1924 Splitting Of The League
Liga lesní moudrosti (LLM) – The Woodcraft League
Picture from p. 72 1. The header of LLM's official writing paper, 1924. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 72 2.–3. LLM stamps, 1924. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 72 4. LLM building a camp, 1925. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 72 5. An invitation to a meeting of LLM's Pražská jednota (Prague Union), 1925. ~z~ DK
Picture from p. 72 6. A warm-up with Sůva, LT LLM 1925. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 72 7. The island Ostrov dávné touhy near the town of Beroun, the League's camping spot in 1920s – 1940s, 1925. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 73 8. LLM's recruitment leaflet, 1925. ~a~ PK, ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 73 9. A camp led by Prokop Koudela, Děvín 1925. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 73 10. LLM Council, Rechle u Husince 1927. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 73 11. LLM Council Bojovské údolí u Klínce, 6.7.1925. ~z~ AW
The new name LLM was used by Czechoslovak woodcrafters from spring 1923 to autumn 1928. Over these five years, LLM was gradually led by: Miloš Seifert, Prokop Koudela, František Kupka and Jaroslav Šimsa. In Europe, a wave of a socialist movement and left-wing lines of thought was gaining strength, finding positive reception among young woodcrafters as well. In autumn 1924, this group led by Koudela took control of LLM and determined the idea orientation of the League for two years. Seifert, a natural scientist, left and established the environmentally-oriented Liga pro výchovu přírodou "Moudrost lesa" (LPV-ML) – "League for Education by Nature 'Forest Wisdom'". In 1926, radicalism and politicization in LLM was condemned, and young revolutionaries left so that they could establish ISAW. Jaroslav Šimsa was elected to lead the organization. He managed to stabilize LLM and started the tradition of forest schools, the co-called chautauqas. In fall 1928, Šimsa and Seifert arranged to merge their organizations again under the name Liga československých woodcrafterů ("The League of Czechoslovak Woodcrafters").
Forest wisdom
Picture from p. 74 1. A drawing of a summer camp on Vydra, 1926. ~a~ MH, ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 74 2. A member ID of LPV-ML, 1926. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 74 3. Girls on a bank of an island on Vydra, 1926. ~z~ DR
Picture from p. 74 4. Boys from the Příbram-based Kmen Rudých jazyků ("Tribe of Red Tongues") in the Šumava region, 1926. ~z~ DR
Picture from p. 74 5. A plan of a camp on Vydra, 1926. ~a~ MH, ~z~ DR
Picture from p. 74 6. LPV-ML camp at Walden, 1927. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 75 7. Registration of a LPV-ML member, 1927. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 75 8. A decree of a completed Pond-eagle feather coup, 1925. ~a~ FS, ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 75 9. Camping at Walden, 1927. ~z~ DR
Picture from p. 75 10. A cover of the magazine Lesní moudrost ("Forest Wisdom"), 1924. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 75 11. A decree of LM's degree, 1926. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 75 12. A cover of the magazine Hlasatel Moudrosti lesa ("Forest Wisdom Reporter"), year I, no. 1/1927. ~z~ AW
Disagreements on the future course of LLM lead to the departure of Miloš Seifert – Woowotanna and those loyal to him in the fall of 1924. At first they founded the association Klub woodcrafterů ("Woodcrafters' Club") and subsequently a new organization, Liga pro výchovu přírodou – Moudrost lesa (LPV-ML). Seifert issued translations of E. T. Seton's major works: The Birch Bark Roll, The Twelve Secrets of The Woods and Woodland Tales as well as the translation of John Hargrave's book The Wigwam Papers.
Hlasatel Moudrosti lesa published by Karel Langer – Juraj became the association's magazine. Seifert purchased a plot of land with a hut in Slovakia for his League, and names it "Walden". He implemented new decrees for coups and degrees, scarves, vigils and wood names. Along with Jan Svatopluk Procházka – Chigawha, the Executive of LVP-ML, they would put a strong emphasis on the protection of nature, which is also present in the organization's name. In the fall of 1928, the organization merges with LLM to form a new organization, LČSW.
The Pilsen district
Picture from p. 76 1. Psohlavci ("Dogheads") in Pilsen, 1915. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 76 2. Šedí Medvědi ("Gray Bears") in the nature park Horní Střela, 1927. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 76 3. The chronicle of Šedí Medvědi, 1926. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 76 4. The magazine Psohlavec of the Pilsen Association ~z~ DR
Picture from p. 76 5. An Inca in front of a hut in Střela, 1928. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 76 6. Šedí Medvědi at the pond Kornatický rybník, 1927. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 77 7.–8. Kmen Černých Havranů ("Tribe of Black Ravens"), 1925. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 77 9. Družina Stříbrného Medvěda ("The Silver Bear Section") in Slovakia, 1928. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 77 10. The tribe Tharahumáni camping, 1929. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 77 11. Minutes from the Pilsen Association Council, 1929. ~z~ AW
The first mentions of Psohlavci ("Dogheads") sections in the Pilsen region date back to 1915. This era is connected in particular to the name of the Head Teacher (School Principal) Jan Krs. After the creation of Czechoslovakia, Obec Psohlavců ("The Dogheads Community") expanded too. In its major centers (Prague, Brno, Pilsen, České Budějovice) it established the so-called districts (several associations merged into a larger organizational unit).
The Pilsen region belonged to the strongest supporters of the woodcraft movement even after the founding of LLM. There were many prominent personalities there (Šneberger, Šilinger, Koranda, Volín) who also had many followers in 1920s and 1930s (Bendl, Chudáček, Vyleta, Kankrlík).
Želvy ("Turtles") Příbram
Picture from p. 78 1. The emblem of the tribe ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 78 2. The tribe Želvy camping in the valley Údolí mlh, 1924. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 78 3. A clubhouse in Příbram, 1924. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 78 4. The Chiefs of the tribe Želvy, 1924. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 78 5. Želvy in the council circle, 1924. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 79 6. The camp of Želvy in Údolí mlh, 1924. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 79 7. Dobroslav Svoboda – Smělý Rys ("Daring Lynx"), 1927. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 79 8. The cover of the magazine Lov ("Hunting"), 1924. ~z~ LA
Picture from p. 79 9. The cover of the Birch Bark Roll, 1924. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 79 10. A Pond-eagle feather decree, 1923. ~a~ PS, ~z~ AW {{{3}}}
Picture from p. 79 11. A warm-up at Sázava, 1926. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 79 12. The bulletin of the tribe Želvy, 1925. ~z~ DK
The tribe Želvy ("Turtles") was founded in Příbram by Pravdomil Svoboda – Šedý Vlk ("Gray Wolf") and his friend Viktor Palivec.
In 1918, they both got first involved as boys in the troop Psohlavci ("Dogheads") Příbram led by prof. Hořejší and taken over a year later by František Kupka – Jánoš. After prof. Hořejší returned in 1920, several troops were established in Příbram. Most of them joined Svaz Skautů ("Scouts Association") along with Hořejší and Horký two years later.
Pravdomil and Viktor were drawn rather to exploration of nature. Therefore it comes as no surprise that they remained loyal to prof. Seifert's woodcraft. Pravdomil even went camping to Slovakia with him. The camp under Smrekovica enchanted him so much in 1922 that his brothers Dobroslav and Libomír soon joined the tribe too. Viktor had his younger brother Josef in the tribe. There were also the Kejval brothers (Pavel, Mirek), Jarda Grégr, Jarda Kopecký, Antonín Burgerstein, Josef Osvald, Jiří Hes, M. Podaný, Luba Urbánek.
The tribe would camp independently from 1923 under the leadership of Chief Pravdomil Svoboda – Šedý Vlk ("Gray Wolf"), who went to Prague to study a year later and was therefore replaced by Viktor Palivec – Světlá stopa ("Bright Footprint"). The tribe had five sections (kins) in total: Černí vlci ("Black Wolves"), Stříbrné lišky ("Silver Foxes"), Šedí medvědi ("Gray Bears"), Ostříži ("Hobbies") and Malé Sovy ("Small Owls").
Jaroslav Milec was the tribe's Chief in 1925. His success in sport (a victory in javelin throw and shot put at a Sokol competition in Pilsen) was also reported by the magazine Vatra.
In 1928, Viktor Palivec – Světlá stopa ("Bright Footprint") left for Prague too. The rest of the boys grew up and the tribe changed into a group of friends who sometimes went on a trip to the forest.
When they were the most famous, the section Černí vlci under Pravdomil's leadership would publish the magazine Lov ("Hunting"), the bulletin Hlasatel kmene Želvy ("The Turtles' Bulletin") and published also an edition of Seifert's translations of articles by Seton and Hargrave; these would mostly not appear anywhere else anymore.
Pfadfinders
Picture from p. 80 1. The binding of the book Winnetou III., 1904. ~a~ SS, ~z~ WI
Picture from p. 80 2. A postcard with the linocut "Pfadfinders on a trip", 1927. ~a~ RA, ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 80 3. Pfadfinders camping the mountain range Orlické hory, 1926. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 80 4. The linecut Pfadfinders are going camping, 1927. ~a~ RA, ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 81 5. A cover of the Pfadfinders' magazine, 1927. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 81 6. Wučiček with a bow, Samechov 1925. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 81 7. The founding deed of the section Sonne ("Sun"), 1924. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 81 8. Wučiček camping in the village of Samechov, 1925. ~z~ PM
The tribe "Kmen Prager Pfadfinder" ("Tribe of Prague Scouts") was founded in 1922 by the bank clerk Karel Mahler. It consisted mostly of Jews of German nationality from Prague who joined LLM under the leadership of Hans Robitschek in 1923. They published the magazine Von Lagern und Fahrten ("About Camps and Trips") together with Prager Neupfadfinder ("Prague Neoscouts"), a brotherly tribe led by Emil Vogl – Wučiček. Because of Chief Prokop Koudela's lack of tolerance, the tribe left LLM at a Council in Oseček held on May 2, 1926, and became a collective member of Federace čsl. skautů ("Federation of Czechoslovak Scouts"). The tribe ceased to exist due to the onset of fascism when all members were sent to concentration camps.
The tribe Kmen Prager Neupfadfinder ("Tribe of Prague Neoscouts") was a member of the League until 1931 when it quit due to disagreements with the Chief Viliam Valovič – Manoki. Emil Vogl and his tribe maintained friendly relations with the campers of Samechov grouped around Miloslav Vavrda – Minehaha. Unlike Robitschek's tribe, Wučiček's Neupfadfinders joined the youth organization Sozialdemokratische Jugend ("Socialdemocratic Youth") in 1930s, where they established Bund internationaler Jugend ("International Youth Association"). The tribe kept up its woodcraft activity, although Wučiček's successors would take over its leadership one after another (Zdeněk Fantl, Hans Taussig, Karl Deutsch – Mammy). Like its brotherly tribe, it ceased to exist too due to a decree by the Minister of Interior in 1939. Wučiček was one of the few Jewish woodcrafters to survive holocaust and get back to active woodcrafting after the war.
Kmen Blesku Kunčičky ("The Lightning Tribe" from Kunčičky)
Picture from p. 82 1. The tribe emblem ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 82 2.–3. From the Kmen Blesku camp in the Beskydy mountain range, 1927. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 82 4. The cover of the magazine Vigwam no. 2/1926 ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 82 5. Wontola and Segwun at the chautauqua, Samechov 1927 ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 83 6. Kmen Blesku wandering through the Beskydy mountain range, 1927. Upper row, third from the left: Alois Humplík – Wontola, in front of the teepee from the left: Milan Lenárt, Karel Kapica, Jaroslav Retka – Segwun. Lower row, second from the left: Soňa Šnajdárková, third from the left: Helena Kapicová ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 83 7. The tribe's memo about the Solstice Festivities, around 1929 ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 83 8. Moravian Council in the municipality of Luleč, 1926. ~z~ AW
Kmen Blesku ("The Lightning Tribe") was established by a group of boys and girls from the mining colony in Kunčičky near Ostrava on the Silesian bank of River Ostravice in 1926. It was based on the woodcrafter section "Děti Vatry" ("Children of the Bonfire"), lead by Jaroslav Retka – Segwun from 1923. In the 1920s the tribe belonged to the most active tribes in LLM. In 1926–28, Alois Humplík – Wontola used to publish Vigwam, a very lovely tribe magazine. A slow decline of the tribe was caused by its teenage leading personalities gradually leaving for work or studies. In 1929, the tribe was renamed Kmen Černého démantu ("The Black Diamod Tribe"), refering to the coal from Ostrava. The history of the tribe finally ended with the Great Depression in the first half of the 1930s. The crisis of ideals in LLM without doubt played its role too because it was difficult to handle for Segwun who had friends on both sides. He sincerely wished for reconciliation, therefore the joined the project of building the woodcrafters' hut Walden near the village of Nový Hrozenkov. Brief mentions of woodcrafters from the Ostrava region can, however, still be found throughout the 1930s all the way until the war.
Chautauqua – čotokva
Picture from p. 84 1. A cover of the magazine Chautauqua, no. 1/1927 ~z~ DK
Picture from p. 84 2. LLM's chautauqua participants at Samechov, 1927. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 84 3. From the left: Segwun, Sůva, Šedý Sob, Šedý Bobr, Chautauqua 1927. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 84 4. A diploma from the Walden chautauqua, 1949. ~a~ JPM, ~z~ RP
Picture from p. 85 5. A chautauqua promotional flyer, Cass Lake 1917. ~z~ WI
Picture from p. 85 6. Junior Chautauqua dedicated to woodcraft, Missouri 1911. ~z~ WI
Picture from p. 85 7. League chautauqua. From the left: Norek, Bobr, Pitter, Hukwim, Wapiton, Wajikani, Teichman Sr., Krejčí, Atahualpa, X, Hučivá Desná 1947. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 85 8. A deed with the chautauqua participants' signatures, 1947. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 85 9. A campsite with a chautauqua on the river Hučivá Desná, 1947. ~a~ FIC, ~z~ SI
Adult education by means of summer camps in nature was initiated by Methodists at the lake Chautauqua, New York, in 1873. These forest schools would later on become well-known all across America, and were praised by President Theodor Roosevelt himself.
In 1927, the new Chiefs of LLM made it one of their goals to introduce forest courses for tribe chiefs and named them chautauqua (Czech: čotokva). The well-proven practician Karel Bukovanský took over Chautauqua leadership with the help of Rudolf Grünwald who had first-hand experience with American forest schools. They published a bulletin of the same name that provided young woodcrafters with new activity concepts. Chief Jaroslav Šimsa – Sůva managed to push the idea of a regular "Scouting" section, sometimes marked "LLM", in Národní osvobození ("National Liberation"), a daily of the community of legionaries. This section informed the general public about the educational activities and goals of the League, as well as about lectures in Chautauqua that used to took place in the scouting house on the embankment Petrské nábřeží in Prague. Chautauqua peaked at a summer camp in the village of Samechov under the leadership of the LLM Chief in August 1927.
The tradition of such forest schools lived on in the following years. For example, the Chautauqua of 1947 is a well-known one. Today these forest schools are often themed or focused on a particular target group of participants (Čotokva Malé lóže – of the Little Lodge, Ohnivecká čotokva for firemen etc.).
ISAW ("International Socialist Association of Woodcrafters") – Scouts of nature and labor
Picture from p. 86 1. The magazine Hlasatel ISAW ("The ISAW Reporter"), 1926. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 86 2. A postcard of the Exhibition of Prokop Koudela's Drawings, 1928. ~a~ VA, ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 86 3. A cover of the magazine Slunce ("Sun"), yr II, no. 1/1928 ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 86 4. The cover of the publication ISAV na nové cesty socialismu ("ISAV For New Paths of Socialism"), 1936. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 87 5. A book from the Slunce edition, volume 2, 1932. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 87 6. A cover of the Roll for ISAW, 1927. ~a~ PK, ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 87 7. An article about ISAW, Dějiny a současnost ("History and the present times"), yr V. no. 11–12/1963 ~a~ JHS, ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 87 8. A cover of ISAW's songbook, 1933. ~z~ DR
Picture from p. 87 9. A cover of the magazine Slunce, yr III, no. 4/1931 ~z~ SV
Picture from p. 87 10. The tribe Táborité, Luka pod Medníkem 1924. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 87 11. The ISAW members in the Brdy mountain range, third from the left: Rudolf Pach, cca 1935. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 87 12. Josef Fischer (on the right) with its tribe in the Brdy mountain range ~z~ PM
ISAW was formed in 1926 and aimed to apply socialist ideas to E. T. Seton's woodcraft in opposition to LLM. After the death of its first ideologist, the teacher Prokop Koudela († 1927), and especially during the Great Depression, ISAW got markedly radicalized, seeking to create a program of proletarian tramping in the spirit of the Marxist-Leninist doctrine. It polemized with apolitical tramping (the representative of which was Bob Hurikán) and criticized political parties' attempts to gain influence on the tramping movement. At the same time, though, it tried to get closer with the Czechoslovak Communist Party, but was unsuccessful due to the rigid stance of official communist youth orgnizations. The association ceased to exist in the fall of 1938, during the times of the Second Czechoslovak Republic.
ISAW issued the magazine Slunce ("Sun") the gradual transformation of which reflected the efforts to expand the association's range. From 1931, the titles of articles as well as the magazine name (La Suno) were printed also in Esperanto. The Esperanto acronym ISAV (Internacia socialista asocio vivo – "International Socialist Association of Life") was used too. From September 1931 (year 3, no. 3), the magazine advocated for a radical reform of orthography oriented at a phonetic way of writing according to the principle "spell it as you hear it", the argument being meeting the needs of those who do not know orthography. The ancillary series Edyce (later "Edice") Slunce, (1931–34, three out of four released publications were printed with the reformed orthography), was founded only towards the end of 1931 in the times of the transformation of the camping association within the broader youth organization and was markedly ideologically oriented. In the publications, just like in the magazine, elements of avantgarde typography were advocated (using lowercase letters only, page layout influenced by constructivism, etc.) The stem artist of the association was one of the organizers of its edition activities – the graphic designer and photographer Jaroslav Hošek.
Prokop Koudela - Jánošík, Jaroslav Šimsa - Sůva
Picture from p. 88 Prokop Koudela - Jánošík. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 89 Jaroslav Šimsa - Sůva. ~z~ ARS
Picture from p. 89 Jaroslav Šimsa (third from the right) at a council in the village of Samechov, 1929. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 90 A drawing from the chronicle of Kmen Cedru ("Ceder Tribe"), 1928. ~a~ KJ
- Prokop Koudela - Jánošík
- (*14. dubna 1904, Beroun – † 11. dubna 1927, Praha).
An elementary school teacher, a journalist. A member of Obec Psohlavců ("The Dogheads Community") and LLM, its Chief in the years 1924–25 and 1926. The founder of ISAW.
He began his involvement as an ordinary member in the Beroun-based tribe Děti Živěny ("Children of Živěna") in 1915. He took part in leading it from 1918. In 1919, Koudela lived with the Seifert family in Dolný Kubín, Slovakia, where he went to the local high school. This is where Seifert founded the tribe Horní chlapci ("Upper Boys") of Dolný Kubín, which Koudela led for a short while. Here he was given the nickname Jánošík. After his father Jan died, Miloš Seifert – Woowotanna provided him with financial support so that he could graduate from the Hořovice School of Education (Jan Koudela Sr was his close friend who had rented accommodation at his home in 1911–12).
Koudela, having returned from Slovakia in 1920 (after Seifert left Beroun), became the Chief of Děti Živěny and the most prominent woodcrafting personality in the Beroun district which he led. In the 1920s, Koudela became a radical socialist. In LLM he befriended particularly young woodcrafters with similar political views (Kupka, Bukovanská, Fišer, Vavrda). He gradually introduced communist propaganda in the League and tried to convert LLM into a political organization of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. In 1924 he convinced his friends into removing Seifert as a chief, which he well succeeded at, and the left-wing-minded members of LLM assumed all the important chief positions. This situation lasted for two years during which Koudela and Kupka replaced each other as the Chief. After his second term, Koudela was so self-confident that he wanted to declare the League an officially communist woodcraft organization, and submitted the resolution about the legitimacy of making LLM socialist to the Board of Trustees. He got, however, clearly outvoted, and therefore left together with a hundred of members loyal to him to establish ISAW.
„ We report to all those for whom socialism and its implementation are a life mission, not just a vain decoration. Additionally, we wish to persuade all scouts in the League, as well as those who have been converted against us, that our goals have always been honorable and honest, to help all courageous people working for the transformation of our economically, socially and culturally oppressed life, and thus on the victory of Strength, Beauty, Truth and Love. “ Shortly, however, the Chief and the ideological leader of socialist woodcraft, who called himself Jasoň, died of tuberculosis.
- Jaroslav Šimsa - Sůva
- (* 12. října 1900, Praha – † 8. února 1945, The concentration camp Dachau).
He was a Czech journalist and philosopher, active especially in the Czechoslovak YMCA environment. He was a student of Emanuel Rádl and Josef Lukl Hromádka, and the advocate of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk's views. Ideologically he was an active Christian and socialist.
Jaroslav Šimsa grew up in a poor Catholic family without a father. For a short time he was involved with Skauti práce ("Labor Scouts"); later he was one of the most prominent people in Liga lesní moudrosti which he led as the Chief in 1926–28. This is also where he established the publishing house Les ("Forest") together with Miloslav Vavrda, which published woodcrafter literature.
He worked in the private archive of T. G. Masaryk, and shortly after marrying Marie Kohoutková (1906–1988) he got employed by YMCA where he worked from 1929 in the Publishing Department. In 1933–38 he worked as a Secretary of Academic YMCA, and later as a Program Secretary of YMCA. During this time he also worked as the editor of Křesťanské revue ("Christian Review").
When the Nazi occupation began, he took active part in the 2nd Resistance. For example, he co-founded the petition committee Věrni zůstaneme ("We Remain Faithful"). Nevertheless, on 27 February 1940 he was arrested by Gestapo due to a tip-off that he was in touch with Edvard Beneš who led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. He was imprisoned by the Germans from that moment.
Gestapo also observed his wife who had to report to them regularly in the Petschek Palace in Prague. At first he was imprisoned at Karlovo náměstí in Prague, then in the concentration camp Terezín, and later in Munich for over two years. In 1943, there was a court hearing in Stuttgart with defendants from Šimsa's circles. He himself was not proven guilty, but he was still kept in custody. After the hearing they transported him to the concentration camp in Terezín via Ulm. After that he was shortly held in Pankrác, Prague, and then in the concentration camp Dachau. This is where he caught epidemic typhus at the beginning of 1945, which also caused his death not long before the war ended.
