareš, and the physician, Thomayer. And how many more names rise to memory, how long would be the list of those that should be named.
But what characterized the young University even better than the men has been the unity of spirit and soul, absolute faith in science, devotion to truth.
Recently I read an admirable passage in the great poet, Machar. In a dark night, looking out through the bars of his prison, Hus contemplates stars that shine brilliantly; his hour of suffering comes upon him, sister to the night of Gethsemane; he sees his life, pure, blameless, but condemned by hatred to terrible death; he thinks of his country, the love he has for his native land, and his anguished soul turns toward the Father, and he prays with the words of the Savior: Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
On the day following the night of agony four bishops come to him to take him to the hall of the Council. They call on him to retract and confess his errors. Before he can answer, Lord of Duba, who came with him to Constance with some Bohemian friends, takes his hand and says: Master John, we here, your friends and