38 Million Catholics

Under Nazi
Rule Front Our German Correspondent More than one tenth of all the Catholics of the world will henceforth live under the direct Nazi rule, and many more will have to suffer indirectly from National-Socialist pressure. In Hungary Catholic newspapers have already been forbidden because they dared to criticise Germany's religious policy.
What the accurate effects of Nazi oppression will be for the Czech people outside the political, economic and military sphere—where the development is rather obvious—can not yet be foretold. It is, however, very probable that anti-Semitism will not remain the only ideological " gift " from National-Socialism.
For the persecution of Catholic organisations and the Catholic clergy pretexts will at any rate easily be found, as an " anti-German attitude " or " propaganda for Czech independence " may furnish all the arguments wanted.
NONSENSE It ia, of course, nonsense to talk about Bohemia having always belonged to the "German space."
It certainly belonged to the Holy Roman Empire, but so did Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, a big portion of France and—Italy.
When St.• Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia, concluded his treaty with the Emperor Henry I, his recognition of the Emperor's suzerainty did not mean introducing German rule in Bohemia. Bohemia had to pay every year five hundred pieces of silver and one hundred and fifty oxen, and to give military assistance in case of war. In return Bohemia got from the Emperor protection in case of aggression and the right to be consulted in all important matters of the Empire. There was no interference at all in the Interior affairs of Bohemia. " GERMAN " MYTH
Under the Emperors of the Luxemburg dynasty Prague was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. But that dynasty was only partly German. Charles IV, who did so much for Prague, had been educated in Paris. He liked the Czech language more than the German, and French more than both of them. All the documents he signed were In Latin. His government had therefore nothing to do with Deutschtuni (Germanism). EQUAL RIGHTS
Nor can the new situation of the " protectorate " of Bohemia and Moravia be compared with the situation under the Hapsburgs. Then the Czechs had equal rights with the Germans, a considerable amount of local self-government, freedom of the Press, freedom of political organisation and so on.