Page:The heart of Europe; an address delivered by Charles Pergler in Washington, December 11, 1916, at a conference of oppressed or dependent nationalities (IA heartofeuropeadd00pergrich).pdf/31

 f a nation is conscious of its nationality, if it demands independence and liberty, if it has proved the possibility of such independence by its economic and cultural development, its right to independence is removed from the sphere of debatable questions. The Czechs are intensely conscious of their nationality. Bohemia, once one of the most powerful of European states, lost its independence only as a result of the application of brute force. The Czech people never voluntarily surrendered their right to independence, and against the