Jan Herben

“ In the years 1816 to 1818 you could still find the Czech language forming a part of the curriculum of the gymnasia, but later it was forced out by the enemies of the Czech people on the ground that it was taking up too much time that could be used for other subjects. If the professors voluntarily gave two Czech lessons in a week, they were denounced as Panslavists, Russian agents, modernists, abusers of religion and contaminators of morals. The memorandum backs up its demands with a quotation from Herder: “Civilization cannot be forced upon a nation in a foreign tongue. ”

“ It can only thrive on its own national soil, in the language inherited by the people. The heart of a nation can be reached only through its own language.”
The noble task of the Austrian rulers, according to the memorandum, is to lead the nations entrusted into their care to a true civilization, each of them in its own peculiar way. These were the arguments supporting the Czech demands in the “Denschrift über den gegenwärt Zustand des böhmischen Sprachunterrichtes an den Lehranstalten Böhmens.” ”

“ The total population of Prague and suburbs has decreased during the war by 32,237, that is 15%. The city physician emphasized the fact that the great increase of deaths was due principally to tuberculosis, and that in the districts inhabited by workingmen consumption was particularly serious. ”