The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 3/Relief activities

RELIEF ACTIVITIES.

 

The attention of the Czechoslovak organizations in the United States is at the present time centered on relief work in behalf of children in the Czechoslovak Republic. During July Miss Emma Nováková, accompanied by Lieut. Peck, made a lecture trip through the hot corn belt, making one or two adresses every day in the cities and Bohemian farming settlements of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota. The response has ben very encouraging, in spite of certain indications of lethargy and inclination to criticism in the large cities, an occurrence that is inevitable after the sustained effort of five years. The American Czechoslovak Board, and the organizations composing it—Bohemian Natinal Alliance, National Alliance of Bohemian Catholics and the Slovak League—feel that they cannot wind up as yet their work in behalf of the old country. The Slovaks above all realize that their American organization has many duties to perform. Fully one fourth of their people is found in the United States, and thanks to American environment it is the most progressive and aggressive part. In Hungary their people have been held down, kept in ignorance, taught to fear the Magyars; here they can all read, they have all learned what democracy means, they know how to hold their own. The people at home look up to them, and the Slovaks of America will have an important part to play in the reconstruction of the entire mental life of their race. And so the Slovak League keeps at its work of collecting money for the purpose of sending the best men from this side to the other side, helping to establish newspapers and teaching Slovakia what democracy means, as understood in America. Both the common people and the Czechoslovak authorities welcome cordially this American contribution to the up-building of the new state.

All the organizations, Czech and Slovak alike, are busy with relief work. During July and August the American Czechoslovak Board with the assistance of the New York consulate offered opportunity to individuals to send boxes of clothing to their relatives abroad; since the food situation is greatly improved, stress was laid on sending old clothing and goods for making new clothes. At the same time boxes were accepted for distribution to the needy through the Czechoslovak Red Cross. The American Red Cross has offered to turn over to the Czechoslovak Red Cross half a million pounds of knitted goods on condition that the Czechoslovak organizations here assume the payment of freight charges; naturally this generous offer was accepted. But another offer of a gift of a large number of portable houses could not be accepted, because there were not suficient funds. Large sums were spent in purchasing milk, cod liver oil and other necessaries for sick children, and transportation was paid by the American Czechoslovak Board on gifts donated by individuals and societies for distribution. So far practically all of the tremendous expense incurred in connection with this relief work for a nation of thirteen million has been defrayed by Americans of Czechoslovak descent, gifts by others being insignificant.

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