We are convinced that the present time will change the history of the world, for we see indications to that effect almost every day. Events are occurring which will have great influence upon the future.

One such event was the farewell program for the departing Czechoslovak volunteers, who feel deep in their hearts that this is the time when we must sacrifice our material belongings--even our lives--if we want to accomplish what every Czech and Slovak, no matter where he may live, holds to be his fondest wish. From earliest youth, when he began to realize that things were once different in the old homeland and that Czechs and Slovaks were free men whose fate could not be governed by anyone but themselves, the Czech and Slovak yearned for freedom. He yearned again to be the son of our nation, a nation keeping abreast with others and progressing toward the destiny allotted to it by fate, not by Germany.

Our readers have been informed by previous reports that the French Government 2has permitted the newly-created Czechoslovak Army to fight along-side the Allied armies against our common enemy, and that the same permission was granted to the Poles. The nations now groaning under the yoke of Austrian and German arbitrary rule will thus be able to contribute directly to the efforts made for the liberation of the small nations, whose independence is one of the points in the peace program of the Allied nations.

The Czechoslovak National Council has been working for the formation of such a Czechoslovak Army. There are thousands of Slavs who, while in the Austro-Hungarian and German armies, were taken prisoner by the Allies and are now interned as such. They are eager to join the Allied forces. The eyes of the Allied military authorities naturally turned towards the Czechs and Slovaks in America, expecting that these branches would also contribute to the contingent of the Czechoslovak Army.

The Allies were not disappointed, for the moment Dr. Milan R. Stefanik, 3Slovak patriot and leader, appeared in America as a special envoy of the Allies and informed Czech-America that the Czechoslovak Army was in the process of developing, and that the United States Government permitted the recruiting of men here, young men began to enlist in large numbers. They all longed to fight the rabid foe of the Slavic race shoulder to shoulder with the undaunted French soldiers.

The time is drawing near. It is not possible to decide today upon the day when our boys will actually depart from Chicago. Before this time the United Amateurs of Sokol Havlicek-Tyrs gave a performance, the proceeds of which will be distributed among our volunteers for France.

This theatrical performance became a farewell program which will linger in the memory of those present for a long time. The auditorium was packed with friends of the volunteers. Every seat was taken, and many had to content themselves with standing room. They did not mind a little discomfort, for they were conscious of the great sacrifices which others are going to make for the patriotic cause.

After a musical introduction rendered by the orchestra, Mr. Joseph Tvrzicky, secretary of the Czech National Alliance, spoke on the significance of the gathering. He commended the readiness of the volunteers and urged other men to join them. The enthusiasm evoked by his words was in evidence throughout the evening.

The United Amateurs were next on the program. They gave a one-act play written by Dr. Rudis-Jicinsky and taken from his experiences in Serbia while he was a member of an auxiliary expedition into the war area in the Balkan states. The name of the play is "Hej Slovane" (Onward, Ye Slavs!). The background for the action is based upon the sentiment of Slav officers of the Austrian Army during the invasion of Serbia. Three Slav officers, a Czech, a Croatian, and a Slovak are depicted; there is also an Austrian colonel. All four are quartered in the house of a Serbian physician who had given his services to his own nation; his wife had accompanied him as a war nurse. Only their sick little boy was left behind. Deep-rooted repulsion against fighting their Serbian brothers bursts from the conversation of the three Slav officers, reflecting 5the struggle within their own consciences. The climax is reached when the Austrian colonel, resenting the patriotic feeling of the Serbian boy, prepares to beat him down. The three Slav officers shoot the colonel and desert to the Serbian forces, taking with them numerous sympathetic Czech and Slovak soldiers.

The acting was good, and as the amateurs played with warm Czech and Slovak feeling, the effect upon the audience was overwhelming. The role of colonel of the Seventy-third Austrian Infantry regiment was not one to be desired. Mr. V. Roucka gulped it down and presented it in the very manner that best fitted the spirit of the play. Messrs. Jos. R. Krejci, R. Novotny, and Otto Horacek found themselves perfectly at home in the characters of the three Slav officers. The fourteen-year-old son of the Serbian physician was played by a girl, Bozena Zidlicky; the role could not have been in better hands. The audience applauded the high points of the play with genuine patriotic ardor.

Mrs. Antonia Cervenka addressed the Czech and Slovak volunteers, reminding them of the importance of the step which they are about to take, and urging them on to heroic action. She also turned to other men and women in the gathering. She admonished them to do everything in their power for the cause, and at the same time never to forget the volunteers whose patriotic inspiration compels them to offer their lives. She concluded by displaying the Czech and American colors. This evoked thunderous applause.

Mrs. Novak, introduced by the preceding speaker, urged our women to organize into an auxiliary which would take care of the needs of the soldiers in the Czechoslovak Army in France.

The second part of the program was begun with a battle song, "Vyzva" (The Call), the words of which were penned by Vojta Benes, organizer of the Czech National Alliance. It was sung by Mrs. Slavka Krejci, assisted by twelve 7other ladies, half of whom were dressed as male Sokols while the other half wore female Sokol dress. The performance made a visibly deep impression. The last verse of the song was sung before a Statue of Liberty.

The strains of the song were still echoing through the hall when the Cesko-Delnicky Pevecky Sbor (Czech Workingmen's Chorus) with its director, Mr. Houdek, took the stage and sang two Czech songs and one Slovak one. They were rewarded by vociferous applause.

The "March of the Czechoslovak Army" was then played by the Rubringer band, under the direction of Mr. Cerny, composer of the music. The volunteers paraded through the hall and the emotion of the crowd reached a high pitch. It looked as if everyone of the spectators had to restrain himself from joining the marchers. The climax of the evening was reached when the volunteers assembled upon the stage and stood in rapt attention while Mrs. Stulfa, speaking for the Czech and Slovak women of Chicago, addressed the group and presented the volunteers with a flag bearing the words "United We Shall 8Conquer". It was the work of Mrs. J. Turzicky. It was handed to Mr. Kuber, chairman of the Czechoslovak Committee, who expressed the thanks of the volunteers and then entrusted the banner to Vaclav Cipra, ensign-bearer.

The dedication was clothed in the following words: "Take this banner and battle courageously under it for the liberty of our enslaved old homeland; bring it victoriously to our Mother, Prague; carry it through Czech and Slovak lands as the symbol of the love which the American Czechs and Slovaks harbor for the motherland."

Ensign-bearer Cipra, speaking for the volunteers, promised undaunted action which will sanctify the banner so as to make it a revered historic relic. He also entreated Czech women to co-operate and help furnish the articles so much needed by the soldiers. He also addressed those who are detained from military service and urged them to "do their bit" in their own way, especially by financial aid.

Mr. Sustek spoke to the Slovaks and established a wholehearted contact with the volunteers. The chorus then sang "V Boj" (On! Into the battle!).

The "Marseillaise" and "Kde Domov Muj" (Where Is My Home), Czech national anthem, were sung by Mr. J. R. Krejci, baritone. An apotheosis of Slovak volunteers serving in the various Allied armies, and also of Slovak girls rendering homage before a Statue of Liberty, closed the memorable evening to the strains of the "March of the Czechoslovak Army".