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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1937)
Scio I Center pf Largest Colony on Pacific Coast 3 t . .. ; , ! ; .... First Settlers Game in 1896 Won by Valley's Fertility; 170 FamiHes in , Group now Lifc? Customs, Languages, of People, Miscalled by Woman Who Br VIRGINIA L. DOLEZAL (Resident of Scio) . SCIO--A young man's dissatisfaction with a farm in the mid-west; in the late nineties, led to the beginning of Scso's Czech colony, now the largest! of .that nationality on the Pacific coast, A colony so strong that the local newspaper maintains a series of type with Czech accent marks; in order to i print invitations and hand-bills in the native tongue of the Czechs. Q Joe. Young,- jr., left his Kansas home In 189 8, to roam for two year throughout the western United States,-in search of a new location for : his family and friend. At last he found the Will amette valley, and knew its fer tile acres to be exactly suited to the needs of his essentially agrar ian? countrymen. : .' He persuaded his father, his brothers, Louis and Albert, and his nephew, Joe Wesely, to come with him ' to the new land. All these first arrivals except Wesely were forelgn-borti. - r. 'ji The party came by train to Salem, arriving June 4. 1898 They waited a short time tor their implements and a few head of stock which .they shipped from their former home. Proceeding to the Ticinlty of Scio, they bought, for $2200, a tract of 200 acres a short distance southwest of the town. Most of this land is still In possession of the Young- family.; Tales of Land's ' :,-::' Fertility Bring Others Lured by tales of : the fertility of the land, other Czechs soon came to make their home near the first group. From Chadron, Nebr., came Al bert Chladek, who bought at $8 an acre a 2000-aere piece of tlm berland nine miles southeast of Srio. This land he resold. In 1899, to several of. his countrymen, among whom were Joe Lamplot, Anton Stepanek and Frank Bartu. Parts ot the Chladek place now comprise seven prosperous farms, all but one of which is still owned by the original Czech purchasers, or their descendants. Cleared and Improved by the diligence of their sturdy farmers, this land Is now worth, conservatively $75 an acre. Colony Now X umbers At Least 150 Families IV - Gradually the Czech colony at Scio grew until it now numbers more than VI TO , families. on' of the largest, In th, United States.1 There- are two other Czech settle ments la. Oregon, one, numbering about 40 families, at Malin; and the other, some 30 families, at Scappoose. Many Czechs also con gregate In Chicago, in Minnesota, Kansal, .Nebraska and the Da kotas. J ri. "ftebemlan" Declared Misnomer Really The ' term 'Bohemian" - as ap plied to these colonists is essen tially a misnomer, as Bohemia, before the World war, was only a Hosteller Home Scene Of Stork, Shower Held For Mrs. Willys Berkey HUBBARD Mrs. Lee Hostetlcr entertained Wednesday afternoon honoring Mrs. Willys Berkey with a stork shower. Light refresh ments were served. The Pyke residence In Hubbard was recently purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. Adam.! ; PLATES OF ALL MAKES OVER:. 13 TEARS PRACTICE FILLINGS, CROWNS, - EXTRACTIONS, BRIDGES DR. HIGGINS -DENTIST ; Over J. C. Penney Store " Tel. 8834 hi Art Certificate - :;' " ' vi'xi" .-v. No 25 " t This Certificate and five others all differently numbered, entitle you to one week's Set of Four' Pictures upon payment of only 39c (46c if by mail).", . , . Pi -nfPORTA XT- Be sure to order Set No. 1 If yon hare that or sub sequent seta, order the next numbered Set of Four. FooJs and' Above' all Tlirift Bohemians,' Described " : Lives Among Them Typical Czech c if J John Jiroch. who came to this country whew 18 years old and to Srio in 1021, who the writer of this article points to as a typical Czech. He and Sirs. Jir och. wedded 51 years, live on a small tract near Scio. lb smau province or wbat is now Czechoslovakia, and many mem bers of the Czech race ame from other provinces. Czechs coming to the United State before the war were often misunderstood and ridiculed as men without a coun try:" Since the formation of this valiant little republic, suiting all the Czech and Slav -speaking peoples under one flag, and inde-fl pendent of stronger oppressors; American Czechs are proud to call Czechoslovakia, the land of their fathers. Though Czechs may differ from blackest-haired to fairest blonde. the majority of them are brown- haired, grey or blue eyed, and light-skinned. Older Czech Men Stick to Mustache Their cheek bone are high. their noses prominent, often , ac- Dorcas Qub Sews For Needy Person Mrs. A. C. Spranger Opens Her Home to Group at Bethel BETHEL Mrs. A. C. Spranger was hostess to the all-day meeting of the Bethel Dorcas clnb - Wed nesday. No host luncheon was served. The day was spent with sewing on Red Cross materials for a needy sick case. - At the business session In the afternoon Mrs. E. E. Matten was reelected president and Mr. M. H. Utter, vice-presidents Mrs. J. M. : Nichols is new secretary treasurer. ' - It was voted that funds in the club treasury be expended on im provements for the school kitchen. Plan, were made for the annual Christina dinner and party, with exchange of gifts, for the families of the members, to be held at the school the evening of December IV, wun Mrs. Cass A. Nlchol and Mrs. A. C. Spranger In charge of the dinner. ; - - , , To Send Gift to Home Z' Mr. J. M. Nlchol and Mrs E. E. Matten presented reports ot the federation meeting at Mill City. Mrs. Nichols, member of the board of the Children' Farm Home at Corral lis. gave a talk v World Famous , AKRON TRUSSES Correctly Fitted We Guarantee Comfort and Security CAPITAL DRUG STORE 405 State, Cor. Liberty qumne, tneir mouth - generous. their teeth strong and even. Vir tually au the older men wear mustaches. j Most Czechs are ' shorter than the; average American, but what ever their build, their bones are large and strong, their back long. their legs short. This build pre vails m both men; and women. who for counties generations have done heavy work In the fields. ., Of foreign-born citizens, Czechs must be classed as among the most desirable They secure; their cttl zenship as soon as time permits, pay their hills, obey the laws and try mightly to adopt the custom of their new. country- Many of the older Czechs, com ing to America to escape oppres sion in the "old country" before the war, were appalled that America was not the free country they had dreamed about, but that freedom must be paid for -by hard work. Accepting the situation, and grateful for - the religious and social non-interference, their in nate thrift and perseverance saw them through to ' positions of se curity and respect in their new allegiance: :V ' Czechs are Inclined to be ex citable, voluble, and prone to .em phasize with -gestures. They: are quick to anger, and long to hold a grudge. Despite! this, their dis positions usually are cheerful and full ot a lively, though sometimes heavy,-sense of humor. Thrift Is Keynote; so So Czechs on Relief The thrift of the Czechs is per haps their chief characteristic It is significant that of the several dozen Scio families on relief dur ing the depression, not a Bingle one was of Czech" origin. " Yet this fact is understandable when one knows: that a Czech works, hard to get the ultimate production from his farm, wastes nothing, and above all, live with in his means.. The. charge not un common among , races longer In America, that "Czechs eat what the hogs refuse" ; 1 untrue. Al though they ; do ' utilize products some would consider waste, they eat . welL . '"'! .- Condiments Play j-'. Part la Cooking , 4 favorite Czech food Is Jater- nlca, a kind of sausage made from the Uver (jatra) and head of hogs. Ground fine, it Is highly seasoned.' and canned, or stuffed in jackets like weiners. 'Condiments play a large part in! Czech cookery, nearly all their dishes being highly spiced , and flavored. Of these, caraway seed j and poppy seed are the most com- j mon. Tfre former Is used not only ! in bread and cake, but as flavor ing in meats, particularly pork and chicken, and vegetables. ! LA. st ranger to a Czech commun ity might well wonder at the taste in decoration on viewing the long roWs of " huge, ugly, grey-white poppies. They are not grown for beauty, but for their tiny black seeds, called mak. The seed ! taken from the pods after the st0ck8 are thoroughly dry, and does not, as some people. believe. contain opium. .... . ' Small as are poppy seeds, they are ground even I smaller. In a specially made grinder, to prepare kolace, which might be termed the national bread. The ground seeds are cooked to a thick paste with srigar and milk. Then they are inserted in a hollow on the top of a roll of slightly sweetened bread dough, and baked open face. Poppy seed to also used ex- i on the home. The club will send a Christmas box. v 'Special guests, new members and members from a distance present were Mrs. H. J. Riensche, Mrs. Nellie Brandow of Nebraska, Mrs. E. D. Reed. Miss Emma Reed, Mrs. C. C. Chaffee, Mrs. Clifford Chaffee of Cayley, Alberta, Can., and Mrs. Lura G. Emory of Port lands I . High School Open House Ends With "Barn Dance" i MILL CITY Miss Ethel Hick ey, high school principal, I con fined to her room with a sprained ankle.-, j - . ,-, School was dismissed Wednes day remainder of the week to al low the teachers to attend the In stitute in Salem. . jv ; DESOTO IS THE CIS CAS IN THE SMALL-CAR PRICE CLASS SEE IT TODAY! HERE'S GREAT "JTEWS , about a greajt car: De-. Soto now cost just. a. few -dollars above the lowest and, :. its improved S3 h.fw fEooa--, omy Engine" saves you real 1 money every mile you drivel UiHlMsut) lunr m m jTT r "r ri7'.3J.1l"rf ZZ s i i in L 111 i I . . i-" 1 90 4. ... 'mtf--1if:Si'!i i i : H Wesely, Surviving I . . .... ' --1 Above Is Tefeljr,s home on edge of Scio, showing a wen kept farm scenes Tms house was built la 1913, 15 years after he with bis two- nncles founded the Scio Czech colony. Below, Wesely himself, pictured outside his grocery store at Scio. Note that he does not wear mustache typi cal of older Czech men. tensively other breads and cakes. Gourmands Everywhere Relish Cutif us Pie A curious pie, called a cake. which has found favor with gour mands of many nations, is an or iginal Czech recipe. It is the cheese cake ;made from sweetened cottage cheese and baked In a pie shell. It Iclosely resemblescus- tard, but las a peculiar tang. Another example of Czech thrift is observed j in that this cake Is sometimes.,raade from the milk of a newly fresh cow. I have eaten this, knowing wherefrom it came, and found It good. Another Czech pastry, unpalat able to mafy American tastes, 4s a smau unleavened . dumpHng, called knelliky. The dough is dropped frofei a teaspoon, Into "boil ing broth, r fried In a pan. Though the Czech love ot wine and beer (kIto) Is general, there are fewer habitual "sots" among Czechs thanSiare common to other race. I j . . Love of Muhic Is Universal With Czechs Lore of I music among Czech people is universal. Nearly every Fall Sjnyn Grain MakbigGrovth Pratum j Farmers Seek Sheep ti Pasture Fields; Potatoes in PRATUli Mr. and Mrs. George Kleen lef Thursday for a two month viiit .with their daughters in California. ; Misr Olivia de Vrles wa home from Portland over Armistice day. She left f of Forest Grove-Friday, where she 'will attend the Oregon youth council. Mrs. Heary Schroeder. who re cently suffered a stroke of parly- Look at Ihii Hg De Soto. Get behind the wheel. See how lightning-fast pick-up whisks ; you" thtdugi traffic . . i how DeScrto,sncw"alshionedride, ' smooth out roughest roads. ; t Today, De Soto is a BIO car in everithing but COST. 'See US now? for a great car, fine seTvice,'and a square deaL Ask for the Official Commercial Credit Company Finance Plan 1 w f , If 1.11 . i . :v ' i E' ' -... vi; - . : - j l t " r . .' ' .- " - '::'..,., j ,1.,.. .. t i r"rr" """I .. - !bi Founder and Home Czech attempts to play an instru ment, the accordion probably be ing the most popular, but very few become adept. Notable excep tions are the composers Anton Dvorak. Rudolph Friml and Zamecik. A Czech orchestra, composed of laymen, has a peculiar rhythm of its own, but sound most like German band. The Czechs love to dance, and may follow not only American popular music, but the lively polkas and folk tunes of their native music. , Man Is Supreme Family Arbiter j ' In the older Czech families, the man Is supreme arbiter of the family affairs. He is served first, his wishes are law,; and he man- uges aii me ousiness ana financial aspects. This custom I gradually dying ) Out, with the adoption of American ways. Although the man still holds the purse-strings, his wife has more to say in financial matters, the way the home is op erated, ana tne way. she dresses. Above: all, she no longer works in the fields, though It is still com mon for her to chop wood, and do all . the tasks about the home. Economically, the colonists are thoroughly American; socially they remain clannish. Their social life centers around two lodges, one the Sokol (falcon), chiefly a gymnastic and drill organization and the Zapadni Czechoslovakia Bratrska Jednota or Western Czech Brothersjjodge, a social or ganization with a strong empha sis on insurance for members. New ZCBJ Branch Is English Speaking wunin ue last vear. a now branch of the' ZCBJ has been or ganized. It is entirely English speaking, and non-Czech husbands and wives are eligible. Even the I me : has been Anglicized, and the order Is generally referred to as the WBFA (Western Bohemi ans Fraternal association). In the two older lodges, the ritual is carried on in the native tongue and the organizations have done much to preserve the language. Parties and dances are frequent to these organizations, aside from their regular business meetings. The ZCBJ lodge often .presents a play for the entertainment of members and other Czechs. Funerals' of members are al most invariably conducted In the lodge halls, with the obituary read both In Czech and English. Cre mation is the more common form or DuriaL. j i Language Dying Out Despite Efforts Otherwise Despite valiant efforts of the older families, to keep their language pure, the beautiful purr sis in her right side, Is slowly improving. j Looking for Sheep . A few miles southeast of here the fall sown grain Is so rank that farmers are looking for sheep to pasture their wheat, while here many farmers have not plowed nor sowed any and if the .present rate of moisture, keeps up much longer there will be no sowing done for some time to come. Fred de Tries showed his mov ing pictures, taken In Europe, Friday night at the 28th and Madison Methodist' ehureh In Portland. j 1 Most farmers were fortunate in having their potatoes and corn harvested before the J last heavy rains, but much garden truck, pumpkins, and gladioli bulbs are still out in the wet. ; ing, spitting, Czech Is fast disap pearing. The Czech. language closely re sembles Slav, Russian and Polish. Consonants, are lavish; vowels scarce. , All the vowel are .aoft, though each has several different sounds. Variations In sound are always marked In print or writing, and the diacritical markings, may change the entire meaning . of a word. . ' There are no articles.. Grammati cal gender prevails entirely, I In this language so highly Inflected that even' the verbs have different endings for masculine, feminine and neuter. ; , r. t -,' - There are no s 1 1 e n t letter whatever. This fact, coupled with the , further." one that ' Czech la always heavily accented on the first syllable, makes English diffi cult of mastery,: Only: a few second and third generation children, b q r n in America, are able to carry on an Intelligible conversation with their elders who speak no English. American Girl Find Language Is Trial An amusing anecdote is told of an American girl's experience the first week of her 'marriage to a Czech. The bride wa concocting a stew, a favorite with her hus band. The young man came in, lifted the lid, sniffed, and said, "Put in some petrselka." His wife looked puzzled, and though he was bi-llngual, he couldn't, for the moment, remember the Eng lish word for the Ingredient. Finally, after futile attempts at explanation, they took an excur sion to a neighbor's garden, and found that he meant, simply, parsley. Proper names often end in ska or sky, never in ski, and Czechs are sensitive to this latter mis spelling, feeling no kin to the Russian or Polish orthography. Even remembering that every let ter is sounded, it' Is difficult to pronounce Csech names because ot their letters' peculiar slurs and twists. A newcomer to Scio once re marked on his difficulty in pro nouncing these names. The then postmaster, a Csech speaking both languages fluently, replied, "You can't pronounce them; you Just have to sneeze 'em, and burp em!" Giren Names Carried la Most Families Given names are preserved In families more consistently than Is common to other nationalities, the eldest child almost Invariably be ing named for the father or mother. John, Josef, Edward, Henry, Charley, Rudolph, Frank and Adolph are perhaps the most common names for men, many of these being translated from a slightly different Czech original. Taromir and Vladimir are usually Anglicized to the nicknames Jerry and Laddie. ' There Is a Mary or an Anna In nearly every Czech family. Rose and Ubby retain favor, and Vlasta Is not uncommon. Typical Case of Cech Man Recited , Typical1 of the Czech-American Is John Kernak. He left his home in Moravia (another , province, now a part of Czechoslovakia) at 19 because he was tired of work ing for 35 cents a day In a coal mine, and . being whipped it he didn't attend church. He landed at Galveston, Texas, at the turn of the century, after a six weeks steerage passage. He worked his way to Wash ington, but having no relatives or friends, and knowing little Eng lish, he was obliged to work for his board and room, with no mon etary recompense, that first bleak winter when he admits he longed to be back In the Moravian coal mine. .. . . H It k am UMwowot ot th kw lacenuuioaai Trade aa the gldug amal etcc aad liaei of today and tonof tow. Here art tjndtm that telitieix owa Motj, ultramodera ttyhag da wOl pkm wr aad ddWr, jMrtunMn od xhc genenl pubUc, Bat tT-Tl$ art aot the wboU story by any mtum. JEwa ' son imnamm. tkM. . ,,t.- li . ' CocmtteatIweraaoWlpolk7,dhrea to dtfoueh toon rhm xh .riftJ ' . s At 9 ! - at r iat j kj; w m. '. AT m w Amw w AT f MmT M m ' ' James II. rjodca ;cp., I I II totate . , : ' . Phnno fiS90 . II Native Costume Si Miss Ruby Roepraska, a third gen eration Czech girl and Scio music teacher, models a Czech peasant costume, imported from the o!d country j Everything from the; bonnet to apron Is handmade etc e p t the lace . stockings. Such costumes are seen! In Scio only' at entertain ments. Miss Rofipraska Is the daughter ;f Mr. and Mrs. An tone. Rospraska who live In the country near Scio. i But he wa too hard-working not to him a prosper, and at 29, we find United States citizen, and married to an American-born girl own! race, 12 years his of his junior. I Advertisement No. 3 i f -f '."I'- When picketing of two out of thirty restaurants of the Salem Restaurant Association failed to coerce the owners into signing a union contract, the boycott was resorted to. Persons entering the restaurants picketed were "spotted and threatened with loss of I patronage from unions if they continued to patronize sirch restaurants. However, no objection was raised to patronage of other resaurants operating without - ' ' a a i a' union contract. Attempts were made to boycott the picketed restaurants by ha vine teamsters refuse to deliver supplies and provisions . A ! u i Mmcs cunstaeraiM inconvenience, sjinough rto od jection was made to deliveries to other restaurants operating without a union contract. wnat is this but which is made unlawful for employers under the wagner act. IGNORE (tactile study i , r btascyof cxttrior im he mdonctd Mrinrhtr thrmrphmt Ihm imtinmmitnSeMtfndut . ftwr JtoWanft tf utility mjptrft rwtmr MeaVtJyoie wwyaJci of tfea mew lint, in sizet ranging from the Half -Toe. mok (tbowa abotc) op to powerful Six- amat roo4 venrio. Com and tt dwa in out jhoiirroom. Or wsH be glad toiead 'yom catmkig docribtog aiacs W Kjlct yom nd in yoat own hauling week. Inc. i ' PICKET LINES AT SALEM RESTAU- I RANTS J . . EAT AT YOUR FAYORITE T 1 ! RESTAURANT 1 Associated Restaurants of Salem, 1 Lie. I After the birth of their first child, named for his father, they moved to the vicinity of Scio. nut. jting their slender savings into a payment on a farm. The young wife helped in the fields until the farm was paid for. and the chil dren, now four, (larger families are uncommon - among Czechs) were able to help theirfather. The land was cleared, crops planted, stock multiplied and bigger barns erected. . Two of the children finished high school, all of them were given American advantages, though the parents may have been a little bewildered by the ideas and expenses. Apt to Vote Xo On Tax Measures Kernak is clean, diligent and honest, will arise at midnight te help a neighbor he considers de serving, but won't lift a finger for one he dislikes. He drives a hard bargain, but keeps his word, once given. 'He looks for cheap valoes, but will pay a good price for an article he knows is su perior. He votes against any mea sure he believes will raise his taxes. He loves music, bright colors, his animals and good food. He dresses well, though not In the height of fashion, and pro vides adequately for) his family. He Has never been back to the land of his birth, and has no par ticular desire to goL 1 At nearly 60, John Kernak still operates his farm, with the help of his two married sons, (the daughters hare married and gone to live on other farms). .Da.h.na m ij-kT Va will er n f a n.M .. ftiuayo own UQ n Jii 5V lu luw 11 to live, or give up I the hardest work of his diversified farm to the capable hands of his sons. When he does, the bromide'of three generations from shirt sleeves to shirt-sleeves will not hold true, rlis Czech children and grandchildren may never be wealthy, but they are too thrifty ever to know real want. TO to them, causing them at " ... . 1 . Intimidation and . Coercion - 1 . i mm I 1 1 7 We L Anderson, Inc. .iiinniinni 360 Marion Phone 7703 . "SI,'-,I,",,B"-',1'I",,,I,",I,II"B", '?"sy i . ! ; - " III . 1 ! i