f

CARPATHIANRI.JTHENIA
ON THE \TARPATH

by

JANKOSUHAJ

THE NE\y EUROPEPUBLISHINGCO. LTD.

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t l U'f }

,.,./

\v Yt .' -?/

PRINTED BV
PRINTING CO. LTD.
PARAI\TOUNT
i'
ARCHER STREET WORKS SHAFTESBURY AVENUE W'

P
CD
_. Where is Ruthenia? What are the Ruthenians like ?
Thos.equ:stions were often asked oo-i-n" eve of the
Annlsttcein l918.Oneby onethepeopleof Europewere
putting forward their claims ro naiiorial friedom'.
Among then! were the Ruthenians.They are a pastgral ..y$ rncient. peopleliving on the slopeso'f tt"
Dcautrlulcarp_athian
Mountainsin the heartbf Europe.
rney l(newthat thy were.onlya small people. Their
country rs smallerthan Northern lreland. They number lessthan a million. They asked,for freedom,not for
conrpleteindepedence. T!.V knew that they were too
smauto run a well-defended
State of their own. Thev
wanted to live in partnership with the CzechsuoOini
Slovaks. Their leaderswent to the peace Co'n?i;;66
p"iir'"ro told the Allied
leaders.that
they. wanted to enter into-a close union with-tfrebiectrs and Slovais.
- -*'
TlEy wanted to becomean integral pqrt of the new czecnosiovat Republic.^
They had their way^.The Treaty_br st. Germain recognisedihat Ruthenia was
an autonomous
part:ofCzechoslovakia.
So
Ruthenia
is marked
all the rost-v_ersa,illes
.
maps of Europe. she lies
betweeuEasrernGaliciaand.inHungary..She
is Czechosrovatcii's
uridg.ib n"ru"i"
the link betweenthe oilfields of Rurninia and the Skoda *oit. oiCi.cnostovatcia.-I'
. So long _asczechoslovakfrontier . guardsmen stood near the snowypeaksof
the Carpathians,Germany'seastward-aggression
waschec{ed.'irumaniatroit .ouiA
flowismoothlyto tlte enginesof civil aircraft and private cars. Thefrontierguaritsf9l ol thc Carpathianrlouruains stood beiweenGermany aoo tfte pfoJstiill
nelds.,
sooneror.iater,_since
shehad madeup her mind to ruie ali Europe.Germanv
woulo nave [o clflvethe.ltontier. guardsmenoff the carpathians.
---- ---' Fbr-Germaly
the-.destructionof Czechoslovakiiwasa necessity
of ,ui.
. Sx. years ago Hitler marked Rutheniadown for certaindestruction. He boasted
that hc would createa greaterUkraine under German putroo"gi. nuthenia *u,
to
become.parr _o_f
his Greaier ukraine. He setout to *lo in" ;;;fi,; sympathiesoithe
Ruthenians.He then.plan4edto make their
bur" for his atfeaceiul;;fi;t-u
tacksupon Polandandihe SovietUnion.
mistaken.Rutheniansare a shrewd countryfork.They know that
-"-T_t^yLt,_qrea-tly
tnelr oestlnyas a tree peopleis bound up with the fortunesof the Cz6chsand
the
:I-ovqKl.lney relusedtopay any heed to Hitler's blandishments.At the time of
Munich theirpatriotismwada, fi.m asa rock.
A t-ewmonths later Hitler pretendedto alter his plans. He took Bohemia and

Moravla-r.the two Czech lands-for himself. He gave a mock lndependenceto

Slovekia' But Rutheria'he handed over to the Hungarians. They lost no time iii
occupfing Ruthenia.So Hungary sharedwith the Germansa common guilt for the
Republicin March, 1939. The gods feared
tolal';ismembermentof the CZeChoslovak
thos; wiro came bringing gifts. The gift of Ruthenia merely bound the Magyars
to tile'German war ihaiiot. Hitler meantin the end to numberHungary amongthe
occuaiedcountries.
The Rutheniansresisted. They are still resisting'
And now the once invincible Germany Arrny has been driven back to the Ruthenian mountains.The GermanArmy is still retreating.Alreadypart of Ruthenia's
fi'ontier hes been reachedby the advancingSoviet forces. With them areCzechosiovakunits formedon Soviet soil. Many Rutheniansare fighting with them. They
all wear British battle-dress.
The more the Germansretreatthe more they find the difficultiesof the mountaincountry magnified. Ruthenian guerillas allow them absolutelyno rest. They a1e
in conialt t6uch with Soviet soidiersand with conscriptseagerto desertfrom the
Gefman lines. They read the mind of the advancing Soviet Army. They know
everyyard of their own mountainousand ruggedcountry. 1'hus the day of their liberatiorr is fast-approaching.For century after century
the Rutheniani have struggled against the restlessand rapacious Germans and
Magyars. Once,in the distantpast, Ruthenia belonged[o-a great-Bulgar_Fmpire,
but-ihe greaterpart of her recordedhistory is one of bondage under the Magyars,
TI{E*PEPUBLIC *

OF

CZECHO'LOVAKIA

ot;\K

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!
J

iffi&ffiffip\H
."4&ffiJmd*Bi\\|ih
tr,

'ffiitififfiil,,lk5lL

who -heleisway over the

Jlovaksas well. The Ma_
shatreredthe old Ru_
,S,y19

nobiiity.
a f.* ril.y

ll,Ti"", to
alolved
make common
c a u s ew i t h t h e m , b u t t h e
ornersthey put to the sword
6r el,s3reducedto a stateoi
serfdom. The-v turnu,d all
t n e t a r r n e r sa n d c a t t l eo r : _
zers into vaisa;i

_iof'1'I.xi'Jiii,""
was,acenturyof
hopefor

a ! i d o u , n t r o d d c ipi e c i p l ei n
tr.urope. Byrou fougfit for

c;.d;:."'d;1,';,,"""'^';

q|ffiiW{#JN-N_ri{*i;'lilfu""
' ;"ft'1t#::;:4iffi1*
1\:.xffiI=. re:\."-Z

'"'*i

or ltalv-.Bulgariat^; i;

et{1'*'il

Hi11,,gfti:ilii
-g*+.q*-*i------=r->s.3^t-<: ;['ilfi""1".Tiffii
ffi

bringthem
neartheirgoar.The Rurrrenians
had an admirabre
'.rl?i irtLt t:illr
Thgv
cer.:rin
arrr!)i_inr
arri,unt
oi adainlstriitive
or
administr;rriie
-actujly;",;;
rrrrnnn,-,ard ?f^b:;ll:kr
autonomv
the ,,ght to
ilii.
f;i;;";ihJ;r.,rL.rirr

great
a<rnriniol,*tioi'a,uoil;3+-iiT-:i*,rLr';h1f,i-:1fi:i;:ff
*T ?x',ff",,i:
Rutirenia 'ras bound trand a,'.J f*;.;;
Hungary.

Ivlagyar tyraony was .ince

agrincomplele.
No ri'ci<icr hoDeswere.revived
-ritri"'*.."
rvhen,in r9r4, theAusiriarrEmpiie fcund
itserf
errgL;li':d
i. the flist wcrrd w"r. ^iil-ur,".O'
*uny profounddisapp'r'tments and
an-r.reiics.
iJiavc.Russi.rntroopi,
oy
rncompetent
Czarisl malters,
rvere drj,,,eabacii.
';;i;
Their revolutionary
leedxs
;;;"tiic
to
inrke a hunrlii.iting
p.o...,uirl,t1'*rni"o1'"i]"t
'Tire
,,
tireenjl theAijr.:ei
was;il"-.i;;;.
iust_
"i,isa
rian Empire was biokel, and for .r.i.
ffr* u.l"_
gyar shackiesf'elloffstovakiaanJ nu*"o^iulflry
-ito-'v,Jurc
y^e19,free.Befbre them darvned
of
rapplness and contentment.They
hapfened to
be pathetieaily
few.

__Ruthenia was free, but poor and badly undevelop:d Enorrnous tasks lay ahead.
They noeded for their successall the taient and abiliiy that the new CzeChoslovak
Republic had at its command. Profourrd cirangeswere ineviiable. The Ruthenians
did not want to remain backward. Tltey clamoured ior ne'v houses.new schools.new
'Ihey
businesses.
wanted to revive their ancient crafts, to found banks in which
they couiC put tlieir savingsand to bring a general air of prosperityinto the nrarketpiace. They trad good rvine and fruit to exchange for tire industrial goods of
Boiternia and h{cravia. T'hey rvunted to repair i.he neglectedhighways and to build
ncw bridges. l'here was everyi.vherean air of gay confidcnce.
r.;, Bi-ttthe difficulties w.'l'e rn.iny. The old Magyar adminlstration had been careless
a:ril hopelcssty.
corrupt. Adminisiration liad to be good, simple and cheap. only
a f:;-rv l{utheniarrs harl becii ir:zi:nedfoi a-dmin
isir:rtive woi'k. Time was nccded.
"l'henerv Czechosiovakadministration set out
to l-ieas simple as possible. Simple folk like
to have their affairs settied on the spot. They
d o n o l .r v a n ta l o t f o f b r n r a l i t i c sT. h e y m u s tt r l k
with officiais x'ho speak their own languageand
rvho try to be as helpful as possible. TIie lviitten
word was usually in'Russian or Ukrainian,
though the Ruthenians, the Czechs and the

Slovaks have very little difficulty in understanding each other.

The Ruthenians had been oppressed by the old administration, and won that was
swept arvay. They were also oppressed by their former landlords. 'The landlords
hail gone. The land remained. But the systemof land tenure was in desperateneed
of reform.
Within 15 years nearly 30,000 Ruthenian tenant-farmers or farm workers had
received grants of land. Another reform was the establishrnent of rnany self-supporting
estatos. Their sites were carefully chosen and tliey worke<i .,veil'
To each estate was attached a fair propcrtion oi rn;adowiand and forest. E-rerYthing was done to increase the acreage under pasture anC to make caitle-breeding
a great national industry. The dairyma'l came into his own and a rlne Ruthenlan
ch-eeseheld its own with cheesefrom Switzerland and the Arg:nlino as among the
1
finest in the world.
Butalthoughtheforestsgaveplacenorvandagaintonew pastureland thO C)echoslovak administrators nevel miiunderstcod tl,e r,ast foiest wealth cf Ruthenia. Tliey
knew that good forestry and good farrning go together. A treeless farm. c.att never
be a reaiiy. good farm. There was ne.zer the siiglitest danger of soii erosicxt. B-ut
what have'tf,e Germans done with these {ine foresrs ? The fcrests of Europe are riot
inexhaustible. A second World Wal iras, in fact, brcught us within reach of a tree
famine with disastrous results for Europe and Nortii America. Have the Gerinairs
ruthlessly hacked down the old Ruthenian giants in their desperate desire to have
enough timber for therr war needs ?
.

?
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- Neq{yhalf the country,it is true,is coveredwith virgiirforests,Nature hasbeen
bormtiful. IJut rnanis careless.
and the Germanis'ruthiess.utiir'sr-fr"i, aar,"n ort
- -qulckty,the damagewhich he is cloingmiry i:ral its rirarkfor ciiiiuries to
come.RLrtheniadoesnot pretendto bs
He.
_arr.;thingb.ut oo- u_g.i"uiiuint
peopleare deeplyrooted in tlrc sorl.FI.:r"o,ont.y.'
r'inr:iyards
yield c[erisheJ *ium
i6i ifr"
citizensof Pragueand Brno. lder abundant"fiuitiras gi""o a riorid-wide
ra"ieJo
jams of'rMoraviaand Siovakta.Czechoslovut
toiruc"o
!h_a
is;grown.in' ILuthciria.
" .Eut lturhenia, though a country of land_workers,is not
wititout suLrs_icliary
indusiiios. A nurnber of faclories
.spi?ng up when the Rutirenians becamefree. Bef<trethe
last r.rr;r the Magyars took caie ti:at there shouid Lre
no
rnr;re than 27 factories in the whoie of Rutirenia. f.our_
teenye^arsago Ruthenia had neai.iy20 times that number.
Food factorius, timber-wori.r,,priirtiiig wori<,s,bricl< rnah_
'-So
ing and glass-making factorjes-all w"erefloutishing.

were metallurgiccentresand chemicalworks. The country was given an abundant

supply of cheapelectricity.
/
Czechoslovakiaset out to be an ideal democratic Republic. Shehad complete
freedomof worship and+pinion. Shehad advancedsystemsof social insurance.All
thesebenefitsflowedfreelyto Ruthenia. Moreover,theRutheniansinsistedalways
upon
giving somqthingthemselves.They werefully representedin the Legislature. Their
' sonshad a fine record of serviceas soldiersor airmen.They were,in fact, co-authors
of Czechoslovakia'sdemocracy.
At the time of Munich only two Europeancountriesto the south-eastof the Rhine
still remainedfaithful to their democratictraditions. One was Switzerland.The other
, was Czechoslovakia.In settingfoot upon Ruthenia the advancingSoviettroopshave setfoot
upon a country pledgedto the
dernocraticway of life.
High wages were paid in
Bohemia and Moravia. They
reactedmcst favourablyupon
agricultural Ruthenia.
But man does not live
by bread alone. He wants,
arnoog other things, health

ill!n'a=

*--'';!+.1t*

and a gc'od education. In the days of the Republic, Rr-rthenia gained both in
abundant m3asure. shg had mii;1y new irospiials; ante-nat;rl adviie centies and
tuberculo;is ciinics. A close vnatch was kept on the hygicne of every viilage, N{aishreswere drained, rivcrs cairaiisedaad tire'rowns proviiJJ with a prbper iewerag.
'ltre
system.
effect of all thesp ro;asurds upon the heelth or tir! Rutheniin
people-rvel:rlrncst instantanecus.Under Mtgyat ruie tubriiulosis and spottedtyphus

the qountry.\wthiu 15 yearsthey had becomeonly a meniory;

raged.tbroughout

Hit,r'GApy i
lQlS

6l

i/tA

H/qHEB

SEaoilhzy
sq@4

a tale told to the children now

living under German rule.
The health centreswere nor
476 l"{AAl 630iAAAt{t alone
responsiblefor this proffi. Ai,iAA f,B AAAAA,TA
videntialchangeofaffairs.
*AAAA'
,IAAAAAA More than half the improvement was due to the reform of
t5
education. Tht Magyars had
kept a fundamentally good
people in ignorance and poverty.They encouraged
superstitionand tolerateddirt. Thev
did not want the Rutheniair
cz4c4ostot/AE/4 t
tqt I

{ffi+

fr Al'A4fr

ffi+

E&'

t936

their.
herirage.
bythe
.Authiswasto beended

effects of a faulty education- there is, p.thuir, little

":ftF*i"r*ff:T;?i1ti:"Jti
chance of a fuil .r.upi. ttt"
yollllg were grand material. Schools wele enlaiged and increased. Illiteracy^became
a thing unknorvn among the young.
Hundreds of books rvere printed in the Ruthenian lanluage. Ruthenian periodicals made their appearanie. Ruthenia rvas making a v"ery"clefinitecontribition
to the cuiture r_'fCzechoslovakia and Central Europe.
But shq had her growing pains. The evil.consequencesof the centuries-old Ma-

lF"

ii;

fl,

t!A'
ii

tf

!$*;n;==*-

-'

't

gy_aftyranny were not completely overcome ln a yeat or even in a decade.

Thomas
Masaryk, the grbat President-Liberatorof Czechoslovakia,
used to argue
'. that Czechoslovakia
neededa full halfrcentury of peacefuldevelopment if she was
really to solve all ^her minority problems. czechoslovakiawas never.given a
full half-century foi peaceful deveiopment. She had but two decades ofpeace.

They were not really

decadesofpeace at all.
Early in 1933 Hitler
came to power in GerHUNqAey ?
many. From that day
the dream ofpeace was
ended.
Hitler was obsessed
bythe greatness ofthe
czEC//osl_ovAk/Ai Ukraine. He arsued
that Ruthenia waipart
of tft Ukraine. He was
determined to become
her master. In l940he
,950
had the rich prize of
France. Britain lay exposed to attack. The
British people expected
their island-fortress to be
inraded. Butthe loss of
the Battle of Britain sent
Hitler back upon his
insanelust for the Ukraine. The Ukraine, he
shouted, should be
"free. "
He forgot the freedom
of the Ukrainian people
the freedom of choice.
The Ukrainian people fought with their life-blood. Their
lr great
ereat crtres
cities were taKen.
taken.
'lnelr
Their nch
rich cornnelds
cornfields were laid rvaste. The granary which Hitler
{itler coveted became a
scorched earth. The Soviet people had the rvi,ll to resist. Back across the Ukraine
went a rvounded and. _desperate German
Leningrad, Moscow
.Army-denied
and-Stalingrad; denied the collapse of the Soviet people.
That stature belongs also to the Rutheman

TLAT6
ft / r/NGAccotloDAr/oNs) ru uiuop. oo

t9to

aarrG
)r

dtara

.taaa
))lr

,9r7

rafla
rirda
rlttt
I

people.
F;lAfter 20 years of freedom within the CzechoslovakRepublichavecomefiveyearsof oppression.
Their Magyarmastersenteredinto possession
again
and it is certain that nearly all the reforms were
sweptaway. Magyarsfrom Budapestmade their
claimsupon the well-run land allotments. Land
ownerstook awaythe peasants'heritage. If those
new faatories are still working, they are under

I
Magyar or German management. The schools, in ali probability, are once more in
decay. Over the Nazi Empire hovers the spirit of death.
The past five years have been a severe testing-time. For long. victory seemed
doubtful or remote. I{itier was master of Euiope Far as the eye might range from
a Carpathian ntountait-rthe land r,vcsFlitler's. What were the Rtithenian peaiants to
know of British sea power, or, except in ietters sent home, of the vast potentialities
of the United States? Yet thc Rutilenians never gave way. They had tasted
freedom. They r.vouldbe content with nothing less.
They saw, more than three years ago, that Hitler was preparing to attack the Soviet Union. The lust for tlte Ukraine had made him crazy. It gave
the Ruthenians
high hope. They beiievr: sincerely in the greatness of Russia. From Russia and
Ukraine comes their culture and the form of their religion. These are things which
their Magyar rnasters were always quite unable to destroy.
Hard days lie ahead-pelhaps for all the Czechoslovak people. Czechoslovakia
is the fortress of Eulope. The Germans will do the best to defend her, though the
revoltandsabotageoftheCzechoslovak people will make things infinitelydifficult
for them. No Rutheniail, r1o Cz9ch, no Slovak will shirk the tasks of to-day.
None have asked that his couutry shall be spared the scars of battle.

Hail to the Ruthbnian. He seesthe Sovietsoldlerencampedin the earpathians.

He knows that the German order in Europe is doomed. For his long relusal to
rnake common causewith the enemiesof his country will comeat last the reward
of freedom. He looks to us to shapethe comingpeacethat the Carpathianswill never
again be madea citadel of iniquity.
. SEE RUTHENIA AFTER THE WAR
When the armistice is signed, what will you do ? Plan a holiday in Europe ?
That is a long way off. The peopleof Europe hsve still to be freed, clothed, fed,
resettledin the homesfrom which the Germansdrove them. A host of temporary
officials will be wantedin Europe. The tourist will haveto wait.
But not for ever. The tourist will havethe freedomof Europe again. It will be
greater
freedom. Wtrereverhe go:s the tourist will meet men and-womengrateful
?
for the standwhich the British madein 1940.
thenwill you go ? Why not to Ruthenia? Book your journey early.
_ W_her9
Ruthenia will have many memoriesfor thosewho fought for freedomon the Eastern
front. Many a Ruthenianvillageis likeiy to g"t a world-renownbeforethis war is over.
Tastethe wine of Ruthenia. Swim in her tree-shelteredrivers. Climb her moun-.
tains. Walk through her beautiful forest.s. Ride across country. Hunt the wild
boar. Examinethe ruggedcastleswhich remindyou that Ruthenia'sbrief freedom
was not won until shehad borne many centuriesof war.
There are spa waters and brine baths. There are shepherd huts and' manY
beautiful wooden churches. The forests and the mountainshave a beauty unsurpassedin Europe. Thereare springsof ice-coldwater in which to batheaftei a long
walk.
You may not be able to speak the people's language. That is a pity. They
are friendly. Their ianguage is poetical. Their folk-lore is exceedingly rich. But
here and there you will flnd a young man-or, maybe, even a middle-aged manwho fled from his country so as to fight for her freedom. He has learned in exile to
speak English. He will explain the customs and festivitieswhich are crowded around
the wooden church. The songswhich tire Ruthenians sing will not sound strange to
you. Throughout the war you have been listening, even if a little unconsciously,to
the music of Dvorak and Smetana. Both found good foundations in rhe folk-songs
of their own country. Sone of those songsbelong to Ruthenia.
-Ruthenia is, indeed,a land of song. Sorror.vand song may seem to go together. But
life in Ruthenia is virile, tough, eager. The will to live has kept the Ruthenians together
throug4 iire grimmest years. Above the hardness there is gaiety, sympathy, a nimbleness of wit. The sun shines and the air is vibrant with music.
If you rilant a luxury hotel, keep away from Ruthenia. She has never built up
a tourist industry. Go to Ruthenia only if you are sound in limb and wind. Go t-o
Ruthenia if your heart is young and if you like the simple things of life - mquntain
air and scenery, rocks and springy turf, the wind and the heather, loneliness ald the
aompanionship of youth. Go to Ruthenia if you travel light-if
you want swimming

shortsfor the sunrner and skis for the winter. Go to Ruthenia if'you are a man with
1gun. _Goto Rutheniaif you want snow-coveredslopesand froien mountain-lakes.
Go to ftulhlnia_if you want wild, sun-clad beauty. Go to Ruthenia if
vou ;"n;i;
see where the west meetsthe_East ; the mountain fastnessof central Europe.
.If you haveseenRrrthenia,you are at leasta well-travelledman.

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Books on CarpathianRuthenia

Sunrise on Ruthenia
'

BY HENRY BAERLEIN.
. . a bald outline of Ruthenia's story; and in this '
book there are filled in .some details, lurid and
beautiiul, with trage{V i" them and even comedy'

NEW EUROPE PUBLISHINGCOMPANY LIMITED

Distributedby
DRUMMONDLIMITED
LINDS.A.Y

216

Death Stalks the Forest

BY JAN CECH
. . a story of partisan warfare in Carpathian Ruthenia'
Secondenlargededi,tion.

LINDSAYDRUMMONDLIMITED

216,

,PU.BLISHING
COMPANY'LTD.
THE NEW EUROPE
2e GREAT JAMESSTREET,LONDON,W'C'l
I

1t6