JOZEF GOES TO SCHOOL
A WONDERFUL opportunity now came for Jozef. He was only twelve and had
just completed the course in the primary school.
"Jozef is bright. He is above the average in his studies," the teacher
told his parents. "He ought to continue school work."
"I'd let him go on if we had schools of our own, but I won't have him
go to a Magyar school to forget his language and learn to despise his
own kin like Shlachta's boy," his father declared with emphasis.
"Better have him ignorant than false to his birthright," his mother
agreed.
The teacher nodded. He understood.
"If you could only send him to Bohemia," he suggested.
"If," repeated the father grimly.
"What is this about Bohemia?" asked Jozef's godfather, who had just
come up. He was a tall, thin, muscular man, whose hair hung down his
back in two tiny braids. He was known for his liberal and somewhat
"heretical" opinions. "I am going there after the holidays. Do you want
to send some message?"
The teacher explained to him how things stood. "If we don't educate
our children," he pleaded, "the Magyars will take greater and greater
advantage of our ignorance."
Jozef's godfather stood a few moments in thought. Then he nodded
good-by and left. The teacher was not put out. He was glad that he was
going to think it over.
The next morning the godfather was over at Jozef's house bright and
early.
"I've decided," he said, "that the teacher is right. In Bohemia, Jozef
will learn more about his own country than we can ever teach him here
and he'll learn to fight. I'll take him with me and somehow we'll find
means to pay for his schooling there."
So, one day, Jozef found himself whirled away on a train over the
fertile farm lands of Moravia, in parts of which there are many Slovak
villages, through Nivnitz, where the great Moravian educator, John
Amos Comenius was born, through towns and hamlets until they came to
Brno, Moravia's capital. They changed trains here, and Jozef had time
to see the Spielberg, crowned by a citadel long used as a Government
prison, with its horrible torture cells, which throw some light on the
conception of humanity of the Hapsburg Monarchy.
And then away again but not to Praha, Bohemia's capital. Instead,
Jozef's godfather was bound for Tabor, one of the most interesting
towns of Bohemia, having been founded by one of the great religious
reform parties at the outbreak of the Hussite Wars. This was the town
of Jan Zizka, the redoubtable military hero of the times.
Jozef was full of questions regarding this patriot and military
genius--the greatest one of his age. He learned that he is regarded by
many as the inventor of modern tactics, that he organized peasants and
mechanics so wonderfully that they beat back and drove into despair
the best trained arm-clad knights of Europe; that he never lost a
battle; and that he probably was the composer of a splendid hymn, "All
Ye Warriors of God," which seemed to inspire his men with wonderful
power as they sang it marching to battle. At the battle of Domazlice
(Taus), which took place after Zizka's death, 130,000 crusaders entered
Bohemia, proclaiming that they would not let a single heretic live.
They proceeded with plunder and slaughter until they reached Domazlice,
where they pitched their camp. Some days after, the report spread
among them that the Hussites, now under the command of Zizka's splendid
successor, Prokop the Great, were on their way and that a battle was
imminent.
While the Hussites were still four miles distant, the crusaders heard
the rattle of their famous wagons and the mighty tones of the hymn sung
by the whole Hussite army. It made such a terrible impression that
the fanatical soldiers fled before the song, even the curses of the
Cardinal failing to stop them.
Not knowing the passages of the gray Bohemian mountain forest they were
overtaken by the Hussite vanguards; many thousands were killed and many
more taken prisoners. Their camp with all the ammunition and provisions
fell into the hands of their captors. Thus a song proved more mighty
than the sword.
"Fear not those, the Lord hath said,
Who would your body harm.
For love of your fellowmen,
He hath ordered you to die,
Hence take courage manfully."
This great victory for a time put an end to all efforts to make Bohemia
betray her conscience.
Before Jozef's godfather left for home, he told the boy another and
beautiful story about Prokop.
"Not only did Prokop repulse the enemy when they invaded Bohemia, but
he himself made incursions into neighboring lands. Once he led his army
to the walls of Naumburg, in German Saxony. The inhabitants were seized
with great terror for all counted on the town being entirely destroyed.
"In the midst of the dismay, some one advised the townspeople to send
the children of the town to the enemy's camp. 'It is possible,' he
said, 'that they may soften the leader's heart.'
"The people took the advice and the next day four hundred and fifty
children, gowned in white, assembled before the Town Hall. Two hundred
armed citizens accompanied them to the gate.
"When the children reached Prokop's camp, they fell down on their knees
before him and begged him to spare the town.
"Prokop was deeply affected. He detained the children until evening,
treating them to all the peas and cherries that they could eat. When it
began to grow dark he sent them home. 'Tell your parents,' he said to
them, 'that I will spare the town. But see that when you reach the gate
you shout: "Victory to the Hussites!"'
"The next day the Hussites left the vicinity without having harmed a
single living thing.
"In memory of the event, the people of Naumburg hold an annual festival
in which the children march to the spot where once stood the Hussite
camp. Here they are treated to peas and cherries. The occasion is
called the Hussite Cherry Festival."