Many years have passed from the time of the Civil War, when our countrymen started a new Bohemian American element in their new fatherland, concentrating mostly in Chicago. A bunch of our old pioneers which came to this country twenty-five or forty years ago and founded here a Bohemian home, where they were able to have social meetings with neighbors, to talk together confidentially and have a little amusement at the same time. We were living this way for a long time as one family. At this time the only alliance , Slovanska Lipa (The Slavish Linden) deepened and multiplied its strong roots in this new soil.

The younger members of Slovansk Lipa originated other societies, as singing clubs or gymnastic falcon organizations, Sokoly.

We can remember when on one occasion of national celebration our Bohemian uniformed falcons valiantly appeared, it was a big surprise since even German gymnastics had no uniforms as yet.

We remember when every countryman subscribed a fund and donated according to his ability to the cause of erecting a first Bohemian Catholic Church, which 2was built and inaugurated by the Saint Vaclav Society. And so, one after the other, were founded other organizations and at the same time year by year, passed away the older people who had made the first steps to create our home and social life. They had fulfilled their sacred destiny. Let them rest peacefully and let us worship their memory. But here is the question: Will our young generation think about this achievement of their ancestors in fifteen or twenty years from now?

This year on the occasion of Decoration Day we all old and true Bohemians, held a meeting, commemorating our old, good, friendly times; there it was resolved to publish a memorial book as a bequest for our young Bohemian generation. The old Bohemian settlers should then meet once a year and add to the book the events of the past year to create in this way the history of the Bohemians in Chicago. The sponsors of this suggestion were the following old settlers:

Mr. Padecki, Mrs. Sulcova, Mr. Pribylow, old grandma Mrs. Anna Cizowska, Mrs. Nemecka, Mr. Novak and others. It was resolved to call a meeting for this purpose and every male or female old settler should be present to discuss the suggestion.

Anthony Pregler