Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/263

* BOHBMIA. 231 BOHEMIA. uets are cereals, to which about 64 per cent, of the arable land is devoted. Potatoes, sugar- beets, hops, flax, and fruits are grown. The grain of lioheniia is of excellent quality, while its hops arc famous throughout Europe. It is estimated that of the total area of about 12.8-10.000 acres. W per cent, is ])roduetive. Of this, about 50.50 per cent, is arable land, 29 per cent, forest land, covered mainly with conif- «rie, 10 per cent, meadows, and 5 per cent, pas- ture-land. A great part of the land is divided into small holdings. In 00 per cent, of it there are about (iOO.OOO holdings, half of which em- brace less than 1.5 acres each. The remainder, about 5.000.000 acres, is divided into about ISOO holdings. Caltle-raising forms a very important adjunct to agriculture. Horned cattle, sheep, goats, and swine are reared extensively in some districts, and in the south geese form an impor- tant item in the resoui-ces of the country. Silk- oilturo and bee-keeping receive considerable at- tention. The forests of Bohemia, in which various kinds of game are found, are very extensive, and the lumber industr.v gives occupation to a con- siderable part of the population. Xext to agri- eulture. njining occupies the first rank. In re- gard to its mineral deposits, Bohemia stands first among the crownlands of Austria-Hungary, the annual value of its mineral products exceed- ing $20,000,000. About nine-tenths of this sum represents the value of the lignite and coal mined. The bulk of the remainder represents the product of silver, iron, and lead. Among other metals obtained in considerable quantities are gold and tin. Copper, nickel, cobalt, antimony, arsenic, uranium, and tungsten are also found. Other mineral products are alum, kaolin, and garnets. Bohemia is famous for its manufac- tures of glass, and its textile industries are on a vast scale. The manufacturing of beet-sugar is also verv important, as well as the distilling of spirits. There are large iron and steel works, and the manufacture of chemicals is extensively carried on. Among other important industries are the manufacture of agricultural implements, paper-making, and milling. The beer of Pilsen •and the china of Karlsbad are celebrated. The tobacco-factories employ about 10,000 hands, mainly women. In general, Bohemia is not only the most important manufacturing province of -Vustria-Hungary. but also one of the most ad- vanced among the manufacturing countries of Europe, ^lost of the manufacturing is carried on on a large scale, and the tendency toward con- centration is very pronounced. There are still, however, a number of industries carried on al- most exclusively in the houses of the workmen, such as lace-knitting, the manufacture of musi- cal instruments, toys, etc. The commerce of Bohemia is naturally very extensive, and is greatl.v facilitated by the nu- merous financial institutions, as well as by the excellent transportation facilities. In 1S08 Bo- hemia had a total railway mileage of about 3400. or about IT miles of railroad per 100 square miles of territory. The mileage is about .30 per cent, of the total for all Austria. The chief navigable river is the Elbe, and there is also a considerable mileage of artificial water- ways. The Diet of Bohemia consists of 242 members, including the Archbishop of Prague, the heads of the three sees of Leitmcritz, Kiiniggrjitz, and Budweis, two rectors of universities, 70 repre- sentatives of the large landholders, 87 repre- sentatives of towns and chambers of commerce and industries, and 71) representatives of the niral communities. The representatives of the landed aristocracv, as well as those of the towns and industrial centres, are elected directly on a property qualification, while the delegates from the rural conununities are elected by a board of electors returned by voters pa,ving .a certain amount of taxes. Bohemia is represented in the Lower House of the monarchy by 110 members, of whom 23 represent the landed nobility, 32 the towns, 7 the chambers of commerce, 30 the rural communities, while 18 are elected by all quali- fied voters. Public education in Bohemia is well advanced, the line of demarcation between the two elements of the population, Czech and German, being very sharpl.v drawn. There are a German and a Czech university at Prague, the former of which was founded in 13 J8, several technological insti- tutes, over 40 gymnasia, besides a considerable number of real gymnasia (i.e. gj'mnasia with a scientific instead of a classical course), prepara- tory schools, and trade and commercial schools. There are uearl.v 5500 elementary schools, of which 2315 are (Jerman. The schools are at- tended by about 1,040,000 pupils, or 98 per cent, of the school population. The population of Bohemia in 1900 was 6,318,- 697, or nearly 315 per square mile, making Bo- hemia one of the best-populated crownlands of Austria-Hungary. The increase for the last de- cade was 8.10 jier cent., against 5.16 per cent, for the period of 1880-00. Jn regard to nation- ality, the population is 63 per cent. Czech (see division on history) and 37 German. The Catholic religion is professed by 90 per cent, of the poptilation, while somewhat more than 2 per cent, belong to the different Protestant denomi- nations and 1.0 per cent, profess the Jewish religion. The capital, Prague, had a population of 204,478 in 1900. History. In the First Century B.C., the Celtic people, called Boii, who had settled in Bohemia and who gave it its name, were compelled by the advance of the Germans to emigrate from the country. Bohemia was then occupied by the warlike tribe of the ilarcomanni. At the time of the great migi-ation of nations the Jlar- comanni moved westward, and in the Sixth Century we find the region peopled b,y Slavic immigrants, who soon ap[)ear under the conunon name of Cze<rhs, B.v the close of the Ninth Cen- tury the petty chiefs who ruled the Czechs had been converted to Christianit.v, which in the main was introduced by the Germans, while the conversion of the adjoining Moravians was un- dertaken by the great missionaries of the East- ern Church. For a brief period Bohemia formed part of the great ^Moravian realm of Svatopluk, which fell before the onslaught of the Mag.yars at the beginning of the Tenth Century. From about this time Bohemia was united under the sway of a line of dukes of the House of Pfem,vsl, Avho acknowledged the overlordship of the kings of Germany. In the latter part of the Tenth Century the bishopric of Prague was constituted. The princes of the House of Pfemvsl sought to elevate them.selves to the rank of kings, and from the close of the Twelfth Century they were