on Kolombo or Colombo as a peculiar Bohemian surname. Shortly afterword, I found in a syndicated newspaper item, the information that “Nitra, in Czechoslovakia, claims the distinction of having as one of its few inhabitants a direct descendant of Christopher Columbus. The bearer of the historic name of Rodolfo Colombo is a music instructor. Rodolfo’s father, Giovanni Colombo, was a major in an Austrian infantry regiment. In 1910 the major read in a Viennese newspaper a notice inserted by the executors of the defunct Spaniard (sic) prince, Christophoro Colombo of Veragna, a descendant of the navigator, inviting all the presumptive heirs to present their claims. Giovanni was too poor to engage a lawyer to look after the affair, but succeeded himself in finding a certificate of baptism of the year 1712, which proved that one of his ancestors, Leopoldo Colombo, had been a member of the imperial guard. The certificate proved clearly the nobility of the family.” This I quote in full, for whatever it may be worth, as possibly shedding light on the existence of Kolombo as the surname of Czechs.
Indisputably unhandy Czech names like Drbohlav, Zrzan, Kopřiva, Křivohlávek, Košař, Štěrba, Kolářík, and the like, still survive, especially in larger Bohemian-American communities, a perhaps pardonable American inhospitality; their total disappearance in other localities probably accounts for the fact that persons speaking Czech are to be found with such names as Callahan, Cunningham, Jones, Smith, Higgins and Simmons. Matrimonial alliances will, of course, account for some of them. The arbitrary assumption of totally irrelevant names continues, on the whole, to be rather exceptional, though it is on the increase, especially where foreigners are looked at askance. Formerly Bohemians in America considered alteration of the family name almost criminal; now, especially in the South and in the Middle West, it is not unusual for them to take a new arrival in hand and urge him to get rid of a cognominal impediment like Netopýr, Mravenec, Opatřil, Trpaslík or Vomáčka as soon as possible.
Americans Like Czech Music.
Of late Czech music has gained popularity in American musical circles. Last month especially New York’s programs were teeming with Czech music and Czech artists.
On the tenth of March a successful concert of Czech music coupled with an apropos lecture on Czechoslovak music by consul Dr. J. Novák was radio broadcast.
Ella Správková, pianist, and Boža Oumiroff, famous Czech baritone, gave a concert in the Cordon Club, Fine Arts Building, Chicago, April 1st.
