A committee was formed to commemorate the five hundredth anniversary of the martyr death at the stake of John Huss, by erecting a building dedicated to his memory, and serving exclusively cultural and humane endeavors in keeping with the teachings of this great preacher of truth. The purpose of this committee found its realization yesterday, when, with a huge attendance of the general public and a small army of our Free Thought societies, the cornerstone of the proposed building was laid. The celebration took place upon the building site on West 22nd Street near Kildare Avenue, on a day which seemed determined to add one more to the long chain of adverse circumstances that have hampered the work of the committee ever since the very beginning. The dedication was performed under skies from which a torrential rain was pouring, and in atmospheric conditions which could not have been less suitable for a public ceremony in the open air. But in spite of all these hinderances, the 2ceremony was quite satisfactory in every respect. It was performed in an atmosphere of piety, and of elated enthusiasm for a great thought the realization of which will constitute an important chapter in the history of our public life-- and thus the expectations of the building committee have been fulfilled thus far.

The celebration began with a medley of Bohemian songs played by Mr. Rubringer's band, whereupon, from a platform decorated with festoons and streamers, Mr. Josef W. Egermeyer welcomed those present in a speech in which he touched upon the difficulties the committee had had to overcome before it arrived at this stage of its project. The two principal adverse conditions were the general financial stringency and the fact that our old country, suffering terribly under the war, is in dire need of our help. A not less important adverse factor was the catastrophe on the Chicago River, July 24, which caused much distress and sorrow and need of financial help in many of our families for whom public collections had to be organized. But in spite of all these difficulties, the project has progressed so far that the laying of the cornerstone could take place in the five 3hundredth anniversary of the death of John Huss, and that it can be said with certainty that the building will be completed and dedicated on May 30, 1916, which is the day of another anniversary, that of the martyr death of Jerome of Prague, Huss' contemporary and associate.

Mr. Egermeyer went on to explain the purpose of the Memorial. It will house cultural workshops which will supply the necessary material for our Bohemian schools and our national life. There will be a Bohemian-American library there which will serve also out-of-Chicago communities. The Huss Memorial will contain also the long-desired Bohemian-American Museum, where documents of the life, efforts, and development of the Bohemian element in America will be kept. There will be a classroom for higher Bohemian education and for the training of future Bohemian teachers, and, finally, a hall where competent speakers will lecture on ethics and morals to our youth. Briefly, the John Huss Memorial will be a headquarters of cultural and humane efforts, and will fill a need in our national life that we have felt for many, many years.

Next on the program was Smetana's "Veno" (Dower), sung by the Cesky Delnicky 4Pevecky Sbor (Bohemian Workingmen's Singing Society).....

The principal speaker of the day was Dr. Frantisek Iska, the man to whom is due most of the credit for the Memorial. He spoke in a pouring rain, but, in spite of that, his speech was an inspiring one, full of enthusiasm and emotion. It was listened to with intense attention and evoked many spontaneous manifestations of approval and agreement. The speaker's ringing voice resounded from the platform for over twenty minutes. The following gives the gist of his talk.

"Today's inclement and changeable weather gives a good picture of the difficulties with which the project of the John Huss Memorial had to contend before it reached the point of laying the cornerstone of the building, that is, near to its goal. A dense fog surrounded us this morning, and then the sun tore up the clouds and for a short while, shone in all its glory in a clear, blue sky. Hundreds, or rather thousands, of our friends rejoiced in the hope that the rays of the sun would be kissing the cornerstone at the time when it was to be laid in the foundation upon which we shall build our sanctuary. Unexpectedly, however, heavy clouds began appearing on the horizon and soon covered the whole sky, and now deluge 5our building site and ourselves with torrents of cold water.

"Thus, there was dense fog hanging over the camp of the Bohemian-American Free-thinking element--disunited and selfish, inert and incapable of concentrating efforts on a great deed--when we first broached the idea of commemorating the five hundredth anniversary of John Huss' martyr death by building a headquarters for all Freethinking American Bohemians. As soon, however, as circulars dealing with the idea were sent to our Free Thought organizations in all Bohemian-American communities, enthusiastic replies disclosed their agreement and brought promises of cooperation and support. The fog of indifference was torn to shreds and, like the sun, the hope of an early achievement of our goal spurred on our efforts.

"Of course, a drop or two of bitter malice fell into our cup of pleasure over the readiness of our associations to co-operate, but we are far from a desire to recall this today. A much greater disaster was the breaking out of the war, which has been causing so much suffering and misery to our Bohemian countrymen, 6the alleviating of which has become our urgent duty. Many a donation that would have found its way to the fund for the John Huss Memorial took a long trip across the ocean, and we sent with it the wish that it would, at least for a while, disperse the cares of those dear ones to whom it had been sent.

"Also because the circumstance that the horrors of war have attracted to themselves almost all the attention of our public, and consequently away from our project, the action behind the building of the Memorial found itself in as unfavorable a situation as the weather has become unfavorable today in these hours. But in spite of that we decided to build. We do not regret this step, and we do not fear that our project will become stranded. Just as we brave today's weather and remain here in surprisingly large numbers, so shall we not desist until such a building is standing on this site as will serve the ends sought by the John Huss Memorial. The strength of Freethinking American Bohemians is great enough to suffice for both, the sacrifices imposed upon us through the tragic situation of our countrymen and the sacrifices required for completion of this enterprise, whose necessity for ourselves and importance for 7the prestige of our nation cannot possibly be denied. It will be the first and only structure in Chicago serving exclusively the purposes of freethinking people in America, in spite of the fact that there are many non-Bohemian freethinking organizations in this country. The day will come when their members will accost you with the flattering "The Bohemian freethinkers were first!" The systematic work on our national cause and our Freethinking projects requires unconditionally the availability of such a sanctuary--such a central headquarters as we are building here. It is that much more necessary, because the flow of immigrants to this country has stopped, and all hopes for our national future lie in our own youth, in our second generation, whom we, from the John Huss Memorial, propose to help educate in a spirit both national and freethinking. Circumstances do not permit us to go into detail in discussing the ways and means we propose to use in the John Huss Memorial to that end. There will be many another opportunity to do that. Permit me therefore to close by reading the Memorial document that will be put in the cornerstone on behalf of our committee:

"'To all who read this: Greetings from American Bohemians assembled on the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone of the John Huss Memorial, October 17, 1915.

"'This name we have given to the building, by which we commemorate the five hundredth anniversary of the greatest Bohemian and the great martyr who, July 6, 1415, by the revengeful Roman Catholic oligarchy, on the shores of the Lake of Constance, was declared a heretic and burned alive at the stake because he was opposed to their sacrilegious barter in sacraments and their exploitation of the people, and because he dared to maintain that man has the right to submit religious matters, also, to an analysis of his common sense, his reasoning power. We firmly believe that, when this building falls apart or is torn down, the world will be so fortunate that man will no longer seek his gods in supernatural spheres but will have arrived at the zenith of his spiritual development, where the sun of pure truth illuminates his intellect, and his heart is warmed by rays of ardent love which unites the whole human race into one great, happy family. We believe that by that time there will remain not the slightest vestige of the papal church, whose history will relate to you, amazed and horrified, the delusions of human fanaticism which sacrificed so many lives of noble men, among whom one of the first places is occupied by the intrepid Bohemian defender of truth and pioneer of untrammeled freethinking, the Master of the University 9of Prague of old renown, our John Huss.

"'When the day of the five hundredth anniversary of John Huss' martyr death was approaching, we here in America felt it to be our duty to commemorate it by a deed of permanent value. The Svobodna Obec v Chicagu (Free Thought Community of Chicago) held, in 1905, a John Huss celebration, as it is held annually in the old country overseas, on the Sixth of July. On that occasion, Dr. Frantisek Iska offered the suggestion that the most appropriate way to commemorate the approaching five hundredth anniversary of John Huss' death would be by erecting a building, creating an institution, that would be helpful to any kind of work done for spiritual liberation from any ecclesiastic encumbrance of our people throughout the United States. This idea was approved by the father of the Bohemian-American Freethinking community, Frantisek B. Zdrubek, speaker of the Svobodna Obec v Chicagu, who donated $1,000 to his Obec for a fund from which to build its own hall, and who recommended that this fund should form the nucleus of the John Huss Memorial. In June, 1911, a respective declaration was sent to all Freethinking organizations of Bohemian America, and when a sufficient 10number of them had pledged their co-operation, a preparatory committee was organized, whose chairman was Vaclav Soukenik. It was he who launched the first collection for the John Huss Memorial. The vice-chairmen of the committee were Mrs. Marie Pomazal and Mrs. Ruzena Strougal; the secretary, Leopold Ruzicka, and treasurer, Josef Hejno.

"'After a period of successful work the preparatory committee turned over the management to the properly incorporated Druzstvo Jubilejniho Husova Domu (John Huss Memorial Association) whose first president was Jos. W. Egermeyer; vice-president, Mrs. Kristy Stary; secretary, Frant. Veverka; treasurer, Karel Kavalle; and financial secretary, Josef Hejno. In accordance with a decision of the Sdruzeni, the project of the John Huss Memorial was, with the approval of all its member organizations, given in formal ownership to the Svobodna Obec with the duty to give it the proper administration in co-operation with the representatives of member organizations. In November, 1914, the Svobodna Obec elected the Vybor Pro Jubilejni Husuv Dum (John Huss Memorial Committee), whose members have signed this document and who have been exerting their efforts to assure the 11dedication of the John Huss Memorial on May 30, 1916, the anniversary day of the second Bohemian martyr and colleague of John Huss, Jerome of Prague.

"'Again, our greetings, this time to a happier, because freer, mankind of the future.

"'Jos W. Egermeyer, president;

"' Alex Purer, vice-president;

"'Leopold Ruzicka, secretary;

"'Karel Kavalle, treasurer.'"

Having finished the reading of this document, Dr. Iska concluded his speech by expressing the conviction that he spoke from the hearts of all those present, and from the hearts of the thousands of friends of our project not only here in Chicago, but in all Bohemian communities of this great Union. When he called: "Zdar! Zdar! Na Zdar! (Success! Success! to Success!) to the John Huss Memorial!" The whole audience repeated his shout loudly and many times, and rewarded the speaker with long applause.

Yesterday's celebration was attended by a multitude of men and women representatives 12of our freethinking associations, and by many non-Bohemian representatives, also. W. J. Sloan presented a most friendly address of greeting on behalf of the American Rationalists, and was followed by August Behrens who spoke for the German Freethinking Community and represented German freethinking organizations of Chicago and Milwaukee. Among those present were also Emanuel I. Auspitz, representative of the American Secular Union and the Free Thought Federation; I. B. Lenau, editor of the free-thought journal, The People's Press, and no less attention than these was enjoyed by the aged Captain J. W. Harrington, Civil War veteran who appeared in his gala uniform. He represented the Free Thought Society, while W. L. Maclaskey was the representative of the Chicago Free Thought Platform.

The noted liberal worker, E. C. Behrens, delivered a remarkable speech in which he declared that there would be no such terrible bloodshed in Europe now if the people had followed the footsteps of John Huss.

Because of bad weather, the customary oral presentation of greetings from various 13organizations by their representatives was abandoned, but a complete list of associations represented and a list of contributions received will be published in the daily press. However, we can say now that already a considerable number of contributions have been received, the total amount of which is in the neighborhood of six hundred dollars. Since Dr. Iska had already received four hundred dollars in contributions, the total amount presented to the John Huss Memorial on its "birthday" will exceed one thousand dollars. A detailed list will be published together with a complete list of organizations which had their documents enclosed in the cornerstone. At the end Dr. Iska announced that there are many countrymen present who came from far away to attend this celebration and that he could not express to them our gratitude for everything the Bohemian people outside Chicago have done for the John Huss Memorial in any better way than by giving them, at least those of them who stand close by, the privilege of tapping the cornerstone with the ceremonial hammer for themselves and for all-of-Chicago Bohemians in America, as a token that the John Huss Memorial will belong to the whole of Bohemian America. The hammer was then handed for that purpose to Mr. Josef Schroeder of Rush Center, Kansas, Mr. W. J. Prochazka of Simson, 14Kansas, and Bart. Ruml of Letcher, South Dakota.

Although the building committee owns six lots of ground, only three of them will be used for the building, while the other three will be sold. At this time the concrete foundations are being made, the contractor being Mr. Chmelar. Bids for the building proper are now being received. When the selection is made, the work will start so that the building may be dedicated and turned to its use May 30, 1916. This ceremony is expected to be a demonstration such as freethinking Chicago has not yet witnessed.